Yuphoric – Almighty Goyde
Similar artists: Blue Lab Beats, Kamaal Williams, Alfa Mist
Genre: Jazz Fusion
German duo Yuphoric takes on the complicated mission of pouring classic jazz motifs into a modern context. And, for the most part, their approach works well.
Although we’ve offered the Nobel Prize for Literature to Bob Dylan and anointed the likes of John Coltrane with words like “genius” for the vast majority of listeners, music can be divided into pop and everything else.
While this may seem harsh at first, and it may even want to make you lash out against the general public’s taste, there’s never been a time when this wasn’t true. It just so happened that, at various times, more artistically-ambitious or sophisticated styles of music got their foot in the door for a short period of time.
What’s the problem with trying to do the very same now? Yuphoric’s “Almighty Goyde” echoes lyrical jazz complete with elongated, pretty lead lines. But it also shares a good deal with the math-rock and bedroom-prog kids that have earned success recently while blending modern sounds with their incredible virtuoso abilities. Does Yuphoric make jazz for the masses? While it’s too early to say, they are certainly heading in that direction.
Wolves With Virginia – Dust Bowl
Genre: Folk rock, Americana, Garage Rock
Wolves With Virginia spend their debut on a mad dash across the beautiful, and treacherous North American plains looking to give a sound to everything that they see.
Dreams are, for the most part, recycled parts of our everyday lives. You might dream of your high school sweetheart. But you may just as well dream of buying groceries or watering your plants. The magic and the mundane blend seamlessly. It’s not that much different from reality.
But unlike reality, most dreamers don’t soundtrack their music with heavy metal or fancy EDM. I’ve tried to get those jammed into my dreams, and it doesn’t work. The music that lends itself to this is usually slow and moody. Retro sounds are welcome too. It’s a bit like the images I mentioned earlier. The rare times you hear music in dreams, it’s usually some kind of remembrance.
Wolves With Virginia’s “Dust Bowl” sounds like a dreamy remembrance of beautiful and dangerous road trips through America. The song doesn’t look for America’s essence per se but rather trusts that it will reveal itself. Wolves With Virginia’s blend of indie and country is delivered with enthusiasm. They’re gallows humor enthusiasts stuck on the road forever.
