Max's Music Mondays with Domenic Haynes and First Beige
Tax's Tusic Tuesdays have finally made it to Substack.
Welcome to Max’s Music Mondays - a ~music discovery newsletter~ where I get too excited about songs I love. I hope you love them too. If you do, follow along on spotify and please respectfully smash that subscribe button. Let me know if you do, I’ll send you my favorite bus and train lines (stops included) or send you a thank you note or something.
Wow it’s been a minute since we had a good ‘ol Tax’s Tusic Tuesdays!! I’ll be perfectly honest… this weekend? I took the weekend off. Stayed in bed (cozy), watched almost every NBA game (slam dunk), did absolutely nothing else (i guess i have to do a third but there’s nothing else to say). And that includes writing this week’s MMM. So we’re gonna do our best here. Trust my gut but trust the music more. Still making it good - it’s just about balance. Now, could I take this week off? Yes of course. But! There’s just too much good music and we’re never gonna get through it all if we take weeks off!! So pardon my loose intro, but we really gotta get to the juicy stuff (the songs).
This Week’s Songs
Follow along here ^ for this week’s and every week’s songs, each song is perfect and that is a objective fact and in no way my biased opinion i promise.
Crazy - Domenic Haynes
Feels good to start a week with a smile, huh? (Yes I did write Monday there initially, whoops!!) The second the drums and bass join the fold, my goodness… what a mood and what a canvas for Haynes’ incredible voice. The tone is special, something entirely unique. Sure there’s moments of Anderson .Paak, of Liss, of Ravyn Lenae, but there’s nothing/no one who can do it quite like this. The touch of gravel, the control over how hard he pushes and how easy he pulls back, then sprinkle those incredible falsetto background vocals (and some lower octaves to round out the sound), it works so beautifully all together. The support only growing as the verse goes on, the highs and lows trading lines while Haynes’ lead stays strong and centered. A beautiful line to send us to the chorus, “my fate ain’t quite my fate / if it’s by myself”. The chorus is joy, breezy really. The background layers stepping up over this new lead guitar screaming the melody. Haynes’ lead vocal shines too, picking and choosing moments to really go wild. This already feels like a massive and complete song and we’re only a minute fifteen in?? We dial things back (thank goodness, I couldn’t take any other option there) and sway to the strings. When Haynes returns, well I guess I should take a poll, is this still him??? I mean yes… but that’s not the point! The entrance feels like it pulls from new depths, a full bodied sound, back and stronger than we’ve heard so far. Maybe the strings just knocked me off the scent, slightly eerie. Maybe it’s the lyrics, more sure than ever that this is love worth pursuing. Whatever it is, the vocals feel so fresh to me here and caught my attention again. The background layers make their presence known early and often. We also have this rising synth, chords bubbling up to the surface, making it all feel bigger and on the verge of exploding. Yeah gonna go ahead and assume this is how his heart is feeling in this moment! The butterflies going nuts as he comes clean, vulnerable as he can be. And just like that we’re back to the chorus, grooving the same as we ever were. This bridge/outro kicks in, one vocal steady and certain, while the more unique layers take runs around the edges. A mini beat drop, creating one last bit of tension and release and we’re back to vibe. That spacey synth and funky bass ride it out together, a beautiful tune.
Follow Domenic Haynes on IG / Spotify
Bbl - First Beige
Smiles stay ear to ear, with this one it’s a dang hoot and a half from the very first beat. The keys are perfect, the percussion getting wacky (idk what that instrument is called but I know you know it when I say wacky), the drums hitting just right, the random beep blaring (feels very Jai Paul for some reason, I know, it’s just a beep but still!). That beep cues more percussion, bells having a damn (yet subtle) field day. It’s not quite chaotic, just feels like one big party. And the party is only getting started. A little mic check, before we’re blessed with these two beautiful vocals. The pair fitting so nicely alongside each other as the groove settles in. The lyrics are simple, which is to say straightforward, but easier said than done. They’re presented with plenty of space, which I love. Generously allowing for 1) plenty of time to really consider their meaning in the moment and 2) plenty of time for the band to have some real fun (see keys descending down into a sly ‘okay’ at 0:32). It feels like a great dance song and a great live song, a cool combo to deliver. Just shy of a minute, things launch into outer space, that shooting star synth flashing across the universe as the conga drums get busy and everyone in the band has some fun. The bass is getting loose, the drums are getting loose, everyone at the party is getting loose! It’s bouncy it’s hot it’s fun. Settling down in time for another Good Beep there. The verse feels similar, lyrics + time for the aforementioned 1) and 2). This time the vocalists taking turns with the 2) of it all, breaking free of each other and free of the melodies we’ve been getting familiar with. A little dose of disco amidst it all. We float a moment and we build for a moment and right as it’s ready to burst, the band offers a cheeky little drum-free groove. Leaving us hanging for just one more moment, before the drummer shrugs and says “okay fine lets dance” (in their head, it is not present on the recording, but you can feel the shrug and sly grin that comes with that fill 2:19) and we kick it into gear for one last dance. This time a flute comes through to spice things up and a delightful addition within a delightful moment of a delightful song. It’s a beautiful thing when music can do that, and First Beige gets a big ol’ A+ for this one. The murmurs of the crowd carry us home and back to the beginning, I’m ready to rock again.
Follow First Beige on IG / Spotify
Wow we did it. I didn’t know if that would happen or not, and it made me a little anxious but we did it. And I knew this crowd would be receptive no matter what dumb words I came up with because the music speaks for itself this week (and every week if I’m honest). Anyways thank you for reading, I am on my knees, hands to the sky just grateful for you!!! Business time: Please follow the playlist and please please pass it along to anyone you know who might be in need of new music!! The more people here, the more people hearing these amazing songs.
See you Friday… some special releases coming our way. I can’t wait to write about ‘em.
Until then,
Max