This edition we bring you grief dressed in rock, cheerful melodies hiding dark confessions, smoky late-night storytelling, and a backyard full of unity dressed in funk.
Listen to the full playlist right here:
D.D.R. – “Don’t Tell Me How to Grieve”
Built on an arpeggiated guitar and a chord progression of piano, it swells from there into something more grandiose. An unmistakable rock ballad, it leans into 90s tradition but avoids feeling tethered to it. Electric guitars provide most of its support, while a saxophone comes in just enough to color the background.
The song wallows inside confusion, anger and regret, allowing its chorus – “don’t tell me how to grieve” – to serve a dual purpose as both a personal line and a universal statement for those who’ve lost someone. The vocals are filled with conviction, and the guitar solos feel rooted and emotional. This is a song for those exhausted by other people telling them how to feel, understanding that grief does not move linearly.
Arn-Identified Flying Objects and Alien Friends – “Happy People Won’t Hear”
“Happy People Won’t Hear” bursts with sunny melodies combined with lyrics that travel far darker places, and the tension between the two is really the point of the song.
It begins with something closer to the Beach Boys before morphing towards a nineteenth century waltz towards the end, an odd choice that only underscores the song’s theme instead of taking away from it: happy people staying happy while the world around them keeps fighting. Rather than reinvent the song entirely, the album version tones things down some – cleaned up vocals, a more spacious production – with David Myhr providing some backing vocals and a goofy piano outro tacked on for good measure. It’s also catchy enough that you can hum along without listening to what you’re actually singing.
Erik Neimeijer – “Birds Of A Feather”
starts out relaxed and mellow, as a late night piece. The brass is responsible for most of the warmth, while mandolin and banjo give brief touches of texture, and the trumpet solo comes as the fog rolling into the room.
The lyrics are a subtle attack on the never ending process of public opinion making and criticism, but without the usual bitterness, just wit instead. The rhythm slowly develops, progressing patiently, until towards the end the trumpet and saxophone engage in a spontaneous conversation.
It’s not a piece looking for a quick response, rather its for the ones who are willing to give in their ear.
Lior Golan – “Cruel Wind”
It hits you suddenly, like a change in weather, and urgent, even a little unstable, from the start. This song takes Golan deep into the realm of raw rock, where he yells out his confession to the open sky .
The collaboration with lyricist Gabriel Just gives it a poetic twist and the song keeps sounding windy through its whole length – it hurts sometimes, and it sounds completely honest elsewhere. Golan’s vocals bring all the power into the song, creating a tension between honesty and willpower, which reflects the true theme of this song – things that no one can control in life.
There is nothing about it stated plainly, just the mood doing the talking.
The Breakman Holiday Singers – “Boom Boom”
created for the backyard in summer, when choral vocals are laid over instrumental music with a leaning towards pop and eventually turns into funk. The song is about patriotism, but not about some pompousness – rather, it’s about common colors and nothing else.
There are no metaphors, the images are quite realistic: people gather, firework shows begin, families reunite. Terry Breakman focuses on unity, although he wears “all the same colors”, despite the fact that there may be contradictions between people in the room. Terry strikes just the right balance; the song flows without feeling forced in any place.
Something noteworthy is that the song ‘s proceeds are to be donated to the Homes For Our Troops organization.
