We've added California rockers The Mother Hips, Portland's country soul heroes The Delines, and Memphis based Louis Page to our Americana music playlist.
songs that got us through the year - playlist
The Mother Hips - Clay Mask Clown
Third single from The Mother Hips' new album, "Glowing Lantern", "Clay Mask Clown" is a straight roots rocker with an amazing groove about a bruised love.
"The feeling of having a clay mask over my face was coming on, among other unpleasant symptoms, during episodes of acute anxiety I was having surrounding a difficult time in an important relationship,” details the band’s Tim Bluhm of the song’s dark lyric.
“I’ve come to learn that a mask can represent the repression of the cooperative self, as well as the angry state of the unjustly condemned ego. That all makes a lot of sense in the context of the lyrics, I will sheepishly admit.”
songs that got us through the year - playlist
The Delines - Past The Shadows
We've been at The Delines' first ever show in Germany at the glorious Music Star in Norderstedt back in October 2014. Big fans ever since! After a few years of Delines drought, the band will release a new album "The Sea Drift" early in 2022. "Past The Shadows" is a fantastic soulful ballad pulling heavily on the heartstrings.
"Static Roots Presents" The Delines in April 2022 at Zentrum Altenberg, Oberhausen. It's not to be missed!
songs that got us through the year - playlist
Louise Page - In Lieu Of Flowers
We came across Louise Page's touching ballad "In Lieu Of Flowers" shuffling our way through Spotify and the song instantly grabbed us. Strong vocals, wonderful piano and horns, excellent story telling.
Louise Page: "“In Lieu of Flowers” is incredibly personal to me. In 2013 a dear friend of mine passed away from a heroin overdose. I was a sophomore in college, and absolutely devastated. I’m honestly still absolutely devastated. I, and several of his friends, read short eulogies at his funeral. And I just remember thinking — there is nothing I can write or do or say in this moment that could ever convey the horror and tragedy of losing this bright young wonderful person who should still be with us. Who am I to look into the faces of his family and say anything? It was genuinely one of the saddest things I’ve ever been through. It took me seven years to write a song about it because I wasn’t ready. We recorded “In Lieu of Flowers” in January of 2020, and I sat on it until December. I released it on New Year’s Eve because I promised myself I would release it in 2020. Much like “Play Nice” — I sat on “In Lieu of Flowers” for almost a year because it was just so personal, I was petrified at the thought of it not belonging to me alone anymore. I also really care about my friend and his family, and I in no way wanted anything about the song to come off as disrespectful, so I really agonized over releasing it at all, honestly. But ultimately I’m glad I did. In short, the song is about grief. And my friend, Knight, was an amazing bass player — the beautiful bass solo by Gunter Gaupp is an homage to that. I really do feel like Knight was with me when I wrote that song, his spirit is in it, and all the love in my heart for him is in it, and I hope he would like it."
