Kendra McKinley
Kendra McKinley is a troubadour for the new millennium. Combining the sophistication of Tin Pan Alley melodies, the harmonic sensibility of 1960s chamber pop, and the seductive calm of Bossa Nova, McKinley creates intoxicating compositions that can bring even the rowdiest crowd to a standstill.
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Kelly McFarling
"Both," the first single from the San Francisco based folk singer's upcoming release Water Dog, is less of a kick to the head and more of a tap on the shoulder, asking us to please sit down so the rest of us can see. On the stripped-down single, MacFarling's voice pairs with a soft banjo backing and gentle rhythm guitar to provide that gentle nudge. It sounds like the aural version of floating down a river on an inner-tube, nothing but yourself and the water and the sunshine. It also reminds me a lot of Laura Marling.
'Both' came from the realization that the problems looming so large in my heart and brain were, in a different context, much smaller." McFarling says of the song. "In my own mind, my existence is huge, but I'm just another human animal walking around the planet trying to move through it, along with millions of other people doing the same thing. We are all limited and defined by our perception of things. 'Both' is about allowing the opposites within me to coexist, and recognizing that struggle in others." —Annalise Domenighini , VICE