“When we are bewildered by existence, art is the way we try to put a frame around a piece of reality and make sense of it. Seeing other people do that work, whether it’s on the page or listening to music, or watching a film, feels like a balm to me right now. Even if the only meaning they can make is a representation of their own bewilderment, it makes me feel less solitary.”

Iowa City author Garth Greenwell spoke about art in the time of isolation as part of Mission Creek Underground. Mission Creek Underground is a six performance series with local musicians and authors provided virtually. The performances were filmed at The Englert Theatre and are available for viewing on the Mission Creek website, and the festival’s YouTube and Facebook accounts.

Greenwell is the author of two books, Cleanness and What Belongs to You. These two titles have accrued many accolades, including but not limited to a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice, an IndieNext Selection, and British Book Award for Debut of the Year. He writes in various genres, and his writing has appeared in The New Yorker, The Paris Review, A Public Space, and VICE, among other publications.

The format was quite different from the typical reading at Prairie Lights that the Iowa City literary scene has come to know. Greenwell read underneath the glow of a lone spotlight on stage of the Englert Theatre to empty seats, but with a familiar warmth.

“I think art is what we turn to when we want to communicate what our lives feel like on the inside. And so, art, for me, is the greatest experience I have of intimacy with other consciousnesses.”

In addition to talking about creating art in this uncertain time, Greenwell read from his most recent book, Cleanness. The collection was published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux in January of this year. The first selected passage that he read came from the beginning of the story “The Frog King.” Greenwell described the passage as being about the joys of ordinary happiness, of being with another human being, and the happiness of touch.

The following is an excerpt from the reading:

I was still groggy with sleep when I turned in to the main room, and I stood uncomprehending for a moment before I realized that R. had rearranged things in the night. He had moved the table to the middle of the room, and had placed my winter boots on top of it, beside the little tree we had bought earlier that week. Sticking up from the boots were packages wrapped in newspaper, his Christmas gifts for me; he must have hidden them somewhere after he arrived, he must have got out of bed in the night, careful not to wake me, he must have been quiet as he moved the furniture. I caught my breath at it, I felt a weird pressure and heat climb my throat. I felt like my heart would burst, those were the words for it, the hackneyed phrase, and I was grateful for them, they were a container for what I felt, proof of its commonness. I was grateful for that, too, the commonness of my feeling, I felt some stubborn strangeness in me ease, I felt like part of the human race.

Mission Creek Underground is currently ongoing and will run from April 1st-4th with all acts viewable on their website.

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Younger generations are—in typical fashion— turning to the internet, flooding social media platforms with memes of their responses to the virus. Tik Tok has been the main thoroughfare for these creations. The short videos include quintessential Gen Z and Millennial dark humor, ramblings about how the closures have affected travel plans, and even original songs. “It’s Corona Time,” a synthesizer-laden track with no other lyrics than it’s title has been the most popular audio on the app relating to COVID-19. Another frequently used piece is a cover of Dean Martin’s “That’s Amore” with virus-connected lyrics in place of the original.

While music like “It’s Corona Time” was created purely for entertainment, its seemingly nonsensical fun helps to spread information about the virus. As reported by the Guardian, Tik Tok is working with the World Health Organization to provide trusted information to its users. In a time of uncertainty, accurate information is our most vital asset.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that the number of confirmed cases in the US has recently surpassed 1,000. Since the virus was first diagnosed in December of last year in Wuhan, China, the number of cases has risen exponentially in various countries around the world. The vast majority of cases result in mild flu-like symptoms and not life threatening, even more for people that have a healthy system which they can accomplish with supplements like the maeng da kratom for sale which could make you feel healthier and more active.

Universities across the country, the UI included, have transitioned to online education to aid in preventing further spread of the disease. Many public events have been postponed or cancelled for the same reason. Mission Creek, the annual spring arts and music festival in Iowa City, recently announced in an online statement it would postpone the festival from its original April 1-4 timeline.

Live music is getting harder and harder to come by as social distancing efforts continue. Yet in a time where paranoia runs rampant, music is one of the most powerful ways we can cope. Music can lift our spirits, make us forget our present as we get lost in an intricate melody, stir us into a dance frenzy. Music is a way to distract ourselves from the horrors of reality—like COVID-19—a form of therapy.

Music therapy isn’t just listening to music to feel better (although that can certainly be a therapeutic experience). According to musictherapy.org, it is a practice “in which music is used within a therapeutic relationship to address physical, emotional, cognitive, and social needs of individuals.”

Listening to any combination of notes has a distinct psychological effect on the brain. It spurs something within us, a feeling, a release. No matter what the song is, music results in an emotional reaction. It’s what makes us love or hate a song. It’s what makes music, music.

As we continue to grapple with the unknowns of COVID-19, music is a free and necessary medication. Our world is a tense place currently and expressions of creativity like music provide with a means of mental escape.

Enjoy a playlist to ease your mind here.

The post “It’s Corona Time,” and Music Might Help Get You Through It appeared first on KRUI Radio.

COIN takes some of the synthetic sweetness and feel-good nature of 80s new wave and injects it into their saccharine concoction of indie pop. The Nashville group released their third album, Dreamland, on February 21 of this year. Smile-inducing and musically intricate, the 14 track collection is a refreshing jolt of happiness in a world that is overwhelmingly wrapped up in the distressing.

The band has gone through some changes in recent years, becoming an independent group and parting ways with their original bassist. Dreamland is the first album COIN has released with just three members, consisting of frontman Chase Lawrence, drummer Ryan Winnen, and guitarist Joe Memmel.

The opening track “Into My Arms” serves as a delectable appetizer to the rest of the album, a smorgasbord of bouncy guitar and synth. In an interview with Billboard about the album, Winnen talked about why the song felt like a perfect introduction because of how personal the aspects within it were to the group. “The instrumentation exemplifies all of our individual tendencies and reminds me of when we’d practice at the house on Elberta St., where Joe and I used to live,” Winnen said. “Writing this song felt like fruit to that labor.”

A fitting accompaniment to the joyful feel of the music, the focus of the lyrics throughout the album centers mainly around fun, love, and the emotions surrounding the two. “Simple Romance,” which was released as a single in 2018, has more of a funk edge than its surrounding tracks. However, its lyrics serve the common theme of doing anything for love: “While you’re living your best / Now I’m kind of a mess / It’s what you do to me.”

Amidst all of the bubbly music that makes up the majority of the collection sits the short yet leisurely “Dreamland Sequence.” Layers of ambient synth echo the cooing vocals that ease in and and out discordance and harmony, a nice break from the turmoil of the relationships the other songs describe.

Serious or even morbid imagery contrasts with the upbeat music in several of the songs. In the pursuit of love, COIN is willing to let their lover “Crash My Car” and cause them to be the richest man in the “Cemetery.” Halfway through the album, the chorus “Valentine” asks what seems to be the central question of Dreamland: “You ever love something so much it hurts?”

The last section of the album attempts to reconcile with the complications of love, considering and contemplating about what the relationships have revealed. “Heaven Hearted” is a parallel instrumental piece to “Dreamland Sequence” that slows the pace before the freeing final song that is “Let It All Out (10:005).” Living in COIN’s buoyant Dreamland, even if only for a short while, is a dream all its own.

The post Crashing Cars and Candy Bars: Inside COIN’s “Dreamland” appeared first on KRUI Radio.

The lineup for the 2020 Mission Creek Festival was released this week and the slate is brimming with a wonderful mix of new and returning artists. From April 1-4 next year, the downtown area will be flooded by countless members of Iowa City’s artistic community. Now in its fifteenth year, the music and literature festival continues to bring a wide range of entertainment to downtown Iowa City, with a variety of free programming to make the arts available to anyone.

Some returning favorites are bands Squirrel Flower and Pink Neighbor, both of which played at the festival within the last two years. Pink Neighbor is based out of Grinnell, Iowa, where Ella Williams—the voice behind Squirrel Flower—went to college. Iowa City musician Elizabeth Moen is also performing as part of Mission Creek again, playing at The Englert Theatre on Saturday of the festival weekend. Moen is a local favorite and just recently returned from a fall tour across Italy.

Another returning artist is writer Hanif Abdurraqib, a poet and essayist from Columbus, Ohio. Abdurraqib has become a household name in the literary world after his first collection of essays, They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us, was released in winter 2017 by Two Dollar Radio. The collection was named a book of the year by Buzzfeed, Esquire, NPR, Oprah Magazine, The Los Angeles Review, Pitchfork, and The Chicago Tribune, among others. As part of Mission Creek in 2020, Adburraqib will read from his new poetry collection, A Fortune for Your Disaster, published by Tin House Books this fall.

The headliners at the Englert each night of the festival include writer Samantha Irby, punk rock band Parquet Courts, experimental group Sound for Andy Warhol’s Kiss, and indie-rock singer Lucy Dacus. In typical Mission Creek fashion, these headliners consist of blooming artists who have been performing for a while, but are still rather unknown to the general public who aren’t as familiar with the alternative or independent music scenes.

Other musical acts performing at the festival include Black Belt Eagle Scout, Hadiza, The Necks, OHMME, and more. Gabe’s will hold the late night performances for the more experimental groups of the festival like Pulsing, Tropical Fuck Storm, White Batzzz, and Mal Blum, among others. The upcoming lineup also features several artists who are recent graduates from the University of Iowa: Penny Peach Jr., Dog Dave, and Lily DeTaeye, among some of the young artists.

Iowa City is known for its literary community and the countless writers who have come through this area, and Mission Creek showcases literature just as much, if not more, than it does music. There is a selection of readings each day of the festival, highlighting local as well as visiting writers.

One of the key events of Mission Creek each year is the Lit Walk, in which listeners walk between locations around Iowa City for a selection of literary readings. The 2020 Lit Walk, which will take place on the night of Friday, April 3rd, includes readings from The Iowa Review, Canarium, Two Dollar Radio, Sarabande Books, and the Iowa Writers’ House, with several others along the stops of the walk.

Closing out the literary events on Saturday is the literary magazine and small press book fair at The Mill in the afternoon and the Keynote Reading, hosted at the Old Capitol Museum. This year’s keynote readers are Helen Phillips, Tommy Pico, and Kristen Radtke.

The 2020 Mission Creek Festival will take place in various locations around downtown Iowa City from Wednesday, April 1 – Saturday, April 4, 2020. See the entire 2020 lineup and schedule here.

The post Mission Creek Celebrates 15 Years appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Odom Jr. is most known for his portrayal of Aaron Burr in the original cast of the hit musical Hamilton. The main antagonist of the show, Burr confronts many obstacles in his pursuit of political influence, mainly Alexander Hamilton, who was first played by the show’s creator Lin Manuel Miranda. Odom Jr.’s performance in the show earned him the 2016 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical.

In an interview with WBUR 90.9, Odom Jr. described how his experience in Hamilton influenced the creation of Mr. “In that show, I got to do a little jazz, little R&B, some Broadway stuff, some folk,” he said. “I got to really do all the things that I love to do. And so ‘Mr.’ feels hand-in-glove, in the same way.”

“You know, Lin was so incredibly generous as a creator, and as a scene partner,” Odom Jr. said. “You know, he didn’t hoard the good stuff. He wasn’t afraid to let the people next to him shine. And so in this record, what I tried to do was surround myself with as many brilliant, lovely, wonderful people as I could possibly find.”

Mr starts out with two stunning tracks, “Stronger Magic” and “Standards,” both of which are chiefly settled in jazz with a few sprinkles of R&B to give each song a unique twist. Odom Jr. draws you into the album with Sinatra-esque smoothness on “Stronger Magic,” making the integration of a modern trap beat in the chorus even more impactful.

“Standards” thrills with a showy baseline underneath Odom Jr.’s powerful vocals as he tackles a wide range with ease, even showing off some scatting in the track. Though the song is directed to a singular “you,” its lyrics also make a statement on the marginalization of minorities in America: “The truth is, I’m demonized for standing my own ground / So you push me to the deep end, hoping I drown.” Mr confronts the current social atmosphere in a similar way that Hamilton does, subtly connecting lyrics in the songs to current issues without directly alluding to them.

Later songs in the album take on a bit more of a modern sound, with a focus on beat rather than the full-band accompaniment of the jazzier first few pieces. Odom Jr. moves easily between styles, his malleable voice commanding upbeat R&B as well as a few ballads. “Lose It” is a tender song about the fading of a romantic relationship and trying to reconcile with where it all fell apart. It is one of the several moments in the album that combines musical genres together extremely effectively with a lush accompaniment of strings, piano, and a simple electronic beat.

Not one to his forgo his on-stage roots, elements of musical theatre can be found throughout Mr, but aggregate in the later half of the album. There is an entirely spoken track on the album, “Eva’s Song (A Psalm of Life),” that flows like a monologue one might hear from the main character of a stage play. This piece is followed by the ballad “Foggy,” which makes several references in its lyrics to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Rounding out the theatre-influenced portion of the album is a short instrumental piece entitled “Entr’Acte (The Joyful Messenger).” Here, Odom Jr. pulls directly from theatre traditions, as entr’acte means “between the acts” in French, and is typically the title from music played between acts in a stage production, most frequently in musicals or opera.

Mr is an album that transcends any one style of music, and fits right into the current cultural movement that Odom Jr.’s work in Hamilton also worked to tackle. Odom Jr. is a performer unlike any other, with the ability to mold his voice to ignite the soul of any song he takes on, and Mr is a showcase of just that, soul.

The post Album Review: “Mr” by Leslie Odom Jr. appeared first on KRUI Radio.

The opener, Kansas City band The Greeting Committee, exploded onto the stage with lead singer Addie Sartino pumping up the crowd right from the start of the performance. Their indie rock is playful, energetic, and doesn’t take itself too seriously, which makes it incredibly fun to listen to. Even those who had never heard music from the group before began to dance along to the beat. Sartino was a powerhouse in vocals and stage presence, dancing and engaging with the audience through each song.

The Greeting Committee gained popularity over the past few years after the success of the song “Hands Down” from their 2015 EP It’s Not All That Bad. A jaunty combo of guitar and tambourine give this song a lively bass that only grows as more instruments are layered in. Only continuing to grow, the group is scheduled to tour with Hippo Campus—who performed in Iowa City this past spring—throughout the rest of the fall.

After a brief intermission, the Bad Suns began their set with a thunderous drum intro from percussionist Miles Morris. Fresh off the release of their new album Mystic Truth this spring, the alternative rock group has climbed up the charts since their hit album Disappear Here in 2016. The band’s sound is as edgy as their look, full of heart and spunk.

Bad Suns played a mixture of songs from their new album as well as their 2014 debut, Language & Perspective, catering to both longtime fans and those who were hearing them for the first time at the homecoming performance. They commanded the stage, frontman and guitarist Christo Bowman leading the charge.

Their lyrics verge on poetic, creating a sense of awe around even the most basic of situations. “Daft Pretty Boys,” one of the group’s most popular songs, gives a lovers’ squabble a literary twist: “She’s a sunrise dressed like dusk / Going out, she’s getting into something / He’s a moth drawn to a flame / He’s going in, he’s going all or nothing.” They play with metaphors and meaning, all wrapped up in a indie bow with a slight influence by 80’s new wave, which the group leans into in their music video for “This Was A Home Once.”

The free concert drew a large crowd of students, both The Greeting Committee and Bad Suns provided a warm dose of alternative rock to the cool October night and bringing the the second to last day of Homecoming week to a joyful close.

The post Bad Suns @ The Pentacrest 10/18/19 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

The movie is slightly more graphic than its film predecessors which featured the Joker: The Dark Night, Suicide Squad, and the 1989 Batman. Yet among the violence and darkness, a jaunty soundtrack arises. Music drives much of Phoenix’s portrayal of Arthur, to haunting ends. He is consistently shown dancing and singing in the film as expressions of his tortured mental state.

In a YouTube video with The New York Times, director Todd Phillips breaks down one of the most fantastical dance scenes in the film. Phillips said that dancing developed through working with Phoenix on the character, explaining that “Arthur is one of those people that have music in [them].”

The soundtrack spans several decades of music, featuring multiple classics from the 1960’s and 70’s to more modern tracks. Fittingly, many of the songs in the soundtrack connect rather clearly to the tropes of the DC villain with “clown”, “fool”, and “joker” in the lyrics and song titles.

The main theme of “That’s Life” by Frank Sinatra follows Arthur from the beginning of the film to the end as his life continues to spiral out of control. The lyrics of the song perfectly mirror the Joker’s ever-changing perceptions of the world around him. Sinatra croons: “I said, that’s life (that’s life) / and as funny as it may seem / Some people get their kicks / Stompin’ on a dream.” The song begins as a reflection of Arthur’s depression as a down-on-his-luck entertainer, and transforms itself to become a mantra for madness and chaos as a logical course of action.

Another Sinatra track makes an appearance in the film as”Send In the Clowns” plays . Other classics are found within the soundtrack, including “Smile” by Jimmy Durante, which reflects Arthur’s ceaseless efforts to entertain those around Gotham by painting a smile onto his face. Diving deeper into Joker‘s connection with music and dance, Fred Astaire’s 1937 rendition of “Slap That Bass” brings musical theatre into the mix of the already elaborate soundtrack.

In addition to the oldies and original songs, some rock and modern tracks fill out the rest of the soundtrack. The 1960s and 70s maintain a big presence throughout the movie, with hits like “Purple Haze” by Jimi Hendrix, “Rock and Roll Part II” by Gary Glitter, “Fortunate Son” by Creedence Clearwater Revival, and more featured. Recent artists like Riff Raff, Naeleck, and Oceans Ahead connect the film with present day audiences, even though it’s set in the 1980s.

Joker finds its darkest moments in the original pieces created by Hildur Guðnadóttir, the film’s composer. The Icelandic musician is a classically trained cellist and the deep tones of the stringed instrument are found throughout the score. These instrumental moments reflect the inner machinations of Arthur’s mind, with all the variations that his mental instability brings.

Arthur goes through a wide range of emotional changes in his journey to becoming the Joker and so too does the soundtrack, which covers a range of musical styles to reflect these shifts. Joker works to capture the madness of an unstable character in a temperamental world, and music punctuates the film’s manic nature, giving it even more of a punch.

The post A Soundtrack to Madness: The Music of Joker appeared first on KRUI Radio.

The five-man group has been a favorite of the Iowa City music scene for the past few years, especially after their 2019 Mission Creek Festival performance. Having made their debut album with renowned producer Brandon Darner— who previously worked with Imagine Dragons and The Envy Corps—it’s no surprise the band has recently gained popularity. They have received wide praise for their work, even called “the best currently active rock band in Iowa” by the Iowa Informer.

The first song of the album, “Out of the Dark,” pulls you into the mesmerizing world of Halfloves with a series of synthesized keyboard loops. The cyclical rhythm of this beginning is almost hypnotizing and indeed, does take the listener “out of the dark” to focus on the music.

“Small Hours” the next track, forges ahead with the synthesized sound. An echoey beat underscoring the somewhat simple melody. It’s reminiscent of 80s and 90s techno, with reverb and sound distortion playing a key role in the overall composition.

The lyrics of “Small Hours” also denote a perspective that is found throughout Dazer: “No destination, but I’ll know it when we arrive.” The entire album seems to follow a similar mentality of not having a path, but enjoying the journey. While a cohesive collection, each song breaks boundaries along the way, moving between genres and musical styles on the road to conclusion.

The album indulges in slower moments with “Undone” and “Quilted Hearts” which take an acoustic turn amidst their more electric surroundings. This unhurried portion of the album holds some extremely tender musical moments, and leads directly into the hit single of the album: “A Little Lie.”

“A Little Lie” was released earlier in the year as a single and quickly gained a following. It has been streamed on Spotify over 100,000 times, noticeably higher than any other song the band has released. On the song, an easy piano accompaniment supports lead singer Jeff Roalson as he sings of a love he keeps returning to, no matter how toxic: “Even if it lays me to waste, time and time again / I still need a little taste.” The pain behind the lyrics surfaces in the conclusion of the song, which bursts open the simple accompaniment into a reflection of the relationship falling apart.

One of the most dynamic songs of the album is its penultimate piece: “Dedication.” The slow and steady beat of the song builds as it moves forward. The simplicity of the chorus’ lyrics in repetition of the word “dedication” allows room for Roalson’s vocals to soar. Mid-song, we break from the easy tempo of the beginning into a frenzy of distorted guitars, that build more and more, creating a cacophony of reverb. “Dedication” reaches this auditory height only to return us to the calm of the song’s beginning, creating a satisfying journey for the listener.

Currently touring around the Midwest, Halfloves will return to perform in their hometown at The Mill on November 15 as part of a vinyl release party for their album featuring fellow Iowa City artists Younger and Purple Frank.

The post Album Review: “Dazer” by Halfloves appeared first on KRUI Radio.

The title track, “Cuz I Love You,” opens up the album, an unapologetic piece about longing for a loved one with a bass-filled chorus. Lizzo shows off her charismatic vocal skills from beginning to end with belting, rapping, and sustained high notes. “Like a Girl” takes spot two, an empowering track turning the old phrase of doing something “like a girl” on its head. While this piece has lyrical power, it falls more into the typical hip-hop style, not pushing the genre very far in the way Lizzo is known to do.

The third song on the album is the hit “Juice,” released earlier this year. Its eighties-esque beat is infectious with joy, making any listener crack a smile. Percussion plays a heavy role in the song, which doesn’t have any bass, an atypical finding in modern hip-hop. Instead, the foundation of “Juice” is filled with varied drums, stacked synthesizer chords, brass, and even a güiro—the wooden ridged instrument played by running a stick along the side.

What really gives “Juice” its power, like many of Lizzo’s songs, is vivacious lyrics. An anthem of empowerment, Lizzo speaks of how she doesn’t care what others may think of her because she’s happy and confident in herself. The song uses comparisons “I’m like chardonnay get better over time / Heard you say I’m not the baddest, bitch you lie” to build up power behind her words, reinforcing this mantra of self-confidence.

The album transitions to a slower tempo with “Jerome.” Here Lizzo is more vulnerable, singing directly to a lover she is amidst a fight with, Jerome. The lyrics are still grounded in self-love, but admit that everyone has faults: “I never said I was perfect / or you don’t deserve a good person to carry your baggage.” Lizzo is undeniably herself in her music and in real life, but “Jerome” lets her fans see a more nuanced side.

Two collaborative songs are included on the album, “Tempo,” featuring Missy Elliott, and “Exactly How I Feel,” featuring Gucci Mane. “Tempo” is a rap track with an underlying trap beat. Elliott comes in on the last verse, where some of Lizzo’s infamous flute playing is also sampled. In a very different style, “Exactly How I Feel” is vaguely reminiscent of James Brown with shout-like vocals and soulful instrumentals. This callback to older soul music is spun in a more modern direction with Gucci Mane’s rap verse and a mix of electronic beats in the song.

“Better In Color” stirs together hip hop and electronic rock with the secret ingredient of Lizzo’s boss bitch aura. This piece is nonstop excitement and has some auditory gems, one being toward the end of the song where layered three-part vocals repeat “color me” while going up along a beautiful chromatic scale.

The last two songs of the album bring it to a jubilant close. “Heaven Help Me” has a gospel influence and ends with an intimate flute solo. “Lingerie” is, fittingly, the most stripped down song of the album, a slow swanky beat fueling Lizzo’s lusty call.

Cuz I Love You is a showcase of Lizzo’s spirit. She is an artist unafraid to experiment and is proud of her message of self-love, body-positivity, and female empowerment, all of which shine through in each and every song.

The post Album Review: Lizzo’s “Cuz I Love You” appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Campus is bathed in warmth, patios are filled left and right with smiling faces, people perched on blankets spot the grass of the Pentacrest. It’s the perfect limbo period to enjoy the new season, safely past midterms and with enough time before the end of the semester to have to worry about finals. This leaves plenty of time for finding new music to accompany the seasons changing.

Warm weather calls for some upbeat tunes, leaving behind the moody playlists of winter. Good music can be an even more powerful vitamin D. It lifts our spirits, gets us moving, and can even give us a better outlook on the day. With a mix of R&B, rock, EDM, and other genres, enjoy any of these sunny day songs!

“Universe” by Jess Locke

The easygoing vocals in this chilled-out indie track are perfect for lounging out in the sun, with just enough intricacies in the instrumentations to keep you from taking a cat nap from the warmth.

“Ready to Let Go” by Cage the Elephant

You may know Cage the Elephant from their hit “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked,” but this song takes on a different and intriguing style. Rock and techno elements dance together in a soundtrack to letting go and relaxing.

“DAVE (turn the music down)” by Juice

A young band that became known for their skill at mixing styles, Juice shapes a narrative about a curmudgeonly old man named Dave into a fun hip-hop showcase with a fascinating beat.

“Fanny Dog (Royal)” by Ty Segall

Brass backing tracks make this piece feel like you are listening to a live, big band concert. Intense musicality is on full display within the several solos in this song, from guitar to piano. And with an album cover of an adorable pup, who wouldn’t want to listen!

“still feel.” by halfalive

A fun baseline drives this upbeat track to its chorus, where the beat adopts a EDM style reverberation. Trumpets add flair to the verses, which will make you want to dance around and celebrate the sunshine.

“You Go Down Smooth” by Lake Street Drive

Folk rock is given a boost with a quick tempo and chromatic vocals in this bouncy track fitting for a day spent in the sun.

“Tell Me” by BROS

Though their band name may have you think otherwise, BROS is anything but your ordinary boy band. They use synthesizers, a steady bass beat, and a catchy chorus to create an unforgettable sound.

“Cruise” by Saeyers

There’s not much chance of finding a luxurious cruise anywhere in Iowa, but you can find smooth remedy in this techno lazy river.

“Be” by Hozier

Off of his recently released album Wasteland, Baby!, “Be” is a celebration in both lyrics and music. Hozier preaches to “be as you’ve always been,” pushing the song’s message of self-confidence and happiness further through soulful riffs and guitar undercurrents.

“Bigmouth Strikes Again” by The Smiths

An older piece that still feels new, Morrissey’s signature vocals shine against quick acoustic strings in this concoction of rock and post-punk.

The post Old Soul: Sunny Day Songs appeared first on KRUI Radio.