SONG OF THE DAY

SONG OF THE DAY

Day #35

Today’s song is ‘Golden’ by American Soul/R&B artist Jill Scott from her 2004 album ‘Beautifully Human: Words and Sounds Vol. 2’. Scott’s vocals are velvet smooth over a funky kicky beat, jazzy keys, and a touch of synth. With lyrics full of praise and confidence and a sing-along chorus, the track is celebratory, resulting in a retro feel-good mood setter that glides, rollerblading a relaxed joy through any room.

“I'm taking my own freedom

Putting it in my song

Singing loud and strong

Grooving all day long

I'm taking my freedom

Putting it in my stroll

I'll be high-steppin' y'all

Letting the joy unfold”

SONG OF THE DAY

Day #25

Today's pick is Quiet! by Australian indie band Flowertruck from their 2022 album Mostly Sunny. The four-piece band hails from Sydney with an emphasis on witty lyrics and a whimsical yet carefree production similar to 80s groups like Talking Heads. Quiet! is a tongue-in-cheek alt-rock track about not being able to fall asleep that's so delightful you can't help but smile while bopping along. Their discography is also similarly summery, using wordplay and bright nostalgic sound to explore the drama and melancholy of feeling adrift in your mid-20s (See tracks Liklihood and Sing Along to Your Life from the same album for relateable lyrics about the crushing weight of existence set to vocals and production taken straight out of a romantic comedy or coming of age film). I think the best way to illustrate Flowertrucks vibe is by this quote, from a 2022 NME article, about their song Pretending: “…Rushforth (lead vocalist) explains he’d written the music for (it) years earlier, but struggled to find the words to accompany it until an experience last year in which he turned up to a children’s birthday party hungover.” Yeah… that’s the band's energy in a nutshell: refreshingly self-deprecating yet confident, with a friendly and uplifting tone.

“I can't slip into rest

Overwrought by the mess

Of my thoughts unconscious

Pinch me!

Why does it have to be do quiet?”

SONG OF THE DAY

Day #29

Today's song is Exit Girl by New Zealand artist Sophie Brown, known professionally as Ratbag. Released in 2023 and on her debut EP Why Aren’t You Laughing? the track is eclectic matching her chaotic energy. This song has quickly become one of my favourite tracks since first hearing it (thank you Discover Weekly). I love its manic and anxious energy during its chorus and its angsty vibe during its lows. Ratbag is also a visual artist experimenting in multiple formats from fashion to digital art to gritty sketches. Her surrealist characters and designs are featured in her music videos and promotional artwork, with the cover of her EP being her work as well. Her band of emotion-emulating monsters are a key part of the ‘world of Ratbag’, where music and visuals are combined to create a theatrical experience of her ideas made tangible. I'm super excited to see what Ratbag makes next, and I hope we are continuously invited to experience her enigmatic creations.

“Where is the exit girl?

Where is the exit girl?

Put down your drink and help me get

Home”

SONG OF THE DAY

Day #24

Today's track is Abnormalize by Japanese indie rock band Ling Tosite Sigure from their 2013 album I’mperfect. Released as a single in 2012, the track was featured in the opening credits for the mature cyber-punk inspired Japanese animated psychological/crime thriller Psycho-Pass. The original Psycho-Pass is one of my favourite animes of all time, and the band has also provided other works for Psycho-Pass’s other shows and films such as 2014’s Enigmatic Feeling. I have adored this song since it first blew my mind as a teenager. It opened me up to how expressive and experimental production, writing, and music composition can truly be. It really was the beginning of the end for me, especially in terms of my foray into darker alt-rock fantasies. The alt-rock/post-hardcore/math-rock track (I don't even know anymore guys) is one of my favourite Japanese alt-rock songs, I also love Japanese math-rock/alt-rock groups Toe and Lite. If you really wanna go down the anime opener spiral however: if you didn't already know the FAMOUS Tokyo Ghoul OP Unravel was performed by Toru Kitajima or TK who is the lead vocalist and Guitarist of Ling Tosite Sigure. This further proves the point that this band's library is worth checking out and Japanese alt-rock, especially math-rock, is worth your time and effort. I'm not gonna even attempt to describe this track, just please give it a go and if it doesn't blow your mind I'll eat my fucking shoe.

SONG OF THE DAY

Day #37

Today's song is ‘Everything’s Beautiful’ by Australian alternative Neo-Soul Jazz/Funk band ‘Hiatus Kaiyote’ from their 2024 album ‘Love Heart Cheat Code’. This four-piece from Melbourne is best described as a dynamic relief from the bland monotony of top forty radio hits, ‘Hiatus Kaiyote’ are an auditory delight. This song is an effervescent celebration of life and sound, with the band's leading lady Nai Palm stating that the song is “a testament to the importance of finding simple joy in your day… not the delusion that we live in a utopia... But rather about actively looking for the beauty, grace and joy in life,” (Clash, 2024). I was so lucky to see them live last weekend at the Fortitude Music Hall and it was a religious experience. To quote my dad while exhausted at the end of the night, with the biggest shit-eating grin on his face: “It was a mess, I can't describe it, they were great.”

“Didn't you notice?

Don't you know, love?

Don't you know everything's beautiful?”

SONG OF THE DAY

Day #34

Today's track is ‘Butterfly Net’ by American alternative pop artist Caroline Polachek, specifically the alternate version featuring ‘Weyes Blood’. Released in 2023 for her album ‘Desire, I Want To Turn Into You’ the baroque pop song was remixed in 2024 and was featured on the album's deluxe ‘Everasking’ Edition. Caroline Polachek’s vocals always have this shimmery quality, creating a transformative experience, like a waking dream. With poetic lyrics conveying longing and melancholy, the original track is delicate and soothing. The ‘Weyes Blood’ version adds a dusky veneer, giving it a glowing or spiritual quality.

“There I was

With my butterfly net

Trying to catch your light”

P.S. Check out one of Polachek’s older projects ‘Chairlift’ with Aaron Pfenning and Patrick Wimberly, they are brilliant especially their 2016 album ‘Moth’.