This was Andrew’s response after listening to HIRRY’s recent track releases:
Andrew: Dude!!! Just listening to Love – it’s fabulous – could totally start with that – I have a track right back to you. I love the direction – Cada Dia is a groove – love the guitars on Stand For Something too ;-p. But I’m kinda falling in love with Love (Hah!). If you’re up for a trade tracks list – I have a collaboration playlist here.
Love – HIRRY
Hiram: Wow! Awesome, Andrew! Yeah! Love is something more natural I wanted to put into a theme. I remember when you shared Peter Broderick’s stuff with me, and I fell in love with that kind of style and inspiration—something natural!
Andrew: Dude ;-p. I am so falling in love with Love. I love that the Peter Broderick track inspired you – how beautiful is that?!?!?! musicto is this thing that connects people through music – and yet, here we are, you and me, within musicto, and doing the same thing as musicians. This piece of music, with your unique delivery, the ghostly echoes, the strings, and then when the fucking bass comes in – it’s soooooooo good – ;-p. Heh! I wish you could see the grin on my face as I listen ;-p.
Hiram: Wow, Andrew! Thank you for loving Love. It’s a good track that really inspires me a lot! It’s good to know you love the strings and bass at the end of the song! I just wanted it to feel very natural but bold, and yes, Peter Broderick is something wonderful that you shared with me! I agree with you that musicto connects people in this amazing and unique way! Let’s keep doing things together, my friend!
B61 – Aoife O’Donovan
Andrew: So – yes – to listen to Aoife – who I am aware of but haven’t spent time with – and recognize how gorgeous she is – and then to Leif Vollebekk. ‘Cos I’m listening to it and thinking – “I know what this is – I know where I’ve heard it before – and I love it.” And it came to me – Transatlantic Flight – ‘cos it’s an awesome track and sticks in my memory – I can’t remember who introduced me to him and I’m thinking now it must be you – ’cos – yeah – either way – Thank You dude ;-p
Hot Tears – Leif Vollebekk
Hiram:I like Aoife a lot and Leif. This guy has a beautiful way to spread his passion for music, that’s the reason I added them to the playlist.
Tell Her This – Del Amitri
Andrew:So I took the soft groove of Hot Tears – moved it from the piano to the guitar. Del Amitri – one of my favorite songwriters – just love this band – and love this song too!!
Send It Up – Vertical Horizon
Hiram: Oh wow, I liked it a lot—Tell Her This. I didn’t know about Del Amitri, but I’m doing my research, and his album is from ‘95, which is so awesome for me because I love that feeling and style of 90’s modern rock vibes. I thought Vertical Horizon would be a good fit, following the same line. I hope you like this one, Send It Up from the late 90’s as well 🙂
Til I Hear It From You – Gin Blossoms
Andrew: As for our current list – I’m keeping that classic 90’s vibe that we both love – Gin Blossoms and Vertical Horizon are playing on the same gig at a venue in July and I think these two tracks go well together ;-ppp
Call and Answer – Barenaked Ladies
Hiram: Andrew, I like Gin Blossoms, they’re definitely one of my fave 90’s bands! I added another one from those epic times—Call & Answer by Barenaked Ladies. I hope you like this one!
Show On The Road – Tom Freund
Andrew: I’m loving the Barenaked Ladies track. I was hipped to the band in the early 00’s – they had this hysterically funny track – If I Had a Million Dollars – and I guess in my head I had categorized them as a comedy band, so I never really went down their catalog. I recently caught the track they did with the Canadian Astronaut live from the Cupola of the ISS – it’s stunning: Chris Hadfield and Barenaked Ladies | I.S.S. (Is Somebody Singing). I was particularly drawn to the lyric here – how it feels like a couple that is making up after breaking up – and it had me thinking of guitars and stories, leading to this melancholy beauty from a local Venice Beach artist – I’ve always loved this one from Tom Freund ;-p. You’re up.
People Change – Mipso
Hiram: Hey, Andrew! It’s good to know you enjoyed the BNL track. Yes, they’re cool, funny, and have great songs. I remember when their single Pinch Me was in radio rotation. Lovely times, those years. I saw the video you shared with me, and wow, what an incredible collaboration with Chris Hadfield! I liked Tom Freund’s song as well. Listening to him, I thought about a track that may fit well, called People Change by a band called Mipso. I hope you like it!
At this part in the process life got busy for both of us – Andrew was bouncing to Scotland and Hiram was running the Paris Marathon!! He also made a playlist for the other runners and we published it here.
¡Marathon pour Tous en los Juegos Olímpicos París 2024!
But we’ll add the youtube videos if you’re listening along ;-p
Grew Apart – Donovan Woods
Lonely In Soho – Jonny Morgan
My Oh My – David Gray
Andrew: I’m creating the space for Lonely In Soho ;-p|
In Bloom – Jon Foreman, Joy Oladokum
Writing To Reach You – Travis
Andrew: Oh Wow—where did the last month and a half go! ;-ppppp. Life got insanely busy, and I got a bit overwhelmed ;-p. But I’m most definitely back and smiling away as I’m listening to In Bloom – for some reason it had me reaching for Travis – one of my favorite Scottish bands – different production – more guitars, but in that same kind of laid-back pocket groove ;-p
Hardwired – Gemma Hayes
Hiram:Hey, Andrew! It’s good to know you’re back and that you enjoyed the song In Bloom by Jon Foreman. It’s his solo project, as he has a lot of background from Switchfoot and, of course, the late 90’s modern rock style. Travis is awesome! They remind me of good times, and I always love such soft guitars on their songs; it’s great!
All Now – The Staves
Andrew: I’m literally in Scotland and going down a rabbit hole of independent female artists. Love that Gemma Hayes track – how it builds throughout the track finishing in an almost triumphant out – had me reaching for The Staves recent rlease!
Dive – Holly Humberstone
Hiram: Hey Andrew! I’m loving a lot “All Now” by The Staves! OMG it’s been the song in my head this week! Thank you for sharing it!
Tell Me Where It Hurts – Be Charlotte
Andrew: Loving Holly Humberstone – Dive is gorgeous! I’ve had it on repeat – that chorus hook – I could Dive for days! In response I’m pulling a track from the Scottish Indie scene – I love her vocal here – you can hear the Scottish accent and it just makes the track for me. There’s a crispness to the production but it’s the vocal positioning that keeps me coming back.
When I Was Younger – Bonny Light Horseman
Hiram: I loved a lot the track from Be Charlotte, as well as one of The Staves, awesome Andrew! Thank you for sharing me them!
Dreamer – Rachel Sermanni
What a groove on When I Was Younger, and again – the vocal performances just knock it out of the park. The keys too – that bass line ;-p. Brilliant. I’m still in that Indie Scottish vibe and I can;t stop listening to Rachel Sermanni – just the way she opens the track – that guitar riff – I’m grinning again just writing about it ;-p
Berceuse – Felix Rösch
Track Listing
- Love – HIRRY
- Follow – Big Share
- B61 – Aoife O’Donovan
- Hot Tears – Leif Vollebekk
- Tell Her This – Del Amitri
- Send It Up – Vertical Horizon
- Til I Hear It From You – Gin Blossoms
- Call and Answer – Barenaked Ladies
- Show On The Road – Tom Freund
- People Change – Mipso
- Grew Apart – Donovan Woods
- Lonely In Soho – Jonny Morgan
- My Oh My – David Gray
- In Bloom – Jon Foreman
- Writing To Reach You – Travis
- Hardwired – Gemma Hayes
- All Now – The Staves
- Dive – Holly Humberstone
- Tell Me Where Your Heart Is – Be Charlotte
- When I Was A Cowboy – Bonny Light Horseman
- Dreamer – Rachel Sermanni
- Berceuse – Felix Rösch
Playlist image GPT4o
About the Curators
Hiram López
Hiram López es amante de la música y canta-autor Mexicano, ama viajar y pasar tiempo con su perro “Monty” sus influencias musicales parten de bandas de Rock de la segunda mitad de los 90’s como Vertical Horizon, Barenaked Ladies, Tonic y más. Formó su propia banda (RUNTOLIFE) mezclando sonidos acústicos hasta llegar a ser una Banda de Rock Alternativo, ahora es amante también del Dance y Electro Pop ya que se enamoró de éste género cuando viajó a Berlín para colaborar con la SEAT en la producción de su nuevo “Sound Logo.
Andrew McCluskey
The first visual memory I have is that of the white upright piano in Singapore, Hell and the Dark Forces lived at the bottom, Heaven and the Angels at the top, they would play battles through my fingers and I was hooked.
As a psychology graduate I studied how sound affects human performance.
As a musician I compose instrumental music that stimulates your brain but doesn't mess with your language centers, leaving you free to write creatively without distraction.
As a curator I research how music can improve your life and create flow - I can tell you what music to listen to when studying for a test and why listening to sad music can make you feel better.
As a creator / contributor at musicto I believe that music can make the world better.
What I'm doing now