iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Daniel Messé

@danielmesse.bsky.social

537 followers 65 following 135 posts

Songwriter for Hem, Composer/Lyricist for “Amélie the Musical” and “Prelude to a Kiss.” Just here to share the music that’s inspiring me these days.

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Daniel Messé @danielmesse.bsky.social · 20h

Halfway there! www.facebook.com/share/r/1K1b...

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Daniel Messé @danielmesse.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

If anyone is interested in pre-ordering the upcoming album from my new project, Gowanus Radio Orchestra, please check out our Kickstarter: @kickstarter.com www.kickstarter.com/projects/gow...

kickstarter.com

Gowanus Radio Orchestra Sea of Lakes

Gowanus Radio Orchestra is a new collaboration between Daniel Messe of the acclaimed band Hem and performer Caroline Pernick.

Daniel Messé @danielmesse.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

“Dark Out” out now:)

Gowanus Radio Orchestra on Instagram: "Our first single "Dark Out" is out now! Here's what Daniel has to say about the track: It is now August of 2026, and I feel like my fight-or-flight response is...

10 likes, 6 comments - gowanusradio on August 27, 2026: "Our first single "Dark Out" is out now! Here's what Daniel has to say about the track: It is now August of 2026, and I feel like my fight-or-...

Daniel Messé @danielmesse.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

New single, “Dark Out” is being released August 27th!

Daniel Messé @danielmesse.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

I suppose ‘soon’ is relative, but soon…

Daniel Messé @danielmesse.bsky.social · 31/03/2026

News soon!

Daniel Messé @danielmesse.bsky.social · 17/11/2025

Thank you @ryannims.bsky.social for this thoughtful interview!!

Hem - Rabbit Songs 25th Anniversary - KOOP Radio 91.7 FM

Daniel Messé @danielmesse.bsky.social · 08/10/2025

Dear friends, we’re delighted to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of Rabbit Songs with the album’s first-ever vinyl release plus a digital version, fully remastered. Out November 28, and available for pre-order now! 🐇💿 Pre-save / Pre-order link here:

Rabbit Songs (25th Anniversary Edition)

Daniel Messé @danielmesse.bsky.social · 05/10/2025

The Barr Brothers are just masterful songwriters, and their song “Burn Card” is a perfect example of why they are so great at their craft; the extended poker metaphors never feel forced, and meaning is never sacrificed for cleverness. Plus it just sings beautifully!

YouTube video by The Barr Brothers - Topic

Daniel Messé @danielmesse.bsky.social · 03/10/2025

Matt Maltese, live at Brooklyn Bowl, Philadelphia, 10-02-25 Wonderful show!

Matt Maltese performing at Brooklyn Bowl, Philadelphia, 10-02-25
Wonderful show!

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Daniel Messé @danielmesse.bsky.social · 26/09/2025

Foxwarren performing @Underground Arts in Philly, September 25th, 2025. I am obsessed.

Foxwarren performing @Underground Arts in Philadelphia, 09-25-25

Daniel Messé @danielmesse.bsky.social · 11/09/2025

“White Goose” by Anna Tivel, is a laid back revelation of a song, where the natural world gently embraces us humans, reminding us they we too are a part of this world. Awe has never sounded so hushed.

Anna Tivel - White Goose (Official Video)

YouTube video by FluffandGravy

Daniel Messé @danielmesse.bsky.social · 09/09/2025

Just working my way backwards through Andy Shauf’s entire discography. Check out the production on this tune from his 2016 album “The Party”. It sounds like Steely Dan on barbiturates; woozy and sophisticated in equal measure.

Andy Shauf - "Early to the Party"

YouTube video by ANTI- Records

Reposted by Daniel Messé

Hem @hemmusic.bsky.social · 05/08/2025

The album reels are assembled! Now off to Sterling Sound Nashville for vinyl mastering.

Daniel Messé @danielmesse.bsky.social · 16/07/2025

I know nothing about this band/person named “Twain”, but they can sure make a great song! Visionary folk music, sort of in the spirit of early Victoria Williams. Highly recommended!

Are We in Heaven?

YouTube video by Twain - Topic

Daniel Messé @danielmesse.bsky.social · 11/07/2025

How is it possible that Paul Simon is still capable of surprising us in 2025? “Trail of Volcanos” is an exercise in restraint, but reaching for something truly sublime, like a whispered prayer:

Trail of Volcanoes

YouTube video by Paul Simon - Topic

Daniel Messé @danielmesse.bsky.social · 11/07/2025

Still hung up on Charlotte Cornfield. What an incredibly satisfying song:

Charlotte Cornfield - In My Corner (Official Video)

YouTube video by Charlotte Cornfield

Daniel Messé @danielmesse.bsky.social · 04/07/2025

Is there anything more luxuriously comforting than Shirley Horn singing a great old Johnny Mandel / Alan Bergman song?

Where Do You Start

YouTube video by Shirley Horn - Topic

Daniel Messé @danielmesse.bsky.social · 02/07/2025

“We Would Call This Place Our Home” by a band out of the Netherlands called Happy Camper, starts out as this unassuming pinecone of a tune, and grows into a majestic Douglas fir. Naturally, I’m obsessed:

We Would Call This Place Our Home

YouTube video by Happy Camper - Topic

Daniel Messé @danielmesse.bsky.social · 28/06/2025

I’ve mentioned @charlottecornfield.bsky.social before, and my admiration for her work has only grown since then. Her song “Storm Clouds” is an incredible piece of songwriting; the specificity in her lyrics, that incredible repeating bridge/coda, not to mention her performance. It’s all just perfect:

Charlotte Cornfield - Storm Clouds (official audio)

YouTube video by Charlotte Cornfield

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Daniel Messé @danielmesse.bsky.social · 27/06/2025

For the vinyl release of “Rabbit Songs” we’re doing everything we can to go directly from the original 1/2” tapes to the lathe; analog to analog. Today, we finally unearthed the original mixes for “Sailor” (once thought lost). A very good day!

Daniel Messé @danielmesse.bsky.social · 27/06/2025

Okay, I know I just posted about Foxwarren @foxwarrenhq.bsky.social, but that was before I found out that the band just released their 2nd album, and I’m already obsessed. Check out this gorgeous tune: those soft, major-7th-y chord expansions that float in at the choruses just melt me.

Foxwarren - "Dance" (Full Album Stream)

YouTube video by ANTI- Records

Daniel Messé @danielmesse.bsky.social · 22/06/2025

In the past 10 years, some of my favorite artists have realeased some of my favorite albums ever. And the one release I find myself returning to more than any other has to be the 2018 debut from @foxwarrenhq.bsky.social.

open.spotify.com

Foxwarren · Album · 2018 · 10 songs

Daniel Messé @danielmesse.bsky.social · 11/06/2025

I’m breaking my social media fast because this particular version of this particular song is too good not to share. “Perfect Dark (Live at RAK)” by Flyte w/Madison Cunningham:

Perfect Dark (Live at RAK)

YouTube video by Flyte - Topic

Daniel Messé @danielmesse.bsky.social · 01/05/2025

What a show! Just saw Chris Staples playing the most intimate rooftop concert you can imagine. Such a beautiful night of great songs!

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Daniel Messé @danielmesse.bsky.social · 29/04/2025

Would you like to hear a really wonderful instrumental song? “I Fell in Love, Again” by Australian artist Sinj Clarke is as moody as it is melodic; familiar and aloof, like a passerby’s smile.

I Fell in Love, Again

YouTube video by Sinj Clarke - Topic

Daniel Messé @danielmesse.bsky.social · 23/04/2025

Dusting off the Rabbit Songs 1/2” mix reels for the upcoming vinyl release!

Daniel Messé @danielmesse.bsky.social · 13/04/2025

Just heard that we lost William Finn yesterday, and I am remembering that day back in 1990 when I first laid ears on his ‘Falsetto-verse.’ What a revelation! So stylized and theatrical, yet completely grounded in real emotions. It still inspires me after all this time.

March of the Falsettos - A Marriage Proposal / A Tight-Knit Family (Reprise)

YouTube video by matt

Daniel Messé @danielmesse.bsky.social · 12/04/2025

“Every Little Thing” by Maddie Jay and Chase Ceglie is this bejeweled, fuzzy dream of a song. So many good ideas, and hooks upon hooks. Take a listen:

Every Little Thing - Maddie Jay & Chase Ceglie (Visualizer)

YouTube video by Maddie Jay Music

Daniel Messé @danielmesse.bsky.social · 07/04/2025

How does Chris Staples pack so much emotion into his songs when they are so restrained? Take “Always on My Mind”: the bursts of melody are almost sporadic, and the lyrics are basically beautifully-observed haikus. The overall effect is moving, unpretentious, and perfect.

Chris Staples "Always on My Mind" (Official Audio)

YouTube video by Chris Staples Music

Daniel Messé @danielmesse.bsky.social · 03/04/2025

Incredible, and worth the wait! Jeremy Jordan was born to sing this score!

Daniel Messé @danielmesse.bsky.social · 27/03/2025

Holy smokes, the new album from Joshua Burnside is blowing my mind! It feels both original and ancient, like some sort of future myth.

Joshua Burnside - The Good Life (Official Audio)

YouTube video by Joshua Burnside

Daniel Messé @danielmesse.bsky.social · 26/03/2025

Tele Novella describe their music as “coin-operated medieval country songs through a 1950s western lens” which is both evocative and accurate. They totally scratch the same itch as folks like Calexico, Chris Isaak, and the great Jimmie Dale Gilmore.

Tele Novella - Funeral (Official Music Video)

YouTube video by Kill Rock Stars

Daniel Messé @danielmesse.bsky.social · 16/03/2025

This is like the platonic ideal of a country-gospel song! Salvation lies between Johnny Cash’s low-down drawl and Anita Carter’s high-lonesome soprano.

Johnny Cash & The Carter Family - Where You There (1960)

YouTube video by seucrispa

Daniel Messé @danielmesse.bsky.social · 12/03/2025

Listening to this beautiful song by Oisin Leech @oisinleech.bsky.social is the closest I’ve come to experiencing peace in a long time. Highly recommended!

'Colour Of The Rain' by Oisin Leech [Official Performance Video] -Feat. Steve Gunn and Tony Garnier.

YouTube video by Oisin leech

Daniel Messé @danielmesse.bsky.social · 08/03/2025

I am completely charmed by this quirky epic “On The Bus” by a band named “Improvement Movement”. It travels to the most surprising places!

YouTube video by Improvement Movement - Topic

Daniel Messé @danielmesse.bsky.social · 27/02/2025

I know nothing about the band “Twain” but I’m pretty obsessed with their song “Fox (Yup Yup Yup)”. It kinda reminds me of Blitzen Trapper’s “Furr” in its depiction of the natural world and our place within it:

The Fox (Yup Yup Yup)

YouTube video by Twain - Topic

Daniel Messé @danielmesse.bsky.social · 24/02/2025

Self-described “writer song-singer” (love this!) @heathermaloney.bsky.social is certainly not lacking in ambition on her latest album; exuberant & alive, and bursting with imagery, “Exploding Star” is the title track, and it’s also a perfect description of her maximalist approach to songwriting.

Daniel Messé @danielmesse.bsky.social · 21/02/2025

Jim Pepper was a songwriter who found a way to combine jazz with his Native American heritage. His recordings are def worth seeking out if you’re unfamiliar. Here’s his most famous song, “Witchi Tai To” as performed by chamber pop pioneers “Harpers Bizarre”. The results are psychedelic perfection:

Daniel Messé @danielmesse.bsky.social · 19/02/2025

This terrific little song by “Viv & Riley” really captures the creeping dread that has stalked us all these last few years. The sweet, easygoing melody disguises an apocalyptic lyric, where the world ends, not with a bang, but a Warby Parker. “Is It All Over?” by Viv & Riley:

Daniel Messé @danielmesse.bsky.social · 18/02/2025

“The Magazine” by Rickie Lee Jones might just be the most under-appreciated album I know.

The Magazine - YouTube

Daniel Messé @danielmesse.bsky.social · 08/02/2025

There’s a whole category of music that is made to played while driving at night. I don’t know if this genre has a name, but I do know it’s summed up by one song: “Moonlight Mile” by The Rolling Stones

Daniel Messé @danielmesse.bsky.social · 06/02/2025

Joshua Lee Turner and Allison Young are absolutely killing it as “The Bygones”. Here they are taking on a fine old Roger Miller tune, “Been a Long Time Leavin’”. The quality of musicianship on display here is mind-blowing:

Daniel Messé @danielmesse.bsky.social · 05/02/2025

All my favorite songwriters love Sam Phillips, and you should too. “Sister Rosetta Goes Before Us” is arguably her masterpiece, and a perfect place to start if you’re unfamiliar with her work:

Daniel Messé @danielmesse.bsky.social · 03/02/2025

I am super impressed by Toronto-based songwriter, Charlotte Cornfield @charlottecornfield.bsky.social She has a great ear for mining hooks out of the unlikeliest melodies, and a great eye for specific, yet really nuanced details in her lyrics:

Daniel Messé @danielmesse.bsky.social · 01/02/2025

“What makes a house grand Ain't the roof or the doors. If there's love in a house It's a palace for sure.” — “The House Where Nobody Lives” by Tom Waits If ever a lyric deserved to be stitched in needlepoint and hung over a mantle, it is this one.

Daniel Messé @danielmesse.bsky.social · 31/01/2025

“All Dead, All Dead” by Queen is a great song for many reasons, not least of which are the production/arrangement ideas. The drums bursting in halfway through the chorus (and then out just as suddenly) shouldn’t work, but it’s tremendously effective. Small gestures, executed boldly is the lesson.

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Daniel Messé @danielmesse.bsky.social · 30/01/2025

New release from long-time favorite, Sam Amidon @samamidon.bsky.social. If you’re unfamiliar with his work, he is known for boldly original reinterpretations of old folk songs. The new album has him working his magic on everyone from Ornette Coleman to Yoko Ono, plus great originals like this one:

Daniel Messé @danielmesse.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

When Wings released “Band on the Run” not only did they give us 4 hits in one, but they also included maybe the single greatest guitar lick ever recorded; coming out of “giving it all away” (talk about an appropriate lyric!) youtube.com/clip/UgkxcGy...

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Daniel Messé @danielmesse.bsky.social · 26/01/2025

I miss David Lynch already. I find myself returning to this scene in particle, from his masterpiece, “Mulholland Drive”. That tension between comforting and threatening is instructive to say the least.