History repeats itself is a phrase we all repeat ad infinitum sometimes even forgetting the true meaning of the phrase. Of course, that includes music.
Songs, their parts, their interpretations, variations, versions, takes on… Sometimes they come back quickly, sometimes it takes decades. What is interesting, even when an artist tries to stick to the original as much as possible, there is an element there (often an unconscious one) that reflects the changing times.
An example here - We The People came up with their version of ‘In The Past’ in 1966. It was urgent, with an eastern-tinged guitar coda, as if Talton and Proctor were saying, “We just got some stuff from the East and we want to use it quickly.’”
Only two years on, The Chocolate Watch Band came up with their own version, which was more relaxed, and spaced out, the guys in that band may be thinking “The tie-die shirts will dry when we smoke this one out…”
The times change, and so do even the same songs…
Luluc - Diamonds
Slow-burning stuff never goes out of fashion, it is just a matter of the take on it, and this Australian duo gives it their best here, with quite some ease. Excellent vocals, too.
Somni - Gravity
Sometimes it is all in the details, and Leo Shulman, aka Somni, takes his Elliott Smith/Sufjan Stevens inclinations in a more electronic direction, with some quite nifty touches there.
Mort Garson - Moon Journey
Mort Garson is a name from the past that made his electronic journeys at the time when you created such music with a wall-high stack of synthesizers. His music is still relevant today, though.
Kitba - Tied To Strings
This Brooklyn-based harpist and songwriter is no stranger to being a vocalist too, and it seems all three suit them quite well, with songwriting and arranging shining brightly in particular.
Six Impossible Things - Twenty-Something
This Italian duo proves that six impossible things are quite possible if you know your dream pop history in detail and you can use it in the best way possible.
Shamir - Oversized Sweater
The sweater may be oversized, but it seems to fit Shamir and his falsetto vocals quite well though, those jangly guitars in the background add that extra touch to make it work.
Bright & Findlay - NY Disco (Smile)
Another one that proves that things come back, with the late seventies disco spirit intact covered here in all those nifty modern touches.
Sofie Winterson - Perfect Goodbye
Is Sofie saying something new here? Not really, but it makes no difference if you say something ‘old’ in your own way and involve your emotions within. Excellent summer stuff.
Holy Wave - Bog Song
It is those airy, psych-tinged guitars that are a sign of a perfect song, and this Austin band gives some extra touches, like that vibraphone throughout that create a great atmosphere here.
Plight - No Outlet
This Brooklyn quartet like that loud guitar/vocal harmonies combination that works whenever you know how to combine them properly, and these guys certainly know how to do that.
Ceara Cavalieri - Hot Mess
Perfect title here - it is a mess, but a hot one, reflecting perfectly where the current pop is right here, right now, and Cavalieri swims in that mess with quite some ease.
Grave Secrets - Mood Ring
It seems that this L.A. trio likes to keep their music on that grunge/emo crossing line, and they ride that line with some nifty guitar licks and loud vocals with quite some ease.
Olivia Belli - Anima I
Belli continues the tradition among Italian pianists/composers for some delicate, and very intricate sounds, and she knows perfectly well how to weave those into a great composition.
Natalie Price - Done
Doing a country-tinged solid ballad, requires not only a good song to work with, but strong vocal capabilities, and a good arrangement to boot, all available here.
The smallest Creature - Queen
For some the title of this song might be a giveaway that these guys favor the Queen/Radiohead/Pink Floyd/Genesis side of prog rock, which might be a problem for some, but The smallest Creature does know their prog oh so quite well.
Citizen Cope - The Victory March
No, not Julian Cope, just citizen Cope, who can also handle a good ballad as Julian can, but he leaves the psych elements out of pop here but does well anyway.
Iglu & Hartly - The Crown
Giving your pop those R&B touches these days cannot go without some hip-hop elements along the way, but can be quite tricky to execute well. These guys escape such possible hurdles as that is easy to do.
Allison Lorenzen - MTO
MTO or more than once is a quite fitting title here, as Lorenzen is again proving to be so adept at atmospheric dream pop, and more than once, it proves to work for her.
The Cocktail Slippers - Good Love
Good is the key word here with these five Norwegian girls and their take on modern garage rock with modern pop touches thrown in for good measure.
Monica - Letters
Monica shows here why she won all those Grammys and sold millions, as this kind of slick & suave R&B side of pop always works when it is done this well.