New Tunes Tuesday!

so I seem to work better posting with a structure and schedule, and I will pull DW back into being a community with the skin of my teeth if I have to, so let's try a second series: New Tunes Tuesday.

I'm very exploratory with music, and I have been in the last few years since I decided to fully subscribe to Spotify. I realize in some ways it's a problematic platform, but for me it has literally opened up a new world of music at my fingertips through its suggestion algorithms, which has been amazing. There are great ways to browse, find similar artists, listen to curated playlists of all kinds, create radio stations built off of your own playlist, and having access to all of that has greatly expanded my own musical "collection". And, since I pay Spotify $10/month and have no idea how much goes to the artists I love, I make a point of buying my favorite albums for someone else, usually family, to share the music and support the band.

I've also been focusing on female artists almost exclusively. It isn't that I don't enjoy male singers - classic rock fan here - but when I'm searching out new music I find that I'm pretty sick of hearing dudes sing. That's all. I'm pretty over it. I want to hear women singing and wailing and screaming over life and love, for a change. In addition to focusing on ladies, I've been trying to especially focus on ladies of color, although I don't often do enough research into artists to know which are POC and which aren't; there's only so much you can tell from a picture on an album color, and I don't want to misjudge - it's just something I'm aware of.

Anyway, there's your blather, let's get on to the music! How I see this working: each week I'm gonna post about stuff that I think might be new to somebody out there, and I invite you to do the same in comments or to have a listen and let me know what you think. Unfortunately, since I usually post at lunchtime at work, I won't be able to link to YouTube or anywhere else you could have a listen -- but most of these songs are findable on YouTube with a simple search. If this changes, it would be awesome to be able to link them - I have to see what I'm allowed to access, haha.

---

Artist: ZZ Ward
Album/Song to try: Til the Casket Drops, title song or "Criminal"; The Storm, "Ghost", "Domino", or "Let It Burn"
Style: old-school bluesy voice meets 90s hip-hop with a twist of current pop flair
Thoughts: ZZ Ward was one of my first Spotify finds, and she filled a tiny niche I hadn't realized I was lacking in my musical repertoire. I love when musical genres collide, so blues+90s really hit it for me. She's fun: her lyrics aren't just strings of cliches, and she plays with her voice a lot - not just singing, but hitting the edges of growling and guttural, or playful and light. Her songs make you want to move along, a bit, and definitely sing along. Still one of my absolute favorite artists.

Artist: Bishop Briggs
Album/Song to try: Church of Scars, "Tempt My Trouble", "River", "Hallowed Ground"
Style: electronic, dance, pop, and something indefinable had a child in minor key
Thoughts: Bishop Briggs carries a great syncopated rhythm, intricate lyrics, a great voice, and interesting musical backgrounds to construct some real bad-ass songs. I put her album on any time I need a mood lift - which is funny, because most songs dance around minor key and hint at angst, anger, defiance; but the beat and pull of each individual song immediately draws me in and helps me get going. There are some softer songs on her album, as well (try "Lyin'" or "Dream" for her softer side), but I prefer the pounding grit of her others.

Artist: Bryde
Album/Song to try: Like an Island, "To Be Brave", "Euphoria", or the single "Help Yourself"
Style: a girl with an electric guitar tears the surface off of indie rock to expose some secret emotions
Thoughts: Bryde has a voice that occasionally reminds me of Fiona Apple, Tori Amos, or Sarah McLaughlin - but is individually hers to play with, and play she does, moving from tender and fragile into hard and gritty as her intricate lyrics demand. "You can't, oh / Help Yourself / to my kindness and my confidence", as an example of how much she puts out there in words. The guitar is her back-up singer, highlighting the ethereal presence in each song. It's indie done without any sappy cheesiness, just bared teeth and an open heart.

I'll stop at three this week - have to save some more favorites for future posts. How about you? Have anything to share that might be new to others?