Redd – Heavyweight
I won’t lie. For the most part, songwriters that sing really well, look nice and can play their instrument proficiently, have very little to share with the world. Maybe it’s the curse of being beautiful, who knows.
This is not the case with Redd’s Heavyweight, a charming little pop-folk number that erupts with great musical ideas, delivered in a graceful, childlike way. Over a samba like progression and Guiro percussion, the singer delivers a modern fairytale.
The vocals never really touch the ground throughout it. Yet, the jazzy inflexion of the voice reveals a lot of character. The songwriting is also elementary, yet perfectly balanced. It’s a tidy little piece of music that mixes innocence with wisdom, and which seems provided with minimal effort.
Girl As Wave – Setting Sun
The public world can be an unforgiving place when the message being presented in it does not connect with the modern standard of what is and isn’t acceptable. Rock n’ roll, on the other hand, is much less judgemental. That may not always turn out ideal, but, for the most part, a good groove and hook will get a band far.
Setting Sun by Girl As Wave is a tune dominated fully by a great vocal melody. In fact, were you to eliminate every other musical element and all the studio trickery from this sound but the vocal line, this would still be a convincing single.
Yes, the bass groove hugs the vocals tightly, and the drums keep everything in place. Even the lyrics, with their modern-psychedelic imagery, are enough to draw attention. But, really, at the end of the day, Setting Sun is a danceable rock tune that owes much of its strength to the quality of the vocal lines. Get the great Chemical Brothers to come out of semi-retirement and work on another song titled Setting Sun and you might be onto a winner.
