Charlie Christmas - Happy Day

There is more than a tinge of grunge nostalgia in Charlie Christmas's new release "Happy Day." The lyrics are uplifting like "Step into the light; everything's alright." But, the reverbed instrumentation and psychedelic effects make me wonder if the song contains multiple meanings, or at the very least minorly sarcastic (think Flaming Lips or His Name is Alive). Regardless of deeper meanings, it's a damn-catchy tune.

www.charliechristmasmusic.com

Pale Blue Dot - Only Love

Virginia based rock group "Pale Blue Dot" has a new single out - it's an upbeat, four on the floor style anthem (and even features a glorious trumpet part - not unlike a Wynton Marselas baroque solo) titled "Only Love." Male and Female singers are featured for both verses and choruses and both can more than hold their own against the busy instrumentation.

After reading their bio, I'm excited to note their broad range of influence not only from Popular and Rock genres but also Bebop (which almost certainly explains the trumpet) not to mention, their commitment to evolving as artists which is more than laudable. www.palebluedotband.com

Desi Hip Hop releases new Android/Apple App

A brave new world is upon us; now, whatever music we desire is quite literally at our fingertips through the use of the supercomputers we carry around in our pockets. Desi Hip Hop has released an OTT streaming application replete with amazing artists from the Indian Rap community. Readers of this blog may recall the short feature we did on the artist SUN J with his tune "Dehli." Now, find him and tons of other artists right on your phone.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tp.desihiphop.app
http://www.desihiphop.com/desi-hip-hop-music-video-streaming-platform/540306

From the announcement:

Hip Hop overtook Rock as the most streamed genre in the world and is now making waves across Asia. Although Youtube has been North America's go-to platform for music video streaming, Asian audiences are finding it increasingly difficult to discover and consume the vast amounts of content coming from such a diverse region. DesiHipHop Inc, a California based Platform & Media Co just launch a beta app on android "'Desi Hip Hop" to lay the foundation for a new breed of Asian Urban Youth diaspora across India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh to celebrate their culture and create cutting edge content.

While most streaming giants sell Music or Video subscriptions, DesiHipHop wants to focus on the Lifestyle with it’s new OTT Video Streaming Platform. "In the 80's we stood in line to buy music, we waited all week to watch Soul Train. We didn't have Digital, Mobile & Social technology to help us discover Hip Hop culture. I'm an immigrant Indian and when I wanna discover new Hip Hop music from South Asian artists, I have no idea what to look for on Youtube. So we're building a platform solution for Fans, Artists, Brands & Audiences to connect, curate, create & celebrate culture", says "Desi Hip Hop" Founder Hardik Davé.

Hardik Davé, a former Technology Executive has been building Digital Experiences for enterprises and brands across retail and sports and is now turning his focus on music. You can download the app for Android here, or find out more about it at the DesiHipHop official website. 

Green Tea Goblins - Pot Monsters

Green Tea Gobblins have a new anthem out to, you guessed it, cannabis. The song itself sounds quite a bit like the drug feels after smoking for a few hours and you realize it's 3am while Doors or Ravi Shankar is playing in the background. Really, the tune is simply a mishmash of samples over a reverb-laden rock track, not entirely unlike something modest mouse. I'm not sure if GTG intends this track to only be used while consuming the substance it lionizes but you might give it a go, if interested. https://greenteagoblins.com/music

MEMORI - 'CTRL C CTRL V' MV

I never liked the term "J-Pop" as a catch-all for music coming out of Japan - the term seemed to indicate a lack of seriousness on the part of the performers and collapse everything into one monolithic all-encompassing-genre. In truth, there has always been a diverse, and interesting musical landscape contained within the small chain of islands in the Pacific Ocean.

Memori is an artist who is new to me. But she has a style and sound that is not only refreshing but strikingly aggressive for such a feminine and beautiful young woman. The song "CTRL C CTRL V" navigates the space between heavy hitting indie rock and pop-electronica. Accompanied by a French-Themed music video, this is one that I greatly enjoyed. Find more of her at www.remembermemori.com

Woodfish - Damn Thang

Funky beats and the most insane bass part I've ever heard coming out of a rock trio are just two qualities of the new Woodfish song "Damn Thang." The tune is expertly rendered by the group with an upbeat quality that really drew my attention from writing this review - there is also a captivating music video telling a narrative of a beautiful woman's infatuation with her pizza delivery boy. I have to be honest, dear readers, I just can't get over the lead-singer's bass playing, it is just the busiest low-end instrument but it really makes the song - and makes the band rather unique.

www.woodfishmusic.com

Heathcote Hill - Save The Ones You Love

Heathcote Hill's new song: "Save the Ones You Love" is a heartfelt ballad about the priorities we make in regards to how relationships are formed. The beat is a somewhat poppy country-folk pulse. I do wish the song had a bit of grittier edge to it a la Bright Eyes or Calexico; for some reason, the expert production sheen seems to divert from the genuineness of the track (but this is really just me being nit-picky). It is; however, an extraordinary expression of one man's thoughts. For more information, you can visit his website here: https://www.heathcotehill.net/