Ricky Rebel’s Magic Carpet is an energetic effort that possesses hints of Latin and middle eastern style, all while calling back to the pop style of the mid-oughts. The eclectic sound that Ricky Rebel crafts here will bury itself deep into the minds and hearts of listeners. We’re particularly impressed at Ricky Rebel’s ability to both tell a story and add an additional level of depth to the backing instrumentation.…
The most notable facet of this book, for me, is its lack of a dogmatic or partisan point of view. Ira Kaufman and Velimir Srića’s The World is Broken, We Need to Fix It: Path to Strategic Harmony acknowledges and examines the many challenges humanity faces nearly twenty years into the 21st century, but it never latches onto a particular school of political thought, but rather takes a broad-based humanistic…
Two years. That’s how long Stars in Toledo have been building a relationship as a band. Two short years. And yet, when I listen to their eponymous debut album, I don’t hear a group of musicians who have only spent a couple of holiday seasons together as a family of artists. I hear a band that has found their groove and gotten in sync with each other in a way…
URL: https://www.doublevee.net/ The “alternative” branding, as it currently stands in contemporary pop music, doesn’t mean a whole lot to very many people anymore, and it’s got nothing to do with the sudden death of a culture or the musicians who inarguably brought it to life in the first place. It’s because the term has been overused, misapplied and skewed with inarticulate subtexts; but in the case of Songs for Birds…
With Sotto Voce’s latest LP, Safety, it’s mastermind Ryan Gabos seems to have finally perfected his brand of moody, sometimes drowsy, pop music. The Pittsburgh native now holed up in Brooklyn (naturally), plays all of the instruments here, down to the programmed drum beats, and the result is a tidy satisfying collection of digestible pop ditties that swirl around long after you stop playing them. Residing somewhere between Yo La…
Be Nice is a fun pop track that is wholly unique when compared to the rest of the music clogging up terrestrial radio. C’Marie is able to build her own unique style upon the framework initially laid down by Corinne Bailey Rae and Ciara, while bringing to bear some seriously fun backing beats. With a bouncy, 1990s-infused pop / dance approach, Be Nice is one of those tracks that does…
For a song named iLoveJustinBieber, Jack Bruno comes out with a sick flow. With a hard-hitting set of bars and a chorus that blends together Tech N9ne and Three Loco, Jack Bruno is able to work with current rap and trap styles. Bruno’s output here is nothing less than impressive, telling a story as he adds a bit of finesse to the booming beats and clap track that represent the…
Yungeen Ace is able to tie together a southern rap style with a tortured, emotionally intense flow that showcases the other side of trapping. Few rappers are able to come forth with such an honest flow, and it’s one of the strongest facets for So Long. Listeners are able to get a tremendous introduction to Yungeen Ace over the course of the single’s run time. A tale plucked from reality,…
On Fashion Slayer, HEЯITAGE is able to link together 1970s funk, 1990s hip-hop and a bit of Latin bass into a track that will get listeners out on the dance floor. We’re in particular love with the intense bass line and the Daft Punk-esque synths that are weaved through Fashion Slayer. The two-part vocal harmonies presented here do more than tell a story – they add considerable depth to an…
On Wild Things, Just Like Honey is able to make a contemplative indie-rock track that takes the best part of Disintegration-era Cure and the Jesus and Mary Chain (where the act takes their name) and mixes them up into a wholly unique sound. Bold bass lines, twinkling guitar work, and spot-on drums unite to establish an overall soundscape that will stick with listeners long after the song ceases to play.…
Just a year after the release of his 1974 comeback album, Professor Longhair – arguably one of the Big Easy’s most important exports – played a remarkable show on the deck of the Queen Mary, docked in Long Beach, CA, at party hosted, oddly enough, by Paul and Linda McCartney. That March 24, 1975 set was recorded and released a few years later and would go on to help the…
Only Human is a tremendously passionate single in the vein of Lenny Kravitz or Prince. With equal parts sultry guitar and touching vocals, Dax Brooks is able to make a touching effort. The presence of a bit of soul and even traditional R&B imbues Only Human with a timeless sound. Brooks’ stellar performance during this cut will stick with listeners long after the track ceases to play. With just enough…
On No Way, SHI 360 has an intense flow that is part Tech N9ne, part Royce da 5’9. The chorus shifts things up a bit, providing a chiller, more contemplative sound before SHI 360’s bars begin again. The two distinct segments of No Way are essential in establishing the track as a bona fide chartable single. With a timeless flair to the track, SHI 360 is able to stay true…
Bernard Hyppolite makes a hard-hitting effort with his “American Dream”. With hints of Wyclef Jean and 311 present in his vocal style, Hyppolite is able to imbue an immediacy to the effort. American Dream’s backing beat unites traditional and modern as well as vocal and instrumental sides, ensuring that listeners are firmly on the edges of their seats. Hyppolite’s flow adds to this overall soundscape, making for something that goes…
On Seven Past Sunset’s Overwhelmed, a heavy rock sound is matched well with supersonic vocals. The act is able to call back to the late-nineties and early-2000s post-grunge style. With guitars that tie together Meshuggah, White Zombie, and Papa Roach, the track is able to assault listeners while the charismatic vox draw fans back from the void. The production of Overwhelmed ensures that the disparate sides of Seven Past Sunset…
You is a laid-back sort of track from Jonny Dee. The track is able to tie in hints of soul, R&B, and ambient music that will have listeners reclining in luxury. A dreamy set of vocals plays out over a rap style that is wholly unique. With a clear and erudite style playing out over the backing beat, fans will be impressed at how Jony Dee is able to lay…
On Feel Me, A Bad Think are able to tie together Tom Petty, Warren Zevon, and Adam Duritz (Counting Crows). The dreamy vocals are bolstered through assertive guitar lines and drums / bass that add mightily to the bottom of the track. The effort gradually shifts and changes styles to end up at a much different place than A Bad Think began their Feel Me. The drum / vocal dynamic…
On Blueberry Fireworks, Anana Kaye is able to refresh the style of performers like Cyndi Lauper, Stevie Nicks and Tori Amos. The emotive and touching vocals are paired alongside pianos and drums that accentuate every lyric. With a bit of 1960s soul that is whipped into the mix on Blueberry Fireworks, Kaye is able to reach the widest possible collection of fans. A stellar production ensures that each of the…
If Tom Waits had been born and raised on boudin and Tabasco sauce somewhere in rural Louisiana, he’d sound a hell of a lot like Rod Melancon. On Pinkville, Melancon’s fourth and most personal LP yet, the Cajun Dylan delivers a powerfully searing collection of Southern Gothic, swamp rock with tinges of Americana. The album starts out slow with the two gritty opening songs, the title track and “Goin’ Out…
Marvel, the latest effort by Masaki Hanakata, begins with a very vibrant and bouncy sound in La La Laura. This bouncy feeling continues into Rainbow. With each track only occupying a few minutes, it becomes easy for Masaki to create something unique and expand upon the sound without allowing the song to become repetitious. Eimar starts off slowly and tenderly, with Hanakata building upon the style of mid-1990s indie rock.…