Hello, I’m Luna Keller and you’re reading "You Should Really Know These Songs", a monthly blog post where I highlight some of the great indie music from my all indie show/podcast. I’m always really excited about the amazing music the indie community keeps creating, and after listening to the songs in this post you will know why. You should really know these songs, so let's jump into it!

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Jon Sandman - Selfless Isolation

Jon Sandmans latest release "Selfless Isolation" processes the grim reality of the pandemic and lockdown situation in a painfully relatable way. It’s only fitting that the song was recorded, mixed and mastered at home in 2020. The atmospheric track unfolds beautifully alongside its story with a tasteful arrangement combining organic instruments with layered pads. The star of the track are without a doubt the lyrics that really succeed at putting in words all the frustration and sadness these times have brought. "It's funny that in isolation we should lose ourselves when there is no-one else for miles and we hang tightly to our health". Every time I listen to the song another great line stands out to me, it’s just brilliant.
Listen to Jon Sandmans (in his words) "Ode to COVID" here:

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Bits Of Alan - Blue and Green

„Blue and Green“ is the first single of "Slatland", the upcoming album by the indie rock band "Bits of Alan". It’s a raw and honest folk song with a nostalgic feeling. It takes us through memories of a relationship told with beautiful visual metaphors: „I had a dream of color scheme Blue and Green“. The track is defined by delicate guitars that introduce the rhythm later supported by the rest of the instruments that create the perfect backdrop for the vocals. With its relatable lyrics, organic arrangement, and a unique vocal sound „Blue and Green“ has everything a good indie-folk song needs. Bits of Alan has released two more songs of their upcoming album since „Blue and Green“. They are titled „Cooking Barefoot“ and „Queen V Dudley“ and are just as strong as the first single, and if that’s any indication of the quality of the upcoming album I believe we can really look forward to a great project.
Listen to „Blue and Green“ here:

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Cormac Looby - Feel Good

Truly great songs work both with a full arrangement and just with a guitar and a voice. Cormac Looby just proved that when he released a live version of his original "Feel Good", it’s just him and his guitar and it’s absolutely breathtaking. On the show, I featured the fully arranged studio version which had a lovely upbeat acoustic feeling that creates a bittersweet contrast with the moving lyrics that deal with falling back into bad habits. Listening to the more melancholic live version brings those lyrics into the foreground, even more, it feels personal and vulnerable. "It hurts to fall back into the same old routines, especially when you know that it doesn’t even feel good". "Feel Good" is an incredibly well-crafted song, it has great melodies and heartbreaking lyrics that are delivered by an amazing emotional performance.
Here’s the live version, do listen to the studio version too if you have the chance, they are both outstanding in their own way:

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Paperwing - Blackbirds

I know I use the word beautiful very often in my reviews and show, but in this case, I feel like it’s not just an adjective but the definition of this song. I remember discovering "Blackbirds" by Swedish artist Paperwing and listening to it five times in a row, I was a little speechless, to be honest. The singer's angelic voice floats over the delicate arrangement creating a stunning atmospheric folk track with a unique feeling. On my show, Paperwing talked about sitting by the window, hearing Blackbirds sing, and wanting to capture that joy in music. She really achieved that, the song is comforting and reminds you of how wonderful and precious the moment is "We are here, we are now".
Listen to "Blackbirds" here: