On Miles Away, Black Lion is able to call back to 1990s hip-hop for a track that is part laid-back, part hard-hitting street rap. With a twinkling production that builds off of the tradition of J. Dilla, Miles Away simply slaps. The contribution of Janel Sherise to the cut’s chorus provides a further layer of finesse to the song. There’s enough variety to Miles Away that it will stay fresh…
At Least Not Today is the first track on Londale’s new album Achilles. The track expertly links together 1980s pop-rock with 1990s to make something that is vibrant, catchy, and will ultimately require greater engagement by listeners to hear everything that has been placed within. The production on Achilles is solid, adding a hint of grit to effortlessly unite the guitars, vocals, and drums that issue forth. Quit Breaking My…
If there was ever a big 4 of Deathcore, Whitechapel would be among them, along with Job for a Cowboy, Suicide Silence, and perhaps All Shall Perish. These are the bands that invented the genre and created the foundation for what would become nearly a decade of future copycats and a mire of mediocre ripoffs. But Whitechapel are back in 2019 to show us why they truly deserve their seat…
There aren’t many bluegrass groups that have both the instrumental and lyrical prowess that Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers do, and they exploit their talents for all that they’re worth in the brand new album For the Record. From “That Old Wheel” to “Georgia Slammer,” Mullins and the equally skilled cast of Randy Barnes, Duane Sparks, Mike Terry and Jason Barie throttle us with impossibly dexterous string compositions, larger than…
Nancy Ruth is able to make a tremendously sultry effort that showcases the sheer breadth of her voice. With complex and thoughtful arrangements commonplaces during Todo Para Ti (All For You), Ruth is able to ensure that listeners will have to play the effort multiple times before hearing each and every dynamic that is built up here. Extended instrumental sections further increase the replay value of Todo Para Ti; while…
On Naked, Kalliopi is able to recall the mid-oughts singer-songwriter genre (e.g. Kelly Clarkson, Pink) and impart her own sound upon the style. What begins in a very sedate fashion changes up considerably as Kalliopi moves into the two-minute mark. With a more insistent guitar and a bass laying down a rich and varied line in the background, Naked is able to really get some solid momentum in its second…
During Benjamin, Source is able to create a brutal sort of metal that whips in a bit of Pantera and Alice in Chains. With chugging guitars and darkly emotive vocals, the band is able to quickly move from the build up to an absolutely furious tear-down during the chorus. The supersonic vocals stretch out over the track, whipping in hints of Muse and Tool along the way. With swirling eddys…
Everybody Dance is a catchy track in the vein of 1980s rock (Poison, Bryan Adams). With a set of vocals that is part Dee Snider and a bit John Rzeznik, The Stanleys are able to imbue their newest song with a timeless patina. The guitar work s impressive as well; the riffs simultaneously hit a hair metal guitar solo and Bastards of Young-era Replacements sound. All together, the band is…
Dajour is able to create one of the summer’s first feel good songs. Slow Wine, his latest, is able to go forth and have all of the passion of a Trey Songz or Omarion while crafting something that is taut musically. With hints of reggae and more tropical-tinged EDM, Slow Wine is a single that could easily garner airplay throughout radio stations and playlists. The slower tempo of Slow Wine…
Major Moment is able to blend together EDM with hard rock in a fashion that renovates the approach of acts like Stabbing Westward and Linkin Park. A driving synth line provides proper highlighting to the single’s vocals, while the drum fills and guitar breakdown add just enough grit and viscera to the resulting track. There is a smoothness, a supersonic set of vocals that sits at the top of May…
Start Living Again is an alluring track that has Ajay Mathur create harmony-laden soft rock that draws upon the tradition of late Eagles, Boston, and ELO. Equal focus is given to Ajay’s charismatic vocals and sizzling guitar lines. Adding spot-on drum work and just a tinge of 1990s alternative rock in the backing instrumentation for his latest ensures that anyone that views the video will find something that they will…
Canadian rockers The Respectables return with a new album, The Power of Rock and Roll, an accompanying leadoff single and video certain to solidify their longstanding reputation as one of the best rock acts hailing from the Great White North. The eleven song collection is an expertly produced affair courtesy of longtime Rolling Stones collaborator Bernard Fowler with cuts featuring renowned guest stars like guitarist Waddy Watchel, formerly a member of Keith…
Aree and the Pure Heart may call Atlanta home, but their influences reside several states up north, somewhere along on the Jersey Turnpike to be specific. Layered throughout the band’s stellar record Never Gonna Die, you here snatches of Gaslight Anthem, the Bouncing Souls and, of course, the OG, Springsteen. That’s not to say the band is simply aping someone else’s sound, they’ve just taken to heart the working class…
Sonic waves of melody that are as light as a feather find a muscular shape that exploits their textures for all that they’re worth in “We’d Find.” Suffocating harmonies tumble from the heavens above and through our stereo speakers in “Wolf.” After a bit of thinking aloud, Katie Schottland lays into the most poignant ballad of her young career in “Left Hand Path.” Her solo project, Swimming Bell, delivers the…
There’s something about Oklahoma. Over the past several years, some of the strongest, Americana/country/folk albums have been put out by native Oakies like Parker Millsap, John Fulbright and The Turnpike Troubadours. Add M. Lockwood Porter to the list. A native of Oklahoma – since relocated to Northern California – he carries on the Red Dirt tradition beautifully with Communion In The Ashes, his third album and a triumph in diversity.…
Young Doctors in Love boast a sense of album structure you just don’t hear from young acts anymore. It is not the point of view of curmudgeon – the album simply doesn’t dominate the imaginative landscape of up and coming musicians as it did for previous generations, music distribution is turned upside down compared to traditional models, and thus much of the feeling and instincts for assembling a coherent album…
Pastoral poet Gary Douglas pulls out all the stops in the new single from his eponymous band, “Million Miles Away,” and by my estimation, delivers some of his very best work yet. Anyone who knows Douglas is more than aware of his dynamic skillset as a singer and songwriter, but few would expect the depth of emotion that he imparts in his latest work, which is captured beautifully in an…
On Empathy Test, Eli Raybon is able to establish an engrossing 1980s-infused synth-pop track that takes the best parts of the Cocteau Twins, Depeche Mode, and Erasure. Simultaneously, he ramps up the track’s momentum to refresh the overall sound and place it as a viable alternative to electro-funk. Tremendous charisma drips off of every lyric for Empathy Test, making for an absolutely memorable song. We’re particularly fans of the depth…
On Love Is Like a Goldmine, New Silver Girl is able to blend together 1960s and 1970s rock in a fashion that is authentic, while given a new lease on life due to the band’s unique approach. Key to the success of this single has to be NSG’s vocals, which link together The Ramones and The Doors. Intense guitar work and bass line unite to make something as heady as…
New York, by way of England, singer songwriter Bobby Long has turned in a strong, vulnerable record for his fourth effort, Sultans. Spanning 10 tracks, Long channels everyone from Elliott Smith and Al Green to Dylan for an emotional, at times soulful journey that covers the themes of all great folk artist: love, lost love and the inevitable heartache, the staples of a great soundtrack for the lonely. Far from…