We tend to forget, maybe consciously, how it touches upon us when an artist or artists we dearly appreciate is not among us anymore.
Quite a few leave a deeper mark than we realize. With those that did music, only when we hear their work again do we realize what it meant to us or do we discover new elements there, simple or more complex, that touched upon us.
Personally, Mark Linkous, the man behind Sparklehorse is one such artist.
“All I want is to be a happy man
All I want is to be a happy man
I've seen teeth across the horizon
Fangs spanning yellow against the earth” (“Happy Man,” 1998)
These lyrics he wrote might have something to do with the incident back in 1996 when his heart stopped for several minutes after his body was lifted up. The ensuing surgery almost caused him to lose the use of both legs and, as a result, he needed to use a wheelchair for six months and he required dialysis for acute kidney failure. He created some brilliant music before and after that, but he still committed suicide in 2010.
Revisiting his music recently it just dawned that his music, as is the case with some other artists that are gone, I realized that there is music that leaves a lifelong imprint, even when you don’t listen to it.
Martin Frawley - This Is Gonna Change
Australian Frawley has that positive approach both to his songwriting and lyrics that just takes over and brings subtle joy with his open jangly power pop, as with this one from his album ‘The Wannabe.’
Federico Albanese - The Passanger
Albanese, Italian composer, pianist, and producer seems to follow in the footsteps of his now hugely successful compatriot Ludovico Einaudi with his classically-tinged music but surely does exhibit a personality of his own here.
Qwynn - Time
Although Qwynn recorded this in Nashville, it has very little to do with something that is dubbed mainstream country and much more with modern electronically enhanced pop that works.
Cordovas - High Roller
Cordovas is clearly a roots collective centered around producer Cory Hanson and songwriter Mark Cline Bates that exhibits all of the best qualities of the genre, with this one just proving the point.
I Am A Rocketship - Gravity
This Atlanta duo is more set to come up with some guitar-driven pop ditties and gentle vocals that rely on subtle tones and restraint, very often the hardest things to do in music.
Sonny And The Sunsets - Pink Cake
Sonny And The Sunsets have already acquired a solid fan base with their West Coast style of lo-fi bedroom pop, and here they show that they have almost perfected such a sound.
Yachtley Crew - Sex On The Beach
If the name of the band and the song title are not a giveaway, then maybe the fact that they record for Jimmy Buffet’s record label should be for this yacht rock style Hall & Oates style of blue-eyed soul. Got a yacht?
D.A. Stern - Karen
Rhythm machines were used and abused, but Stern surely brings it back to good use here on this nice ditty and suddenly develops into a fully-blown pop tune.
Tall Tall Trees - Feel Good!
Mike Savino, the multi-instrumentalist and songwriter behind Tall Tall Trees, invited his friend Josiah Wolf from tricky popsters Why? here and it is a combination that brings along some extra left-field pop goodies.
Dom Martin - Daylight I Will Find
Another roots/Americana/blues artist who knows his way around these genres so well that there was no way he would miss something here, particularly with his excellent guitar work.
Phil Aiken - Lesser Lights
Aiken definitely knows his way around the piano, he is one of the fixures of the Boston music scene, but here he shows that he has quite a few good melodies in him too.
Zilched - Earthly Delights
Detroit’s Chlöe Drallos, aka Zilched, is considered an exponent of modern grunge, which she dresses up here with some extra psych touches (old and new) which give her music an added dimension.
Brontez Purnell - No Cigarettes
Purnell has been around since the nineties with his combination of tongue-in-cheek of the likes of R. Stevie Moore and Ween. Hopefully, this one might bring him more prominence.
Maddie Zahm - Fat Funny Friend
Well, this one has had over 200,000 streams and counting, just being a true example of modern pop that does catch the attention of wider audiences, and for a good reason at that.
David Borne - Stardust
No, not the jazz classic, but quite a gentle ballad, that will catch the attention of all the true lovers of the singer-songwriter genre, where Borné is a prime example of where the genre stands at the moment.
Octavian Winters - Ondine
When dream pop was coined as a phrase, the budding genre was not given a long life span, but decades on it is not only still around but seems to be growing further, and this San Francisco quartet shows why.
Elliott Fullam - End of Ways
This young man (very young, judging by his photos) also has that perfect center singer-songwriter touch with some excellent harmonies and nifty guitar-picking. Works every time.
Mirror Tree - 300 Miles
Mirror Tree is one Michael Gold from Alaska who surely has a spiritual connection with his Australian counterparts Tame Impala and King Gizzard, definitely a good thing, as this modal psych ditty shows.
Harry Stafford & Marco Butcher - Walk Among The Specters
The title here is a giveaway for this Nick Cave-style noir, organ-driven tune that has these sinister touches that can make or break a song. Here they make it.