Browsing Tag

Grandaddy

Captain Lo-Fi reached the serotonin-spilling pinnacle of feel-good music with his genre-fluid hit, ‘Joker’

Posted on 24 November 2022

With eccentrically sweet vocals that will instantaneously steal the hearts of any Modest Mouse and Grandaddy fans over some of the most genre-fluid instrumentals that you have ever heard, Captain Lo-Fi’s seminal single, Joker, is almost tear-jerkingly sweet.

The Germany-hailing musician and producer has been fine-tuning his sound in his own studio since 2013, working with artists from various genres and producing beats for artists and companies, including Loopmasters.

This goes a fair way in explaining the organic ease of the experimentalism in Joker, which throws all sense of pretence to the wayside to deliver funky, indie hip-hop-meets-pop instrumentals that his sunny-side-up vocals drift above. Creating authentically ‘feel-good’ music is no easy feat, but Captain Lo-Fi’s willingness to let his endearingly pure soul spill across his productions allowed him to reach the serotonin-spilling pinnacle.

Stream Joker on Spotify and follow Captain Lo-Fi on Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Tim Lukic orchestrated the soundtrack to love & loss in the grungy alt-indie single, YOU WERE HERE

Posted on 13 October 2022

‘YOU WERE HERE’ is the latest grungy lo-fi single released by the Swedish alt-indie artist Tim Lukic, which melds the ennui of Nirvana with the melodic style of Grandaddy to provide the soundtrack to the complexity of love and loss.

The rhythmically composited single, influenced by the likes of John Maus, Frank Zappa, and John Frusciante, allows bitter-sweet gratitude to transpire from the world-tilting loss of someone that provided stability in an endlessly giving relationship.

Lyrically, it’s a deeply personal cry into the void left behind, but one that is sure to hit anyone that has experienced loss will resonate with. The sense of loneliness that permeates our psyches artfully echoes in the intricately woven instrumental layers in YOU WERE HERE. It’s an evocative ride, but there’s some comfort to be found in the knowledge that you’re not alone in even the most harrowing emotions.

YOU WERE HERE is now available to stream on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

90s Britpop Gets a Lick of Cali Sun in Port Streets’ Love Story Lament, Dream Girl, Decide

Posted on 18 May 2022

Butter wouldn’t melt on the bitter-sweet melancholy in the latest 90s Britpop-rooted single from the independent Orange County, CA-residing artist, Port Streets.

Dream Girl, Decide is a surreally imaginative lament over a mentally hospitalised loved one. I mean, is there any more definitive sign of the times than that? We’re all losing our marbles in dating pools scattered with them, but cute sentiments still stand over the lush organ lines and blissfully pure vocal harmonies.

The Blur influence finds just the right level of nuance, avoiding assimilation from the strength of the rays on the blissfully constructed indie rock hit that uses Grandaddy-Esque synths and hooky guitar lines to seal this track’s place in your synapses.

Dream Girl, Decide is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast