As we all know, the power of YouTube can change people’s lives. Take, for instance, Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter Kina Grannis. She uploaded her video for “Message From Your Heart” onto YouTube and, quite miraculously, it ended up on Super Bowl XLI. In case you’re wondering, that’s 97 million people who caught a glance of her acoustic act. Now, three years later, Grannis is attempting to parlay that success with her first full-length album, Stairwells. And while it’s no Super Bowl appearance, we’re happy to debut “The Goldfish Song”.
Being a “singer/songwriter” means that people think you sit around and strum love songs on an acoustic guitar. Sure, that perfectly describes Grannis in a broader sense, but her stuff, especially on this track, is so much more than playing at the local coffee shop. It’s less bubbly and more downright depressing and self-deprecating. There’ s a level of wit and downtrodden hope that’s way beyond her years. What’s seemingly a monotonous guitar line with a light piano accompaniment builds into something dark and heavy toward the chorus. It slows down again only to build into some distorted mess, all before ending relatively serenely. It’s a kind of pace that keeps you off your feet and makes you feel just as uneasy and distraught as Grannis. That’s how you write a simple pop song.
You can download another track, “Valentine”, on her official site. Grannis’ Stairwells is out on February 23rd.
Check Out:
“The Goldfish Song”
