All the Latest Music News on Nagamag
The Latest
All Nagamag’s online magazine music articles in one place. Here you will find our latest posts and whole back catalog of articles.
Sam Miller – Mariposa (Spotify)
“Taken out from the album "Lilies", this flower brings the beauty of Neoclassical sound in our grey place. Whatever your mood, a solo piano miniature is always welcome to restore balance in your tired mind. Respect for Sam Miller.”
-Nagamag.com
"Mariposa" is the first single off my upcoming piano album, Lilies. This album is dedicated to my wife, Lily. We eloped towards the end of 2019 before the world shut down. These pieces were written between now and then, through the pandemic and challenging personal tribulations that we've had to face together.
Lilies is expressive of our love - the hope that these rotten years we've been trudging through will fertilize the soil of tomorrow from which a new beauty will emerge. I'm releasing 'Lilies' in the dead of Winter, when this reminder is perhaps most needed.
I recorded the album on Lily's late grandmother's Knight upright piano. There’s a note from the manufacturer inside the piano that says “This instrument has been specially constructed to withstand severe extremes of heat, dryness, humidity and central heating in any part of the world”. This rugged piano has helped us withstand the past few years, as well.
https://twitter.com/sammiller
https://www.facebook.com/sammillertheartist/
https://www.instagram.com/jennyinvertrecords/
Blue River Baby Band – Green Cones (Spotify)
“Five minutes of complete immersion in the atmosphere of Funk music with a slight Reggae taste. Vocals that help the listener feel the positive track's message. Also that sound completely completes the image of a perfect song for good mood!”
“Пять минут полного погружения в атмосферу фанк музыки с лёгкими вкраплениями reggae. Вокал помогает слушателю прочувствовать позитивный посыл трека, а музыка является вишенкой на торте, которая полностью завершает образ идеальной песни для хорошего настроения!”
-Nagamag.com
From Aotearoa - New Zealand, Blue River Baby are excited to be releasing their latest track Green Cones, recorded between Poneke’s lauded Surgery Studios and Tiny Triumph Recordings.
https://blueriverbaby.bandcamp.com/
Green Cones is a magical reggae dub track, a cheeky smokey daydream that floats us over the weight of others expectations. The perfect sound, to kick back with, as we come into the warmer months!
https://twitter.com/BlueRiverBaby
The band has added further depth to their sound, working with a couple of NZs rising stars of production on their new music, with the single and album produced by Toby Lloyd (Shapeshifter, Hollie Smith, Rob Ruha) and mastered by Chris Chetland at Kog Studios. This fine tuning and journey has really brought together the talents of the bands six members, ensuring they are one to be watched, especially with their energetic live shows, kicking off again over the summer months.
https://www.facebook.com/Blueriverbaby
Green Cones is the second single from their upcoming sophomore album, due for release in 2022 & follows on the heels of their single Pay, released in July 2021, which received great grassroots support, national media coverage and solid video streams. The band continues to focus on refining their sound and building from their debut 2019 release which topped the IMNZ chart and hit #8 on the NZ Official Music Album chart and garnered them a solid spot in the NZ live music scene following their national tour and dynamic performances in festival slots.
https://www.instagram.com/blueriverbabyband/
Tatonic x TONYG -Loco (Spotify)
“Two skillful minds have joined forces for this Hip-Hop banger. Despite its title it proved quite stable and bold. Raise the volume, open your ears and enjoy some guitar chords, crystal pads and cool rhythmic percussion.”
-Nagamag.com
Tatonic’s 17th release, working with rapper TONYG from Arkansas - themed around persistence and making it in the music business despite people saying you're 'loco' (and they don't realise that true 'success' comes from spending your time making music.)
The instrumentation started as a reggae track with live bass and guitalele but evolved into more of a hiphop track. All original composition, people are really liking it...
https://tatonic.bandcamp.com/
https://twitter.com/tatonicmusic
https://www.instagram.com/tatonicmusic/
Gifts From Crows Interview on Nagamag
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Nagamag:
Which are the genres that describe your music style better?
Gifts From Crows:
I like to think of my music as classical music for a post-rock audience. Neoclassical is probably the best genre though as it includes a lot of artists, like me, that use classical instrumentation but are not quite classical in the true sense of the word. Neoclassical is a broad church and easily encompasses artists that weave electronics in with the more traditional orchestral instruments.
Nagamag:
Few words about your musical background and career?
Gifts From Crows:
Since I was a teenager I have been passionate about composing and performing music and have been involved in many post-rock / electronic bands and studio projects. Whilst I played guitar and synth during those years, my first love was always the piano and Gifts From Crows really feels like coming home.
Writing orchestral arrangements is a relatively new undertaking for me but one that feels very natural and intuitive. Hearing my music performed by the Northern Film Orchestra for the first time was an incredible experience and I have carried the learnings from that into the new album, 'Stories in Slow Light' which features a lot of live performance mixed in with the samples and the piano.
Nagamag:
Do you remember your first connection of love to music that was the right impact to be a music artist now?
Gifts From Crows:
I grew up near and went to school in Macclesfield in the north of England - home to one of the greatest bands of the post-punk era - Joy Division. I can still remember taking home their album, 'Closer' and playing it for the first time. I had shivers running down my spine listening to that music and it still affects me the same way today. That was when I truly understood how powerful music could be and also when I realised that I wanted to try and produce something that gave other people the same feeling. Whilst you never feel that you even get close to those levels, there is always the hope that the next piece of music will be transformational.
Nagamag:
What was the inspiration for the new album, Stories in Slow Light
Gifts From Crows:
Each piece was inspired by a different photograph by artist Helena Whitten. I found that by sitting at the piano with one of Helena’s photos placed where the sheet music would normally rest, I could literally write music to accompany the scene in front of me, as if the score were hidden inside the image.
I find Helena’s photos incredibly emotive. They are simultaneously timeless but also contemporary and speak to so many of the challenges that humanity is facing today – the fragility of the planet, the transience of life, loneliness and mental health. It is all there and these are also the themes that I explore in my music.
Nagamag:
How did the video for The Empty Mirror come about?
Gifts From Crows:
The song was inspired by a photograph taken by Helena Whitten at Poltimore House in Devon which depicts a solitary figure in front of an oval frame where a mirror used to be.
The track evokes the memory of our ancestors and imagines all the living souls who have passed in front of the now long gone mirror. The protagonist appears to be channelling these spirits out of the ancient walls of the house, at times contorted by the energy flowing through her and then flowing with serenity.
The video for was shot on location at Poltimore House but this time dancer and choreographer Kristine Berget reprises Helena’s role from the photograph and we follow her as she moves around the rooms and hallways of the crumbling mansion.
We worked with Kristine before on the video for 'Without Beauty' and so I knew her choreography was good but her performance on The Empty Mirror was extraordinary and the film directed by Corey Rid really brings the whole work to life.
Nagamag:
Many artists listen to genres that they are not producing music for. Which track is your favorite that is NOT similar to yours?
Gifts From Crows:
Joy Division "Love Will Tear Us Apart"
Nagamag:
Of Course Nagamag would love to listen also which is the track from a similar artist you admire?
Gifts From Crows:
Wim Mertens "Struggle For Pleasure"
Discover & Listen to Gifts From Crows
Gifts From Crows on Spotify
Gifts From Crows' Signature Track
Gifts From Crows on Social Media
Gifts From Crows' Website
Scoobert Doobert – Let’s Move to the Top of a Mountain (Spotify)
“From an artist who really appreciates the value of pure nature, this single brings fresh air in our music preferences. As its title reveals, "Scoobert Doobert" invites us in a cool trip, away from civilization. Favourite Indie Pop and calm, full of confidence vocals.”
-Nagamag.com
Scoobert Doobert is on the up both as an artist and producer. He recently produced CHAI’s latest single ‘WHOLE” which is the theme song for the comedy-drama series “Koi-senu Futari” on the NHK network in Japan, released on Sony Japan / Sub Pop. He is also one of the remix artists on CHAI’s “Wink Together EP” to be released in February. Within the last month Scoobert Doobert has been in Pitchfork, NME, Paste Magazine, The Fader, among others. His previous single "a song to quit your job to" released on January 7 was included on Spotify's official playlists Fresh Finds, Fresh Finds Pop, and Indie Brandneu.
His new single, Let’s Move to the Top of a Mountain, released on Beformer Records, is a feel good nod to joyful living with a vast view, wrapped in a breazy pop hug.
About the song by Scoobert Doobert:
This song is about wanting to live in the middle of the Sierra Nevadas, where the air is thinner and the cell service even more scant. After years of constant screen time, I feel like it’s time to just watch the sunrise on a roof top with someone you love.
https://www.instagram.com/mr.scoobert_doobert
Rivita – NaJiuBaoBaoWo (Spotify)
“The vocals in this Lo-Fi track stand as a main characteristic. Unusual and advanced vocal techniques, that catch your attention and can create an instant hypnotic effect!”
“Однозначно — вокал в этом lo-fi треке его главная фишка. Необычные и очень запоминающиеся вокальные приёмы, ощущается красивый, опьяняющий вайб, который укачивает и фокусирует всё ваше внимание на себе. Мгновенный гипнотический эффект!”
-Nagamag.com
Rivita to release new song 那Nà就Jiù抱Bào抱Bào我Wǒ on January 28th 2022 for the celebration of Chinese New Year.
http://www.rivitamusic.com/
Rivita shared “When I first wrote this song it was called “Safe Safe”. While producing the song, I played it to my friend who is Chinese and we somehow ended up translating it and the lyrics became 那就抱抱我 (Nà jiù bào bào wǒ) which means “hug me” which is exactly what I was going for! For many years, I thought about what is the meaning of love and with this song, I think I’ve finally found the answer!”
https://www.instagram.com/rivitamusic
Rivita visited China in 2016 with her parents and has been inspired by the country ever since; it was a dream come true to make a song with lyrics in Mandarin for her.
https://vm.tiktok.com/ZM8SvwuJ2/
Bass was played by Paul Tornbohm who was Rivita’s classmate in London while she pursued a Masters in Composition, the song was mastered at Lurssen studio in Los Angeles by Reuben Cohen. The song was produced and mixed by Rivita herself, and the Artwork was created by Chinese artist Chang William Wang.
http://www.twitter.com/rivitamusic
http://www.facebook.com/rivitamusic
B4lasers – Song of the Sun (Spotify)
“Smooth, melodic track with a rhythm of Hip-Hop which seemed to come down from the pages of an old magazine. In each sound there are echoes of the past. Those vocals help to plunge into the atmosphere and feel it with all its effect.”
“Ровный, мелодичный трек с ритмом hip-hop музыки, которая словно сошла со страниц старого журнала. В каждом звуке чувствуются отголоски прошлого, что очень радует. Вокальные семплы помогают погрузиться в атмосферу и прочувствовать её всем своим нутром.”
-Nagamag.com
https://b4lasers.bandcamp.com/
http://instagram.com/mixedbyb4lasers
Bare Jams – Little Bit (Spotify)
“The real, live music, as if frozen in time, does not cease to amaze. It's hard to hear life through the noise of urban streets and such music helps to distract from anything. It draws big smiles of happiness on our faces!”
“Настоящая, живая музыка, словно застывшая во времени, не перестаёт удивлять. Сложно расслышать жизнь через шумы городских улиц, а подобная музыка помогает отвлечься от чего угодно, рисуя на угрюмых лицах несмываемые улыбки счастья и радости!”
-Nagamag.com
https://barejams.bandcamp.com
https://www.instagram.com/barejams/
https://twitter.com/BareJams
https://www.facebook.com/BareJams
For ten years of playing together, collective experience has shaped and instilled the music Bare Jams record and perform. Whether it’s as teens skipping school to busk in West Country villages, touring for weeks through the mountain roads of the Alps, gigging at Glastonbury, Boomtown, in London and Paris; and from skanking the night away in the German Black Forest; to pale mornings and waning spirits. These experiences are fixed in the music and the players, and the effect is brought to every gig and every record. Their danceable + confessional blend of reggae, soul and roots brings an electric sense of vitality, of life’s natural ups and downs, and a sense that if we’re good to each other things will be OK.
In 2011, after a year trialling busking material on their local streets, then 17-year olds, drummer Sam James and singer Ollie Coombes got hold of a secondhand Fiesta, chucked their kit in the boot and whipped it relentlessly to gigs along the jurassic coastline, then across the country with bassist Dave Tyler. The three studied music together at ACM - living in the Guildford YMCA, writing and performing at local venues. In 2015, after five years of gigging, they holed up at Larkins Farm to record the Cold Treats EP with Dave Tyler and prodigious horns don Seb Skelly, whose brass arrangements laid an even greater electricity through the band’s sound, heightening the danceable as well as the reflective moments in the record. Cold Treats also saw them team up with producer Tom Loffman, and begin to carve out the sound (neck-snapping backbeat, rousing horns) that would come to define later single collections Ebbs and Flows, Wasting Time and Fish Bowl.
Since then they’ve covered 50,000 miles in tour vans and/or convoyed hatchbacks, picking up fans along the way in The Netherlands, Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, and across the UK. Moved by a compulsion to create good music and good times amongst friends, their live show is famous for bringing an unpretentious, cosmic knees-up.
Collectivism makes it to the heart of everything Bare Jams do, writing both music and lyrics through workshops and joint sessions. For their new record 'This ’n’ That' the band have rejoined forces with Loffman and returned to Larkins Farm. In full circle, to their most characteristic sound.
NARA – Deja Vu (Spotify)
“"Nara" can impress her audience with this excellent tune. Our favourite Electro Pop style with melodies that stick in the mind and match perfectly with the artist's advanced voice capabilities. Those lyrics are so expressive that you cannot resist listening until the end.”
-Nagamag.com
NARAs melodies hit us in our emotional and motoric center. Clean and simple – exactly the way you want a pop song to be – but unexpected enough to be unmistakably NARA melodies. And those make us melt away or dance our hearts out. Of course this is also on account of NARAs on point singing. Jumping through octaves sound easy when NARA sings.
NARAS expertise is no coincidence. She paved her way to become a popstar in early childhood. When she was eight years old she called an opera singing teacher – who only trains adults – and convinced him to teach her. She was his student until her age of 15. From then on there was no turning back. She studied singing and piano and moved to Berlin to become a singer/songwriter. Music is, was and will be NARAs life. Let’s go along on her journey.
„Deja Vu“ gives us exactly what we can expect from NARA: straight beats, a clean pop melody and a goosebump voice. The „Deja Vu“ is a guy who, again and again, showed up when he was feeling down. The song is about the process we sometimes need to understand the dynamics of a relationship and the moment we finally are able to shut a door for good.
https://www.instagram.com/listento.nara/
https://www.tiktok.com/@listento.nara
N A E – she don’t (Spotify)
“Immerse yourself in the deep vocals of "She don't" in almost three minutes of smoothly mixed Indie R&B sound. When night falls after a busy day, we usually accept music of slow pace and soft flow. This is the case here.”
-Nagamag.com
This song is about dealing with being done with someone and others who are always talking but their actions never match up with their words. Finally you take control of the situation and let the other person know it's either all or nothing.
https://bio.site/nae
https://www.instagram.com/iamnae.wav/