Phoebe Ryan: Mine

At bottom of every musical number there's two forces at work. 1.) Production/Arrangement and 2.) Songwriting. Those factors are so imperative to the very idea of recorded music that that when those two forces collide, schism, and interplay the fault lines of popular music snap like a taut rubber band and catapult pop culture forward. And while those two variables are always best served equally, music can move forward with one weighing higher than the other. It happens. And it's been the case during much of the 2010's where we've seen the onslaught of EDM production sensibilities thrusted into the spotlight. The public's focus has been on the pushing sonic boundaries rather than on articulated songwriting. But in 2015, it feels to me like we're on course to bring the melodist back into the forefront. This - to me - is refreshing news.

My primary evidence: Miss Phoebe Ryan. I first caught wind of her through her feature on Tritonal's record followed by her reboot of the R. Kelly's Ignition. (Both of which are beautiful, by the way) The LA based songstress has a knock for lacing notes together in a way that is absolutely mesmerizing. And it shows fantastically in her first solo release. From the delightfully symmetrical verses to the daydream swung prechoruses all the way down to her perfectly crafted choruses, this gal gets it. Her respect for the popular song format resonates at such fever pitch that you can hear the songwriting world shattering around her. The best part? The rest of us get to watch as she builds it back up note by note.

Phoebe Ryan on Facebook | Twitter | Soundcloud