As the year winds down, Upstate artists are still going strong, putting out singles that display the talent and variety of our local music scene. Here’s a breakdown of three new singles by artists in our own backyard.
Karen Clardy, ‘Keep My Cool’
Karen Clardy’s remarkable new single floats by in such a dreamy haze, buoyed by Clardy’s powerful voice and gentle acoustic guitar, that it’s easy to miss the sinister tone of the lyrics.
On initial listen, “Keep My Cool” reads like someone who’s feeling cautious about getting into a new relationship, and the darker meaning of lines like “Sometimes they ask you to stay/ Sometimes they hurt you” might get lost.
But “Keep My Cool” isn’t about rushing into a new relationship.
“It’s about the apprehension of staying in a relationship that was abusive and toxic,” Clardy says, “because you’re not going to be able to keep your cool in a situation like that.”
And sadly, this story is indeed autobiographical.
“It’s about a relationship that I stayed in for too long,” she says. “I felt it was important as a woman to speak firmly and loudly about situations that we shouldn’t stay in.”
Sherwood’s Florist, ‘Setting Sun’
The new song “Setting Sun” by Sherwood’s Florist is a fascinating mix of indie rock guitars and funky beats that club DJs would love. The catchy, pure-pop chorus is just icing on the cake.
“I think the drums and the bass were very inspired by Motown and James Brown,” says Joe Lansburg, who is the one-man-band behind Sherwood’s Florist.
The single, a calling card for the project’s next album, was recorded at Lansburg’s home studio, which he says had its advantages.
“You can be more experimental,” he says. “You can explore at your own pace.”
Gláss, ‘(gate)’
The theme behind “Local Man Dies,” the new album by Gláss, is maximalism. Frontman, guitarist and songwriter Aaron Burke wanted to pack as much information into the album as possible. Which is perhaps why the band’s new single, “(gate)” is about 20 minutes long.
The piece moves through an intro of overlayed voices and found sounds into an acoustic section that mixes blues and Middle Eastern acoustic influences, through a jittery, Velvet Underground-style rock section that builds to an anthemic climax before fading back into dread-laced drones at the end. It’s a remarkable piece with multiple meanings.
“A gate is a bunch of things,” Burke says. It’s the gate in an electrical circuit. It’s the gates of Heaven. It’s a gate at an airport. It’s a baby gate to prevent a baby from climbing up or down stairs.”
