Art by YouAndNeru
Yes, this will be an ongoing column. Here are ten songs worthy of being posted underneath some incredible You And Neru artwork. He's the man. Anyway, last week saw the first list of ten tracks, with six being instrumentals. This time around, only have a couple instrumentals are featured, with the remaining jumping between bedroom rock, folk, world, and hip-hop remixes. Dive in headfirst.
barnes blvd. - “You and I”
That guitar loop! Those drums! That vocal sample! Those subtle synths! I could listen to this song for quite some time on repeat. Easca always knows what's up. Olympia, Washington producer barnes blvd. instantly got a follow from me.
Lion Detective Club - “Pendulum”
“Highway congestion, radio and a white covered field on the way to the show.” Toronto artist Lion Detective Club utilizes a minimal live production (see also: just his voice and a piano) for his new single, one he tags as “dream pop”.
bleeklino - “Brain Control”
Midwestern musician bleeklino has been letting the singles fly recently. His newest is a reverb-heavy manifesto about the weird world and the people that occupy it. “Figure shit out because we're gonna die” is a great straightforward line to use before beginning a guitar solo.
Issa Bagayogo – “Ciew Mawele” (Kraut Bootleg)
I have no idea how I found this song, but holy cow is it pleasant. Amsterdam producer Kraut provides a respectful reworking of Malian artist Issa Bagayogo's song. It's a sunshine ride through open earth.
ONSOHO - “The Gift”
AmbientMusicalGenre almost always hits the nail on the head. What a quality SoundCloud (and Bandcamp) account. A few weeks back, they released the piano-driven instrumental “The Gift” by photographer/painter/composer ONSOHO. He originally released the track a while back on his own account, but AmbientMusicalGenre revitalized it on their page. If you need more, his track “Life is a Film” might bring make you cry.
Emily Blue & Doug Shotwell - “Violets”
Chicago artist Emily Blue recently released the split single Blackberries/Rico Acid which showcases the inner workings of an eager pop star. While those two songs deserve some radio play, it's her month-old track “Violets” that is more my style; folksy, acoustic, and soothing as hell.
Nnamdi Ogbonnaya - “Cindy OsO” // Feat. Morimoto
Chicago Nnamdi Ogbonnaya just released a buzzing thirteen track album known as Drool. The opening track, “Cindy OsO” features some quality saxophone work from Morimoto. Give it a spin and if you like what you hear, grab the whole project here.
Joe Nora - “Jaguaar”
Chicago producer Joe Nora (of Moon Man & Benjamin) snagged Jay Z and Jermaine Dupri's classic a cappella verses from “Money Ain't a Thang” then crafted one hell of an original instrumental to accompany. Wow. Spin it back 40 times. Joe, I need this instrumental.
Qari - “Foolish” (Prod. Mulatto Beats)
More Qari and Mulatto? Okay. After releasing their collaborative EP Space Jam earlier this year, they continue to give you more with the track “Foolish”. It's a bar-heavy arcade game dripping in bass. “I don't know nothin' 'bout Judas.”
Saba & Joseph Chilliams - “Westside Bound 3” // Cory Grindberg Remix
It's only right to close out this rundown with one hell of a remix from the homie Cory Grindberg. He reworks the Saba track (which just received a music video) just in time for Saba to tour around the country. If Damnage isn't playing this during his DJ set, he's tweaking.
More Singles
