NYC Scene Report – mmeadows, Paul Natural, & Ghost Funk Orchestra

This week’s NYC Scene Report features mmeadows desiring a human touch, Paul Natural teaming up with Camille Trust for something major, and Ghost Funk Orchestra with another fantastic jam.

* Combining downtempo, and pop production with unbelievably beautiful vocals, New York-based pop duo mmeadows have debuted with a bang with their first single, “By Design.”

The twosome consists of Kristin Slipp of Dirty Projectors, and frequent collaborator to some of pop music’s biggest stars, Cole Kamen-Green, and “By Design” is off their upcoming debut album, Light Moves Around You, which is due out February 3rd.

Discussing the song in a statement, Slipp said, “The world we live in is built for convenience, and comfort – flashy, slick, and hypnotic. Whether purposeful, or as an unfortunate byproduct, person-to-person connection is in perpetual obfuscation. I feel like I’m constantly fumbling around in search of a human touch, and when I find it, all I want to do is grab hold, and hang on tight. ‘By Design’ is an exploration of relationships in an ever-automating world, and writing it helped me sniff out my most basic desire – to care, and be cared for.”

Click play on “By Design,” and I think you’ll agree that the music of mmeadows is mm mm good!

(Even I hate myself for that awful dad joke, but the song is seriously fantastic)

* When Paul Natural – which is the solo endeavor of Brooklyn-based artist and producer Gabriel Stanley – was putting together his latest EP he came to a realization that gave the project a definitive direction. He concluded that even with all his travels, and all the work he’s done with artists all over the world, “The songs I ended up making organically with friends here in NYC contained something really special.”

With that, Only Friends was born.

Only Friends came out in November, and Paul Natural recently released a video for the song “Major Things,” which features vocals provided by Camille Trust.

“I wanted to create a visual accompaniment to each song that was as unique as each artist, but that also was engaging without being a distraction,” Paul Natural explained, “As someone who genuinely loves a good narrative-driven music video, and having been a director, or DP (director of photography) for dozens of music videos for other artists over the years, I wanted these to really guide the listener gently through the music since it already has so much going on with regards to density of lyrics, and arrangement for a modern pop song.”

Click play on “Major Things.” As your eyes feast on the video, your ears will be enamored with the incredible production, and Trust’s fantastic voice.

* If I’d known an orchestra could sound like NYC’s Ghost Funk Orchestra I probably would’ve taken band back in grade school. As is, my great talent in music is simply being able to recognize great talent in music, and that’s why I’m once again bring you something from Ghost Funk Orchestra.

The project of multi-instrumentalist Seth Applebaum, Ghost Funk Orchestra recently released a video for the song “Blockhead,” which – having nothing to do with the producer of the same name – is off the band’s recently released album, A New Kind of Love (Karma Chief / Colemine Records).

A soulful, funky, jazzy gem featuring the vocals of Megan Mancini, “Blockhead” is a song you can’t help but move to. So click play, and get your groove on.

For more of the best of NYC’s indie music scene, come back next Wednesday, and check out the archives for previous columns.

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