Max's Music Mondays with R.I.Pablo and SAILOR GOON
These are what we like to call, Good Songs.
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 go bird watching with you or send you a thank you note or something.
OK!! Happy Monday. Going to be totally honest, I am very tired!! So while my brain might not be up to the weekly challenge of thinking up something funny (and smart and cool and good and also relevant and interesting) for the intro, I do have some cold hard facts. Well, one fact. The playlist is sitting just south of 260 followers. You know what that means, we’re almost at 300 which means we’re almost at me making a photoshop using the movie poster to celebrate. And if that isn’t inspiration to share the playlist idk what is… Oh, wait actually, I do - THESE TWO INCREDIBLE SONGS. Wow saved it.
But earnestly excited about both of these songs, a fun week, I hope you dig it.
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.
Bloom - R.I.Pablo
I said I was gonna do it, and here I am doing it!! Bloom is here!!! The first ~official~ single from R.I.Pablo who I somehow stumbled across on soundcloud, and every day since I’ve sent my gratitude to the Soundcloud gods. What a blessing they’ve brought.
(^this was the blessing) But, now we need to talk about what a blessing R.I.Pablo has offered us with Bloom. That opening lyric is so strong - wasting no time getting to song’s core. R.I.Pablo vocals starting intimate, growing into the room by the end of the line, keeps an eerie sheen of mystery in this romance. The bass doing much of the same, grooving along, steady with claps. Pairing all that with the percussion rolling around the edges does give it some Flamenco energy. The “for you, they do, they do” tailing off towards something bigger. And I don’t know what I was expecting, but this big synth drop over simple guitar and a room full of people having fun wasn’t it. But I am glad to be wrong here!! We’re all dancing now, and just as the party peaks, R.I.Pablo is back with a totally new flow. Adding spice to the production with some juiced up percussion, giving it entirely new life. As the layers/effects join, it’s just more proof R.I.Pablo isn’t afraid to get weird. We get the familiar ‘Bloom’ moment, the whole production amped up including gorgeous vocal layers, those timeless little keys sneaking in. The way those vocals flutter… the butterflies in his stomach working their way out. A perfect flourish. Again the next scene is coming, but now that we know what’s store we can all let loose a little more. Coming alive amidst and singing along with this massive synth melody. Everyone is having fun now!!! And then of course, there’s another trick up his sleeve. A full Spanish verse?!?! That “uno dos tres cuatro” count in wasn’t some throwaway!!! Another verse that is once again completely different than anything else here, yet it works and feels so natural. Could you imagine putting out your first piece of work and being so damn bold?! Multiple languages, multiple genres… it’s making my music flowers bloom over here come on! Things come to an end as nature sings, ready to bloom again. This one rocks and I can’t wait to see what else R.I.Pablo has in store.
Follow R.I.Pablo on IG / Spotify
WAY DOWN IN DECATUR - SAILOR GOON
Another song where the first 15 seconds are enough to seal the deal. This beautiful production, the bass, the horns, SAILOR GOON singing straight into your ear from the middle of the jazz club, under the spotlight. It’s hot, it’s easy, it’s irresistible. Could genuinely live in this moment for the rest of the day, month, year, life, etc. SG’s mmm’s and ooo’s so peaceful and calming, and that tone carries through, even when the angelic floating turns into rap. Infusing a little more energy into the moment, the percussion is going wild too, finding new rhythms under SG’s somehow still lush performance. That one lyric “I’ll make you quiver with just my whisper” encapsulating the mood of this whole song. Those horns appearing like they’re nodding ‘mhm yes please!!’ Things carry on steady, with SG weaving great storytelling/scene setting in before sneaking her name in there too. And ya know that made me smile!! Some tension building in this chorus section. These harmonies keeping things moody, the groaning keeping it real and human. It’s infectious and simple, and has me singing “way down in Decatur” every few minutes as I’m walking around my apartment. Finding new flows and melodies throughout, it’s pretty remarkable that the beat can stay so true - consistent, mesmerizing even. The comfort of its familiarity giving SG plenty of room to explore with everything else. Now after the 2min mark, things still evolving. We get some harp to mystify the moment even further, somebody imitating a phone (better than I could ever imagine), a fun texture. Never heard anyone sing “dial tone” like that, even that empty outcome feeling incredibly rich. A testament to SG’s talent. Sends us on to an intimate end, these vocals peeking through for one last warm moment. It’s such a cool song, effortlessly so. Creates an atmosphere that I just can’t get enough of.
Follow SAILOR GOON on IG / Spotify
Do I dare plug the 300 thing again? Idk I’m sure I will eventually. But please follow the playlist and double please pass it along to anyone you know who might be in need of new music!! These songs are so good I just want more people to hear ‘em!!
Talk soon,
Max