NYC Scene Report – Ghost Funk Orchestra, Outer Shapes, & Scarlett Macfarlane

This week’s NYC Scene Report features Ghost Funk Orchestra becoming “Yours,” Outer Shapes helping a friend deal with the “AFTERMATH,” and Scarlett Macfarlane warning “Where There’s Smoke, There’s Fire.”

* The word vibe is overused just a bit these days, but when it comes to the latest single from Ghost Funk Orchestra their goal was to create a very specific vibe, and they absolutely nailed it.

Titled “Yours,” the band described the song on YouTube, saying, “‘Yours’ is GFO’s first studio track to feature Camellia Hartman on vocals. The songwriting was inspired by the organ stylings of Ed Lincoln and Dick Hyman; a bluesy soul tune with plenty of drama and kitsch. It’s an homage to the mid-century bachelor pad music that’s often overlooked in dollar bins.”

Click play on Ghost Funk Orchestra’s remarkably cool “Yours.” Personally, I want to live in a world where this is the soundtrack.

* Alternative duo Outer Shapes will be releasing their INNERSTATE EP on October 2nd, and the latest single from it is all about the “AFTERMATH.”

Explaining the inspiration for the song in a statement, lead singer and bassist Laura Shkouratoff said, “I wrote ‘AFTERMATH’ for a close loved one to hear when they got out of the psych ward. It’s a song for picking up the rubble after the breakdown. A song that does the screaming for you. A song that makes you feel held, and loved. A song that forces you to look unflinchingly forward in time, crawling fast.”

“AFTERMATH” is a song we could all use at certain points in our life … or week. The lyric, “There’s a little that makes sense, and a lot that never will” is one of my favorites in quite some time.

Click play, and feel the warmth of understanding, and moving forward.

* Scarlett Macfarlane recently released the tenth single from her forthcoming 15-song album, and on this one she’s reminding us that “Where There’s Smoke, There’s Fire”

A gorgeous indie adult-contemporary pop song inspired by a close friend’s difficult breakup, Macfarlane says getting the vocals just right proved to be a challenge. After deciding her initial recording was too polished, she came up with an idea of how to shake things up the next day. “I made a point not to warm up, or speak at all, after waking up,” she says, “so that my voice would be as low, and raspy as possible.”

The result is undeniably perfect.

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