I found Katie using Pandora, and her first album, ‘Changing Faces’, just hit it out of the park. So much indie music is slow, melancholic and plodding. Not to say they suck, but it does seem too many ‘indie’ albums are ‘indie’ because they are just too pedestrian and not really ‘poppy’ enough to make it on the radio, for instance.
The offerings on Katie’s first album avoid such a label as ‘pedestrian’ by being upbeat and having great hooks and choruses. This album showcases Katie’s use of the piano for more than just slow songs, and her pop/rock compositions have been used in movies, television, and opening themes of all stripes.
It’s rain in the weather, as the lightning gets clever
A safety concern
Your safe entertainer, an uninvented flavor
A savior unheard
And you give, and you take, but you smile a little bit late…-from ‘Brittle’ by Katie Todd
Too much of the stuff being produced nowadays simply lacks. I remember the phrase ‘disposable music’ used to describe today’s music; most of it is stuff no one will be looking to buy in 20 years. What I am saying is a lot of today’s popular music simply sucks. Sometimes you just want to be able to ENJOY the music, and not have it tell others what it says about you, what you stand for, your politics or such. Check out these two samples and just imagine the fun you can have listening and singing along, whether your cleaning house or driving along.
A sample of Moby’s favorites from ‘Changing Faces’:
‘Get Up’ reminds me a bit of ‘You Got Me’ by Colbie Caillat and is such a great song that I immediately knew I had found another new artist to add to my music queue. Katie started playing piano at age 4 and started composing in high school, and of course studied music in college. She has released four studio albums, the last of which was funded through a successful Kickstarter campaign, and has released one live album as well.
You can listen to them all here, as well as find the links to download and purchase her music if you choose. Moby suggests you scroll down to the listings for ‘Changing Faces’ first and queue up ‘Tiger’, ‘The Polite’ and ‘Vacate’ if you enjoyed ‘Brittle’ and ‘Get Up’. Don’t be surprised if you have heard one before…as stated above, her music has been used all over in movies, TV, and promotions and such.
‘Changing Faces’ also features horns on quite a number of songs which is also a nice touch, and was released in 2002.
