Top SongCherry Blossom Promenade, Carwyn Ellis There’s no way to ignore the last 10 months of our existence. 2020 from February on was a steady stream of atrocities that seemingly had no end. For many, music has been a therapeutic outlet and a blessing. And in trying times, there has been a trove of new …
Month: December 2020
Ah, yes: the anticlimax to Xanadu. I saw it in the theater when it came out in 1980—as a joke, but still. What a tangled web of celluloid this clip weaves. The movie was a sour maraschino on the glittering career of Gene Kelly—though, to be fair, his veneers never looked better. I’d like to …
baby Chemist’s Katie Lee Hill plays the saddest cowgirl at Ben & Jerry’s in this tender ballad and melancho-untry video of separation and love deferred. Listen and enjoy the deep, dark feels of this song– and Travis Artz’s soulful guitar playing– because great things await us all in the future, like ice cream (in this …
“What one rum can’t do, three rums can” – Don Beach Johnny Quong’s The Hawaiian When I was a kid, I was a pretty picky eater. We lived in Salt Lake City for four years in the early 1970s, and on the rare occasion that we went out to eat, the one place that I was always …
Behold the first recordings from the brand new Swedish band, Fiends & Omen. Their music is seductively dark, extremely catchy and undeniably electronic. It is a mystery as to what the two lads look like as they have no photos of themselves since they are “still trying to figure out our image,” as they said …
Examining the emotional impact of Raymond Briggs’ “The Snowman” – and this song, in particular – could be an eternal endeavor. Like trying to decipher the magic of The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds. I mention the latter because the musical score is integral to “The Snowman,” which is otherwise a silent film. I can’t think …
Eggnog. Not the most attractive name. Some people love it, and it is an integral part of their Christmas tradition. But some people hate it. The thought of drinking a thick mixture containing raw eggs disgusts them. Perhaps we should tell them that eggnog is basically melted ice cream (raw eggs, milk, and sugar) with alcohol included. The origins of eggnog are obviously unknown, …
Kima Otung describes herself as “a Nigeria-born, Wales-raised, East London-based contemporary R&B and Neo Soul” singer. “I pretty much write my music for women,” she says, “to help us level-up and demand more from the people around us and ourselves.” “I was reflecting on what home means to me when I wrote this song,” she …
Entitled The Black Messiah, this entire album is amazing. No matter what race you are you need to hear this great work of art. The vocals, the instrumentals, and the production all come together perfectly. The message hits hard and must be heard right here, right now. This project was written for a Christmas like …
This is hauntingly beautiful. Please listen and enjoy… – East Portland Blog “This is a cover of my friend NEA‘s song ‘Dedicated,’” says Paperwing, “with my own personal take on it. I got inspired when listening to her music and I thought it would be really cool to do this one in an acoustic epic-ballad kind …
Today, JUNO 2020 Award winner Dominique Fils-Aimé announces the release of her new album Three Little Words. The soulful “Love Take Over” is the first single to be taken from the album and is available now on all music services. Three Little Words concludes Dominique’s album trilogy exploring the roots of African American musical culture. Her 2018 blues-tinged acclaimed debut full length Nameless saw Dominique …
One traumatic moment can crack your foundation and change your outlook on life forever. The trauma runs deeper when tied to the betrayal and abuse from the one person you thought you could trust. There’s no way to fully come to terms with that moment, the one that shatters the very existence of a relationship, …
Behold the new Kit Major track, “Scene Queen.” It is an absolutely crazy track. It’s a high energy dark, dance, glitchy, almost pop metal hyperpop anthem that can make anyone’s confidence go up to 100. Think Poppy / Grimes / Rina Sawayama / Nine Inch Nails in a single rad, unapologetic powerhouse pop song (the last third of the …
Public Enemy’s single “GRID” featuring Cypress Hill and George Clinton is a post-apocalyptic view of the world after it collapses into a technological desert after the “grid goes down” and, today, the legendary group shares the official video for the track. Directed by David C. Snyder, the video for “GRID” is the latest to come from PE’s …
When I was in high school, I got my one and only cocktail lesson from my dad. While making a drink, he turned to me and asked if I knew the difference between a dry martini and a very dry martini. He grabbed the (dusty) dry vermouth bottle from under the sink – probably next to the Comet and dish soap – and told me for …
A couple months ago I wrote about volunteering at a food pantry on Friday or Saturday morning. In this connection, the Greater Chicago Food Depository distributes food supplies to more than 700 pantries and soup kitchens. Even though I live in the richest nation on the planet, food pantries exist to partially fill a gap in the …
Behold the music video for “To You“, released today from Roots Radics feat. Toots & The Maytals. The video features never-before-seen footage of the late Reggae icon Toots Hibbert, documented during one of his last recording sessions prior to his tragic death on Sept. 11, 2020 from COVID-19. Today would have been Toots’ 78th birthday. …
People ask me all the time. What do you do with bitters? Or – what are bitters for? The short answer is they are to cocktails what spices are to food. Chef and author Samin Nosrat says of salt, “Salt’s relationship to flavor is multidimensional: It has its own particular taste, and it both balances and enhances the …
Fatima Revne is based in rainy Bergen, Norway, resting place of the mysterious Isdal Woman, and like that deceased (alleged) spy, Revne has captured the imagination of the Norwegian public. Revne is a passionate RnB, EuroPop and Skando-Dance singer that puts real emotions into every Norsky word (occasionally English and Tagalog land in there too) …
The long wait is over! At last the truly rockin’ video for “Fire” is here. Scotswoman Amy Macdonald has a serious thing for Springsteen. She’s covered a few of his tunes and written at least one of her own set in the Springsteen 1970s New York-New Jersey multiverse, “The Hudson.” This time she gives one …
I started tinkering around with cocktails the summer of 2019, on a search for the best cocktail of the summer. Mostly to give myself something to do. Summer turned into fall, and fall into winter, then in 2020 I decided that I had made enough cocktails that I need to keep them someplace or I would forget …