Mastria

A sustained note on electric piano – quiet, slow, before anything else comes in. Noah James Mass begins “I Am the One” with a breath of fresh air. For a bit, just keys and a light beat under Mass' vocals, but when the guitar finally leans in, it truly changes the atmosphere. His guitar is offset, with a rough edge that is befitting of the blues undertow throughout. I like this build for being patient. When bass comes in, the background vocals fill in, and the drums move from loose to locked. Nothing rushes. Every new part is earned and not added for effect. The words dance around a reiterated line, one that continually points at someone else, an outward-pointing ache. Then near the end it comes back to the same phrase, but it sounds different when you're aware of the change. It's a minor adjustment in the name of the song, but it's a huge shift in the meaning. Noah sings as if not yet finished, not yet thought out. He is low to the mic in quieter moments, but once the m...

Noah James Mass' debut single Misery Winter is quiet for a tale that is pressing so much, but that's what makes you listen first. The guitars are clean and bright, but there's something deeper underneath them. That's the secret behind the song. Even though the words are about going round and round the block, wanting to leave and never getting there, Mass sings smoothly and steadily. His voice stays clear and calm. It just continues on, and the hurt feels even more intense when it is silent and calm. The drums don't let up either. From the beginning, they have a steady tempo, and that tempo remains firm even though the lyrics get darker. I kept expecting the song to get slower and sadder, but it never does. It simply continues to walk, like the beat is the one thing that keeps him moving. It's also a little raw in the recording, not too clean and shiny. The instruments have a natural room character, with an analogue feel. That is the choice that adds authenticity...

The voice that comes in is very low, more like a conversation than a song, and you are instantly drawn to it. From the beginning, “Inside Out” does just that. No big opening or anything dramatic. It just gradually draws you in and captures your interest before you realize what is going on. It does not appear as though Sean MacLeod is trying to get your attention. He already has it. The music keeps playing without being too loud and the drums provide a steady pulse to the song. It's more of a person sharing their thoughts and you're there to listen. There isn't really a distinct message to the lyrics. They involve us in who we are, in reality, in showing what we want people to see. These are large concepts, but the song doesn't make them seem too grand or complicated. MacLeod will make you think about your life, without telling you how to feel. I was struck by the waiting in the song. It does not hurry anywhere or rush through its time. When it's needed he's ther...

A guitar line slowly comes in, there is no rush. That's how you feel from the moment you step onto the premises of Traces of the World. It's soothing, like the warmth of a room on a sunny day. The music creates a relaxed mood. Gianfranco GFN isn't going for high-octane entertainment or quick moves. Rather, it appears the instruments are talking to each other. The guitar and keys play against each other with the percussion playing a loose swaying beat below. The playing is spontaneous and natural, not over-rehearsed. The song is like a good trip, taking a break here, taking a break there. Parts increase and then decrease. A definite sense of passing places and people being met and left behind. The most noticeable aspect is the harmony of the styles. Jazz elements, soulful warmth and funky bounce. They are all in place but not overpowering the song. It still has plenty of life left and no one else is vying for attention. The second half is a tighter groove with increased ener...

That feeling on the neck, that pocket where everything locks in. You can't think of anything else. All you hear is the music, and it draws you in. Richard Green built "Holey Shoes" around a groove that wouldn't let go. All three instruments are breathing together, the guitar, bass and drums. It's natural and not something that had to be practiced until it was flawless. Some kind of looseness here, like Richard trusted in the moment more than he trusted the plan. The title "Holey Shoes" conveys a deeper meaning than initially understood. It's not really about the shoes. It is a reference to something more difficult, to people who go unnoticed and to difficulties that many of us pass by. I think that part was more memorable than I expected and added more meaning to the song. I like what the song doesn't do, it does not preach. It just leaves you with the idea and you feel the idea, you don't have to explain everything. This is something that...

Though all around appears to be against them, a small flame continues to burn in a dark corner. It doesn't need to be noticed, nor does it need to be seen. This is the image at the center of “Invisible Light” by AMARAH, and it remains present throughout the song. Her voice is quiet and calm, and she doesn't demand anything from you. She just shares what she is carrying, and you choose what it means to you. I was fascinated by the idea of calm confidence. From the get-go, it did something to me, before I knew what. The song is about releasing old patterns and how we self-protect without being aware of it. It got me thinking about how I do things, the little things I've developed to make me feel safe, and how some of them can feel tiring when you finally start to see them for what they are. There is a repeated idea about carrying something that can't be seen. I liked the fact that it doesn't really explain it. It's just like a person reminding themselves of someth...

The lights on the street are yellowish and red, they're together like it's one beam instead of two. “Sea of Light” is the sound that Naoko Hiranuma weaves into the song before you even know what it's about. She is upfront, with a close, accessible voice, and she's not trying to impress you. It just tells the story straight, and somehow makes it hit harder than if she'd made too much of it. The song is about two people who are traveling from a quiet space into an urban area at night, and as the journey unfolds, the characters' memories begin to merge. I really enjoyed that the song doesn't impose sadness. It allows the image to be clear and lets one trust their feeling. There is a part about the ocean, waiting for the right time to catch a wave, and patience and timing are something that can be heard throughout the whole song. It's not about surfing, of course. It's waiting for something good to come, and it's not always coming. The song then chan...

Just because nothing has changed around a room, it suddenly seems bigger than it is and quieter as well. I feel that under Allan Jamisen's "Milk & Honey" from the opening bars, before the song fully begins. This song creates that feeling in an easy way without trying too hard. The song starts softly, with the guitar and gentle electronic elements blending in the background. That slow start works well, and it takes a while for the voice to come in. There is no hurry or pressure. The music seems to be inviting you in, rather than asking for your attention. When the voices come in together, the thing that stands out is how comforting they feel. It is not a performance meant to impress you. The lyrics are about returning to a place that you know and finding that it is not quite what you remembered. I believe many people have experienced some version of this, but have not always put their feelings into words. Listening to the song about that feeling, I could see that feeli...

Suddenly everyone is silent and someone says the thing everyone didn't want to say. That feeling is at the heart of Cheryl Craigie’s version of "What's Going On," the song Marvin Gaye first shared with the world in the seventies. It begins with a question that is still familiar today. Her voice is not loud or overpowering the song or trying to make a statement. It seems natural and relaxed, as if she's talking to someone and not performing for them. That honesty is what makes you click in before you really absorb the meaning of the words. It's the fact that she creates it all on her own. The sound of her voice and the music around her are all from one person. That makes the song feel more intimate, like someone's softly exploring their thoughts rather than being carefully built in a studio. It's a hard decision to make to record a song as popular as this one. Marvin Gaye's original has a lot of meaning for many already, and many people know what it...

The "boo hoo" part is a surprise the first time you hear it. It should sound like a joke, kind of, but it isn't. That left me sitting with a contradiction for a while after the song was over. “That There Is Our Problem” by Paul Garside is not what I'd been expecting when I picked the song. I'd imagined it to be about a couple that was breaking up in some normal way. It instead becomes something different, a man who is in competition with God for someone's love, and it somehow works. There's a lot of pounding of the guitar here, but it's not rushed and instead gives each note time before the next one appears. The pacing doesn't seem rushed at all. It only plays out the way a person speaks when they are finally being true to themselves about something painful. The memory that remains with me is the change in the singing halfway through. It sounds more like frustration, especially in the beginning, as if someone is simply reacting in the moment. Then ...