San Francisco based filmmaker Paul Burke and New York sculptor Steve Shaheen didn’t stay fallow when the COVID-19 lockdowns temporarily felled their careers. The two men turned to another love they share, songwriting, and began collaborating on what would become the self-titled debut Toy City album. The nine songs they’ve included on this release include two covers and the remaining seven tracks are introspective sans any navel-gazing. This means they’ve…
There’s a lot of oomph to the opening bars of “Prove,” the first track in gloryBots’ new album Radiation Skies, but for all this song packs in rhythmic energy, it indulges further in warm tonal goodness the likes of which are a rare commodity anymore. The vocals intertwine and make a melodic patchwork as speckled with humanizing faults as it would be a symbol of rock harmony perfection, and the guitar…
SNYPA’s 6IX is a bold effort, one that immediately captures the performer’s inimitable approach to rap music. There’s more than a bit of grit, all while the tremendous bass of the backing beat rattle windows. The distinct elements of 6IX push each other to higher plateaus, all while SNYPA’s latest sparkles with a rap radio-friendly demeanor. There’s nods to Atlanta and Los Angeles performers here, but 6IX offers listeners so…
I Look Good, the new single from Miss Kaniyah, is a supremely powerful and assertive effort that will drive its melodies deep into the minds and hearts of listeners. The bright vocals that bounce off of the booming percussion could easily be slotted alongside other high-rotation singles. There’s a bit of a throw back here to the early 1990s dance crazy, all while the pop/rap approach of MK speaks to…
We were gracious enough to receive a beermail from Nashville, Tennessee’s New Heights Brewing Company. Enclosed (along with some coozies, stickers, and coolers) were the brewery’s imperial stout Navel Gazer (and a Coffee/Coconut variant) as well as their Rye India Pale Ale Tryestar. I recently had the pleasure of indulging in Navel Gazer imperial stout from Nashville’s New Heights Brewing Company. This rich and flavorful beer packs a punch with…
BlueNevada’s “How Do You Feel” draws upon the alt-rock of the late 1990s, blending together rich vocals (e.g. Duncan Sheik, Barenaked Ladies) with jangling guitars and splashy drums. The tremendous emotionality exhibited on this cut will be what brings in fans by the barrelful, as will the product that allows each twist and turn to hit with maximum effect. The guitar solo that acts as the bridge for How Do…
Sp8ce Owl’s The Underside Of Yesterday will immediately draw in listeners through an insistent percussion and sweeping synth lines. These two elements will have listeners eagerly anticipating what is next from the performer. Small shifts and changes are initiated throughout the single’s run time, ensuring that where fans end the single is a distinctly different locale from where they began it. The deliberate keys that end The Underside Of Yesterday…
On “Two Bleeding Hearts”, Bruce Sudano’s inimitable approach to adult contemporary and country music is bolstered through the presence of Valerie Simpson. Bruce is able to call forth hints of Bryan Adams and Darius Rucker while packing the effort with emotive guitar and drums. The back and forth between the paired vox pushes each to an entirely higher plateau. Imagine Two Bleeding Hearts as a spiritual successor to Don Henley…
On Sheila E.’s new single El Rey Del Timbal, there’s a robust set of horns and omni-present drums that contribute mightily to a rapid tempo. The presence of Gilberto Santa Rosa’s vocals here add further complexity to what is already a heady effort. The number of moving parts here may lend themselves to messiness, but Sheila E.’s deft hand here ensures that each piece contributes to a cohesive and coherent…
We’ve been lucky enough to cover a number of grinders over the years, but for our money, Cloudious9’s Auto9 is the best bang for the buck. The diameter of the main grinding wheel makes it easy to break down copious amounts of whatever dry material you need to dispatch. The battery life of the Auto9 is sufficiently long that we’ve been able to break down material for months without having…
(Queens, New York) based rock outfit King Falcon have released their new song ‘Cadillac’ on Mascot Records. Melding indie-rock adventurousness with Classic Rock swagger, King Falcon’s ultra-catchy songwriting recalls artists like Black Keys, Cage The Elephant, Tame Impala, The Killers, Royal Blood, and Beck. ‘Cadillac’ was produced by Marshall Altman (Citizen Cope, Matt Nathanson, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Mark Broussard) and mixed by 12-time Grammy-nominated mixing engineer and producer Mark Needham (The Killers, Imagine Dragons,…
On HALLELUJAH, Somesh Mathur is able to create a single that blends funk, electronic, and R&B with an international music flare. The vocals are able to add mightily to the overall harmonies achieved in this single, while the all-in chorus adds considerable fullness to the composition. The contributions here by Zakir Suthar and Harmaan Nazim do well to keep listener interest in this single high. Each distinct element on HALLELUJAH…
Ivan The Greatness’s “Power 2030” has a strong beat and catchy vocals, ensuring that one will immediately be drawn in. Power 2030 is part pop, part R&B, and possesses enough drive and dedication to keep interest high through out. With nods to Jason Derulo, early Kanye and Trey Songz, there’s every chance in the world that Power 2030 will garner influencer attention. Ivan The Greatness incorporates bright visuals in to…
Fox Apts. debut album Omen is a cinematic, epic indie rock opera, doing for modern indie rock what Green Day’s American Idiot or My Chemical Romance’s The Black Parade did for pop-punk nearly 20 years ago. The album is a mix of alt-rock with shades of roots and folk that creates moments that feel sampled from the soundtracks of psychological horror films from decades past. The band’s name comes from…
Queens, New York based rock outfit King Falcon have released their new song ‘Cadillac’ on Mascot Records. Melding indie-rock adventurousness with Classic Rock swagger, King Falcon’s ultra-catchy songwriting recalls artists like Black Keys, Cage The Elephant, Tame Impala, The Killers, Royal Blood, and Beck. ‘Cadillac’ was produced by Marshall Altman (Citizen Cope, Matt Nathanson, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Mark Broussard) and mixed by 12-time Grammy-nominated mixing engineer and producer Mark Needham (The Killers, Imagine Dragons,…
Pretty Girl, the latest effort from Bruce Makin, is an engrossing track that builds upon earlier works like 2016’s I Got It All and 2017’s I Just Can’t Go On. The song links together a number of genres, ranging from 1980s pop rock to hard-edged rock and dance, while Makin is able to indelibly imprint his own style on the resulting composition. The disparate approaches are made into a cohesive…
ADVM’s “WEEKEND” is a supremely confident track with the rapper building upon the framework of Yung Gravy, Drake, Asher Roth and Bruno Mars. There’s the smallest hint here of early-2000s R&Bers like K&Ci and JoJo. WEEKEND is an effort that could easily make some waves on pop radio, but there’s a deceptive deepness that exists between the vocals and robust backing instrumentation. The inclusion of horns here allows for intrepid…
Rich Wyman & Lisa Needham have released a new single, Forgiveness. The dynamic that immediately presents itself – Rich’s vocals and sizzling guitars – are enough to draw in listeners by the barrelful. There are nods to 1970s rock, funk, and even a bit of blues rock. The presence of horns in Forgiveness provides a fullness to the composition. Forgiveness’ production allows each element – vocals, drums, horns, and guitars…
Echezona delivers some rapid-fire bars on his latest track TMH. Nods to Kanye and Kendrick can be picked up here, while the backing instrumentation digs in the crates for the perfect amount of Long Beach-styled klaxons. The crispness which each line is dropped far outstrips what is currently achieving radio attention. The back and forth between the vocals and the backing elements builds up this chugging momentum, hurtling fans to…
One of the strongest facets of Shaheed and DJ Supreme’s creative output is the duo’s ability to continually shift and modify their sound. With a 1980s-tinged backing synth that sweeps over the song, the song will immediately draw in listeners. The rapid-fire flow that plays out on top of these synths keeps the momentum high while providing something else for listeners to tuck into. We’re even more enamored with the…