In today’s age, technology has flooded our lives with content. Caught in the mire are today’s musicians who champion an art form that’s more widely distributed than any other throughout human history. And we, more often than not, overlook the music created by unfamiliar faces because it’s challenging. We’d rather have an easy listen, a known quantity to skim through while we think about something else.
Hearing is easy, but listening is difficult. Welcome to “Why We Like It”, where we rebuke the trends in favor of thoughtful analysis and underknown sounds.
“Uncle John” — Daniel Levi
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How We Found It
Daniel Levi, the five piece collective from Tallinn, Estonia, drops off the perfect pop track into our SubmitHub inbox. With a background in funk, soul, and R&B, the collective provides a tune that’s ready to compliment the upcoming summer weather. Just on time for clear skies and sunny days, I couldn’t get enough of their hip hypnotizing rhythm.
Why We Like It
I love to dance. It keeps me moving and grooving when I’m feeling stagnant. But to keep my feet in constant motion, I need tunes that will be the soundtrack to these steps. I need something that I don’t have to think too deeply about and just lose myself in. Luckily, the guitar driven romp of a time comes in Daniel Levi’s “Uncle John”.
Whenever a track starts off with a fake crowd clapping and being a party, you know it’s going to be a good time. Led by pop rhythms and snaps to keep me on beat, Levi’s funky guitar strings continue the fun as the vocalist claims that “I’ll play guitar just like my Uncle John” during the chorus. They’re trying to cure your boredom and cleanse you of the bad to provide a good time. I can honestly see this being played on the beach. I can see myself in my sunglasses with a drink in my hands as we dance until we can’t tell the party from the afterparty. “Uncle John” is poppy and catchy and knows how to play around. But it’s the guitar led instrumental that gets the spotlight at 2:07 before the final chorus that’s the real delight.
The vocalist and frontman, Daniel Levi Viinalis, where the band gets their namesake, has the perfect voice for this tune as well. It’s clear yet strong and seems to be a perfect mixture between Joe Jonas and Justin Timberlake. Towards the end of the song he even hits that oh so sweet high note that shatters glass but not your eardrums. Leading to the satisfying end with a “wooho” that caps it all off.
Summer time is upon us and playlists are being curated to be the soundtracks for 2020 wave rising. I have plenty of songs but this one is making it for sure. As I’m grabbing my trunks, board, and suntan lotion, I won’t forget to put this song on my playlist.
From Daniel Levi
It started when I was young and we would visit my relatives in Canada during the summer. My crazy Uncle John would always make everyone laugh (and simultaneously drive everyone nuts). The way he played guitar always was fascinating to me. He learned by reading a book about jazz improvisation. I couldn’t figure out a single chord he was playing and it all seemed so effortless. In recent years he has started busking for money but still kept a sincere love for music and bringing joy to the people around him. The idea for the track was to have Uncle John’s guitar playing as the ultimate way to impress somebody or to lift their spirits! Thats why the song had to be a mood-booster from the get go.” – Daniel Levi for CentralSauce (2020)
More From Daniel Levi
If you want to keep up with Daniel Levi, you can follow them on Instagram. You can also check out previous singles, “Flowers” and “All I Need.”
More to Discover
Subscribe to the CentralSauce mailing list so you never miss out on the freshest sauce. Check out this continuously updated playlist of songs Tyler has added to our Discovery section! Each track or artist has been featured in our “Why We Like It” section, so be sure to check out the page here on the site.
