OMG – did you see the end of the Miami-New England game? That amazing 69-yard pass/lateral that resulted in a Miami touchdown and a win over our arch-rival the Patriots? That was one of the best games we have seen in many years, and so happy we were able to pull it off. We are also happy for all the nominees of the LA Music Critic Awards for the second half of 2018. Remember, fans can ONLY vote for the Fan Favorite award, so leave your vote as a comment on the announcement article by saving “I vote for (name of artist or band) for Fan Favorite.”
Now that the nominations are out of the way, we have a wonderful Monday Mashup for you today, with five new singles and videos including some holiday tunes. We hope you enjoy them.
NEW SINGLES
Our first single this week is from LA alt-rock band Swerve. It is a hard rocking tune called “She Cut Her Hand,” and we like it a lot. Swerve originally began as a moniker for music created by Los Angeles native Greg Mahdesian. But what initially began as a solo project eventually became a full-fledged band. Greg solely composed all of the songs on Swerve’s self-titled debut EP and hired producer Brandon Duncan to record them. So, when it came time to recruit musicians in order to perform live, Greg naturally asked Brandon to join on bass, his old college friend, Ryan Berti, on guitar, and Mark Gardner on drums.
Next up is a holiday cover from Israeli rock goddess Ninet. We love the simple stylings of “Sweet Chariot” and hope it puts you in the proper mood for the holidays.
For our third single, we head up to Sweden for the beautiful voice and similarly simple arrangement of Marlene Oak on her latest song, “In the Evening.” Enjoy this masterful and soaring song.
Next is a pop gem from Dollshot called “Paradise Flat.” This one is not your ordinary pop tune, and we relish its uniqueness, with sparkling jazz stylings. Please let us know what you think.
Our final single is another amazing holiday song, this time featuring the incredible voices of Mallory Trunnel and Lauren Harding, otherwise known as Crimson Calamity. This may well become our favorite new holiday song.
https://soundcloud.com/crimson-calamity/first-snow/
NEW MUSIC VIDEOS
We tried to share this one a couple of weeks ago, but it was not released until December 7. The video was shot in Portland and we think it is very well done. Check out the amazing Hayley Lynn, who shot this video in one take, and her incredible pipes amid the beautiful backdrop on her song, “Valentine, Too Soon.”
From the beautiful to the different, we bring you the latest from Luna Neptune, who are sharing the “Next Automated Wave.” They are another European band, and we hope they come play the States in the not too distant future.
Our third video features the truly hip sounds of Saving Forever. We think you’ll love it, so let’s make some “Memories.”
Our fourth video is a lo-tech lyric video from Alex Bloom. We love the simpleness of the shoot but the intensity of the lyrics on his song, “Elevator.” What do you think?
We close out this week with a cover of one of our all-time favorite holiday songs, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” This time around it is covered by the lovely and extremely talented Arlene Zelina, and we think it provides the perfect sentiment for the season. See you again soon.