There are many ways to experiment with minimalism, but Sp8ce Owl might have just found my favorite method in the new single “Dancing in an Empty Room,” which is currently out and gaining some serious steam in indie circles this December. Comprised of a lo-fi melody and a rather curious arrangement of beats, “Dancing in an Empty Room” is everything its title would suggest it is – dark, isolated, and…
Big swinging drums and the chime of sleighbells await those who take a peek at the new music video for Ingrid Michaelson’s “Merry Christmas, Happy New Year,” and between the rambunctious rhythm and the gilded harmony Michaelson stirs up with Zooey Deschanel, this is a song almost certain to get you in the Christmas spirit. There’s been a lot of talk about minimalism in American pop music recently, but this…
Sometimes, and this is especially true of Christmas music, simple is the only way to go. We don’t need a lot of symphonic lusters to appreciate the melody of “Silent Night,” nor do a slew of electric guitar solos induce chills any greater than the simple piano keys of a humble “Jingle Bells,” and I think this is something on the minds of The Tano Jones Revelry when they recently…
Laura Davies is looking to spill blood all over the dancefloor this autumn. There’s no insularity in her vocal, no hesitance in her steps; in the new single “Do You Feel?” and its epically dark music video, we’re invited into a world of grim melodicism and electropop-influenced grooving unlike the contemporary holiday harmonies you’re probably already sick of hearing this month, and as much as the aesthetics come in contrast…
“ As far as beats go, there’s never been a Harper Starling song that didn’t feature something worthwhile. In fact, for as gifted a singer as she is I actually think that Starling’s artistry is more reliant on percussive prowess in making a statement than it is her crooning abilities. It’s undeniable that her voice is the cherry in “Cannot Tell a Lie,” but between the enormous grooves in the…
High contrast and low-fidelity, Andrew Reed & the Liberation’s music video for “Twisted World” is both visually enrapturing and sonically demanding of our attention, pushing the line between modern and old school post-punk conceptualism more than enough to be considered an instant classic. Reed slams us with layer upon layer of melodic noise, but at the heart of his performance exists a harmony as gilded as something out of The…
“But I want you to know / I’ll always be here / I’ve got nowhere to go / I’m just trying to be clear,” pleads Barry Muir in the ascent towards the climax of his new single “Weathered the Storm.” His words don’t have the desperation that might have with a different singer conveying them to the audience; he’s a man on a mission in this performance, and that mission…
Comprised of elements both synthetic and startlingly organic in nature, the clandestinely romantic “Earth and Air” immediately feels like an energized take on a classic Echo & the Bunnymen sound, but with a twist – it’s steeped in too much modernity to be a true throwback. Such is the case with the other dozen songs included in BD Gottfried’s new album Onion Doves, but this lead single perhaps encapsulates the motif…
Sometimes, in order to create fluidity in an exceptionally conceptual piece of music, you’ve got to utilize contrast a little more than the status quo calls for, and I think this is definitely true in the new extended play Equinox by Aquarius. Although it sports many of the same attributes a conventional rock record would – vocals, guitar, a sense of machismo coupled with a delicate songwriting pedigree – Equinox is an indie rock…
Minimalist ala “Care” and calculated in “Jump” and the clean-cut of “Cool,” there’s something rather efficient and cunning about the construction of most tracks in the new self-titled album from Whoop this season, which is quickly becoming one of my go-to alternative rock listens of the late year. URL: https://www.whooptheband.com/ Without sacrificing any of the melodic wit and detail that separates their sound from that of the masses in 2021,…
