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Alchemical Records Playlist Updates: Week of May 28, 2022

By Daniel Warren Hill

Happy Saturday, and I hope wherever you find yourself this Memorial Day weekend that you are able to appreciate the significance of the holiday and able to enjoy time with those you love! There are so many tracks below hinting at even larger bodies of content. With this many new EPs and LPs to explore, it’s a good thing you’ll have that extra day to check out more of the great music by the artists below. You can find their music on your favorite streaming platform, and you can find these tracks and more on the Alchemical Records Multigenre Mixture playlist on Spotify and YouTube.

The latest single and music video from goth-rock band, Amulet, “Clear Blue Sky” is about liberating your conscience by telling the truth. One of the Washington D.C. area’s fastest-growing bands, Amulet is co-hosting an upcoming Procession Magazine sponsored Vampire Karaoke Night with DJ Johnny Panic at Public Option on Saturday, June 25.

“Emergency Contact” is the warm and whimsical lead track from Nashville-based indie-pop artist Kate Cosentino’s Note To Self EP; just released on May 20 to all major streaming platforms, including other beautiful singles “Did I?” and “I Don’t Know Where It Went Wrong”.

You may already be aware of the wildly popular single “Montreal” from Jack West’s new album Numb, but we wanted to feature the electric love song “Stay the Night” to highlight the wide range of emotions West features over nine well-delivered indietronica tracks.

We became aware of Khi Lo just before the release of full-length album, Rosslyn I, and like more than 90,000 listeners, we fell in love with this collaboration with RoeShamBeaux, “STREET DISCLAIMERS” and hope it inspires you to check out the rest of this really creative multi-genre Singer/Songwriter and Rapper from Fairfax, Virginia.

Finnish dream pop duo Karina — Karin Mäkiranta and Helmi Tikkanen have just released their latest EP ‘Yhdessä’ (Finnish for ‘together’) before entering a hiutus in which the two will be releasing solo music. The title track closes the EP with beautiful composition and harmony. If you are into an acoustic feel with atmospheric overlays then find this EP on your favorite music streaming platform and start at track one.

John Coker’s “Sunscreen” is one of 22 staggering tracks on his newly released album, Folly. The album is partly experimental and certainly a multigenre influenced offering rooted in the rock genre. It’s going to be difficult to describe the journey you are in for if you tune in to the whole album, but if “Sunscreen” is your jam you should make the effort to explore the remaining 21 tracks.

“Cotton Candy Skies” is a metaphor used by singer-songwriter and NFT music artist Thomas Pipolo (Pip) to poetically compare the face of a beautiful person with the majesty of large fluffy clouds filled with the light of sunset. This is the title track from Pip’s new album of the same name released this weekend, so now there are seven more tracks for you to explore on your own.

This beautifully reflective song by folk artist and singer-songwriter Edie Carey, “The Veil” becomes an equally impressive music video exploring Carey’s own childhood memories intermingled with her own experiences as a parent and the precious nature of time. 

This one track incorporates elements of EDM, R&B, and Hip-Hop. With calm soothing production by NEO and vocals by Victoria Khuang, “8indamornin” gives insight into Akkraj’s personal journey and is a wild musical experience for listeners.

A timely topic as we begin to wrap Mental Health Awareness Month, “Water To Well” is a beautifully orchestrated and performed new single by singer-songwriter Connor Garvey with folk and country elements exploring helping, healing and progressing through the complexity of depression and self-antagonism. 

“If you really like to rock the ‘Funky Beat'” then you’ll know it by the end of this house EDM collaborative track “Funky Beat” by Cazztek and Neon Steve. Might be best if you don’t listen to this one sitting down!

As a member of the LGBTQ community, Montreal singer-songwriter and pop artist Raphaël Roberge thinks that this song about someone so beautiful you have to let them know is the perfect Pride Month anthem with its gender-neutral proclamation of affection; with its fun and uplifting vibes celebrating inner and outer beauty, we could absolutely see that happening.

This trip-hop track by JURAKHAN explores the other side of beauty by observing how we try to ‘dress up’ for others in order to appease their expectations rather than being ourselves. Stemming from JURAKHAN’s own experiences as an ‘Indo-Caribbean boy in a post-9/11 society’ and documenting his own artistic evolution, he hopes “Persona (feat. Mingjia)” will help listeners break out ” into a world where you can authentically be yourself.”

Conscious Hip-Hop artist Virgø continues the conversation on tone-policing with his latest single “Destiny” which unapologetically explores Virgø’s commitment to himself, making peace with the fact that as he continues to develop into the person he sees himself as, the farther away that may take him from the places and the people who don’t support him or lift him up in some way. It is beautifully written and tactfully delivered.

Composer, singer, accordionist and pianist, Pascuala Ilabaca, one of the most versatile musicians in Chile’s contemporary music scene, showcases her talents with her band Fauna with a new single, “Por que se fue la paloma” (Why the pigeon left) and with an international tour performance, including a stop in Washington D.C. at Bossa Bistro & Lounge on June 19, 2022.

Manpreet Kundi delivers a ghostly performance in this piano and string-filled song seeking to stay in a constant state of dreaming to avoid the pain of self-doubt upon waking. “don’t wake me” will resonate with listeners who appreciate how the troubles of yesterday sometimes linger into our tomorrows. 

“Now” is the debut single from Lond-based singer-songwriter, MADDU; a song that explores feelings of feeling ‘not good enough’ and the acceptance of being yourself and being with the ones you love. “Now” is all about seeing the light at the end of the tunnel and running towards it.

Daniel Warren Hill

Daniel Warren Hill is an American musician, writer, and motivational speaker. He is best known as the frontman for Washington DC area Alternative Rock band YellowTieGuy, as co-founder of Capitol Groove Collective, and increasing the exposure of artists on a global scale through his work with Alchemical Records. 

Join the Alchemical Records Street Team to promote these and other artists, live music, and music community organizations & events while receiving cool perks from artists throughout the region.

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Foghat Sonic Mojo 2024 Tour. Fillmore Silver Spring, MD March 9
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Foghat’s Roger Earl Refuses to Slow His Ride

By this point in his life, Foghat founding drummer Roger Earl has visited quite a few doctors. But what may be surprising is that the percussionist, 77, is quick to point out that many of the medical professionals who have worked on him also enjoy rocking out.

“Nearly all the doctors and surgeons I know, they all play something: trumpet, sax, violin, guitar,” Earl said recently. “There’s not too many drummers that are surgeons, there’s probably a good reason for that!”

Earl half-jokingly invites his surgeon-rockers to join him and the other members of Foghat onstage at the Fillmore in Silver Spring March 9, where they will be headlining the Rock and Roll for Children Foundation benefit for the Children’s Inn at NIH. Earl, the only original member of Foghat still in the band, will be banging the skins behind guitarist Bryan Bassett and other members Scott Holt and Rodney O’Quinn. “Slow Ride,” the band’s 1975 megahit, is all but assured to be on the setlist, along with tunes from Foghat’s most recent record, “Sonic Mojo.”

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