i was made for another world.

Ever have those moments where all you want to do is run around a forest half naked and be a lost boy? Okay, no….maybe just me? Well, prepare to have that moment! Enter: Jinja Safari. I know I’ve written about these fellas in the past but words can hardly describe how they are filling my soul. They really are quite captivating. Their perfect combination of vocals and beats will make you feel such an incredible sense of calmness yet at any moment you could explode with a childlike youthfulness. Okay, so maybe my slight obsession and association with anything of or relating to Peter Pan makes me a little biased but I’m telling you these guys will make you feel. Give ‘em a listen, I guarantee your mind and heart will race with such an incredible velocity.

 For listeners of: Jonsi & Paper Kites

It’s time-Imagine Dragon

Honestly, if the music video doesn’t do it for you, then I don’t know what will. It’s like Lord of the Rings, Never Ending Story, and Reign of Fire all montaged into one giant mass of awesomeness. Ok, so there are no actual dragons, but you can imagine, right? But seriously, this band will suck you right in. That sounded sort of gross… but nevertheless, the beats are infectious, the lyrics are honest and I think speak to generation of youth, stubbornness, and bravery. “It’s time to begin, isn’t it? I get a little bit bigger but then I’ll admit, I’m just the same as I was; Now don’t you understand? I’m never changing who I am.” Amazing food for the soul. Enjoy.

For listeners of: if Matt and Kim and The Dangerous Summer had a love child, it would be this.

Chairlift-I belong in your Arms

This is the kind of song that weaves right into your day, makes you drop everything and forget. It’s soft and light yet upbeat and synthy. I don’t know about you, but it makes me want to time travel back to the 80’s… hold up a boom box and shout things I never had the courage to say…or maybe just grab someone by the hand and run through the night streets without a care in the world.  It feels nice.

Keaton Henson-You Don’t Know How Lucky You Are

Thoughts…

I want to reach out and grab you. Shake out all the clutter going on in your head and let you know that everything is going to be alright. I want to stop you from seeing the world through destructive eyes. I want to hold you and kiss you, prove to you that love exists, even though it can leave you lying in a mess, chest ripped out and heart spilled out on the floor. I want to show you all the things you could never see. Make you feel. Because it’s necessary to grow. I want to hear your secrets. And for you to not be ashamed. Because what separates the brave man from the coward is his ability to look at himself in the mirror, with sincere eyes and an open soul, and genuinely want to be the best version of himself he can be. I want to reach beyond the hours and the days. Hold you in my arms like ocean waves. I want to show you the beauty of this world. Make you believe when it can’t be proven scientifically. I want you to know I exist….

For listeners of: Bon Iver and Dry the River

Her voice is haunting, honest, creepy, and it consumes your soul in a fire that leaves you bare and with a feeling of insecurity. It’s a thirst of every cell in my body for more.  More love, more experience, more hurt, more life. That’s what makes this song so beautiful. Even in all its rawness, stripped down it leaves room for the anxiety, the general worry about life, and insecurity to grow. Because once the fog dissipates, and you can see yourself fully exposed, completely naked with all your flaws, you can finally pick yourself back up.

I’m not sure if any of that even made sense but I guess what I’m trying to say it that it’s pretty strange how one person’s words can affect a complete stranger in such a deep way.  And it’s different for every soul.  But sometimes, even if for a moment, it all comes back to the beginning.  It all comes back to love. And a connection.  And a memory.  And I think that’s pretty beautiful.

For more of the atmospheric, orchestral vocals of the beautiful, retro-‘60’s-sounding Lana Del Rey, be sure to check out her full length Born to Die.

For listeners of: Birdy, Nilu, the xx

Royal Teeth

To simply put it, this band is absolutely captivating. I recently stumbled upon this little diamond in the rough and I am happy to share with you something that will make you feel. Hearing this band takes me back to a time in my life when I was so young and naive, a time when everything was so simple and figured out. They certainly make you feel like you’re floating on a cloud of nostalgia with just the right touch of wind hitting your face. They have a way of squirming right into your soul and making you want nothing more than to feel free and dance.

But besides how they make you feel, a little more about the music. It is the perfect combination of pop, beats, and lovely vocals.  It’s light and soft, and layered quite nicely. I currently have the EP on repeat at the moment, but I’m sure it’ll be stuck in my head for the rest of the night regardless.

It’s hearing artists like this, though, that make me want nothing more than to be able to sign them. They certainly are a band with untapped potential and it twists my mindgrapes to know they are only on the rise. But then again, they are still a young band in the making. I am eager to see them grow and I can only imagine what they will have in store for us in the upcoming year. I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before some record label knows what’s good for them and sees what I see. With all that said, get on the Royal Teeth train before it’s time for me to say “I told you so…”

For fans of: Foster the People, the Naked and Famous, Brite Futures, & Guineafowl