Amber Mark – Darkside
I can’t imagine anything but big things for Amber Mark. Her album, Three Dimensions Deep, made my favorite January albums list. The big surprise is her song “Darkside.” Darkside is a throwback to 80s pop when Tina Turner and Chaka Khan rolled out a pop-sound that brought together R&B and rock. The distorted vocal effects and synths scream the 80’s. What a great ride!
Band of Horses – Light
The Band of Horses, a staple of the American indie-rock scene, just rolled out a 90’s style pop song. “Light” is so much fun. The sound is one I like to call something like “this band could have recorded the theme song to “Friends” (think Del Amitri). But what counts here is that this is a great song. Big surprise and a lot of fun.
Junior Bones – I’ll Have the Same
Love this dreamy tune. Listen to it while watching the video and you’ll love it more. Why is this song, with a title Dawes would love, such a surprise? Because it was sent to me through Instagram with a request to listen. Though the blog just started I get a number of these messages. I try to listen to all the songs. Honestly, most of the songs aren’t great. But I love this laid-back tune and its hippy vibe. I went on to check out the band’s EP and like that, too. It has this Crosby, Stills, and Nash element and then switches to what NPR recently called post-Brexit music (talking over indie-rock/punk music – think Dry Cleaning, Yard Act, and others). Check this band out!