Helmut Rhode wants someone to step up, Avril Azar wants someone to pay up, Florent Dorin wants someone to speak up, Luha wants someone to call up and more in today’s submissions from Groover, a platform that connects artists with critics like me for a small fee. You can (and should) subscribe to my Tinnitist Groover Top 100 playlist HERE, or you can listen to it via the widget at the lower right of every page on this site. If you want to be in an upcoming playlist, click the link just below the widget or go HERE. But first, let’s turn it up and live it up:
Helmut Rhode | Dance With Me (Now!)
HOME BASE: Austria.
GENRE: Pop.
THE BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Helmut Rhode has found a musical way to express his memories, wishes, dreams and fears. His “soft rock for secret dancers” gives the 19-year-old singer/songwriter from Vienna a chance to relive through these stories with his beloved audience in an atmosphere of love, lust,and acceptance. He sings and plays as an ongoing search of the appropriate style of expression. The semi-Latin American has been publishing songs as snapshots of this development for five years. Helmut Rhode spreads his music more and more internationally in a wide variety of media and has been convincing in countless live perfomances. Dance With Me (Now!) is the invitation for the secret dancers to surrender to their passion. The video shows a beautiful soft rock choreography.”
Avril Azar | Workers Get Their Money
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Pop-Rock.
THE BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Mildly psychedelic pop from Paris. Magnetic melodies and halftone good vibes for easy, sunny hangovers. Cristina Piscureanu (vocals), Theo R. Champion (songwriter) & Aristide Rosier (production and mix). Recorded, filmed and released during confinement, here is a hymn to the sweetly psychedelic life for those who have a little too much taste for idleness. Good vibe in halftone, ideal for landing barefoot on cottony clouds the day after a sunny party.”
Florent Dorin | Some Things Have To Be Said
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Pop.
THE BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Some Things Have To Be Said is the third part of a musical miniseries I’ve produced to promote my new EP out July 2. If you want skip “the intro”, go to the 2:00 mark and listen to the track! If you’re interested in this project, you’ll easily find the links to the previous parts on my channel, where you can discover more songs of my new EP. I have English subtitles for the dialogue! I want to add that this new record is really colourful, as I’ve traveled through many influences and genres all along its creation.”
Luha | Call You Back
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Pop.
THE BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “London, 2017. Lea from Saint-Nazaire, France starts her first music experimentations. After two years sharing a house in the east of London, Lea buy a one-way ticket to Paris and settles in in the suburbs. In her tiny studio, she starts to record her first demos. A few months later, the worldwide quarantine becomes the perfect occasion to finalise her first EP as Lea ends up crashing with her friends in the local psych-pop band Coral Pink. Uprooting, uncertainties and romantic reveries: Luha writes five contemplative titles that would make you want to stay locked in until winter. Call You Back honors the soft and ethereal voice of Luha, mingled with the sparkling electronic sounds of synths, for a dream-pop song tinged with sweet melancholy.”
Arthédone | La Part Du Roi
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Pop-Rock.
THE BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “His stage name is a nod to the visceral energy that drives him: Arthédone, artist-hedonist, arrives in the great family of French song. In his first EP La Part Du Roi, Arthédone delivers us a hell of a dose of energy. His music gives pride of place to catchy melodies between touching ballads and more rock songs. His writing reveals an artist concerned with the world around him. A self-taught songwriter, Arthédone believes that the impossible is impossible, but that there is always a future for those who try. The artists in the pantheon of his influences — Springsteen, Cabrel, Goldman, Freddie Mercury — are inspiring guardian figures. They are above all men concerned with life, family and the world: subjects which he addresses in the songs of his first EP. Alongside Gurvan Nantel, he develops a script nourished with the observation of humans. It is devoid of judgment that he encourages them without tongue in cheek or pretense: “I hate that someone is prevented from advancing on the pretext that he was not born in the right place”. From their collaboration will be born these songs, where love holds a preponderant place. When he was a child, Arthédone dreamed of being D’Artagnan and making music. His first album, full of spirit and panache, is perhaps his way of approaching it. La Part Du Roi — the first extract from the new eponymous EP — is the story of a romantic encounter where everyone indulges in passion but does not want to sacrifice everything.”
Draumr | Sunlight Tryst
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Pop.
THE BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “In a career filled with numerous collaborations across musical genres, Draumr stands out as the solo project of the french musician Gabriel Cheurfa. His sound has a very distinct quality of ethereal dream pop and glo-fi, settling in an atmosphere at the crossroads between Air, Beach House and Paul McCartney. Meaning “dream” in ancient Norse, Draumr is born of the dialogue between imagination and reality, and deals with the sensitivity of those whose affinities lie beyond society’s addiction to sensationalism, far from the deafening battle for our attention, whose lively flame too often silently die out under the weight of an inhumane reality. Sunlight Tryst calls for nostalgia for a fantasized past, a time that never existed. Leaving the subtle impression of memory, it recalls a lucid dream where to all things seems to be given a familiar meaning but always out of reach. The warm rhythm of this modern sunshine pop awakens the urge to escape and be reborn in love. It is a featuring with actress / singer Dorcas Coppin, who made her music debut. The clip was produced by Gabriel Cheurfa and Maxence B. Cardon.”
Kaituhi | Divine (feat. Napkey)
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Synth-Pop.
THE BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Kaituhi — which means “the scribe” — is the first solo project by multi-instrumentalist Kévin Vergobbi. After several years evolving within groups with rather rock aesthetics, Kaituhi is a decidedly more turn pop / ambient for the artist, conceived on a darker, refined and melancholic range. Kaituhi lets himself be lulled by the aesthetics of his time, and humbly delivers personal or fictional memories. His first EP Tarathai has seven songs, deliberately short and unadorned. Divine is a short but powerful electro-pop ballad. It opens with a thrilling Rhodes / voice, interpreted by the gentle Justine of the Napkey duo. A tension gradually settles and suddenly explodes on an epic climax to the sound of sirens and vintage synthesizers. Divine will appeal to fans of generous and catchy synth-pop.”
David SweetLow | It Hurts Again
HOME BASE: Japan.
GENRE: Folk.
THE BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “If you like your singer-songwriters to be honest and faithful to their art, then my music is for you. I make music that floats on the air, where my words wander and probe the memory of a life lived to the full. My songs are both solemn and dark, but with a charm that only maturity of mind can bring. I write songs that are sometimes dark, but at the same time beautiful. They may scare you or make you feel sad, but they’ll also make you feel warm and safe at the same time.”
Christophe Menassier | Theme From The Unknown Movie
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Electronica.
THE BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Christophe Menassier is a composer of French film music. He is based in Marseille in the south of France. Theme From The Unknown Movie is the opening track of the album The Unknown Movie, which features cinematic atmosphere and a captivating style deliciously mixing trip-hop, ambient and electronica.”
Livingston | Through the Peephole
HOME BASE: London.
GENRE: Pop-Rock.
THE BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “”Formed in the multi-cultural hub of London, Livingston are Beukes Willemse and guitarist / keyboardist Chris van Niekerk from South Africa, drummer Jan Siekmann from Germany and bassist Phil Magee from the U.K. Finding their feet with 2009’s debut Sign Language and 2012’s Fire To Fire, the band achieved numerous successes. Their single Broken went to Top 20 and their second single Go was the official song for German national broadcaster ZDF during the Winter Olympics of 2010. Their music has also been featured in numerous TV shows. Their single Human reached No. 4 on European charts. While waiting for their new record This is a Robbery to be released, Livingston are back with the single Through the Peephole. On this song, Chris comments: “The vocal line to me is very playful and kind of loopy-sounding — you know, loopy like circus or carnival music — so I really wanted to create a soundscape that complements this feeling. I kept the idea in the back of my mind for quite a while after and finally when we had finished all the other tracks on the album, late at night on a whim, I put together all the music and surprised the guys with it a few days later when it was done. It is the last track that snuck in on the album and I think it’s a really unique gem.”
Lundi Bleu | What’s The Point
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Dance-Pop.
THE BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Lundi Bleu electro duo is becoming a collective. AlexB (@alexbplanet) produces the new artist of the crew: DJ Trys. What’s the Point? Everything is in the lyrics. “Everyday I go to work, come home, go to bed, do the same thing the next. All that, so on the weekend I can just relax and try not think about work. I work hard everyday so my bank account can go up a little bit. Ever since I was a kid, I was told to have a dream. Well, I ain’t gonna get buried with money, am I?”
Itzama | Rendez-Vous
HOME BASE: France.
GENRE: Indie-Pop.
THE BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Itzama is the story of two childhood friends (Minor Minor, multi-platinum producer & Jones Blank, performer and multi-instrumentalist) stranded somewhere between 1970 and 2040. Halfway between dream and reality, Itzama embarks on a utopian and uninhibited ride. In this project where melodies float between eras, bromance and dreams are engines of inspiration. Rendez-Vous is the last song on Itzama’s first EP. It may be a dream-oriented date for the duo as well as the listener. It may be a direct opening for a late afternoon stroll by the sea, or along the quays of the rivers that crisscross France. Perhaps also an opening towards their next sunny EP. In any case, what is certain is that Itzama gives us an appointment to enjoy summer, love, holidays and cocktails which would make us remake the world for the 1,000th time.”
https://youtu.be/QQWKPbYhLA4
Tan Lines | Alicia Keys’ Time Machine (Tan Lines Remix)
HOME BASE: U.S. / France.
GENRE: Pop.
THE BIO & PRESS RELEASE: “Tan Lines is a music production duo with a very distinctive approach to their creativity. The duo consists of Adam, based in Florida, and Juan, based in France. Although they have never actually met in person, they developed a unique friendship and online collaboration. They are in touch almost every day and collaborate on music through the Internet. This track, made famous by Alicia Keys, is featured on her latest studio album, Alicia. Tan Lines picked up on this amazing track quickly, and what they did with the song is totally magical. They came up with a meticulous and creative layer of epic sounds, including a cool bassline with funky flavors, as well as a string section, giving the song a ’70s flair. The guitar solo is the contrasting element that makes this mix stand out, a pinch of hot sauce to make the recipe pop even more. Showcasing the personality of Tan Lines’ production style, this remix stays true to the original while provides a different feel, a different groove and a more textural approach to production, with great drum patterns and a unique re-interpretations of the main hook. They really nailed it, doing justice to the original and taking it somewhere different at the same time.”
Alto | All Over You
HOME BASE: U.K.
GENRE: Pop.
THE BIO & PRESS RELEASE: ” This is an upbeat, feel-good summer track produced with catchy sax hook and easily relatable lyrics, in-line with many further tracks I am currently producing. The structure and lyrics are kept simple to connect with a large sizeable audience. The current format has been written and produced within the standard constraints of pop music with additional, longer edits adapted for live performances.”
