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…
A lot of pop singers are adopting more indulgent tones in their songwriting, but this just can’t be said of the one and only Barry Muir. His new single, elaborately titled “Home In A New York Minute,” is a concise, unfanciful shot of vitality to the indie pop/rock model. The stagnant pseudo-postmodernity of a tired alternative music scene isn’t present in this track – in its place, we’ve got a…
Reasons is a fun bit of punk-meets-math rock that looks back to the glory days of acts like The Red Hot Valentines and Weezer. The song has fuzzy guitars, charismatic vocals and a melody that is absolutely infectious. Include a sizzling guitar solo that delineates the two halves of Reasons and what one will experience here is nothing less than magical. Each part of Scoville Unit strike out on their…
D3X’s “Vacations Matter” has a gritty, chill sound that stands boldly out from the rest of the rap crowding radio rotation. There are nods to Juice WRLD and Lil Nas X, but Vacations Matter shines brightest due to D3X’s own unique style and ability to rapidly cycle through tempos. Vacations Matter is a deceptively deep track, one that will continue to showcase different twists and turns even as listeners put…
What is your favorite element of music creation? Working out the parts and the creativity with the band, giving the songs energy. What part of the production process do you enjoy the most? Working in the studio, laying down parts, and feelinf git grow. We love the plotlines in the “Motor Scooter” music video! What inspired this concept or sparked this idea for the music video? Inspiration for the concept…
Shaheed and DJ Supreme’s World Of Water is a powerful environmentally-themed track about the titular substance. There’s no extended metaphors or oblique references here, just a laser-like focus on promoting a message of responsible usage. The flow liad down here feels right at home with the mid-1990s Outkast and Goodie Mob discogrpahies, but there’s the same erudite feel that permeates each Shaheed and DJ Supreme composition. This single is a…
On Save Me, Stringz EMB is able to craft an intimate track that will have listeners following every word. The back and forth between KV The Write and Jay Marie approximate the tenseness present between a couple. The dynamic here is tremendously deep, something that will continue to pay dividends the more that listeners dig into the track. The song goes by so quickly; one will be eagerly craving more…