This Seoul, Korea trio is less a band in the usual sense than they are creators of moods, other-worldly sounds and heavy metal tapestries. Giving off a unique mixture of hard rock fused with unexpected Korean musical traditions, they make atypical twists and turns with regard to volume, tempo, atmosphere and instruments used. Songs rolling along with a biting, American industrial vibe one minute may turn into monastic soundscapes focusing…
“Signal Drift,” the first song on Aloha’s new record (out 6 May 2016) is arguably the most futuristic-sounding song, this side of the year 2050. The sonically quirky instrumentation create an automated piece of efficient pop perfection one would expect to hear over loudspeakers in a Jetson’s-era shopping mall. If sounds had hues, this would be bright technicolor. While the record is a huge overall nod to prog rock, there…
Jordan Geiger (AKA Hospital Ships) has created a seemingly minimalist. meditative output with The Past Is Not A Flood. Minimalist, that is, until the we the listeners realize just how much is actually going on beneath the main piano or synths that are the foundations for this six-song record. Moving along at a pace best described as “drifting,” the songs bring us washes of guitars, drums, percussion and other sounds…
The first single from Living Hour’s upcoming record (out February 19 on Lefse Records) can stack up against any band who performed this style of dreampop/shoegaze when those genres were in their heyday. The uplifting, majestic vocals reach past heaven with a shimmering reverb taking the listener to a world of psychedelic bliss that is only present for a short time during our teen years. The two halves of the…
On Night Fiction, Cian Nugent creates the exact kind of long-flowing, pastoral melodies one would think of when picturing the green Irish countryside. Be they fast and rolling or slowly minimalist, the achingly beautiful sounds display a bucolic quality that lets the listener absorb every detail of the deep audio reflections.
For years, TW Walsh was a member of Pedro The Lion alongside his collaborator, David Bazan. With Songs of Pain and Leisure (2011) and now this, his latest upcoming record, Walsh proves to be a singer/songwriter of equally talented proportions who for reasons unknown, seemed to take a back seat to Bazan.
Trance-inducing quasi disco beats; cold, monochromatic vocals and “drippy” synthesized bleeps and dots characterize “You Are Mine,” the first single from Daddy’s upcoming record “Let Me Get What I Want.” The spring 2016 release is a part of a multi-media project consisting of a record, poems, individual music videos and an hour-long film with no beginning or end.
Apollo LTD’s obvious understanding of what makes a good “pop” song is highlighted in “What Are You Waiting For.” All elements are present from bouncy dance beats to hook-laden vocals (which include falsettos) that will make this song fit in at parties as well as on mainstream radio.
Washington, DC-based Vandaveer take predictable Indie folk/roots rock and give it a majestic sheen. “But Enough On That For Now,” the first single off their upcoming release The Wild Mercury waxes philosophical on the mortality of humans to the sound of Coldplay-meets-Emmylou Harris vocals.
Who says there’s nothing new under the sun? I do. In an era where truly original idea are all but completely exhausted, the best we can hope for is an act that is doing things in a less common, if not a groundbreaking way. Kitty, Daisy and Lewis’ musical approach on “The Third” is one road that has seen considerably less traffic than most.
