Struggling to find that new artist to fall in love with? Fear not, our contributor Kess Leung is here with the latest and greatest musical recommendations of each week. In this edition, Kess highlights American multi-genre music collective, Kyle Thornton & The Company.
With a fresh sound influenced by a combination of funk, jazz, rock, blues, R&B/Soul and Hip-Hop, Kyle Thornton & The Company is a group made up of seven students from the Berklee College of Music. The Boston gem gained traction after performing at the R&B Showcase and the college’s Springfest, shortly before releasing their own original music, which was met with positive reviews. Front man Kyle Thornton found inspiration in his personal experiences of love, crafting lyrics relating to his thoughts and feelings. This allows him and his band mates, who form the foundation of the group’s rhythm (playing the drums, trombone, saxophone, trumpet, keyboard and guitar), to bring raw emotions to life in the form of music.
Kyle’s lively energy alongside the band’s addictive beat and snazzy keys produce a euphonious track.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B-FnX65JsfQ/
“Maybe this will finally be the summer that we fall in love. Memories in films and polaroids and catching lighting bugs. I can bring some drinks and things and maybe we can catch a buzz. I hope we fall in love, yeah we’re gonna fall in love.” Playful vocals and wishful thinking create a light and festive ambiance in the track ‘Fall in Love’, as Kyle’s lively energy alongside the band’s addictive beat and snazzy keys produce a euphonious track. The song released under the 2017 album WNDR features Amber Olivia, a fellow college friend who is currently pursuing her own music career. Together, the two make for a dynamic duo, complementing each other’s vocals, with Amber’s melodic tune highlighting Kyle’s raspy voice.
Drawing out a bittersweet feeling and toying around with uncertainty and hopelessness evokes a sense of longing from the listener
Throughout their discography, the band often borrows scales, chords and cadences from the blues, with Kyle explaining his admiration for this medium because “the blues men were playing strictly off emotion, and it was just a feeling”. In ‘Talk is Cheap’, Kyle describes a love that is not willingly reciprocated, leading him to question its existence. “If you love me like you said you would, it wouldn’t be misunderstood. Like you said you could, like you said you would.” Drawing out a bittersweet feeling and toying around with uncertainty and hopelessness that evokes a sense of longing from the listener, who vicariously wishes for more commitment from Kyle’s partner. Kyle masterfully incorporates his vocals into the song, with the huskiness of his voice pairing well with the rawness of the collective’s catchy instrumentals.
The collective’s mission, “to bring you a fresh new sound sampling influences from several genres while still remaining grounded in the passionate and honest style that is the blues”, is evident throughout the group’s discography and has brought out many jams that are a thrill for the ears. Unfortunately, the collective that formed in 2015 is currently inactive, with Kyle venturing out on his own, now under the name Floyd Fuji. The group still remains friends, and anyone who hopes for a reminder of the past can now reminisce through their old songs or start afresh with Floyd Fuji, both of whom deliver quality music.
Kess Leung
Featured image courtesy of Paul Hudson via Flickr. Image use licence here. No Changes were made to the image.
Article image courtesy of @floydfuji via Instagram.
Follow @ImpactMagazine on Twitter and Instagram, or like the Impact Entertainment Facebook page for more articles and information on how to get involved.
