Category: Features

Posted on: July 11, 2019 Posted by: John B. Moore Comments: 0

Various Artists – This Is The Town: A Tribute To Nilsson (Volume 2) (CD)

Tribute albums are almost always a mixed bag. And this second volume of Harry Nilsson songs is no exception. The covers run the gamut from incredible (Cheap Trick covering “Ambush” and Adam Matta’s beatbox accompaniment on “Driving Along”) to the quirky (Valley Queen’s peculiar version of “I Guess The Lord Must Be in New York City” and Belle-Skinner’s ukulele-backed “Open Your Window”) to the simply uninspired (Invisible Familiar’s trippy take…

Posted on: July 10, 2019 Posted by: Kim Muncie Comments: 0

Fenix & SM1LO deliver amazing new LP and Mixes

FENIX URL: http://www.djfenix.com/ The synthesizer has been a staple in electronica since the earliest days of the genre, but Fenix & SM1LO manipulate it through a uniquely surreal lens that I really didn’t expect to hear in their new album, Where We Begin. Where We Begin is a miniature musical library centering on its title track and thirteen diversely appointed mixes, studio edits and remixes that capture different elements within…

Posted on: July 9, 2019 Posted by: John B. Moore Comments: 0

Soundgarden – Superunknown [Vinyl Reissue] (A&M/UMe)

To mark the Soundgarden’s 35th anniversary, A&M and UMe are putting out a slew of re-releases by band, including classic albums in limited edition colored vinyl. So now seems like an ideal time to revisit their best-selling and arguable flawless fourth album Superunknown. Initially put out in 1994, at the crest of the grunge movement, Soundgarden – one of the pioneers of the Seattle sound and a band that had already been…

Posted on: July 8, 2019 Posted by: Sargeant Comments: 0

Hoozbah – Do Better

Funny Little Situation is the lead-off track from Hoozbah’s new release, Do Better. The track calls back to the alt-rock of the 1990s with nods to acts like The Dandy Warhols and Pulp. A lush production is present here, allowing the assertive guitars and Depeche Mode-infused vocals to shine separately or on their own. Slip n Slide shifts things up with a bit of blues a bit of rock, and…

Posted on: July 8, 2019 Posted by: Sargeant Comments: 0

Black Lion – Survive (Remix)

On Survive, Black Lion is able to lay down some intense bars with a haunting backing beat. Punchy lyrics and smart wordplay unite with something that could easily have came out of early Kanye or J. Dilla production. The pair of features here (Testament & Ray Robinson) are able to add a little variety. Whether it be the R&B-tinged vocals or a flow that builds upon the work of mid…

Posted on: July 8, 2019 Posted by: Sargeant Comments: 0

Drew Chale – ‘Incredibly Beautiful’

On Incredibly Beautiful, Drew Chale is able to insert a tremendously impacting set of vocals upon a dreamy instrumentation. The synth and voice intertwine quite nicely here, with enough happening in the background for fans to continue to find new twists and turns five or ten plays in. There are nods here to the 1980s new wave movement as well as the mid to late-1990s emo genre. By blending together…

Posted on: July 5, 2019 Posted by: Sargeant Comments: 0

Dinzy – Lie To Yourself

On Lie To Yourself, Dinzy is able to build up a hooky rock sound with a supersonic, charismatic set of vocals. The combined one-two punch of vox and guitars/drums are enough to tattoo the melodies of Lie To Yourself deep into the hearts and minds of listeners. I feel that Dinzy separates herself from the rest of up and coming rockers in that she is able to successfully bring in…

Posted on: July 5, 2019 Posted by: Kim Muncie Comments: 0

Integriti Reeves’ surreal single “Eu Vim Da Bahia”

You don’t have to be fluent in Spanish to appreciate the depth of emotionality in Integriti Reeves’ surreal single “Eu Vim Da Bahia,” as its plethora of expressive melodies communicate everything that listeners need to know in this three minute Latin jazz wonder. Like the other songs found on her debut EP Stairway to the Stars, “Eu Vim Da Bahia” sees Reeves experimenting with different styles and sounds, blending influences…

Posted on: June 28, 2019 Posted by: Kim Muncie Comments: 0

Matthew John’s “Let’s Begin Again”

Blues guitar is an instant mood-setter in any song, and for anyone who ever needed some proof supporting this fact, Matthew John’s “Let’s Begin Again” is a superb example of what fine-tuned, forlorn fretwork can do for an otherwise simple pop ballad. John slows down the swing of his strings for “Shine for Me,” but reminds us of the value in a slender arrangement of electric melancholy in his song…

Posted on: June 28, 2019 Posted by: John B. Moore Comments: 0

A Picture Made – Heal (CD)

More than three decades in the making, Heal, the debut record from A Picture Made, though ridiculously long overdue, manages to have been worth the wait. The Midwest kids (though long past being kids) came together in the 1980s and managed to open for some of the best college rock bands at the time, from The Call and The Connells to The Replacements. It’s not clear if it was a…

Posted on: June 28, 2019 Posted by: John B. Moore Comments: 0

Ellis Paul – The Storyteller’s Suitcase (CD)

There’s not much grey area to Ellis Paul’s music: You either like the modern day folkie’s music or you don’t. And if you do happen to fall into former category, chances are you love it. Like John Prine and Gary Clark before him, minus the country/Americana influences, Paul is first and foremost a lyricist, telling a story with each and every song he puts out. The Storyteller’s Suitcase, Paul’s 20th…

Posted on: June 28, 2019 Posted by: John B. Moore Comments: 0

Lukas Nelson & Promise Of The Real – Turn Off The News Build a Garden (CD)

The title track to Lukas Nelson’s fifth album pretty much sums up the focus of the record; people are generally good, so let’s focus on being kind to each other. And yes, it’s the type of sentiment that gets one branded a snowflake in 2019, but damn it’s good advice. And it sounds even better coming out in Nelson’s lazy, comforting drawl, backed by one of the best bands going…

Posted on: June 28, 2019 Posted by: Kim Muncie Comments: 0

Ela releases “Light It Up” (single)

Ela has earned a promising following since relocating from San Francisco to the state capital of Texas and musical hub Austin. She calls upon an assortment of influences in her music, but the lineage for her latest single “Light It Up” is pretty clear cut. This well crafted dance/edm track has a near orchestrated flair – it doesn’t show its cards all at once but, instead, rises from the group…

Posted on: June 28, 2019 Posted by: Kim Muncie Comments: 0

Singer/songwriter Joseph Eid returns this summer

URL: https://www.josepheidmusic.com/ Singer/songwriter Joseph Eid returns this summer with a buoyant pop jam in the form of his new music video and single “Listening to Madonna,” a track that sees him embracing the lighter side of melodicism with a vitality that is all too rare these days. Eid attacks the verses aggressively, but the harmonies that he churns out beside his glistening guitar are anything but assaultive in tone. “Listening…

Posted on: June 27, 2019 Posted by: John B. Moore Comments: 0

Chuck Mead – Close To Home

It seems pretty appt that one-time BR5-49 member Chuck Mead would head to the iconic Sam Phillips Recording Studios in Memphis to make his latest as few in the Americana world have come across as easily an instant classic as Mead. Even though the band first came out in the ‘90s they had an instant timelessness to their music that you’d have been forgiven for assuming they’d cropped up in…

Posted on: June 24, 2019 Posted by: Sargeant Comments: 0

Barnaby Bright – Self-Titled (CD)

Sometimes it takes the subtleness of a folk song to really hammer home a point. On the lead off track (“This is Life”) to their self-titled new album, the Kansas City duo Barnaby Bright deftly cover the struggles war vets face after coming home. The track leads off with sound clips from George W. Bush and Trump saber rattling, a sound collage that wouldn’t sound unusual as the intro to…

Posted on: June 21, 2019 Posted by: Kim Muncie Comments: 0

The Blood and the River (LP) by LaTresa & the Signal

“The disciples were aboard a boat / Jesus slept alone…” croons LaTresa whilst her band the Signal dispatches a gorgeous bluegrass groove that is rich with a rare breed of American vitality in “Sea of Galilee.” This cornerstone track of their new album The Blood and the River is light and airy in its rhythmic construction, but its words deliver a walloping weightiness that will affect anyone with an ear…

Posted on: June 21, 2019 Posted by: Cyrus Rhodes Comments: 0

Holy Beach drops a Salvo

Holy Beach’s opening salvo “Ships Off The Coast” signals their first full length album All That Matters Is This Matter isn’t playing around. There’s some vivid imagery in the lyrics and vocalist/songwriter John Lally gets everything he can out of the writing thanks to his lung power and dramatic phrasing alike. Though the song and album as a whole are definitely metal, but listeners will note there is little lead…

Posted on: June 20, 2019 Posted by: Kim Muncie Comments: 0

Oliver Ray’s Out Passed Nowhere

Emerging from the shadows like a thief in the night, the somber string reverberations of “Edge City” invite us into a nearly ten minute-long closing epic that brings audiences full circle to where we first began in Oliver Ray’s Out Passed Nowhere, the debut album from the acclaimed singer/songwriter due out this June everywhere that independent music is sold and streamed. In our first look at his solo work, Ray…

Posted on: June 19, 2019 Posted by: Sargeant Comments: 1

Legion of Saints – Killing The Silence

Wretched Cabaret is a smart inclusion for the opening spot of Legion of Saints’ new EP, Killing The Silence. The assertive backing instrumentation and charismatic lead vocals invite fans in, while the thoughtful arrangement will interested even the most jaded music aficionado. Can’t Make You Fall in Love with Me is a high-energy track that adds a bit of heavy guitar edge to a mid-oughts Billie Joe Armstrong style of…