Rio Glacier - Down Under
Folk, Indie Folk
St. Gallen, Switzerland
Overall Impression: Down under is beautiful! It will appeal to anyone who loves modern folk. In Down under's tempo and melodic guitar, one will find elements of roots rock and rockabilly as well. The lyrics are very interesting, playful, and with its strange metaphors, making Down under a very cool and even mysterious song. Anyone who loves Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, will automatically embrace Rio Glacier's Down under.
Strongest Point(s): The lead male vocalist's voice has a real Nick Cave, Van Morrison, Neil Young quality to it, including stylistically in performance. The female voice is wonderful too, as they both sing in perfect harmony. As previously discussed, the lyrics are truly original, with the odd (almost abstract) metaphors and analogies throughout the song -- indeed, grief takes many strange forms. I'd also like to highlight the wonderful instrumental performances (piano, guitar, drums), which I consider to be the backbone of this song. Down under celebrates a collective (band) as well as individual performances.
Target Audience Appeal: This song will appeal to anyone who loves Nick Cave, Bob Dylan, Aimee Mann, Emmylou Harris, Neil Young, and all other bands and artists of the same genre. Down under will appeal to people who love to attend live concerts, especially outdoor concerts. This will appeal to a wide audience, but I think it will speak the most to more mature audiences (Gen X and up). It's a great single that deserves to be promoted in both online and FM radio play, and could also be featured in a (Netlfix, Hulu) show or indie movie. This song has potential to appeal to a wide audience, with a foot in the past (in sound) and another in the present.
Artist target suggestions: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Van Morrison, Nick Drake, Bob Dylan, Chris Issak, PJ Harvey, Tom Waits, Patti Smith, Aimee Mann, Joan Baez, Pete Seger, John Prine, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Joni Mitchell, Mary Gauthier, Emmylou Harris, Mountain Man, Cat Stevens, Shawn Colvin, Paula Cole, Natalie Merchant, Suzanne Vega, Ani DiFranco, Neko Case
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About the Reviewer:
Ama Cruz is an instrumentalist, writer, and has over a decade of professional experience in media production and arts management, including her time working for Sony’s Latin/Jazz PR division. She began working in radio, and has contributed as a music journalist and editor for publications.