Tag Archives: tuneoftheday

Hozier’s “To Noise Making (Sing)”, (2019)

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By Mina Wiebe

I’m pretty much convinced that Hozier’s voice has the power to make anything sound angelic. The man has pipes—gorgeous, soulful, baritone pipes that send shivers up your spine, and goosebumps to your arms. The Irish singer’s new 2019 album Wasteland, Baby! is no exception; yet again, he’s managed to produce an impressive track list, stunning vocals, and lyrical masterpieces. A song I particularly enjoyed, was To Noise Making (Sing), this bouncy, soul/gospel tune that pulls you in with its catchiness and reminds you of simpler times. It’s a song centered around the nostalgia of singing, and in the first line, Hozier asks you to “[r]emember when you’d sing, just for the fuck of it”.

The fact that it’s such an incredibly upbeat, bubbly song makes you want to sing along, and it’s like Hozier is mischievously luring you in. He makes it clear that it doesn’t matter if you have a good voice or not—regardless of your vocal abilities, Hozier wants you to sing along. The lyrics feature the word “sing” a whopping seventy-three times, so if that doesn’t show how determined he is to convince you, I don’t know what else would.

The chorus is especially catchy, with a simple drum beat, a rattling tambourine, and Hozier’s clear, crisp vocals guiding you through. Like any good sing-along song, it’s not too intimidating; Hozier makes sure to keep the vocals fairly simple, with minimal runs and clear pronunciation. Of course it still sounds stunning, because he has one of those distinct voices that can’t be replicated, but the slight simplification of his usually more extensive display of vocal range is charming and warm, as he invites you to sing along. The accompaniment of a gospel choir backing his vocals further adds to the warmth, urging you to let go of your worries and simply get lost in the music. And maybe I’m biased due to my obsession with the richness of Hozier’s vocals, but I had no problem listening to the singer’s advice—it’s  a song you want to sing along to, regardless of the lyrics.

“Frequency” by Johnny Balik (2019)

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Johnny Balik, his voice a heavenly mix between Justin Timberlake’s charm and Bruno Mars’ suave, who grabbed people’s attention over the past couple of years with his keyboard and a Soundcloud account.

There’s a small bio on Balik’s website that explains his overall style, “…MULTI-INSTRUMENTALIST THAT FUSES ORGANIC AND POP SOUNDS WITH TRUTHFUL AND INSPIRING LYRICS.” and while it emulates Balik’s music perfectly, it doesn’t fully show just how many toes he has dipped into various pools of genre and experimentation with different instruments and beats.

Balik is unafraid to play with his sound, ranging from falsetto ballads (“Honey”) to R&B slow-jams (“I Need It”). His latest track “Frequency” does exactly that- the instant you press play you are welcomed by Balik’s pop falsetto vocals, and prepare yourself for another bop that just barely makes it onto the charts. But then about 20 seconds in you hear the workings of…a saxophone?! The vibe of the song is pretty two-dimensional, but the sax-tease goes and adds a bit of extra flavour to the production.

Following that, the lyrics don’t veer far off from what every other pop artist on the radio is singing about, “do you feel the frequency/ do you feel alive/ do you wanna ride the wave with me tonight?” typical “boy meets girl and falls hopelessly in love”. We’re talking the stuff rom-com films thrive off of. Still despite the cliche pop lyrics, Balik still manages to intoxicate the listeners to his music with his delicate vocals and jazzy beats.

Anyone who’s brave enough to incorporate a brass instrument into their pop song, automatically deserves a pat on the back. I for one, was taken aback at first listen because it’s not something that’s conventionally heard in pop music today. Balik’s producers are trying to push boundaries and test different ways to put out a unique sound while still trying to be, well, unique and play a different chart-topper that makes it stand out from the cookie-cutter mould.

So when you give it a listen, turn it up, kick back and feel the vibe.

-Genna Dara

“Love Me” by Felix Cartal & Lights

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By Danielle Bulhoes

“Love Me” is Lights’ first new release of 2019. With some help from Felix Cartal supplying EDM sounds to the track, “Love Me” is a song that grabs you by the hand and drags you onto the dance floor. Twisting you around until you don’t know which way is up or down, “Love Me” leaves you dizzy.

Starting with the lines “you know I give”, Lights immediately sets the tone for the song: frustration and longing. The straight dance sound of the track acts as a front that the singer puts on for the listener, much like she does for her love interest.

“You’re leaving me hanging

So I’ma play cool when you think I wouldn’t

Liquor by the pool and I know you’re looking

While I dissect conversations

Maybe there’s something there for once?

I’m trying not to let these mind games play me

I’m down to be your casual lady

As long as I got you loving on me”

Lights shoots the lyrics at the audience in rapid-fire succession, taking a slower pace during the chorus to allow herself and the listener a chance to breathe. She’s breathless with obsession, chasing after a love interest that doesn’t seem to have the share her feelings.  

The sound of the track and story the lyrics are perfectly paired. The singer is giddy and playful with the listener while her words express her dissatisfaction with her romantic situation, expressing a carefree attitude while dealing with a one-sided crush that she can’t get off her mind.

The singer never does bridge that distance between her and her love interest, the tension between them going unresolved. The song ends in a similar fashion, suddenly ending while you’re hoping for more.

“Love Me” is a fantastic dance track from Lights and Felix Cartal that’ll keep you dancing until daybreak.

Girl In Red, “I Need To Be Alone” (2019)

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By Allesandro Rotondi

What is happening in the world of surf music right now? This is the first thought that came to my mind after reading about the death of legendary surf guitarist Dick Dale. He practically created the genre single-handedly, and remained true to his fiery guitar-picking roots until the end.

I wondered where surf music had led since 1961. The grit of the sound ended up in punk, like The Ramones. The fun beachlife ideology was adapted by Weezer. The wavy guitar sound ended up in lo-fi indie artists like Alvvays and Mac DeMarco. Then, I stumbled upon a Spotify playlist called Indie Surf Revival, and way down in the tracklist was Girl In Red (stylized girl in red). Girl In Red, a 20 year-old Norwegian singer/songwriter named Marie Ulven, is a singular force that is keeping the surf music ideology alive.

She writes, records and produces her music in her bedroom. Without the professional help of outside producers and professional recording studios, she is a true indie artist. Much like Ulven, surf music was born and raised in the household. Dick Dale, Jan Berry (of Jan & Dean), and The Beach Boys all cut their first records in a garage, thus helping launch the garage band scene, and some of the first home-recordings, which 21st century technology has now turned into a mainstream approach.

I wouldn’t necessarily call this a surf track, but it certainly embodies the ideals of the genre. Ulven has the sound: chunking strumming and meandering guitar tones, peppy drum beats, light and bouncy bass, and melodically swaying and carefree vocals. She also uses vocal doubling, which Brian Wilson helped pioneer in the early 60’s with vocal-surf.

Ulven has written possibly the greatest hook of the decade: “I need to be alone / or I’m gonna lose my shit.” It’s catchy, honest, and relatable, especially to the hip introvert culture that has rose to prominence in the 21st century. Ulven is a leader of this ideology, as she records music in the free kingdom of her own bedroom, and expresses her thoughts through music without worrying much about outside opinions.

“I Need To Be Alone” is an instant classic, and though we will miss Dick Dale, his soul can be heard in every guitar strum, every double-tracked handclap, and every crunchy snare hit on beats two and four, driving this musically feel-good, and thematically nostalgic introvert anthem forward.

Carly Rae Jepsen, “Now That I Found You” (2019)

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by Chelsea Ives

Carly Rae Jepsen is a name which has recently resurfaced, and it immediately triggers flashbacks of sweaty, sticky high school dances and nervous smiles shared across a dance floor. With her previous album released in 2015, the “Call Me Maybe” singer recently released her newest single, “Now That I Found You” for her forthcoming album due in 2019.

The Canadian singer/songwriter has created a lovely story in her song, “Now that I Found you”. If you watch the music video released with the song, the lyrics, “now that I’ve found you” take on a whole new level of meaning. A sweet story of an adopted kitten and the love between a pet-mom and pet – it’s the love story we never knew we wanted, but that we definitely needed. The song tells a story that anyone can relate to – about finding a new love yes, but also if you’ve adopted a pet before, you surely know the feeling. Jepsen said in an interview with Pitchfork:

“‘Now That I Found You’ is about the high you get when a new love starts to change your life. It’s like the rush, rush, rush is better than any drug.’”

 The theme is clear from the lyrics of the song, “Thought it was impossible / It’s just like a miracle,” a universal emotion, a thought everyone has had once in their life – that you would never find love again, but lo and behold! The next love suddenly appears, and with the cutest marmalade kitten in his arms, no less. The lyrics and instrumentation of the song make it a pure radio-pop hit. Jepsen’s sound is a mix of Taylor Swift (Reputation era) and Katy Perry (“Last Friday Night”). The song holds themes of love, but in an up-beat pop ballad begging to get your head boppin’.

Carly Rae Jepsen’s newest single, “Now That I Found You,” part of her 2019 album which is set to be released in 2019.

Florida Georgia Line ft. Jason Derulo, “Women” (Can’t Say I Ain’t Country, 2019)

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By Michaela Maxey

There is little to imagine in Florida Georgia Line’s collab with Jason Derulo in “Women” as it works as an ode/tribute to their female counterpart. FGL sticks to their roots in their classic slow country beat and Jason Derulo offers his beautiful voice and varying pitch range to the track. Lyrics like, “We’re all better off with ‘em” and “Wanna thank you/ For everything, everything you do” can make any person get behind the message and overall sound of this song.

The fact that I’m so happy that there’s a song that offers thanks to women also upsets me in a way I didn’t think it would. It makes me realize that a lot of the time women are underappreciated and underrepresented in society. In my home country of Canada, it is no secret that gender inequality still exists today.

According to Statistics Canada:
– Women have retained a disproportionate share of housework, childcare and eldercare. Combining earning and caring roles is very challenging, and one of these roles often has to make a sacrifice. More often than not, this results in women working less hours so that they have more time for their families.
–  Women are more vulnerable to lower income than men. One reason is that women are paid less than men even when they have the same qualifications and work the same number of hours; Women typically earn $0.87 for every $1.00 earned by men.
–  Young women and girls under 25 years old continued to have the highest rates of police-reported sexual assault in 2016 and 2017. They account for over half of victims before and after #MeToo (from 55% to 56%).

So thank you FGL and Jason Derulo for giving us a song like this one that brings the focus to women. Although the song is not revolutionary in its sound, it’s definitely a song that everyone should listen to as we often forget just how much women do for those they love while suffering gender inequality throughout the globe.

If you’re interested in visiting the pages I found my facts, you can look here and here.

For more information involving gender inequality in Canada and what you can do to help, visit The Canadian Women’s Foundation.

Boogie – Rainy Days ft. Eminem (2019)

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By Mina Wiebe

On first listen, there’s not really anything revolutionary about Boogie’s new track “Rainy Days”, but its catchiness pulls you in. The first time I heard it I was in the back of my friend’s car after a night of drinking, and I don’t know if it was the booze or the song itself, but my initial impression of the track was that of indifference. The words “bitches” and “hoes” filled my ears, and almost instinctively, I ignored the lyrics and focused on the beat. I don’t know about you, but when I hear lyrics like “I cheat on my queen for a hoe” and “[b]itch, I’m thirsty and blessed”, I sort of assume that the lyrics aren’t going to be anything worth paying attention to. But when you look past the sexist undertones, there’s actually some unexpected substance.

The melancholic chorus tell you exactly what the song is about: “I’ve been thuggin’ through my rainy days for days”. Boogie proceeds to rap about about his past rainy days, how he came from “a place where the shit can get shady” and how his chances were slim. Although it’s not uncommon for rappers to write lyrics about their past struggles, there’s a reason they continue to do so: everyone loves an underdog who comes out on top, and that’s exactly what Boogie does with this song.

Then Eminem comes in, rapping about his own past struggles that he’s had to overcome. “I left my legacy hurt? Fuckin’ absurd” he raps, with his usual anger-filled tone. Like Boogie, Eminem has had his fair share of past struggles, particularly with facing vast amounts of criticism for his often controversial lyrics. Both artists use the lyrics as a way to vent and show people that despite the hardships they’ve faced, they’ve still managed to come out on top. Again, there’s nothing revolutionary about this, but there’s something satisfying about the success of an underdog. Some may say the song is a boastful display of arrogance, but I’d say it’s two people who have worked their asses off and are rightfully proud of overcoming their rainy days.

Andy Black, “The Ghost of Ohio” (The Ghost Of Ohio,2019)

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Lead singer Andy Black from the metal/rock band Black veil Brides just released his 2nd solo album titled “The Ghost of Ohio”. The title track that holds the same name reveals his haunted history located in his hometown Ohio. As Andy mentioned the  purpose of this concept album was to act as a soundtrack for his latest comic book. He mentions in Alternative press that “the focus was to do songs that felt like they represented, in terms of tone, the different emotions of the story.”At first listen I was surprised by the electronic and upbeat sound, since it contrast heavily to the melancholy Gothic songs I was used to listening.

The song uses minimal instrumentation throughout verses that allows you to focus on the story being told. Although, he was looked down upon fans for using auto tune, I believe it was done creatively to create a ghostly sound. The auto tune created echos which gave that haunting aura. His reflective vocals sound as if he is talking to himself, and his echoed voice comes back to haunt him. The echos in his vocals emphasize the haunting concept. As well, the repeated lyric “I am the ghost of Ohio” reflects back past childhood anxieties and obsessions. He constantly assures his listeners that he indeed the ghost looking back into his mentally fearful past.

This song expresses the idea of not feeling like you belong in your hometown, but yet it’s apart of you that you can’t escape. The beauty of this song is that it can connect to those who feel out of place in their roots. The tone of this song seems cheerful despite its melancholy lyrics, and this emotion of feeling confused is exactly what Andy wants to show. Sometimes we don’t know where we belong, but we can’t escape the haunting memories that stay in our hometown.

“Two of Us” by Louis Tomlinson (LT1, 2019)

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Death is something that if you’ve ever had the misfortune of experiencing, it can be unexpected and it is final. Dealing with it isnt much better– grief can be slow and painful and takes some time for your heart and mind to heal from the loss of a loved one.

Louis Tomlinson has taken his time and is now writing this song, two years after his mother had passed away from leukemia. Instead of the song being a heart-wrenching ballad, which the song does come across as at first listen, he makes the song powerful, beautiful and hopeful. The more you listen to it and its lyrics, the less sad and more optimistic you feel.

In an interview with the artist, he came out to speak about the song, about why it was time to finally write it and why his mom was such an important person in his life, the strength he found in himself because of his mom’s love for him and vice versa.

 It feels really liberating. … just had to bite the bullet and f***ing do it. I knew I needed to write this song, but I was a bit scared of it. I’m not at the stage in my grief where I’m going to open the first verse and burst into tears … I don’t want people to get caught up in the sadness of it, the song should be hopeful.

Something that was done really nicely with this track was the simplicity that went into every layer of the song. The piano in the beginning is balanced with the synsthesized voices of the chorus behind Tomlinson’s voice, and the wave rolling up to the chorus doesn’t come crashing down hard on the track, but the upbeat drum brings a change in tone and mood, reminding the listener that the song isn’t supposed to be lamenting on the past. The organic and basic structure of the song didn’t make one element overpower the others; Tomlinson’s vocals never drastically alter as he sings, nor do the instrumentals change– everything stays relatively consistent all throughout, and makes the song a lovely sentiment allowing the lyrics and meaning to shine through just as much as the sound does.

This song is important to listen to, for that time when you’re missing that one person and you feel like the world is dealing you the wrong cards, but his message of hopefulness is what lasted with me, the idea that there’s light inside the dark, his lyrics in the chorus, “I will be the best of me, always keep you next to me/ I’ll be living one life for the two of us” reminds me to sty strong and not to dwell on the things that make me sad but to also remember all the good in my life thus far.

Tomlinson reminds his listeners that its okay to be sad an cry, its okay to grieve, but its picking yourself back up afterwards that’s really important and to dance through your life in joy rather than strife.

-Genna Dara

“So Am I” by Ava Max

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by Danielle Bulhoes

Ava Max’s song “So Am I” is a fun, poppy hit that’s pretty formulaic in its sound. Max tries to distinguish herself with her lyrics though, selling the listener on how it’s okay to be unique and different when the music to her song does none of that. It’s a very odd mixture of lyrics and melody.

I’ve heard songs that mix happy lyrics with sombre or haunting melodies, or sad lyrics with upbeat tunes. Those times, these songs I had listened to had a duality to them. I could appreciate both sides of what the artist was trying to do and how the blend of expressions allowed for a more nuanced listening of the track.

Max’s track doesn’t really do that for me. To me, it sounds like she’s trying to fit in with the ‘hipster/outcast’ crowd in order to sell her music. It comes off as a little inauthentic and contrived. It’s filled with cliched lines of how it’s fine to not fit in while the buoyant music very much tries to fit into the popular music scene.  

I think my favourite lines from the lyrics are, “Do you ever feel like an outcast? /You don’t have to fit into the format/ Oh, but it’s ok to be different/ ‘Cause baby, so am I”.

Really?

And that message of being different and not having to “fit into the format”, is the most effective when paired with a high energy pop beat that’s probably being blasted through a neon-lit club right now?

“So Am I” by Ava Max is an okay track that’s perky and fun, but the lyrics are seriously out of place here, creating a disconnection between the form and the message. It is ok to be different, but I don’t think the best way to be different is to conform to popular music just to sell your single.