Jeremy Loops has a sense of humor. As a kid, his nickname was “Loophole”, because he “was always trying to game the system”. In his recent interview with TapSongz, he answered the question, “What should we expect to hear next from ‘Trading Change’ [his upcoming album]?” by saying “Awesome songs! Will that answer suffice?” This humor, though subtle, certainly, seems to permeate his music. Each of Loops’ songs have a bounce, a carefree groove that makes a foreigner and a fool like me think of nights and days under blue African skies, dancing through history, and music as if from another lifetime. That’s not to say that Loops’ music isn’t modern or Western, because it certainly is. But each song has a something distinctly foreign about it, something telling of an influence that is not Woody Guthrie or Bob Dylan.
Loops’ single, “Sinner”, was released in August of this year. When asked about “Sinner”, Loops described how the song was written “in anticipation of an inevitable circumstance I knew I would face with the relationship I was in.” The lyrics describe a breakup, where the speaker’s lover has cheated on him, leaving him to question his pain and ultimately his own role and responsibility in the breakup. The song ends with a release of anger, and recognition that, in fact, we are all sinners by the grudges that we hold. Despite the heavy emotions that these lyrics convey, the music is deceptively upbeat. Verses and choruses are cut up by a breathy harmonica, reminiscent of chain-gangs and train whistles, and the song slowly builds up to a thundering and sudden conclusion, backed by a cavalcade of folk instruments, including banjo and fiddle.
But what makes “Sinner” more than just another Lumineers song is Loops’ unique voice and distinct use of vocals in the song. “Sinner” is distinct firstly in the fact that it doesn’t really display the full range of Loops’ voice. Other songs on his YouTube channel having him flying into falsetto and doing a majority of his singing in his higher register. But in this song, Loops stays pretty low. His voice can only be described as gravely, in the best way possible. At points, he sounds like Eddie Vedder with a South African accent. Then come the soaring backing vocals, and that’s when the ear begins to hear something distinctly different from other pieces of folk music. Even Mumford & Sons can’t match the unique sound of Loops’ multi-tracked vocals and Loops uses this coral effect on a number of his songs. You really understand the emotion in “Sinner” when you hear these sweeping, layered vocals.
Jeremy Loops is a huge fan of fellow folkies Shakey Graves, Andrew Bird, and Lord Huron. He hopes to work with these musicians at some point, though he stresses that it’s important to get to know a fellow artist before you work with them. He has performed in cities all over the world, from Paris to Prague, Mumbai to New York, though, like many artists, he finds his hometown to be his favorite place to play. He loves the travel though, when he does return home, he loves catching up with locals and surfing.
Trading Change is set to release in America in April 2015, but it will have me thinking of hot July days.
Loops’ single, “Sinner”, was released in August of this year. When asked about “Sinner”, Loops described how the song was written “in anticipation of an inevitable circumstance I knew I would face with the relationship I was in.” The lyrics describe a breakup, where the speaker’s lover has cheated on him, leaving him to question his pain and ultimately his own role and responsibility in the breakup. The song ends with a release of anger, and recognition that, in fact, we are all sinners by the grudges that we hold. Despite the heavy emotions that these lyrics convey, the music is deceptively upbeat. Verses and choruses are cut up by a breathy harmonica, reminiscent of chain-gangs and train whistles, and the song slowly builds up to a thundering and sudden conclusion, backed by a cavalcade of folk instruments, including banjo and fiddle.
But what makes “Sinner” more than just another Lumineers song is Loops’ unique voice and distinct use of vocals in the song. “Sinner” is distinct firstly in the fact that it doesn’t really display the full range of Loops’ voice. Other songs on his YouTube channel having him flying into falsetto and doing a majority of his singing in his higher register. But in this song, Loops stays pretty low. His voice can only be described as gravely, in the best way possible. At points, he sounds like Eddie Vedder with a South African accent. Then come the soaring backing vocals, and that’s when the ear begins to hear something distinctly different from other pieces of folk music. Even Mumford & Sons can’t match the unique sound of Loops’ multi-tracked vocals and Loops uses this coral effect on a number of his songs. You really understand the emotion in “Sinner” when you hear these sweeping, layered vocals.
Jeremy Loops is a huge fan of fellow folkies Shakey Graves, Andrew Bird, and Lord Huron. He hopes to work with these musicians at some point, though he stresses that it’s important to get to know a fellow artist before you work with them. He has performed in cities all over the world, from Paris to Prague, Mumbai to New York, though, like many artists, he finds his hometown to be his favorite place to play. He loves the travel though, when he does return home, he loves catching up with locals and surfing.
Trading Change is set to release in America in April 2015, but it will have me thinking of hot July days.
