A beautiful day awaits. Not necessarily just weather-related, but also musically.

In today‘s edition, you can discover cinematic experiences, infinitely vast like a science fiction flic or grainy, dusty like a western. There is a tragedy based on actual events and a coming-of-age love story.

And if you love at least one recommendation, please share this post with your friends. It helps me very much to create a more extensive community that shares our passion for music.

Sharon Van Etten – Porta

Sharon Van Etten doesn’t need an introduction. The US singer and songwriter has long made a name for herself with songs like Seventeen or Every Time the Sun Comes Up. And last year, she collaborated with Angel Olsen to create Like I Used To.

Van Etten’s latest single, however, pivots away from her original influences in American folk and country. Instead, Porta is an infinitely atmospheric hymn, referencing powerful, ethereal pop music. It’s a song of grand gestures and a dreamy ambience.

Above the wide, expansive composition, Sharon Van Etten’s crystal clear voice sails like an almighty eagle. Porta propels longing and desire with every note and tone.

Casper – Billie Jo

The jangly guitar intro gives nothing away, but then, the hi-hats hint that something intense is about to happen. Then, suddenly, Billie Jo explodes.

The latest track by Casper, the artist that coined the genre “emo rap”, is a dramatic epos with a sweeping arrangement. And yes, a ton of pathos that some might find too much to swallow.

However, it’s not a fictional story of a PTSD-suffering Iraq veteran gunning down his kids and wife before setting the house on fire before killing himself that Casper tells with his raspy voice. On Instagram, the rapper explains:

Billie Jo was the name of my cousin from the USA and the song is about her life. I wondered for a long time if I wanted to tell this story. Who cares at all. But it's been on my mind for a long time and I have a lot of questions. A lot of anger too.

King Hannah – Big Big Baby

The heavy bassline indicates that Big Big Baby by King Hannah will be an exciting piece of a Western noir song. The soundtrack to a duel on dusty roads. The tension is rising, but the calm, conspirational voice of Hannah Merrick adds slow motion to the scene.

I hope you choke on, on a dupling
At least that would be midly fun
And more exciting than just sitting
Watching you eat them one-by-one

King Hannah, the duo consisting of Merrick and Craig Whittle, formed in 2017 in Liverpool, delivers with Big Big Baby a dark, creeping rock song, an act of sonic revenge to a former lover.

After last week’s post about Spotify’s questionable handling of their policies and misinformation, I thought a lot about my behaviour around music consumption. Unfortunately, I doubt that the company’s latest announcement regarding the issue will bring substantial change.

Also,  I learned about the $100 million investment by Spotify CEO Daniel Ek into a military company. This news slipped through my radar last November.

At the end of my post, I urged:

However, if you really want to support an artist in good conscience, buy tickets to their shows, buy merchandise, physical records, or at least a digital copy.

However, I never promoted links in Weekly5 to buy the featured songs. Therefore, I decided to change that in the most platform-agnostic way possible since there are very walled options both on Android and iOS devices.

So from now on, I will also add links to Bandcamp whenever a track is available there. Furthermore, I pledge to buy each song available myself since integrity is one of Weekly5’s core values. I will also buy the music when I actually have a free promotional download.

You can verify my commitment yourself on the Weekly5 Bandcamp profile.

And if you feel that with everything going on around Spotify, you don’t want to use their product anymore, here’s a helpful tool to easily export your songs and playlists onto another service.

So, about today’s selection. It transitions from a rough, violent sound to more pleasing, danceable tracks and finally arrives at wonderous ambient sonic experiences.

Best wishes,

Portmonee – Küss mich

A song about love that sounds like a threat? It’s no coincidence that Küss mich, the latest single release by Berlin-based Portmonee sounds so dangerous. The band explains:

In Germany, it still happens that people are beaten (half) to death because of their sexual orientation. In this song, we don't tell our own story, but that of a gay friend. We thought long and hard about whether we should do this, but it's too important not to.

Küss mich is a violent burst, chopping itself up over and over again. The bassline dominates the track’s foundation, supported by shattering drums, torn apart by aggressive, pushy delivery.

The sextett creates an unbearable tension; the pressure is constantly rising. Küss mich isn’t your everyday rock song; it painfully burns itself into your mind.

Perel – Real

It’s been about four years since I first encountered Perel. Back then, I discovered Alles, an astounding electronic track that feels more like post-punk than what you might expect by an artist of Berlin’s underground techno jungle.

Annegret Fiedler, aka Perel, escapes any attempt of definition. However, there’s still a unique sonic trademark to each of her tracks. Her latest single, Real, isn’t an exception and manages to split between a swirling synth melody and mysterious, sombre singing. And yes, like in Alles, the new track sounds reminiscent of the glimmery-gloomy 80s.

Never has questioning reality felt so breathless and addictive. Real’s deep bass vibrates through skin, flesh, and bones. It’s pure ecstasy.

Initially, I wanted to shortly write about this week’s biggest music news: Neil Young leaving Spotify in protest. However, it got out of hand, and words kept flowing. So now, there’s a whole separate post for this topic if you’re interested in my thoughts:

The Spotify Dilemma

How do we see and treat the world’s most influential streaming service?

Weekly5Janosch Troehler

The problem, however, is that I don’t know what to write here instead. So rather than wasting your valuable time with some half-baked intro, I let four great female artists do the talking with their songs, ranging from driven indie-pop to stomping pacifism.

In the end, a Swiss male duo will accompany you into an endless sea.

And if you enjoyed today’s recommendations, don’t forget to share them with your friends. It helps me to grow this community of music enthusiasts.

Thanks,

Christin Nichols – I’m Fine

German-British actor and musician Christin Nichols recently released her solo debut record, I’m Fine. After being part of the punk-rock duo Prada Meinhoff, Nichols explores the realms of pop and indie rock.

I’m Fine—the record’s namesake opener—is a shimmering hymn. Simultaneously, Nichols evokes euphoria with the track’s driven rock vibe and drowns in melancholy with her sombre voice.

The fascinating, ambivalent nature of I’m Fine peaks in its chorus, which has the ecstatic quality of a summer hit but is delivered in such a bittersweet, sarcastic way that it feels beautifully torn apart.

It’s been a difficult week: After an overdose of amazing releases last week, intense digging was necessary until I had assembled a selection of songs that I could present in good conscience.

Weirdly, I somehow feel better about today’s curation. Maybe because I didn’t have to kill darlings, maybe because it took more effort than usual.

The result of this week’s harvest is a colourful bouquet. It’s one of these episodes I could refer people to when they ask me what kind of music I listen to. There’s ecstatic electronic music, driven indie sound, hammering metal, raw rock, and fantastic composition.

Today’s songs all burst in their own regards.

Enjoy,

Pablo Nouvelle – La Sensación Es Real

It’s not a secret that Swiss producer Pablo Nouvelle is capable of creating veritable banger songs—even when he just remixes an existing track like Audio Dope’s Absence of Gravity. So obviously, it’s no surprise that his latest release, La Sensación Es Real, is an exciting beast.

In his songs, Pablo Nouvelle features this odd mix of glimmer and addictive catchiness of pop, the ecstatic nature of electronic dance music, and yet, it never feels cheap or plastic. La Sensación Es Real is a sensational burst, a sunny explosion, synchronising hearts with its deep bass, pushing drops of sweat out of the skin with its joyful synthesizers.

🕒 This newsletter is 895 words, a 7-minute read.

First, a big thank you to everyone who decided that Weekly5 is worth supporting and chose to become a member. You made 2022 already an excellent year for me!

If you don’t know what I’m talking about, you’ve probably missed the announcement.

A couple of days, I stumbled across this exceptional song by French pop-rock outfit Poni Hoax. The Music Never Dies deals with the dualistic nature of being a musician. “Play your cello, little girl/ You give your body to the world,” sings Nicolas Ker, the band’s singer who passed away last year.

However, the song’s chorus is a passionate love letter to music—despite all the business hassle.

I know the music never dies
It breaks against the wall of sound
Its pieces rain down upon our faces
They slice up like a knife
Through our minds and through our thighs

The song, especially its chorus, embodies my deep desire for great music. I’m hungry and excited about what 2022 holds in store for us. And now, finally, we can delve into five new songs. It’s going to be quite cinematic.

Enjoy this year’s first official edition,

Mattiu – Forza

The clouds disappear with each epochal swelling of the string orchestra. It’s almost cinematic, how Forza starts and almost tragic how the grand opening collapses to reveal a singer-songwriter tune. But then, this contrast is an allegory of the Alps—big, majestic, but also quiet and beautiful.

Mattiu Defuns, a 22-year-old singer, presents himself with his first single, Forza. It’s an atmospheric, visually stunning song that embraces pathos and—yes—kitsch with self-confidence. Forza drips of longing and a feeling of home but still sounds somehow exotic with its lyrics in Rumansh, Switzerland’s fourth official language.