7/28 Flame by Julian Engine
Behold! This week's TOTW was curated by the wonderful and amazingly talented Aubrey Van Gelded, and what a rad pick it is, pair it with an equally amazing review and we're off to the races. What a great way to start the week and a fine addition to the running TOTW playlist now available on the home page. Aubrey has a wealth of music waiting on you to find and is currently working on new music with Modular Rodeo group "The New Madrid Fault Line". After you're done listening to this week's pick make sure you reach out and show her some love for sharing this week and playing in our sandbox.
Brandon Petit (Flyswatter Maestro, TNMFL)
Sometimes the algorithm drops absolute gold on me. And this is one of those songs.
I first heard Julian Engine when Soundcloud suggested this gem to me, three years ago. Within an instant, it took up residency in my head. Insistent muted guitar chucks, marching rhythm, all propelled by a sinuous bass line that takes flight in the chorus.
I do love a track that's bass-propelled, and this one fits the bill. The singer's voice joins the bass in an expansive soaring plea. "It's the medicine I crave." There's no excess here - and at the same time, there's plenty of depth. The pads in the chorus (or perhaps they're treated vocals) plumping things up just in time to slip back into the verse.
I know very little about this artist, despite searching for them on other platforms because I so desperately wanted this on a CD. They make it sound easy, but there's care and consideration in the layers here. The double-long second chorus keeps things fresh with a repeat in a higher vocal register, and we get a nice fuzz guitar solo to take us back home - kind of restlessly poking around, perhaps looking to soar like that chorus once again, but doomed to march along to that dead-note strum.
If this track resonates with you, do spend some time listening through their output - there's a lot of variety there, and a wealth of excellent alt-rock songcraft waiting to be explored.
