Humble Francis – Resurrection
Similar artists: Gorillaz, The Black Keys, RJD2, Gary Clark Jr., Black Pumas
Genre: Indie Rock
We have a different way of imagining the dark nowadays. Of course, much of that has to do with the fact that wandering after nightfall is no longer an invitation to get eaten by a wild beast, and we no longer need to find shelter and hide. But the way that we perceive the dark is also influenced by music, movies, video games, and all of the cities of blinding lights.
Naturally, there’s also a soundtrack to that and one to which Humble Francis are adding their music. The list of songs that can fit easily on this all have one thing in common. The people who made them are obsessed with rhythm. And they’re not just playing with stock grooves either, but feel entitled to using rhythmic elements of music from around the world.
Humble Francis’ “Resurrection” is a smorgasbord of modern grooves and a potential central piece of the soundtrack to a video game that happens entirely in a large city during nighttime. Like Damon Albarn’s Gorillaz, Francis’ clearest reference point, the song’s biggest quality is the way in which it stylishly takes inspiration from a variety of sources, managing to blend all of those together seamlessly.
Matt McLean – Paintwork
Similar artists: The Byrds, Wilco
Genre: Lo-fi Rock, Indie Pop
Intelligent human beings are able to do a lot of things. They are able to build things, relate to others, help improve their lives, and even create great works of life. Studying and hard work are great predictors of the ability to become a builder of modern society. Creativity, however, isn’t earned quite in the same way.
We don’t know enough about Matt McLean to guess whether running a company or writing code is on the cards, but what we can attest to is a good deal of creativity. John Lennon once said that he knew he was an artist because if he needed to use a tuba to make something musical, he would figure it out. McLean also does plenty with limited resources.
“Paintwork” is an intimate folkie number that plays with resonant harmonies and colorful arrangements reminiscent of 1960s pop-rock. McLean has the ability to craft a song that feels intimate yet universal. It’s a tune about emotional events that feels written years after the fact from a vantage point of experience. There are plenty of things that humans are good at doing, but for our money, few are more impressive than creating art.
