In this edition of LITM Rock Picks, the tracks balance bright swells with dark edges, while celebrating every twist and turn that comes with being human. Each track feels as though it builds and blooms into something expansive. Featuring Aluminum Boys, Michellar, Spinafex and more!
1. Aluminum Boys - Common Pleas
‘Common Pleas’ by Aluminum Boys takes on a bright, groovy rock melody with some strings, following our protagonist as they change and open up to love. Butterfly imagery seems to populate the lyrics, highlighting the limitless potential of change and the promise of meeting someone special in someplace unassuming.
“...Two things can be true at once…”, our protagonist realises as they bloom to the possibility of love. To them and their tin-man heart, “....falling in love felt like falling apart…”, but now, “...feels like falling free…”. The soundscape seems to help us reach this freeing realisation with groovy ease.
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2. Michellar - Dreaming
‘Dreaming’ by Michellar balances its groove and cadence with hints of a darker bass sound. Lyrics come out flittering, with short phrases alluding to deeper and more expansive emotions that feel like an alluring call. Small moments that feel vivid in their fleeting, dreams that take on the dark edge of nightmares.
The song feels as though it pours a multitude of feelings into singular emotions, building towards a realisation that settles the constant pull of the song while keeping it dynamic. Groovy and engaging, the song uses its words to build a thought that goes from simply “...dreaming…”, to “...dreaming and wasting away…”.
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3. Frank Joshua - Fertile Mind - Radio Edit
‘Fertile Mind - Radio Edit’ by Frank Joshua holds in its swelling melodies an empowering message for artists and creatives. It celebrates the sensitivity and nerve it takes to create things, its bright melodies reframing those vulnerable abilities to ones that feel like strength.
Its anthemic tone and lyrics feel determined, a call swelling in pride. “...I am not what I take…”. Each line feels like a response to criticism, fighting against those lines with an assured sense of pride. Both in work and mindset.
“...If I don’t understand what falls to these hands. That is not a reason for loving less and giving more…”.
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4. Spinafex - Neverland
‘Neverland’ by Spinafex is a bright, guitar-led track that brings on a groovy swing that wants for escape. Guitar melodies roll with a sort of carefree groove, while the lyrics tug towards a feeling that is free from what’s weighing our narrator down. A groove that distances us from that weight, in a way.
“...Wake me up in Neverland…” feels like a liberating thought, expressed in a way that feels fueled by wanting to run away. It's a momentary sense of escapism, driven by simply wanting distance from a situation that feels heavy. A mood reflected in the soundscape the lyrics inhabit.
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5. Bryan Styan - Cease To Lie
‘Cease To Lie’ by Bryan Styan is a bright celebration of kinetic potential. Led by a bright guitar and percussion combination that builds towards a cascade of bright energy. Its lyrics urge us “...to lie under the stars and loosen up…”, allowing for potential energy to seep in. Promise and potential feel like well-kept secrets until they’re allowed in.
By its climax, the soundscape seems to turn inwards, towards a sound that feels much more introspective. The build reduces, as though something has settled in the soundscape. This imbues the track with this emotional charge that feels solid. Now celebrating the energy comes with giving something a chance.
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