If you regularly go to Starbucks, you have probably noticed these ‘pick of the week’ cards that allow you to download a free song on iTunes with a redeem code. They have been doing this for years and recently, they have also offered other cards for free videos, e-books, apps,… It all started around 2006, when Starbucks and Apple became partners and launched a Starbucks Entertainment Area within iTunes and an iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store at select Starbucks locations, which I conveniently see at every location these days!
A free digital download is always a good deal, and I occasionally take these free-song cards when I visit Starbucks. Sometimes, I forget about the card and let the code expire – obviously when I am not always motivated by the song – other times I download it, but, no matter what, why not writing about it every time I pick one of these cards?
This week, it’s ‘Open’ by Rhye. I have heard of them, never listened to any of their songs, but I should have since they are from Los Angeles! Actually Rhye is two guys, Mike Milosh, who is Canadian, and Robin Hannibal, who is Danish, and they have only released one album, ‘Woman’ last March, so they are pretty new to the scene, or are they? Not totally as Hannibal was a member of Quadron.
‘Open’ is a slow opus, all glittering of its electronic beats and this ethereal silky voice,… but wait a minute, it is really a guy who is singing?? Obviously you could easily mistaken him for Sade. There is an obvious lush/soul/sensual feeling going on, but the lyrics are way more torrid than the music itself,… it’s a love making song, traveling all over the body, with that sexy chorus, ‘Mm, but stay, don’t close your eyes/Ooh, stay open/ Ooh, stay open’ and I don’t think he is still talking about the eyes there. The ambiance is smooth bedroom dream pop, with some electronic and some nice strings, and it could find its place between anything from James Blake or the XX?
Pitchfork and the critics in general have really praised ‘Woman’, and ‘Open’, which was one of the two singles,.. it’s now in my iTunes collection between Rhett Miller and Rilo Kiley, but it’s fine there, but I am not sure I will listen to it often.
Download Code: 4N3RK4RYM39R