During Charon, Jordan Rome is able to create a compelling instrumental backdrop that is part Jethro Tull, part Low Man’s Lyric-era Metallica. The guitar and vocals act here as complementary narrative components. Drums punctuate the backdrop of Charon. Little more is needed during this composition than Jordan’s voice, guitars, and drums; the resultant combination of these elements establishes a melody that will bury itself deeply into listeners’ minds. Never content…
Hello Robert. How goes it in these interesting times? Hi James. Yes, these are definitely interesting times. I’ve been keeping very busy, mainly due to the new Better Day release. I’m pretty much in my office morning, noon and night, so I don’t go out much and when I do there’s nobody on the roads, which is strange and cool at the same time. I live in the upper Northeast…
Trap Fashion, the latest track by Baltimore’s Cutty Kev, has an airy production and a delivery style that is infectious as all get out. With a style that takes hints of TK N Cash and T-Pain, Cutty Kev is able to bring people out to the dance floor. Hooky choruses and a smart feature (Tae Wilson) keep listener interest in this song high. Cutting out before the 3 minute mark,…
The Dead Daisies’s new single link together Cinderella, AC/DC’s “For Those About To Rock”, Chris Cornell-infused vocals, and just enough in the way of blues-rock playing in the background to make for an emphatic effort that will resound with listeners long after the track ceased plays. Unspoken’s tempo is insistent with the guitars and drums combining to make a fulfilling wall of sound. Guitar licks and emotionally heavy vox establish…
David D’Angelo’s Priceless Commodity is a trippy, otherworldly rap track in the vein of Kid Cudi or Danny Brown. The rap flow contributed by MayDay is intricate, intimate, and ultimately does a number of things over the course of the track. Of course, the narration given Priceless Commodity is smart, but the method in which the bars are delivered are immediately inviting. The track is able to take a j-curve…
Lila Blue’s new single The Dead is interesting in that the beginning immediately unites LB’s vocals with a humming, new age-inspired synth. With such a large force playing out in the back ground, it has the effect of providing considerable highlighting for both Lila’s voice and the narrative that issues forth on the single. The vocal range achieved by Lila Blue on this single is fantastic; low and high notes…
lotusbliss creates a haunting, electronic-tinged composition in their Carpet. With dreamy vocals and bits of 1980s new wave and synthpop, lotusbliss is able to build off of Depeche Mode and Erasure. The tautness of the composition here is stellar. The dynamic that is established between the stringed and electronic elements pushes each to a higher plateau. Impressive as well is the ability for the band to change the overall sound…
Change My Ways has Kailey Nicole refresh the poppy, singer-songwriter style of the mid-1990s. This means that there are nods to Sheryl Crow, Fione Apple, and even Jewel here. The backing instrumentation on this single crosses over between rock and country pop. Taken together, these vocals and guitars unite to make for something that is tremendously easy on one’s ears, all while holding up well to multiple spins. Kailey Nicole’s…
Stay Alive is a touching, tender track that needs little more on its onset besides Mustafa’s dulcet tones and a guitar. The light touch taken by the production during this single allows these elements to shine without modification. Providing listeners with a cogent narrative, Mustafa ensures that fans will be sticking around with Stay Alive until the final notes. Few debuts are able to make such a splash. As a…
During Many Lives, Howlin’ Whale is able to blend the soulful style of Billie Holiday and Nancy Sinatra with a first-wave ska meets reggae sort of approach. With a bouncy bass, laid-back style, and just a hint of 19th-century classical, Many Lives is one of the more robust efforts we’ve heard this years. This means that even after five or ten plays, fans will continue to find additional twists and…
Celebre is a hopeful effort that soars on the tremendous chorus of voices that have joined together to provide a spotlight on a tremendous facility. Linking together the contributions of Malou Beauvoir with her productions, what issues forth on Celebre is a timeless effort that links together island sounds with a rapid-fire vocal delivery. A considerable boost to Celebre’s tempo at around the 2:40 will have listeners get out of…
On Antherius’s cover of John Berry’s theme for Midnight Cowboy, there is a distinct sense of reverence for the source material. At the same time, the performer is able to bring his own unique flair into the track. The bit of additional fuzz and electricity that is inserted here acts as an updated for the city showcased in the 1969 film. The sweeping synth lines present here have a hopeful,…
On Whole Zaddy, Sean Joseph is able to build upon the unique styles of Lil Dicky and French Montana. SJ’s wordplay is top-notch here, as is the rapid-fire delivery of each of these bars. His latest single is provided additional oomph through booming bass beats and dark, brooding keys. Throwing in female vocals at point provides further differentiation, establishing an effort that is dynamic and will constantly have fans turning…
Jenn Nucum’s new single Snakebite is emotive, touching, and immediately tells a story from the onset of the haunting guitar work that begins the effort. Jenn’s voice and instrumentation rise and fall together. The gradual increase in Snakebite’s tempo through the 2:45 ark allows the final minute of the single’s run time ample opportunity to move into more emotionally impacting fare. Snakebite is able to model the sheer intensity of…
Better Angels, the latest effort from Lauren Calve, skillfully calls back to mid-1990s country like Martina McBride and Shania Twain while incorporating a bit of Sheryl Crow and Jewel. Rich vocals unite with a Seger-meets-steel guitar approach. Calve’s vocal range is huge here, as she is able to not only tell fans a story but provide further finesse to the backing instrumentation. The guitar / drum dynamic at around the…
Hot Shot Kixxx create a fascinating brand of rock music with their Tadpoles. Intense guitar work calls back to the post-hardcore style, while the slinky sound of the act links together Muse, Jane’s Addiction, and System of a Down. The intense instrumental section encountered during the 1:40 mark builds upon the framework of acts like Tool and The Deftones. Tadpoles is a hard-rocking track that easily moves through a number…
On Maybe, Tina Tara is able to refresh the pop and dance styles of performers like Jennifer Lopez and Amber to the modern era. Confident vocals and a robust, bouncy beat unite to create a song that will have fans singing along long after the effort ceases to play. Tina Tara is able to differentiate herself from the rest of the pop scene by showcasing considerable vocal prowess. Adding mightily…
Crushing us under a weighty sonic wallop in tracks like its title cut while employing for more understated methods of attack in songs like “Drama Bomb,” “Más” and “Bloodsuckers,” Juán Tigre are leaving no stone unturned in their quest to turn zany patches of white noise into thick bands of rhythm and rhyme that anyone can fall in love with in their debut album, The Dream Catcher. Though skewed with relatable…
Guy Ritchie has been sorely missed for the past decade or so. Sure, he was making movies (Aladdin, Sherlock Holmes, King Artur, etc.), but he wasn’t making GUY RITCHIE movies; movies filled with memorable gangsters, senseless violence, questionable protagonist and whip smart quotable dialogue. You have to go all the way back to 2008’s RocknRolla to even come close to prime Ritchie (Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch). The…
On Earth, Algorhythm is able to craft an immersive effort that ties together free-form jazz, Frank Zappa, Captain Beefheart, Gil Scott-Heron, and contemporary jam music. At any second during this single, the band can set off on a bold new trajectory from what they had previously utilized. The glue that binds together these disparate elements is the act’s tremendous musical skill. Fans can do little but be entranced by this…