Ah, the studio. Every musician’s sanctuary. A place where creativity can thrive and magic can happen. And if you’re on a budget, a place where a decent MV can be shot if you’re trying to forgo the frills. This is what we have for you this week. It may not be anything fancy, but that doesn’t detract from the heart of these songs – and we think there’s a lot here to like.
Lions Ambition – “Brighter Days”
+Fun video, dope song
-It’s simple, but I liked it and thought it was fitting. Nothing negative to say.
Andrew Huang – “Water”
+This dude is so versatile. It’s like Explosions in the Sky did a remix of his already super creative song
-That being said, it’s hard to beat out the original for how awe inspiring it was
Marie Digby – “Diamond Eyes”
+I’ve always held the opinion that Marie sounds best on stripped back arrangements like this
-I’m not sure if it was intentional, but the strong lighting made her look like a ghost in some scenes
Marie Digby – “Vanish”
+You know what? I think I like this more than the original
-And now I’m kind of wishing she re-released all her material in acoustic arrangements
Cynthia Lin & the Blue Moon All Stars – “Sanctuary”
+A bluesy song with a uke? I can dig it.
-As entertaining as the cajon-ist with the smedium tee is, he was offset by the brass section who looked bored out of their minds.
Tim Be Told & Friends – “All Ye Nations”
+Stacked line up and they sounded great
-Although it was great that everyone got face time, I felt that a more dramatic/artistic a la “Battle Hymn” would have been more fitting
Alfa – “God Writes Happy Endings”
+I could totally imagine this on the soundtrack to an indie noir film
-It’s great to see Priska backing up her friend, but she’s much more capable than just harmonies
Far East Movement x Kayla Kai – “White Flag”
+I’m kind of surprised how well this worked in a live studio session, complete with instrumentation
-But why was it shot with a potato? Looks like non HD footage from a 2007
a-Tunes 