Jo's Picks Of The Month is a regular monthly contribution, published exclusively in the Sound Café magazine with the intention of providing you with information on artists that you might not have heard of, but I think are truly worth exploring further.
ILLENIUM / JON BELLION
'Good Things Fall Apart' is a song by American singer songwriter Jon Bellion and producer Illenium. It was released in May 2019 and became Illenium's first top ten hit on the US dance/electronic song chart, peaking at number 4.
Illenium is often praised by many for his relatable tracks that seamlessly elicit passionate feelings of pain, past love, and closure/acceptance of these realities. So it was no surprise that this new collaboration with Jon Bellion was just as much a tear jerker as the title of the song suggests. Bellion is no stranger to EDM (electronic dance music), in 2015 he provided vocals for the EDM hit "Beautiful Now" by world-renowned DJ Zedd, another great dance tune. Billions first album The Human Condition, debuted at number five on the US Billboard 200.
The level of talent, creativity and success of both these artists did not disappoint in this collaboration of 'Good Things Fall Apart', Bellion's soft vocals tell the complicated and heart-wrenching story of a past love that ultimately fell apart. The lyrics question the reasoning behind the break, the authenticity of the feelings that once felt real, and coming to terms with a broken heart. The words being sung stay true to the song, asking what was done wrong and apologizing for this unknown factor anyway. This is where Illenium's influence in the song becomes most recognizable, his own coined term "Melodic Dubstep" guiding the song's emotions and driving the intended feelings home. Get your heart ready for a trip down memory lane. I hope it brings back good times that ultimately came to an end, but being able to look back and smile, that you had them.
Enjoy the song!
GLASS ANIMALS
Glass Animals are an English Indie Rock band formed in Oxford in 2010.
The band is best known for their biggest hit single 'Heat Waves' which went viral on Tik Tok. Great tune, check it out. It reached number one in Australia in February 2021. The song surpassed two billion streams on Spotify by September 2022 and reached number one in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and number five on the UK Singles Chart. They received their first Grammy nomination in the Best New Artist category at the 2022 Grammy Awards.
The album 'How to Be a Human Being' was released in August 2016, it was inspired by stories of strangers that Bayley (founder and frontman) met on tour, with each song telling a story from a different perspective. The tour was cancelled in 2018 as the drummer, Joe Seaward was seriously injured when he was hit by a truck whilst cycling.
In May 2020, the band released 'Dreamland'. The beginnings of 'Dreamland' originated while Bayley was by Seaward's bedside as he recovered in hospital. He wrote down memories. Those memories evolved into the very nostalgic and very personal 'Dreamland', with references to Bayley's childhood and other points in his life.
In March 2024 the band announced their single 'Creatures in Heaven', It was released on April 3rd 2024, along with the album title and release date. 'I Love You So F***ing Much' will be released in July 2024.
Hope you like the song 'Creatures In Heaven'!
"My collection of K-TELS playing on my portable candle record player is where my relationship with and love for music of all genres began. It continued throughout my life, from going to concerts through to my more recent luck in being involved in an album production, from studio recording to mastering. WOW! What an experience, and from it I've gained an even greater respect and appreciation for what it takes to make great music!
Couple that with my air guitar acumen, and that of course makes me a consummate professional in bringing 'Jo's Picks Of The Month' to you.
All kidding aside my repertoire of songs is vast and what an honour it is to share my picks with the readers of The Sound Cafe Magazine!" - Jo.
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