Your Mind Is On Vacation When You Don’t Use It
Or inspiring others in a big way
How do you become an icon among other musicians and only have relative to moderate success within a larger audience?
If late, great Mose Allison was still around, we could have had a chance to ask him, but since he is not, the only thing we can do is take a listen both to his music and lyrics, where practically all of them fascinated a class of other artists.
For generations of modern musicians, those that can truly be named as icons, Allison was one of the key influences, which many of them cite openly. At one point, Van Morrison said: “I heard this guy called Mose Allison…and it changed my whole approach to singing forever.” Other notable fans include The Who, John Mayall & Eric Clapton who recorded their own versions of some of his songs while Jack White paid tribute by covering two tracks off one album at once during a live performance at Third Man Records back in 2014 – further testament to how much respect he commands amongst fellow artists even after all these years.
But it wasn’t just his musical talent that made Mose Allison stand out amongst the rest. He was known for his witty and conversational tone in his songs, often incorporating clever wordplay and satirical lyrics into his music. This unique style set him apart from other musicians of his time and solidified him as a true original in the world of blues and jazz.
Flung - Intrinsic
Oakland-based multi-instrumentalist Kashika Kollaikal stands behind the Flung moniker and behind some quite interesting electronic pop experiments, like this one right here.
The Palms - Talk Too Much
Johnny Zambetti and Ben Rothbard are The Palms duo and the fact that they reside at Venice Beach is somewhat of a giveaway of the leisurely South California sound they create here. A good giveaway at that.
Michael Des Barres - Soul Shake
Des Barres is an old rock and roll hand, and here, along with the help of Kris Rogers, shows what good old rock can sound in these modern times.
Whitehall - Over Now
Combining that alt-rock sound developed in the eighties by R.E.M. and adding it touches of modern shoegaze seems to be quite a healthy diet for these Brooklyn via South Carolina guys.
Sun Room - Cut My Hair
Whatever happened to surf rock? Still quite alive, thank you, particularly with these guys from, where else, Southern California, who combine early Beach Boys with post-punk.
Ex Everything - Exiting The Vampire Castle
If you need to connect the dots between post-rock, post-hardcore, and good old prog-rock, you don’t have to go much further than these guys.
Loveme - Loom
This Austin, Texas quintet shows how easy it is to move into dream pop when you have a background in classical music, shown through some intricate moves here.
Tucker Woods - Sunshine Blues
Chris Hurd and Brian Motel are Tucker Woods and they like their pop rock spiced with some nifty Americana touches, actually turning some familiar forms into something new.
Chuck Johnson - The Crawlspace
Somebody finally decided to give pedal steel and other guitars master Chuck Johnson a hand at creating film soundtracks and it has definitely paid off for ‘Burden of Proof f’ film.
Kerri Powers - Love is Why
Powers does not solely play mean guitar licks and has a great singing voice, but comes up with some brilliant Americana/roots songs on her latest album ‘Love Is Why.’
Gale Forces - Highlights of Existence
Jade Devitt and his band show that not only is power pop alive, but that is also a genre that is not standing still, bringing good musical elements from elsewhere.
levitation room - Heaven
Psych-rock was another genre that was supposed to be just a time-limited fad, and yet here it is, with these guys with plenty of touches from good old soul too.
Sleater-Kinney - Say It Like You Mean It
Sleater-Kinney are slowly turning into legends, and with their brand new spanking album, they surely show why that is the case, as their music gets more diverse and sophisticated.
SPELLES - Night Terrors
This dream pop-ing duo goes a bit dark here, but a bit (or a bit more) of mystique was always part (and quality) of the genre, and SPELLES show why.
Old Man Canyon - What’s Even Real Anymore
Maybe from a canyon somewhere, but not that old, and not many country sounds that some might expect judging by the moniker, but some extra late-night dream pop.
Maz - Little Furry Things
Maz likes J. Mascis and his Dinosaur Jr. (and who doesn’t), but gives it a more gentle treatment that Mascis originally envisioned, but will surely endorse.
Mal Not Bad - AP
Los Angeles-based musician, producer, and visual artist Mal Not Bad (fka Mal) likes his pop on a more experimental side of things, but at the same time staying on a more melodic and intriguing side of things.
Elke - The Golden Age
Elke also goes for a cover, this time of one of Beck’s staples, at the same time staying close to what Beck had in mind and giving it a personal stamp too.
Boo - Tear Dance
Boo is a DJ who runs a grassroots party / label in Newcastle, England - an important spot for underground music in the city, here showing that she has the chops to do it herself.
Russel Dickerson - Red Dirt Church
Dickerson is making it big in Nashville, showing here that the country music capital is endorsing changes as it keeps its main status in country music.