About a year ago, we received the CityPASS ($62) for Houston, Texas. We were able to hit up a number of different attractions, including the Houston Space Center and the Aquarium. Our most favorite part of the trip had to be our visit to the Kemah Boardwalk. While it was still a bit on the chilly and windy side of things (our visit was in February), there were still enough…
Bands like Sweet and The Cars have long since stopped putting out any new music, but their sound still lives on powerfully strong on Jeff Whalen’s debut, 10 More Rock Super Hits. Whalen, singer/guitarist for the fantastic, albeit short-lived power pop band Tsar, has not lost a bit of the energy or the pop sensibility that made his last group so infectious. But, while Tsar mixed a bit more punk…
Throw Them Out hits hard on two fronts. The supersonic vocals that strike out above the track will immediately draw listeners in, while the assertive, intensely driving beat will keep them there. Switching between modes here – either leading listeners through the stanza or smacking them with a happy hardcore meets 1990s dance beat – FÄR ensures that the effort will stick with fans long after the track ceases to…
Hold On is a track that deftly links together pop and R&B with sweeping, atmospheric back beat. The vocals are able to pull double duty here, with a raw passion and sensuality that is weaved through the lyrical and instrumental side of things. The dynamic between the synth and the drums provides considerable depth to the track; listeners will continue focusing into the song as it winds down. Chasing Abbey…
It would be easy to write off this latest Tom Petty Best Of as just another cynical cash grab from record labels; that is if this 38-song set wasn’t such a brilliantly-curated, meticulous collection of Petty’s best work grabbed from his solo catalogue, his long tenure with The Heartbreakers and his pre (and sometimes post) Heartbreakers gig with the band Mudcrutch. Spread out across two CDs, though the songs are…
Quarry’s newest album begins with the titular track, a track which provides the first chapter in a cohesive work. The song touches upon the styles, approaches, and genres that will ultimately be broached throughout the entirety of the disc. The bouncy tempo of this introduction builds upon 1960s rock, while the crunchy guitar builds upon the framework of The Black Keys and “Hitchin’ A Ride”-era Green Day. With assertive instrumentation…
Love X Stereo are back with their new track, Zero One. The track deftly navigates an 1980s synth-heavy style with pop influences. Emotive instrumentation pushes the vocals to an entirely higher level. The organic / electronic dichotomy is nice here, showcasing a different context than traditional compositions. Fans of Portishead and Massive Attack will find something impressive here, while those that dig Bjork or mid-1990s Madonna will absolutely love the…
Menny creates a powerful early season track that will easily spread out throughout the word. A happy beat, intense vocals, and a quick tempo ensures that listeners will go out onto the dance floor. The presence of Sean Kingston on Wings provides a nice separation between the different segments of the track. Taken all together, the effort keeps listeners’ interest high while taking up the standards of acts as diverse…
The immediate beginning of Them Guns’ Fireworks ties together the Bay City Rollers’ Saturday Night with a harder rock / industrial approach. With notes of Nine Inch Nails and Mindless Self Indulgence weaved in, Them Guns are able to make a futuristic track that is well-versed in the down and dirty rock of the MC5. A confident vocal track and a stellar set of visuals for their Fireworks videos makes…
Earthquake Lights are back with Moonlight. The track looks back to the jazz of the 1950s, psychedelic rock, and soul to create something special. Raw passion and a Rat Pack amount of cool demarcate the first half of the song, while the instrumental heavy second side of the single showcases the ability of the band. The echoing vocals that play at the top of the track make this into something…
Colors is a synth-heavy track that showcases Waterfall Wash’s love of 1980s electro-pop (Spandau Ballet, Disintegration-era The Cure) and the richly emotive music of acts like The Red Hot Valentines and Taking Back Sunday. There is so much of Waterfall Wash’s own self in Colors that each guitar line, fuzzy synth note, or splashy drum beat contributes to music in bold new ways. This is a dense, bushy track that…
can’t calm down is one of those tracks that effortlessly take up the standards of 1980s rock, 1990s indie, and even look back a bit further to a bit of the 1960s pre-Hippie California rock. The vocals laid down here are beautiful and pull double duty in both establishing the song’s narrative and adding a further bit of complexity to an already-heady instrumentation. I personally dig the increasing chaos that…
Indians Never Die opens up slowly with a guitar and vocal dynamic before gradually including a more etheral, haunting sound as the single continues along. The bit of cymbals that are brought in at around the two-minute mark will get listeners’ hearts racing before the track returns to its intensely personal focus. The repetition of “wasting” shortly after is tremendously effecting, acting as the “dark” side to the often-“light” vocals…
On symbol, Adrianne Lenker is able to call forth the lighthearted spirit of mid-1990s alternative performers, all while including hints of Tori Amos and Ani DiFranco. Little more is needed with Lenker’s latest than a dreamy set of vocals and a surprisingly deep guitar line. With gradual progression of the instrumentation on symbol, listeners will be transported to a place much different than they were when they first cracked open…
Vocals sung in a half-whisper line the melody that greets us at the onset of “Monkeys,” one of eight new songs that makeup the whole of Jonathan’s latest album To Hold. Slowly, an unforgiving master mix crushes us with its compelling strength and gives way to an ethereal mixture of surreal guitar play and aching lyricism delivered in a passionate, tuneful wail. The band’s chemistry is tighter than ever before, and…
There’s a bit of foreshadowing in the opening track from the Andy Browne Troupe’s latest LP, Elephants. On “England,” over a hypnotic synth line, Browne namechecks a slew of greats – everyone from T Rex and Bowie to The Clash and The Beatles. He could just as easily be listing off his influences as brief snatches of most can be heard throughoutElephants, a textbook example of a great rock record that…
YOVANNI’s Breathe is an engrossing effort that completely subverts expectation about proper roles for vocals and instrumentation. During his latest, YOVANNI is able to add considerable harmonies to the ambient soundscape that is built up. At the same time, there is an interaction present that has the single’s instrumentation interlace itself nicely with the lyrics. With nods to classic rock (the more trippy Pink Floyd and early Genesis), electronic (Massive…
On Bachelor Life, Trav Torch is able to make a track that perfectly straddles rap and R&B genres. A heavy, bassy backing beat is perfect in highlighting each bar. Together, these two elements contribute to something great; Bachelor Life could easily make it onto radio rotation and Spotify playlists. Eating, shooting, and leaving before the two minute mark, Trav Torch knows precisely what he wants from the track and creates…
Wiley Roots Brewing Company announced that the brewery is releasing four new pastry inspired beers this weekend, Friday, March 1, 2019 at 12 pm, with the introduction of Blueberry & Lemon County Fair Cobbler, Cranberry & Raspberry County Fair Cobbler, Breakfast Strudels: Nana’s French Toast, and Breakfast Strudels: Morning Coffee Cake. This release will focus on a growing trend in the craft beer industry of breweries using dessert adjuncts to…
Kim Cameron is able to jazz up dance music during her latest track, Fearless Lovers. The effort is able to link together 1990s Italo dance and 2000s electronic with the modern iterations of EDM. Cameron is able to keep high energy through distinct sections that various call forward Ray of Light-era Madonna and the SunStroke Project (through the tremendously impressive sax work of Suzanne Grzanna). Traditional and contemporary approaches make…