Mastria

Mark Griffin's Taking Over My Mind has an easy way of getting trapped in your mind. It seems like a discussion you did not know you needed. The song is a bit slow, and never rushes, but it has a lot to say. His guitar plays a consistent beat that's easy to listen to and understand. When they do show up, the harmonica adds some rays of sunshine to the song. Mark Griffin's vocals are all natural. No special effects, just his voice as it tells the story. The moments when love entered my life unexpectedly came to mind. The times when I didn't need to look for anything and all of a sudden, it was different. This song reminds me of that feeling when something good happens, the surprise and the thank you. Made me think about my own history. The music is subtle and gradual, in small increments that you'll see over time. It becomes stronger, it doesn't need to be dramatic. Mark Griffin allows the song to speak for itself and doesn't intrude. That's the key to mak...

Cicile's *Je t'aime mon bébé* resonates with a very powerful inner voice. It's like a calm hug wrapped up in music. It gently envelops you and accommodates all of those giant emotions that come with parenthood. It feels warm too. She is clear, warm, and organized; her voice is a wonderful conduit of possibilities. Loose threads and flexible underlayment give room for feeling to breathe. Cicile doesn't rely on embellishment, and the heart of the song is the only thing that shines. Parenting is a life experience that is unplanned and transforms you. I was reminded of that balance of happiness and worry when my children were very young. It brought to mind the experience of love that can be overwhelming, and how much it can hold, too. The higher notes in one part gently ascend and descend. That is a more powerful expression than words can convey. Cicile knows how to allow the music to flow in response to the emotion, precisely as it is required. It just understands. Cicile,...

I Should've Let You Go is a personal song for me, written by Prience (Prince) Moore. It's like someone is finding the words to express feelings that many people have but have not been able to put into words. There's no need to make a song loud to make an impact. It captures you gradually and allows the feeling to come through. His voice is very sincere, and the words carry more weight. The piano adds little moments of emotion, while the music stays focused on the message. The arrangement remains simple and open, with Prience (Prince) Moore's message never getting lost. The song got me thinking about relationships I've had that I stayed in longer than I should have. It reminded me of past regrets, but also of finding peace. We may not know how much something is weighing on us until we actually decide to let it go. The body of the song changes in a natural way. Little by little, it builds and then gradually comes down into a moment of calm. Prience (Prince) Moore know...

I was surprised by the song "Doing Fine" from OpCritical. I put it on as I drove home after a long shift, hoping for nothing much, and all of a sudden I felt like the trip was shorter. At the end, I parked outside and just absorbed the atmosphere and the thoughts I had just heard. The song develops from powerful guitar parts before reaching quieter and more sustained sections. The rhythm provides continuity and movement. OpCritical develops their own style without sounding too distant or forced. Care can be heard in each and every change, but nothing sounds overworked or unnatural. When I was younger, I left a group of people I believed I should have been part of. After that, family gatherings were not the same or as comfortable. Doing Fine brought those memories back, that feeling of being on your own path. It got me thinking like the song does, sometimes it is better to take your own path. The video has a vintage tape aesthetic, quick edits, and colors swirling around the s...

My usual walls were crossed by MILYAM's Intimacy. It makes this little place where everything else seems to fade away for a few minutes. The sounds are close yet open. It's the kind of song that draws you in but doesn't make a fuss. Her voice is whooshing over the music. There's a softness and a lot of feeling in it. The simple beats continue below, and other sounds gradually enter. MILYAM maintains the balance, and each part seems to have its own space. Nothing diminishes the overall mood. The song made me think of late nights when I would think about being near someone. The moments when you realize that you were hurt by the right person or that you held on to too many emotions. It's a part of us that wants a genuine connection and yet wants to protect ourselves. It reminded me of my walls. At one point in the song, it changes slightly and the feeling increases a bit. It's a little move, but it's enough. MILYAM understands when to be quiet and when to be lo...

I was just about to continue scrolling, but I stopped. Before I could even think about it, I was impressed when I heard Rise by Driftwood Folk Revival. The music was coming out of the speakers, and I paused what I was doing. I sat down and listened for a while. The first notes feel very open and honest. It doesn't feel like something made just to impress others. It's more like when you hear someone playing in another room and don't want to interrupt them. The voice feels the same, sitting naturally beside the guitar. It's different listening to the song with the knowledge of the story behind it. The band began after the loss of a good friend and recorded this song in the same cabin where they played with their friend. One microphone and one take. Now that you know that, you can sense something different in the song. There are times when I feel I am at a place that once had a lot of meaning, and now it feels different. A house, a street, even a chair can bring back thoug...

When I first played this, I sat there for a while after it was over. I didn't switch to another song or check my phone. It's not something that happens that frequently with new music. Harry Kappen's Distant Shore is unique in that it forces you to take your time and listen. The initial guitar sounds like it's coming from another room. It's near enough to see but far enough to be interesting. It was a quiet place that I wanted to return to. It does not seek your attention. It just provides you with space. Harry's voice is soothing. He doesn't force or attempt to make the song larger than it is supposed to be. It's more of a thinking out loud than a performance. The mellotron is a reminder of old movies, empty airports, and somebody watching a plane fly away. The song is about those who were forced to cross a path they didn't want to cross. Harry chose to come from the Netherlands to Mexico. He had time to get ready, to pack what was important, and to ...

I was taken aback by JC Flow's Fractured Sky. I didn't think that it would stick with me like it did. It creeps in little by little without being too obvious. Once I heard the first few bars, I sat there for awhile, reminiscing about all the things I thought of. The guitar is used throughout the piece as a kind of steady beat to follow. It holds it all together as the beats and deep tones play beneath. JC Flow transitions from talking to singing with ease and naturalness. There is no overcrowding in the music. It is as if each part is in the right place. While I was listening, I began to think of all the things I wish I hadn't done. I recalled instances where I clung to some past errors for a longer period than necessary. The song reminded me of the heavy stuff, but also of letting it go. It made me remember that nothing changes until you make the choice to do so. One part slowly grows again and then settles down again. Once that change has occurred, it sticks with you. JC ...

Celebrate the King by Larry Karpenko creeps around and up on you, as you flip the family album and accidentally fall over a picture that pulls. He recreates music that has become familiar, as well as original, drawing on jazz notes and gospel swells that are authentic, with a natural feel Tracks like "Mary, Did You Know?" construct with skyscraping lines, whereas the song One Small Child plunges into dramatic twists of violins. All of it is captured in his Loma Linda location, as well as collaborators such as Ben Phipatanakul providing groove. No rush. Just layers unfolding. I put it on a quiet afternoon, and it stuck and those warm vocals went round like an old blanket on a cold evening with that kind of reverence and swing. In adore, Karpenko has a melancholy voice that strikes in soft duet with his daughter Lauryn-intimate, unimposing. Influences peak through: an allusion to Steven Curtis Chapman in the ballads, the jazz comfort Diana Krall has in the song Jesus, You’re Ch...

Risky Game by Julie July Band is passed like the glances of an old flame in a full room, which provokes that same sense of what-ifs without uttering a single word. The track is an outburst of the edgy nature of the gamble of love, which is their album Flight of Fancy. It builds slowly. However, the heritage of 60s and 70s folk-rock is visible in the band, and it combines the timeless coziness with the modern rhythm which does not seem to be imposed. Julie July sings with clarity and emotion, with the heartache of one half-forgotten dream of hope and doubt. They rise and fall. Pieces are overlaid, five voices like strands in a woven tapestry, making the piece all the more thick and rich with that persistence that is long-lived when it is no more. The emotion here is not screamed, but experienced in the pauses between notes and it brings one to the heart of the song, not apologetically. Soulfully gyrating, twangy and bluesy, like fingers following scars where dangers have been taken, the...