Oslo by De Joie De Joie really captures the joy of thriving where you belong. Listening to this song put a smile on my face and I hope it will do the same for you. written by Dallas Fluegel
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Disclosure by The Silent Critics When I first heard The Silent Critics I was hooked. The music and lyrics were interesting, but the vocals were breathtaking.
written by Dallas Fluegel
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If Only You Knew by An Atlas To Follow An Atlas To Follow is a magical song that you will not regret listening to. Get yourself into your best music environment and enjoy the music. written by Dallas Fluegel
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Alaye by JKS Sundar, JKA Shalini Our only foreign language song (so far) is made for U.S. radio. If you like the current EDM trend you’re going to want to hear this. written by Dallas Fluegel
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You Are Mighty by Melonie Caudle This song truly captures how amazing and mighty God is. His unfailing love are things that we all need to be reminded of on a daily basis. I hope you get as much from this song as I do. written by Shaina Hawkins
You can go directly to our Top 5 playlist on Spotify or YouTube.
In 2012 An Atlas To Follow released Golden Sun, a six track EP, and toured through 2014. Since then their website has become entirely Chinese and they haven’t posted on Facebook one time. This Knoxville, Tennessee modern indie folk band consisted of Thomas Smith (lead singer), Zac Smith, Amanda Kinney, & Josh Jones. Currently An Atlas To Follow has 6,053 monthly Spotify listeners making them an excellent candidate for our Artist Spotlight.
An Atlas To follow slowly formed into a four piece band over the years of 2009 and 2010. Thomas and Amanda met and discovered each other in a study abroad program in 2009 and started singing together shortly thereafter. Golden Sun was An Atlas To Follow’s only album, although they did release an album under another name in 2010, Suite C.
The first track on the Golden Sun album to catch my ear was Be Kind To Boston. I loved the harmonies and how the song builds up. However, after I dived into the album a new favorite quickly emerged. Enjoy the second track from the Golden Sun album If Only You Knew by An Atlas to Follow. Find lyrics and the meaning below.
Let me tell you dear, I know I said it’s just a story But the truth is I write words to form a crutch to help me get by It wasn’t my intention to leave you out in the cold I wrote this all down and I put it in a song Cause I found that my words fail me When I need them most I’ve got a way with words But I’m not sure it’s the good kind Cause I let them get away from me And I just hope that you’ll find That your name is hidden somewhere Deep between most of them
Bah-di-dah-dah…..
I once had a mind to let this run its course But the wind and the rain had their way with us Cause something deep inside me said I had to learn the hard way I’m scared of being alone, but I’m scared to look you in the eyes And ask you if you’d like to dance with me Because I’ll make a fool of myself These words are nothing more than pebbles thrown In desperation at your window pane Just hoping that the rhythmic sound will help you sleep tonight
If only you knew If only you knew If only you knew If only you knew If only you knew If only you knew
Bah-di-dah-dah…..
If only you knew If only you knew And if only you knew If only you knew
Bah-di-dah-dah…..
Meaning
I really really like this song. There’s something magical in the bah-di-dahs. It feels like its taking me somewhere. It makes me close my eyes and smile.
I really like to dive into the meaning of a song’s lyrics, but I love it when it artists tells us (most of the time) what the song is actually about. In an interview, An Atlas To Follow expanded on the meaning of the album and what each song meant to the writer.
“Golden Sun” has a lot to do with unrequited love, or rather, unrequited feelings, with the two bright spots on the EP being Call this Home and the title track. Louisiana was born from the frustration of still carrying around the weight of regrets and remorse from a failed relationship. Really it wasn’t a relationship at all; I was just very emotionally involved. The song does it’s best to say without saying that I was tired. Tired of having her in the back of my head every other day. Tired of not being able to move forward due to the delusional hope that something where I was might change for the better. Be Kind to Boston, If Only You Knew and Too Late to Say I Love You all come from the same situation where I had some very strong feelings toward a certain someone but knew that they weren’t shared. If you listen to them in the order listed earlier you can see the thematic arc of the “situation”: from hope to desire to desperation to loss. It all worked out in the end though, she changed her mind… and that album is in the works.”
I love happy endings! I hope y’all did too.
You can find An Atlas To Follow on Facebook, Spotify, or Youtube. You can purchase their album on iTunes or through Amazon. A large portion of this post was taken from an Interview found on sonicbids.com.
Melonie Owen Caudle is a wife and mother with a huge passion to see women connect with God on a deep and intimate level. She is a singer and songwriter, with currently only 3 monthly listeners on Spotify, but deserves far more. She is currently the Women’s Director at New Covenant Church in Longview, Texas and serves on the Ladies Council. God is the center of her universe. She transparently shares her own personal life experiences with the hope of helping other women overcome their struggles. She desires nothing more than to see women have daily, deep, rich, life-changing conversations with God.
“You Are Mighty” is the fourth song on her album Ready Now and it is my personal favorite. This song truly captures how amazing and mighty God is. His generosity, his mercy, his unfailing love are things that we all need to be aware of and reminded of on a daily basis. I hope you get as much from this song as I do.
“You Are Mighty” – Melonie Owen Caudle
Who is there among the heavens who’s like you God, There is none that compares And upon the Earth, who contends your majesty Lord, no mortal man would dare.
Cause you are mighty, you are holy I praise you from the depths of my soul. You are worthy, you are mercy, I’m so deeply in love with you, You are mighty. Yeah.
Who is there among the heavens who’s like you God, There is none that compares And upon the Earth, who contends your majesty Lord, no mortal man would dare.
Cause you are mighty, you are holy I praise you from the depths of my soul (depths of my soul). You are worthy, you are mercy, I’m so deeply in love with you (with you). You are grandeur, you are splendor, beauty bows down at your feet. You are mighty. Yeah.
Ooooh.
There is none like you, none like you Jesus, None like you my God. There is none like you, none like you Jesus, none like you my God. There is none. There is none like you, none like you Jesus, none like you my God.
Cause you are mighty, you are holy I praise you from the depths of my soul (depths of my soul). You are worthy, you are mercy, I’m so deeply in love with you (with you). You are grandeur, you are splendor, beauty bows down at your feet (at your feet). You are mighty. Yeah. Oh.
You are mighty. Yeah. Oh, you are mighty. Yeah. You are mighty.
DIVING DEEP
There are times in our lives when we don’t know what step is next, we don’t understand why we are in the place that we are in or how long we are going to be there. We hear the phrase “everything happens for a reason” but not everyone takes that to heart.
Melonie Owen Caudle does a fabulous job of exploring the grace and mercy of God, showing her listeners that he is worthy of our praise,
“Cause you are mighty, you are holy I praise you from the depths of my soul”. Although we may not know the next step in our lives, God does. Sometimes he shows us or gives us a glimpse of things beforehand and other times, he requires us to trust in him. Have faith and take it one day at a time. “There is none like you, none like you Jesus, none like you my God” there is no superior or omniscient being like God. No one even compares.
This song reminds me that even when I’m at my lowest, God is always there. He’s all seeing, all powerful, forever gracious, and merciful, even when we don’t deserve it. And a majority of the time, we don’t. This song serves as a good reminder, showing listeners that there is something in this world bigger and greater than us.
How has God’s glory and mercy made an impact in your life?
The Soorleys’ are a ‘tousled bohemian outfit’ from Australia boasting upbeat folk songs. The band is made of up 4 sisters (Beth, Laura, Shelley, & Millie), 2 of the sisters husbands (Sam & Christopher), & brother (of Christopher) Nick. The Soorley’s are currently sitting at 1,458 monthly listeners on Spotify making them a prime candidate for our Artist Spotlight.
Listening to The Soorleys I found myself really enjoying quite a few of their songs. The first song I heard was their most popular track, Rumble, but whenever I dove into their discography I was especially drawn to Home, Boots, and Destination. I encourage you to listen both EP’s. The have really fun music.
The song Destination by The Soorleys is classic folk pop. It features great harmonies, fun guitar riffs, and a cheery attitude. Lyrics and analysis below.
Lyrics
I travelled out to sea just to find new shores I set out from the start just to find my gold But I’ll find you, I’ll find you
I anchored up my heart and I slowed my words And set a new path took a different turn But I’ll find you, I’ll find you
I can see my destination is always you My compass guides me, set it’s head it points back to you I can see my destination is always you
I opened up my hands tried to shield the sun The days are turning over into one But I’ll find you, I’ll find you
I can see my destination is always you My compass guides me, set it’s head it points back to you I can see my destination is always you
We won’t fight We won’t fight love (x9)
We won’t fight We won’t fight
We won’t fight love if we stay here We won’t fight love if we stay (x3)
I can see my destination is always you My compass guides me, set it’s head it points back to you I can see my destination is always you
I can see my destination is always you My compass guides me, set it’s head it points back to you I can see my destination is always you
I have listened to this song several times, written the lyrics, and then read the lyrics over and over, and I’m still am unsure of its meaning. However, there is a certain magic when you can capture an ambiguous narrative in a poem. It allows for the listener to glean their own meanings from the song.
My Interpretation
The phrase ‘we won’t fight’ is repeated 26 times. It is even yelled at some points. I’m not sure you could say something that many time in a 3 minute song and not it have it be the core message of you music.
In that context, most of the rest of the lyrics make a lot of sense. Traveling out to sea just to find new shores is metaphor for trying to find new ways to communicate. Anchoring your heart, slowing your words, and taking a new course are attempts to assume the best, listen, and seek understanding, respectively. By the way, those three guidelines are an excellent playbook for how to fight with your loved ones. Let’s use them.
I opened up my hands just to shield the sun. The days are turning over into one, but I’ll find you. This means that the conflict is filling up their day, and that the argument is lasting for days. Even so, the writer is determined to make peace; I’ll find you.
What makes the song super sweet is the persistence of the writer to seek unity with their partner. ‘I’ll find you‘ is said with determination 6 times, and ‘my destination is always you‘ reveals that the writer’s desire is for their partner even in the midst of their conflict. I think that’s a beautiful sentiment.
BUT…
I’m just guessing. What’s you guess?
Want More?
These Aussies seem like a fun group to be around. If you would like to hang out with them a little more, virtually of course, you can see their full live set with Audiotree Live below
The reason I know where you’re going is because I can see where your eyes are. Right here. If you’ve made it this far we both know that you’re thinking you have to share this article on Facebook or any other social media site you love because if it wasn’t for this website you would have never discovered The Soorleys. That’s a fair trade, right?
As always. I would love to hear your thoughts or interpretations.
De Joie is singer/songwriter Kaley Rutledge. Her 7,780 monthly Spotify listeners makes her (by far) the most popular artist we have spotlighted so far. In De Joie’s first album she grapples with the idea of home. Kaley lives in Nashville, but she really found a sense home in her travels to Western Europe. These places impacted her so much that when she got back to the States she made an album of four songs, a song for each city she visited.
Oslo is the first song on De Joie’s album August and is my personal favorite. She mixes vox, strings, and synths to give this song a healing presence. In Olso, De Joie really captures the joy of thriving where you belong. Listening to this song put a smile on my face and I hope it will do the same for you. Lyrics and Analysis below.
Can you hear me say “I love you” from across the sea? Can you hear me whisper to you my dreams? Well, the weather is fine here in Oslo We’re about to jump on a plane to the west coast
There’s a view we can’t miss I wouldn’t dream of it There’s a view we can’t miss I wouldn’t dream of it
I was born to be wild and free Traipsing the coast line of some craggy beach Go on and tell ’em I’m in good company Wild and free
Can you hear me say, “I love you” from theses far way places? All these wide open spaces seem to heal me
There’s a view we can’t miss I wouldn’t dream of it There’s a view we can’t miss I wouldn’t dream of it
I was born to be wild and free Traipsing the coast line of some craggy beach Go on and tell ’em I’m in good company Wild and free
DIVING DEEP
The concept of home has been something that I have thought a lot about over the last decade. It’s not just a physical space; instead it’s a near mythical land with powers to heal. Home is a place of recovery, our very own ICU that each of retreat to every day. This is an insane concept, but equally peculiar is that each of us rehab at our own unique center. How crazy is that!? Every one of us returns to our own distinct location for the same thing. Healing.
Kaley of De Joie does a fantastic job of exploring the concept of home. In the song Oslo we see two different homes. The first home is filled with the people she loves, but it is lacking. She has left it in search for something – Can you hear me say “I love you” from across the sea? Can you hear me whisper to you my dreams? We’re about to jump on a plane to the west coast. The second home is Oslo, which is also filled with people she loves, AND is a place where she finds healing – Well, the weather is fine here in Oslo. Go on and tell ’em I’m in good company.All these wide open spaces seem to heal me.
I really love how Kaley responds to the healing she receives when she finds home: She realizes she was born to be wild and free. This idea seems counterintuitive to me because before finding this new home Kaley was a wanderer, searching for home.. One could say that she was free to roam and be wild, but she did not feel that way.
However, when Kaley finds home, even though she is now tethered to a place (Oslo), she proclaims herself wild and free. How can we make sense of this?
It’s as if belonging to something or someone brings freedom while total independence produces turmoil. This is a thought worth sitting in, and for that I thank De Joie!
What do you think about home? What does home mean to you?
