Antony and the Johnsons - Your Eyes Close
A wonderfully haunting melody, wonderfully heavy lyrics and a voice full of so much passion. Antony Hegarty’s voice is so honest, and so layered and real to such an extent that I feel immediately calmed and comforted and moved by his words.
Bon Iver - Holocene
Someway baby, it’s a part of me, apart from me
This song woke me up this morning, and it shall send me to sleep soon. If beauty was a sound, it would be the fingerpicking in this song. A delicate melody in a simple form, with such heart - this is what musicians aspires to do. The lyrics are evidently quite personal and individual, but then a line like “And at once I knew I was not magnificent” hits you so hard, and you can relate and subconsciously understand sentences that don’t mean a thing to you.
SBTRKT - Hold On
I’m usually not a big fan of this sort of music, but his voice and the simple melody are combined in the most amazing way. His voice seems to carry a feeling of desperation and pain, almost poetic in the sense that there’s really no need for the background tinging. It’s fantastic.
Ben Howard - Only Love
A valentine’s song for the lovers. A beautiful song, a beautiful video. Loved up people, enjoy (while the rest of us sit here and wallow in self-loathing).
Are You Here - Corinne Bailey-Rae
Such a soothing, wonderful, inspiring song. Corinne Bailey-Rae is, I suspect, singing about the husband she lost. The simple beginning, gradually developing into something more harsh and free, is an interesting concept. The whole album is incredibly positive, and the lyrics present a “Thank you for being there when you were” sort of feel. Amazing.
Pengilly’s - Toby’s Hill
This song is beautifully haunting. The strong, continuous harmonies and the slight feel of melancholy in the lead singer’s voice is fascinating. A soothing lullaby or a cure for a head full of too many thoughts. An essential “Keep Calm and Carry On”, chill-out song.
Download their EP (for free or for however much you want to give) on their bandcamp page.
Bon Iver - Creature Fear
There is so much I like about this song. The song begins with a soft, harmonic choir-like melody seeming incredibly delicate, only to augment to an amazing, energetic climax. The simple strumming, finger-picking and singing combined with unexpected, vigorous and passion-filled sections make the listener unsure of how they should feel when listening to this song. It’s an amazing combination of hard and soft, and through 3 minutes or so of listening, you feel as though you’re relieved of something, something so important yet so minor that you can’t quite place your finger on it.
