August 21, 2007

{     Julian Velard "The Movies Without You" E.P.     }    

Sometimes it's almost crushing to hear what constitutes pop music these days. Between the horrible R&B thug ballads and manufactured super-groups created as much by the television shows that featured them as the evil super computer that Sony records owns (I swear it's true, I'm not a conspiracy theorist), it sometimes feels as though all heart and soul has been sucked out of popular music.
I can remember as a child listening to the radio on long trips with my parents and having the interior of our car filled with the sweet sounds of Hall and Oats, Steely Dan, The Commodores, Stevie Wonder, Earth Wind and Fire, Billy Joel, Michael Jackson (circa "Off The Wall" I.E. pre-crazy), and a plethora of other musicians who, even though they were making music for the masses it wasn't music meant to be thrown away after a single listen. Since I long for a day when I can confidently turn on my radio, have a smile cross my face and feel the desire to sing along to the sounds pouring from my speakers I am now going to tell you about a man I met while in New York.

His name is Jullian Velard and you should be happy that people like him exist if you feel the way I do about pop music these days. His ability to craft lyrics and melodies that inherently make one feel the emotions that went into making them is the antidote for the auto tuned songstress that rule the radio waves of today. His new E.P. "The Movies Without You" is a bit of a new direction for him but still firmly rooted in his piano singer/songwriter vein. Even with an obvious lean towards a more pop sound he loses none of the jazz and soul influence of his previous recordings. The new direction actually reinforces the things that made his music great by adding a bit more sugar to the lemonade that tasted so damn good in the first place. Hit his Myspace page ASAP and listen to "Joni" or "Jimmy Dean and Steve McQueen" for prime examples of what your radio is missing. Then listen to "A Dream" to hear how this man can create an intimacy through words and music that makes you actually FEEL the melancholy he's singing about. After that, write your local heartless music conglomerate and let them know that you will no longer accept the drivel they shovel down our throats and demand that the airwaves be filled with the sound of true musicians that love music more than the fame they get (or in Jullian's case, DESERVE) from it.