MMR Song Review: "Recover" by Joy Caroline Mills

During my tenure in Ball State's MMP (Music Media Production) program, I've had the privilege of both collaborating and becoming acquainted with mid-America's upcoming premier music industry talents, including performing artists, recording engineers, producers and songwriters. Some have even set their sights on moving beyond the Midwest to big cities across the country, even the world. One such artist I have had the pleasure of knowing is Joy Caroline Mills, a self-made singer-songwriter and producer who is hard at work making her dreams come to life. Joy asked me to help get the word out about her upcoming EP Fever Dreams, as well as to review her new single "Recover."

Joy hails from Indianapolis, IN and has been performing her music publicly since age 13. In 2012 she began her education at Ball State by enrolling into the MMP program, where she would learn the ins and outs of music production, including theory, song-writing, recording and composition. She then moved to London for a semester to research the success strategies of independent musicians in the UK. After finishing her degree and graduating this Spring, Joy plans to return to the UK to pursue a graduate degree and work as a contracted songwriter.

While at Ball State, Joy has acquired a particular set of skills that will greatly benefit her career as an independent artist. For instance, her upcoming EP, Fever Dreams, features songs she performed, engineered, produced and mixed them all by herself. She describes it as an "eclectic mix of folk and electronic music" that she wrote while abroad in Europe.

Her song "Recover" is a great example of this mixture of styles. Take a listen below.

If music was weather, "Recover" would be an overcast day in May; that is, warm and balmy, but with grey clouds hanging overhead. This way you are comfortable, but there's still a reason to feel down in the dumps. But one does not have to be bummed out to enjoy the pleasant melodies and catchy beats of "Recover."

Starting off with a dainty glockenspiel, the song's beat and synth melodies kick in to create a catchy electronic hook that reminds me of a time-lapsed, city highway lit up at night by passing headlights. This is fitting, as the singer reminisces on a past lover who she pictures "driving on the interstate." The verses' soft, hushed vocals over dark piano chords bring a sense of melancholy to this break-up jam, and in a synth-laden chorus with ethereal vocal harmonies, Joy sings with such a longing that makes this song a welcome addition to anyone's "bummer mix" compilation.

This song has all the necessary parts, thematic build-up and production quality of a top-notch single by an independent artist. And the lyrics are well enough to strike a chord with any listener, proving that when your feelings for someone are "stronger than liquor," it is not easy to get over when they're gone.

So whether you are pining for that special someone on a rainy day, or are just looking for something to put you in that kind of mood, put on this song by mid-American musician Joy Caroline Mills. Heartbreak is never easy, but hopefully this can help you recover.

Joy's upcoming EP Fever Dreams will be available for purchase March 31, 2015 from iTunes, BandCamp, Amazon and all other digital retailers. You can also stream the entire album when it hits Spotify after the release date. All tracks were written, performed, engineered, produced and mixed by Joy Caroline Mills, and mastered by LANDR.

ED

Like Joy on Facebook!
Follow her on Twitter@joythemusician and on Instagram @joythesongwriter!
Visit her BandCamp page!

Merry Christmas from MMR!

It's the holiday season and nothing lifts my spirit like some wonderful Christmas music. Unfortunately, I've noticed that the radio seems to only play multiple renditions of the same five songs on endless repeat. So when I come across a Christmas song that is both new and original, it brings delight to my listening ears. One song in particular comes from one of my favorite mid-American musical groups, Trackless (who were featured in a previous episode of the MMR podcast). This song was their entry into a contest held by Sweetwater where they could write and record an original Christmas song for a chance to win new recording equipment. Take a listen below!



If you love this track like I do, be sure to visit Trackless' Soundcloud page to stream all of their music, or visit the iTunes store to purchase their albums. Trackless will be performing this coming New Years Eve at Club Soda in Fort Wayne, IN. To stay updated on their performance schedule and to listen to more tunes, visit www.tracklessmusic.com.

Merry Christmas, Mid-America!
ED

MMR Trackless

Welcome to the MMR blog. I apologize for the lack of posts this past week, but post-graduation life has kept me busy. I hope to keep to my promise of 3-4 posts every week from here on out. In the mean time, here is the long overdue second-installment of the MMR podcast featuring the rising mid-American superstars of Trackless.


You can learn more about Trackless and hear some great music on their website.

You can also subscribe to the MMR podcast by downloading it from the iTunes podcast store. Just search 'Mid-American Music Review' and look for the red, white and blue microphone logo. Also follow the MMR blog on Twitter @mmr_podcast.

Finally, stay tuned to the MMR blog for future posts featuring the brightest and best of mid-American music and entertainment (including a special seasonal treat later tonight from Trackless themselves).

ED

UPDATE: New Song and Website from Wes Moore

Welcome to the MMR blog, home of the MMR podcast. Yesterday was the premiere episode of the podcast featuring Wes Moore of Muncie, IN. If you missed it, don't worry! You can still stream the podcast on this site, and it will soon be available for download from the iTunes store.

I mentioned in the episode that Wes is one of my favorite artists to come from this area. I love his songs and I look forward to see him perform at every chance I get. Recently he posted a NEW SONG to his Facebook profile entitled 'Say the Word.' Here's a video of that performance below. Wes will be performing live at Be Here Now this Friday (12/12/14) for the Radio Cologne Reunion show, so come out to support local music! Also be sure to visit his brand spanking NEW WEBSITE at wesleymooremusic.com.

See you on the flip-side!
ED

Post by Wesley Moore.

MMR Wes Moore

Here it is! The premier episode of the MMR podcast featuring singer-songwriter Wes Moore of Muncie, IN. The MMR will be subscription ready from the iTunes store later, but in the mean time, check out the SoundCloud link below.


If you want to learn more about Wes, check him out on Facebook. Don't forget to leave a comment below sharing what you think of the episode. Stay tuned for more updates from the MMR about new stories and content updates.

See you on the flip-side!
ED

MMR is Social

The Mid-American Music Review is now on Twitter! Follow it at @mmr_podcast for live updates from shows and events!

ED

New Podcast Cover Art

Welcome to the Mid-American Music blog, home of the MMR podcast! Eric here with an update on the blog's progress. I know I mentioned last week that I plan to post at least 3-4 times a week with reports and reviews of the Mid-American music scene. I intend to keep that promise as the weeks progress, but I am currently wrapping up finals week of my senior year at Ball State, so I've been busy busy busy!

On top of projects, performances and exams, I've been preparing this blog and podcast to present as my senior capstone, and it's exciting to see things coming together! One of these is the development of the MMR podcast cover art. It wasn't available for the teaser last week, so I am presenting it now as another tease for tomorrow's presentation. Behold!

The premier episode of the MMR podcast featuring Muncie singer-songwriter Wes Moore will debut tomorrow (12/9/14) and you don't want to miss that! Stay tuned for further posts and episodes about the best in music and entertainment the Midwest has to offer. The podcast will be ready for subscriptions soon. In the mean time, don't hesitate to spread the word about the MMR! Share this post on your various social media sites, tell your friends to visit midamericanmusic.blogspot.com, and continue to support local music!

I've been Eric, and I'll see you on the flip-side!
@theGoodDeal92