Life got you down? Dragging your feet everywhere you go? Need some pep in your step?
More than though, do you want to groove away to music that actually means something from artists who have actually stopped and thought about life a little or, I suspect in the case of these five talented singer/songwriters/DJs, a lot?
Of course you do so here’s your soundtrack to those escapist moments that renew the soul, put a smile on your face and remind why life is worth living.
“Good Times” by Plastic Plates
There’s a playful feel-good bounce that percolates right through “Good Times”, an exquisitely catchy slice of what’s commonly called “tropical house”.
Replete with insistently danceable beats and some divinely-chilled R&B vocals that hover in and out of the foreground, “Good Times” is a bright, light, addictive song that will have you out of your chair and dancing all your cares away.
Plastic Plates aka Felix Bloxsom, currently based in LA, has a knack for taking a genre and subverting it in some very interesting compelling ways, something that Nest HQ noted:
“Although by any legal definition this is certainly tropical house, Plastic Plates’ sophisticated, textured production style packs a much bigger punch than your standard-issue trop-house, wannabe banger.”
It’s got a beguilingly upbeat quality that lifts the spirit, moves the feet and makes you feel like life is little more magical than it was before you heard its giddily joyous tones.
“I Belong Here feat. Woodes” by Set Mo
No matter how confident we might be, we all reach a point where we question if our existential ducks are all in a row, if we’re even remotely hitting the mark.
Set Mo, a Sydney duo made up of DJs Nick Drabble, Stu Turner, know what you’re talking about and have crafted a catchy song, given luminously emotive voice by Woodes, that speaks to that moment when you question everything:
“The song is about when you start to question what you’re doing, and if you’re in the right place – which is important to do – but then to also be able to realise when everything is good and you are exactly where you belong. Whether that is geographically, relationship wise or career wise. We feel this is the perfect song for us right now as we’re definitely feeling we’re in the right place at present!” (source: Your Music Radar)
The great thing about “I Belong Here” is that when the epiphany hits you that you’re exactly where you should be, you have the perfect song with which to celebrate, a heady mix of “unique vocalists, deep groovy bass lines or sensual strings” that sets the soul free. (source: Triple J Unearthed)
“Improvise feat. Tom Aspaul” by Viceroy
Hailing from San Francisco where he is a DJ/Producer, Viceroy aka Sultan of Summer is an artists committed to “jams not bangers”.
That is beautifully evident on the gorgeously bright and alive tones of “Improvise” which dances around with a happy carefree abandon that lifts your mood and gets you bopping along no matter what state you might be in.
The airy, light vocals that come courtesy of British singer/songwriter Tom Aspaul lift this groove-laden slice of contentment and wonder which showcases the artists’s musical passions as he explained to Billboard:
“I’ve been really striving to move my music towards a full-on disco and funk feel. ‘Improvise’ is really my first single that showcases my passion of mine.”
It’s a beat-heavy ode to just cutting loose, seeing where life takes you, something that Viceroy has clearly taken to heart with a song that drives you on and on to … well, who knows what? That’s the sublime joy of it all.
“Masterpiece” by NONONO
Kicking things with a romping charging-out-of-the-box larger-than-life beat and some chompy, chant-like vocals, “Masterpiece” seems intent on living out its title from the get-go.
The latest insanely catchy from Swedish trio NONONO is laced with a bluesy attitude that suffuses every last note, lyric and vocal, a heady vibrant exploration of very deep, pertinent issues, according to the band who gave this interview to Line of Best Fit as they debuted their first new song in three years:
“It’s about socially constructed reality and how a subjective thought or idea turns in to an objective truth if enough people gets contained by it. It could be a hype, a trend, a brand and really the whole society we live in is built and formed by our, from the beginning, subjective ideas. I think the line between subjective and objective truth is very fascinating and wanted to explore it. If someone ever claims ‘Masterpiece’ to be a Masterpiece it will be a very ironic victory!”
That’s a whole of substance crammed into a lusciously fun and breezy song, the perfect marriage of the upbeat and the cerebral, the sort of song that Scandinavians, able to balance light and dark, fun and thoughtful, with aplomb, are so adept at creating.
Want to think and dance and see where it takes you? This is your song if you’ll just “buckle up and follow me.”
“Young Melody feat. Vera Blue” by PNAU
I have always loved PNAU’s ability to cram all kinds of intensely, deliciously-addictive emotions into fantastically catchy song after fantastically catchy song.
Originating from Sydney, NSW, the musical duo (Nick Littlemore & Peter Mayes with Sam Littlemore) have kicked things into high drive once again, following the success of “Chameleon” in late 2016 (their first new music since 2012), with “Young Melody” which is all driving dancefloor rhythms and lose yourself to the moment sensibilities.
Dropped with two other new tracks, “Into the Sky” and “Control Your Body”, all of which hail from new album Changa due out 10 November, “Young Melody” draws on the impressively expressive vocal talents of Aussie singer Vera Blue.
Known as party-starters, PNAU’s music is lushly rich and full of a sense of escapist melody and iridescently-lush vocals and “Young Melody” is a worthy addition to their already-considerable roster.
Now that’s enough talking – time to go off and dance!
NOW THIS IS MUSIC EXTRA EXTRA!
PINK is an artist I have loved ever since her first single, not simply because she creates intelligent, passionate music that rocks your soul and soothes your more introspective moments but because she is willing to take public stands on a range of very important issues, all while being unapologetically herself.
Billboard have gathered together some of her finer moments, of which there are many, including her recent, justifiably much-celebrated appearance at this year’s MTV Video Music Awards when she issued a clarion call to everyone to be yourself in a way that was authentic, inspiring and empowering.
To add musical icing to a thoroughly substantive cake, the singer has a new album, Beautiful Trauma out 13 October with lead single “What About Us” every bit as rich and compelling as anything she’s released before.