On 27 Summers, Nas comes forth with a bold testimony about his staying powers. Confident as ever, Nas is able to create a track that is simultaneously hard-hitting while keeping just enough crossover appeal. The lyrical content of Nas’s bars reads like a James Joyce book; there are so many nods to past and present happenings and Nas’s own experiences during this cut. 27 Summers portends another season of fantastic…
Keep Climbing is a stellar track calling back to the rap of the early 1990s. With a positive, heady message that will continue to showcase itself to listeners even five or ten plays in, Shaheed has ensured that music can do more than get people out on the dance floor. With the other side of the track being lit up by Dj Supreme’s work, there’s nary a place or approach…
Paydro’s “Feel Like Da Bank” is one of those cuts that will immediately make listeners’ head spin around. The confidence exuded in each lyric melds perfectly with the booming bass and ono-point percussion. The punctuation of Paydro’s flow with single-word responses kicks things into an entirely higher level. While Paydro jumps on back to the “modern gangster” era of Rick Ross and 50 Cent, there’s a crispness to the delivery…
Theodor Bastard’s “Les” is a darkly rich effort that ties together the trip-hop of acts like Massive Attack and Portishead with more atmospheric and ethereal sounds. Listeners’ expectations from this track are continually shattered. The vocals float in and out of lyrical and musical modes, while the instrumentation bubbles up into threatening to take over the track just as easily as it slides into a more sedate, collaborative mode. There’re…
Garmarna’s “Dagen Flyr” starts out with an emphatic drum beat and alluring vocals. The track will have listeners by the throat as Garmarna continues to increase their tempo. The drum/vox dynamic gradually shifts to allow more of thee act to shine; bass guitar lines and strings unite to make a considerable mass hurtling toward listeners. The effort links together Switchblade Symphony with traditional metal, adding in just a hint of…
Jaimie Steck’s Boomerang is a fun pop track that has a bit Madonna, a bit Christina Aguilera, and Jaimie’s own unique take on things. The backing instrumentation has a hint of middle eastern flair, all while keeping a solid momentum for the song. Steck is able to do double duty here in that she can create vibrant vocal statements while adding mightily to the overall harmonies achieved by the percussion…
Rough Minds’s “Songs Out Loud” has an ample amount of fuzz present from the onset. The track really feels at home in the mid-1990s alternative rock scene. The catchy chorus and killer guitar licks take in a hint of Weezer, but there’s even some Boston and Cheap Trick to really moor the band’s influence into an earlier tradition. Songs Out Loud is a fantastic track that will have listeners’ toes…
Marvin Etzioni’s “Love Letter To Democracy” is a track that revitalizes the singer-songwriter model of performers like Billy Joel and mid-seventies David Bowie, all while allowing listeners ample access to his own unique style. Little more is present in this track besides Etzioni’s vocals and a set of pianos / synths, but the combination of those two is able to establish something that is epic in its sound. By tackling…
On “We All Fly Together or We Don’t Fly at All”, Robyn McCorquodale is able to create a sweeping effort that showcases how important it is to provide support for every human. This is through being caring and helpful. A deliberate approach here is taken here to match the instrumentation to Robyn’s vocals. Emotional synths, punctual percussion, and just enough in the way of bass guitar ensure that the track…
Thee Holy Brothers’s “Lift You Up” is an effort that exhorts anyone listening in to a higher purpose. With the additional vocals laid down here (Stephon Ferguson taking up the words of Martin Luther King), the track is able to really resonate in the minds of hearts of all that dig into the composition. The bit of clap-work that is incorporated to Lift You Up contributes to a deeper sound,…
The Loft Club’s “Flicker” is an inspirational and hopeful alt-rock track track that incorporates a little math-rock, a little indie, and a little bit of the 1990s. Adding in some guest vocals from Lisa Loeb, The Loft Club are able to create in Flicker a song that is utterly timeless in its execution. The taut instrumentation that plays in the background perfects the mid-oughts indie (e.g. Deep Elm Records) sound.…
Trav Torch goes back into an early-nineties R&B groove with his latest track, Do It Again. Fans will be falling off of each and every line that follows forth here; the bit of luxurious synths and percussion is precisely what is needed to further flesh out this narrative. There’s just a hint of electronic snap that plays at the back of Do It Again that firmly grounds the track into…
Jaybandsome’s “Looking Up” has an honest and earnest sound to it that will immediately draw listeners in. The lyrical side of things is given a spotlight, while the backing beat is able to build up and reach prominence a number of times during this single. The percussion/vocal dynamic here is perhaps the most interesting part of Looking Up, as they continue to reach for a dominant position. The song is…
Meresha’s Red Headed Lover is a wonderful ode to early 1990s dance music. The luxurious synths and supersonic vocals will appease fans of artists as wide-ranging as the Zapp Band and Taylor Dayne, all while Meresha is imprinting the track with her own unique flair. The fat bass line that kicks into Red Headed Lover is particularly fun, further separating this track from the rest of the music currently garnering…
On 801, The Aces are able to establish a layered, emotional effort that has a wonderful blend of 1990s-tinged vocals and ethereal compositions. Even adding a hint of reggae into the mix, this song is able to speak volumes to anyone fortunate enough to listen in. The lyrics provide considerable narrative to the composition, but the dynamic between the constituent instrumental elements contributes mightily to the story that the band…
Rotation, the latest effort from Legaxy, is a track that will undoubtedly garner attention as it rolls out to a wider audience. There’s a memorable, booming bassy beat that represents the backend of the song. The silken vocals that come forth at the single’s beginning will get listeners singing along, while the track keeps interesting when the slightly harder-edged flow kicks in. Rotation has enough to it to work well…
Malek Hanna’s Beautiful Stranger is an alluring pop single that calls back to the highwater mark of the 1990s. During his latest single, Hanna builds upon the tradition of Enrique Iglesias and Robbie Williams. The song is extraordinarily cohesive as Malek pulls double-duty here. More than just convey the overall narrative of the track, he is able to interact with the guitars and drums. This has the effect of bolstering…
Meditation is an excellent and satisfying way of bringing yourself into the present moment. There are many different forms of meditation to ground us, and provide the energy and focus we need to get through the day without feeling burnt out. One of the ways to meditate is through Japanese Tea with Magic Mushrooms Meditation. Tea Meditation is a Japanese art that one can understand, albeit not quickly enough for…
GoodLook’s “Good Friday” is a track that refreshes the hardcore rap style of NWA and Beatie Boys. With vinyl scratching and booming bass beats, the backing instrumentation to this track will assuredly get listeners out on the dance floor. The confidence and lyrics laid down here by GoodLook will endear the performer to anyone listening in. By creating a track that so faithfully recreates the first decade of rap music,…
Creaky Crooked Woman has a funky, bluesy sound to it. There are nods to acts as diverse as The Rolling Stones, Jethro Tull, and Primus in the overall instrumentation that is present here. The funky, gonzo type of take that War Panties create here calls back to the halcyon days of the 1970s, but there’s a brightness and vitality to this composition that speaks to modern generations perfectly. Delaware Cornfields…