MMM with Georgia Parker & BEAN. 🎶
April twenty second more like hey pal come and listen, am I right (sorry)
Welcome to Max’s Music Mondays. My ~music discovery newsletter~ where I get too excited about songs I love. I hope you love them too. Your subscriptions go such a long way. Free subscribers help these artists get the audience they deserve, paid subscriptions help keep this thing running and also PAY THE ARTISTS!!! 2/3 of every subscription goes right back to the artists I write about. Please consider supporting independent music and music journalism(?) here today <3
We’re back we’re back we’re back we’re back.
I love writing… oops!! Every week these song write-ups/reviews/reactions are such a joy. Getting to spend intentional time with music I’m excited about. So thank you for reading. Been an exciting couple of weeks, a lot of support both on the newsletter and the playlist, seemingly out of thin air… where did y’all come from? Regardless I’m so stoked. And thanks to all those who reached out for some personal playlists to celebrate the recent subscriber milestone. It was fun to hear what everyone is listening to right now, and really fun to hand over some more songs I knew you’d love. So special to share music, what can I say.
Over here in MMM Land, I’m hard at work - some interviews on the horizon, compilation vol. 2 well underway, more Substitute Teacher columns. I’m getting excited just typing all this out. I feel like I tease this sort of stuff every week, but it’s only because I’m excited!!! More soon I promise you.
In the meantime, I hope you are doing well. This week we’ve got two amazing artists. Georgia Parker is an LA-based singer-songwriter and let me tell you she’s doing both singing and songwriting at an incredibly high level. Buzzing for you to hear. Second is BEAN. a really fantastic group out of Nashville - they’ve been knocking around the “songs to write about” playlists since I heard 2023’s patmos, my dijon sensibilities unable to stay away. But this new single is something else. Enjoy.
Georgia Parker - When She Calls My Name
Gently coming into focus, waking from a warm dream, that guitar tone just out of this world. It’s a beautiful start. Georgia Parker’s vocals fit in perfectly, folks her tone!!! It’s so gentle in this masterfully controlled way, like clearly there’s so much emotion here, so much power, but she moves with ease through these first few lines.
And what a first few lines… Wanted to do something hard / to prove that I could work harder. Finding unexpected melodies, unexpected rhythm to deliver them. It’s captivating, I gotta say. Pulling me so deep into the song, it’s impossible not to get excited as the verse ends, and as that title lyric shows up, you can feel something new coming. The moment is so powerful, Parker singing to her younger self, letting the shame, the responsibility, the emotion free. Giving herself a clean slate, permission to heal. As it all peaks, Parker gives a taste of her power, that OhhHHhoooo so perfect. It’s made bigger as the drums make their entrance, the song growing from this intimate letter to a big, wide, river of a song. The drums letting it all flow, new momentum to push on. The song, and Parker, growing stronger with each moment.
Ok so maybe I picked the wrong nature-based momentum imagery with the river, as verse 2’s avalanche sneaks by Parker. There certainly is a mountainous vibe here, expansive and airy. Growing more so with those subtle vocals, angels floating on the breeze. The soft piano giving more shape and texture. Again, Parker shines, When we were done with the aftermath / I awoke to find myself still running. The piano chords landing with gravity, a new layer of weight to it, with atmosphere bubbling up around the edges. Again, relieving her younger self of guilt, letting go of the fears. A distant cymbal crash, and the moment swells again. The band playing with such constraint, adding the tiniest little guitar riff in a moment where they could've gone huge, it’s sweet and somehow just as impactful.
Even freed, the guilt hasn’t fled. Back over that guitar, Parker continues to open up. Again showing what she’s got with that pop of ‘something like five years old’ at 2:08. Crazy control, crazy voice, I really cannot get enough.
Dreams only getting bigger and braver and clearer
What a lyric. You can feel the truth in it, and I’m thrilled feeling the band take it on too. A wave building right under us. The wave cresting as the band returns, fuzzier and rougher than we’ve heard yet. Parker taking on the blame, apologizing to that younger version of herself. But it doesn’t land like a “damn my bad!” self-deprecating song, but a realization from someone learning what it takes to offer that life to herself, working towards it every day. To me? That’s beautiful.
The outro sparkles through a sunset, a glowing end. I really love this one, Georgia Parker is an incredible artist. This the second single of the year, I’m so excited for more to come.
Follow Georgia Parker on Instagram // on Spotify
BEAN. - Good Things
Ahh, it’s spring time <3 I can’t help but feel the warmth as those first few chords come alive. Descending down octave by octave until BEAN.’s lead singer, Kobe Miyake, ushers the band in, in their final form.
Cigarettes lands with the exact cool boy attitude they mention moments later. The first phrase followed by a gorgeous display of chords from the piano. A soft guitar paints the left half of the track, the bass and drums holding it down in the middle, a little electric emerging to balance out the right side. It’s the perfect little groove to let this first verse dazzle.
A bit of reflecting, a little nostalgia for the simpler times, all coming to a close too soon. The wind carrying us in, and swiftly out. That realization is crushing, I said see you later, never saw you again. Sometimes we know, sometimes we don’t but you can’t count on that ‘later’ ever existing :/
Punctuating the section with that good things lyric, Miyake’s voice sounds stunning. The little vibrato are you KIDDING. Making it look so easy. And I’m not the only one getting excited - the whole band comes alive, a little punch from the drummer and we’re off.
The second verse starts right where we left off, the vocals going absolutely ludicrous. The run after downtown trading post is out of this world, the whole song elevating from moment to moment. A soft organ, a descending piano run, those pillowy clouds of harmonies, whew, I’m in.
Just as the song settles into form, the band breaks free and sends it into second gear. A little bridge half way through. New chords pierce these tight drums. The whole band feeling jazzier and funkier than before, the added percussion really spicing things up - blurring that line between live and digital and giving the song so much more texture. It’s all exciting here. After the first turnaround, the bass steps up, finding some space to dance. A layer of vocals, filtered, and flying all around. You just don’t know who is going to shine next, but everyone is getting a turn. A bunch of talented musicians here you love to see it. I love to hear it.
The kick drum picks up steam but before we lose control, that piano brings us right back down to earth, a more somber look back on these memories and these people who once played such important roles in our lives. It’s emotional and you can feel it start erupting through the vocals too. Are they having fun without me?! Oooh man is this crushing. A few more lyrics launch, up to the stratosphere, but everything stays controlled, stays tasteful, and the band lands this breezy funky song with ease. Mmm what a joy.
This Nashville band is really pulling a lot of sick influences into something unique and exciting. Really looking forward to their EP on the way.
Follow BEAN. on Instagram // on Spotify
Last Week on All The Other Days:
My running thoughts on my everyday listens :) This week was mad busy, so only managed to jot out some thoughts on this new Margaux track which ROCKS. I hope you take a peek.
Beyond that I spent some time with the new hemlock record, new Alex Banin, new Noah Pope, new Superfan (woah!), this Amie Blu single is great, and so much more. Shuffle through the playlist, see what you like.
See you next week for the April recap <3
Max