NYS Music 202​0

Category: Pop

  • Phantogram Plays “When I’m Small” For Live From My Den

    Greenwich duo Phantogram played their hit song “When I’m Small” for the new artist den series, Live From My Den. Recorded live on Friday, the performance was released on Wednesday, November 4.

    The performance was filmed from Harmonie West, frontwoman Sarah Barthel’s home studio in Los Angeles. They named the studio after frontman Josh Carter’s family’s upstate New York barn, Harmony Lodge, where they wrote their early music. Barthel and Carter originally performed under the name Charlie Everywhere, but changed it to Phantogram in 2009.

    “When I’m Small” first appeared on Phantogram’s 2010 debut album, Eyelid Movies. The song is told from the perspective of a woman in an abusive relationship. While undeniably pop, “When I’m Small” is still dark and haunting, with cryptic and ominous lyrics: “Lucy’s underground, she’s never coming back.” Back in 2014, Phantogram told NBHAP that the line was a nod to the Beatles’ “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,” but wanted to keep its meaning ambiguous. That year, they appeared on the Flaming Lips’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band cover album, With a Little Help from My Fwends.

    Phantogram When I'm Small

    Phantogram has released four albums total. Their newest LP, Ceremony, was released on March 6, 2020. The lead single, “Into Happiness,” peaked at number 21 on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart. In 2012, they collaborated with rapper Big Boi (OutKast) on two songs from his second solo album Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors. They went on to form a trio, known as Big Grams, and released an EP of the same name in 2015. Phantogram’s music has also appeared on the original motion picture soundtrack for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.

  • Hearing Aide: Soviet Dolls ‘Keep Sweet’

    Rochester-based synth pop outfit Soviet Dolls have emerged from the cocoon of their retrofitted studio. Their third EP, Keep Sweet, swathes the listener in an ethereal neon sheen of electronica. It’s lighter fare than their previous releases, but then we could all use a little levity these days.

    soviet dolls


    New vocalist Emily Brown made her debut with Soviet Dolls earlier this year on their cover of Bananarama’s “Cruel Summer.” She’s a natural fit for the band’s original work as well. Her subtly nuanced vocals temper the robust instrumental textures. She keeps the vessel on an even keel as the music careens between the distinct twinkle of keyboard runs and segments awash in fuzzy reverb. The digital sound is augmented by analogue processes and instruments, marrying the nostalgia for 80’s culture with the sophistication of modern techniques.
    All funds raised by album go directly to help Rochester Hope for Pets, an organization created to assist pets in the greater Rochester area whose owners are facing financial difficulty. Donate $5 or more via Play It Forward to get the Keep Sweet download code via email. Follow Soviet Dolls on Facebook for more information and updates.


    Photo by Krit Upra

  • Order Of Operations to Release Talking Heads Cover EP

    Order of Operations, a Brooklyn-based synth-pop project released their cover of “Psycho Killer.” This is the first to be shared off of their upcoming Talking Heads covers EP. It is the solo project of musician and producer Alain Paradis. This is the first recorded output from Paradis since 2014. The EP, Love Me Til My Heart Stops, is available November 19.

    Order of Operations

    Order Of Operations is the solo project of Brooklyn musician Alain Paradis. The group spans the spectrum of future-looking indie — from austere cold wave, to noisy post-punk & dream pop, to Big Chair-style synth ballads in search of a John Hughes film.

    The group debuted with 2014’s EP Constrvctive Delusions. Love Me Til My Heart Stops marks his second release, as he works towards his next original music venture. Alain Paradis lives in Bushwick, Brooklyn, NY with his synths and his regal-looking Persian cat Zoe.

    Order of Operations
    Photo Cred: Brennan Michalowski

    There’s a symmetry present in Order Of Operations reimagining the music of Talking Heads in 2020. Caught up in a cacophony of crises, NYC has begun to mirror the rumbling streets of the late 1970s that Byrne and company first crawled up from the cracks of. Alain Paradis sends a bright and lucid current through these songs, replacing irony with something that feels more like empathy. Additionally, the skittish no-wave originals are remade into evocative synth-pop anthems, spun through a kaleidoscope of chillwave and bedroom pop influences, until they seem to exist in their own unique time and space.

  • Brooklyn Artist Katie Rush Urges America to Vote with “World Leader”

    Katie Rush, a Brooklyn singer/songwriter, is the latest artist to combine politics and music with the release of her latest single “World Leader.”  The song encourages the importance of voting and speaking up for what is right in all communities as the 2020 election approaches.  “World Leader” is a protest song that combines pop/dance music to address the troubles of the U.S. political climate and delivers a call to action for Americans to get out and vote.

    katie rush

    Rush released “World Leader” on October 27, which Sam Mehran produced and Vincent Cacchione mixed/mastered the track. Marissa Alper edited the music video. “World Leader” was one of the last songs where Rush worked with Sam Mehran. Mehran, who was an American-Australian musician/songwriter/producer that co-founded the punk band Test Icicles, died on July 29, 2018.

    Here is a look at the lyrics: 

    Never in my life
Have I seen a World Leader
Who could take us to the very edge
Never in my life have I seen a great pretender let me down
I still believe In the right for this land to be free
Oh, I embrace the people
Not the king
 
But we know with every leader
They will guide or we resist
And we will count on each other
Not to make the same mistake
And maybe down the line
To have support of our country
When we’re old or poor or sick
 
Never in my life have I seen a great destroyer who could tear apart our very land
Never in my life have I seen such a liar put us down
I still believe that we have the power
Won’t stand for this, can’t get us down
Still gonna win
 
We look to our future leaders
To guide the human race
And we still stand together
Despite our politics
And maybe down the line
We’ll place our faith in them
Something better will come of this
 

    Not only has Rush released a single just in time for the election but she also has Rush also released a special edition “zine” (short for magazine) to accompany her “Natural Mystics” song released on September 17. The “zine” is a 16-page story by Taraka Larson and Annabelle Weatherly created the art for the project. Rush describes “Natural Mystics” as an “Italo Disco inspired dance floor burner dedicated to all of the visitors from other stars.”

     “I am frustrated but I am hopeful. I know a lot of us are. Let’s talk about the troubles in our current political climate. There are so many disservices in the world right now but there are also so many strong individuals challenging what is happening and leading us into the future. My new single “World Leader” expresses just how I am feeling. One of the final works I made with Sam Mehran this is probably the most personal and politically charged song I have ever released. Encompassing all my love and passion, I present “World Leader.”

    Katie Rush said in a Facebook post

    Watch the music video for “World Leader.” down below.

  • Brooklyn Duo Fake Dad serve up new single “Breakfast in New York”

    In preparation for a new EP in 2021, Brooklyn group Fake Dad have released a new single to close out the year. Andrea de Varona and Josh Ford found inspiration for their single “Breakfast in New York,” from a very interesting and unusual source.

    Fake Dad

    The song is a mid-tempo electronic/R&B track, inspired by a knock off Jurassic Park ride in the middle country. “Fake Dad” used that exact backdrop for another music video, bringing a new inspiration to the duo. When de Varona and Ford wrote the song, they were fixated on the idea that the things we wish we could change is exactly what make our lives meaningful.

    The Brooklyn duo, Andrea de Varona and Josh Ford, have made music in their tiny studio apartment since 2018. The duo had designated their roles within the band and have worked with a variety of up and coming artists. Andrea and Josh come from different musical backgrounds, but they do share a common goal. That goal is to create something that understands the listener. Both Andrea and Josh wanted to create music that comforted people, especially if the listener had a rough day in life.

    Fake Dad

    “Fake Dad” has received many plaudits from media outlets. The Wild Honey Pie wrote, “Fake Dad take listeners on a trip down memory lane — but it feels closer to a cautionary tale than a fond retelling.”

    EARMILK felt “Fake Dad” knew how to express their concepts with their single “Summer Hill.” EARMILK wrote “I tend to reject the saying, “Life is hard.” Not because it is not, but because it glosses over the very real hardships and struggles that so many of us face, tying it up with a bow in just three short words. I do not want to gloss over it. I want to dig deep and uncover what makes the simple act of existing so challenging for all of us. Fake Dad, comprised of Andrea de Varona and Josh Ford, sonically and visually conceptualize all of these ideas.”

    “Fake Dad” looks to comfort and share their conceptual ideas with listeners, and their new single will surely do that. “Breakfast in New York” is out now on Spotify. To check out more of “Fake Dad” and their work, visit their Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, or Instagram page.

  • CLAVVS take a new approach with their latest single “Dance in Place”

    CLAVVS have released a new single, “Dance in Place,” coming off of rave reviews from the release of their latest EP No Saviors in 2019. Along with an extended version of their EP released in February, CLAVVS are looking to capitalize on these releases with their brand new single. The single is also accompanied by a music video and was shot in their neighborhood in Brooklyn.

    CLAVVS

    They made their own music video, looking to capture the strong presence of the sun and the vibrant colors of the autumn weather. Amber describes the video saying, “For the past few years I’ve been imagining visuals that capture my experience of moving through New York but with this fantastical element of suddenly connecting with strangers in some unexplainable moment of celebration.” Especially in the wake of the pandemic, Amber adds, “Having lived through Co-vid here, we both feel even more bound to this city and our neighbors. So, this video is a socially distant version of that daydream.”

    CLAVVS

    The single represents the criticism of capitalism and “grind” culture. Amber described the song as a call for radical self-acceptance and finding joy in a joyless culture. “I wrote this song in February, so it was super weird when we were all kind of forced to closely examine those things in March,” she said. “We couldn’t have guessed how on-the-nose this song would feel now.” It features great production work and a very catchy hook. “We aren’t taking ourselves very seriously anymore,” said Graham. “We just want to have fun with our band.”

    Going forward from their previous EP, the Brooklyn via Atlanta duo really wanted to challenge their sound. They have shifted from making disruptive pop songs to reflective music. The duo embraces their flaws to reinvent themselves. “The question became, how do we make CLAVVS songs that we can dance to and smile to?” Amber said. “We really wanted to challenge ourselves to make something we had never made before, something that, for a long time, didn’t feel at home to us. We didn’t know how to write happy songs that felt genuine.”

    “Dance in Place” has strongly built on the success of their recent EP. The new song is out now on Spotify, Soundcloud, Bandcamp and various other platforms. Their new single is also accompanied by a music video, which is out now on YouTube.


  • Watch Justin Bieber perform on SNL with Chance the Rapper and benny blanco

    Saturday Night Live’s third episode, hosted by Insecure‘s Issa Rae featured musical guest Justin Bieber, his fourth time performing on the show.

    Bieber brought out Chance the Rapper as a surprise special guest for the night’s first song “Holy.” With a church-in-the-woods stage design, the more mature Bieber gives a nod to his relationship with wife Hailey Baldwin, and making references to their shared Christian beliefs. The lyrics stand out as a departure from Bieber’s past songs.

    That the way you hold me, hold me, hold me, hold me, hold me.
    Feels so holy, holy, holy, holy, holy.
    On God, runnin’ to the altar like a track star.
    Can’t wait another second.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlQY-MBWHik

    For the second performance of the night, Bieber was joined by benny blanco on piano for “Lonely,” a song referencing his early rise to fame in the past decade. This performance began from Bieber’s SNL dressing room, singing in the mirror, then walking towards the stage through the halls of Studio 8-H. This intro is similar to the music video for “Lonely” that was released this past week, starring Jacob Tremblay as a young Bieber.

    Maybe when I’m older it’ll all calm down, but it’s killing me now.
    What if you had it all but nobody to call, maybe then you’d know me.
    Cause I’ve had everything, but no one’s listening, and that’s just oh so lonely.
    Everybody knows my past now, like my house was always made of glass.
    Maybe that’s the price you pay for the money and fame at an early age.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rml0FwAL8H0

    Bieber does not hold back on “Lonely,” with a single spotlight on him for the song on a barren stage, save for Blanco. The two songs present Bieber in a different spotlight than the tabloid view of recent years. Justin Bieber appears focused and stepping into a new phase of his career with “Holy” and “Lonely.”

    Watch last week’s musical performance from Jack White, where he paid tribute to Eddie Van Halen, and Megan Thee Stallion from the season premiere.

  • Kyle Stockman Finds ‘Solace’: A Chameleon Amongst Genres

    Harlem-native, Kyle Stockman, has suffered through an unexpected 2020 along with many fellow Americans. After receiving buzz on singles “Opal” and “Sunday,” the Shooting Star singer believed it was best to combine his passion and interests by majoring in music at Hudson Valley Community College.

    The curriculum was not as progressive as Stockman had hoped. He already self-taught much of the course. Out of that, came Solace. A multi-instrumental laden record that serves as a chameleon amongst the genres. Containing elements of folk, pop, rock and R&B.

    Kyle Stockman

    With the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic making classes virtual, he decided this was the time to abandon ship and focus on his latest. Stockman’s retreat to the studio ensued, trying out new beats and entering his sound.   

    “That’s what my music is geared for, I love the dark rawness of songs that bring out emotion.”

    Kyle Stockman

    In it, Stockman croons about a breakup. First, he tries to find closure in a relationship’s end, dejectedly singing, “you left the heart baby, but you took my soul. It’s clear you don’t care about the way things go.”

    He goes on hashing out his feelings towards his significant other. He searches for “solace” in the solitude that comes with life after a breakup. 

    Kyle Stockman

    “I make music for people who could be going through a break up, or lost someone close to them, [anything] that’s hard to deal with that at the moment,” says the indie crooner. Stockman is having fun making records and puts his soul into his music.

    His brand of Indie-pop R&B is drawn from the likes of Frank Ocean. “Frank Ocean is who I’m into the most right now. I love his album Blonde for its simplicity [and] the rawness the emotion it incites. For me, that project was a masterpiece. I know that it got a lot of mixed reviews at the time but, the more I listened, the more I got what he was trying to convey. I try to make my music the same way, so you can feel the emotion.”

    With contributions from Maxwell Amankwah

  • Phil Collins Brings His 2019 ‘Not Dead Yet’ Tour to MSG

    On October 7, 2019, Phil Collins brought his ‘Not Dead Yet’ Tour to Madison Square Garden for two nights. The tour was 97 shows total including legs in Europe, North America, South America and Australia. and named after his 2016 autobiography. Due to ongoing nerve damage with his hands, this is the first tour that Collins did not play drums. Instead he relied on his son, 18 year old Nicholas Collins to handle all the drum parts. He did an excellent job and I’m sure his father was proud. 

    phil collins

    Back surgery had also left Phil with a paralyzed right foot so he had to remain seated during this tour.  His backup band included guitarist Daryl Stuermer, keyboardist Brad Cole, bassist Leland Sklar, percussionist Richie Garcia and featured Nicholas Collins on drums. 

    It was a bit awkward as Phil hobbled on stage assisted by a cane, but I don’t think he cared much and neither did the audience.  You realize he is an absolute legend as he begins to play hit after hit spanning his 50 plus year career. He sounded fantastic. He even snuck in a few Genesis songs along the way and teased a Genesis reunion which is now supposed to take place sometime in 2021. They played for 2 and half hours, and still couldn’t possibly play every song everyone wanted to hear.

    phil collins

    The 19 song setlist barely scratched the surface of even just his greatest hits. One of the highlights of the show was when Collins, his son Nicholas and percussionist Richie Garcia had a wild synchronized percussionist duel which culminated with both of them coming out to sit with Phil and play amplifies cajons. It really brought the energy up and was the closest thing we got to see him playing drums. Another highlight was when he brought his son Nicholas to accompany him on piano on “You Know What I Mean” which Collins said his son requested to be included on the tour. 

    Nicholas returned to the drums as Phil stood for the only time to perform “In the Air Tonight.” He kept the energy up with “Can’t Hurry Love” and “Invisible Touch” ending the show with “Easy Lover,” Sussudio” and “Take Me Home.” 

    The crowd, including myself was definitely pleased with the performance and went home happy. Weather or not he will ever play again solo or with Genesis will remain to be seen. 

    Setlist: Against All Odds, Another Day in Paradise, Hang In Long Enough, Don’t Lose My Number, Throwing It All Away (Genesis), Follow You Follow Me (Genesis), I Missed Again, Who Said I Would, Separate Lives, Drum Trio, Something Happened On The Way To Heaven, You Know What I Mean, In The Air Tonight, You Can’t Hurry Love, Dance Into The Light, Invisible Touch (Genesis), Easy Lover, Sussudio, Take Me Home

  • Aniello Debuts Latest Single Through Democratic Virtual Concert Series: Team Joe Sings

    Quarantine provided many different things for many people. Spending more time with your kids, finding new recipes to experiment with, maybe even picking up embroidery. For New York City-based singer/songwriter, Aniello, quarantine gave him the opportunity to work harder on his music than ever before, leading him to make it to Billboard alongside notable names like, X Ambassadors, Andrew Bird and Kesha.

    Aniello
    Promotion for Team Joe Sings

    Last week, Aniello debuted his latest single, ‘Stand Up,’ on the virtual concert series, ‘Team Joe Sings,’ created by presidential-nominee Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’ campaign team. Aniello says he wrote this single a few years back, during the 2016 presidential election, but it remains so true to our current state of the nation now.

    “I wrote this song as a message to myself, at first, to just keep standing up, but as a whole it really means to stand up for equality and your beliefs and is also really an anthem to the LGBTQ+ community.”

    Aniello

    He views this election as being the most important one to vote in because of how divided our country has become.

    “Never have I ever been so open about my politics, but right now it is so important. I think Joe is obviously the right guy for the job. Team Joe Sings is a great way to promote people to get out and vote.”

    Aniello
    Aniello Scibelli

    Aniello Scibelli, also known as Neil Davis, grew up in the city and describes himself as a New Yorker through and through. His love for music started at a very young age and it just kept growing.

    “My parents got me this toy keyboard when I was a toddler. As I grew a little older, I would play tunes that I heard from the cartoons I watched,” recalled Aniello.

    He went on to get an education at Frank Sinatra School of the Arts in Astoria, which was founded by musician Tony Bennett and his wife Susan Benedetto.

    “It was really amazing to me that I had the opportunity to learn from the best. I mean, Susan was my teacher and mentored me through school and to this day is still a really good friend of mine,” he said.

    After his father passed away in 2017, his strength to move on from the grief, turned into creativity. Since then, his ability to stay positive through every situation, regardless how tough, lead him to release empowering and motivational music.

    ‘Stand Up’ can be found on Bandcamp and Apple Music. ‘Team Joe Sings’ appears on the featured artists’ Youtube page every Thursday through Election Day.