Harper Starling’s “Affair With Myself” is a banger. The song is able to refresh the pop sound of late-era Madonna and Britney Spears to make a dance/pop blend that will get listeners out on the dance floor. Strong vocals are lifted up through NRG-inspired synths, wile Affair With Myself has enough momentum to keep listeners firmluy on the edges of their seats. Starling is able to end her latest single…
Meresha “Trouble” has a slinky sound that will immediately draw in listeners. The presence of guitar distortion and a bit of modem-contributed fuzz provides a wall between the halves of Trouble. This bit of an interlude allows Meresha the ability to weave rap-tinged lyrics (e.g. Beyonce, Alicia Keys) into the mix. What results in Trouble is an effort that could easily hang on pop radio while having a thoughtful approach…
G Wildin’s “Mission” calls back to the 1990s and 2000s. The overlal flow achieved here is influenced by Too Short and early Jadakiss, while the song’s producion links together the laid-back flow of 1990s-Cali with just a hint of the J Dilla style popularized in the early 2000s. Taken all together, these decisions make Mission into one of those rap tracks that is completely reverent to the performers that preceded…
Baker Grace’s “Shake The Earth” starts out in a very deliberate fashion. With vocals drawing deeply upon the tradition of Stevie Nicks, Rufus Wainwright and The Cardigans, the song is able to incorporate light amounts of percussion and guitars to make a complex backing. The song decidedly fits into the singer-songwriter style but has so much to provide listeners in subsequent plays. Shake The Earth is the rare example of…
Following The Sun, the new track from SUPER-Hi and NEEKA, has a hooky sound that will keep listeners’ toes tapping. There are nods to pop and dance music here, meaning that the single will garner attention from ample playlists and DJs alike. The beautiful vocals that issue forth during Following The Sun will stick with listeners long after the track ceases to play. With a beat that acts as the…
Reuben Brock’s new effort “Black Horse Through Hell” draws inspiration from performers like Warren Zevon and Tom Petty with its tremendously complex and compelling arrangements. The thoughtful guitar work provides a bit of wind-swept country to listeners while Brock’s voice lays out the song’s narrative. The smart repetition of the titular animal has the effect of taking fans on their own equestrian journey (obviously, through one’s mind’s eye). The video…
Pep Rally’s “Turn The Radio Up” ends up being one of the most fascinating songs we’ve heard this month. The band is able to adopt hints of math-rock and pop-punk without pigeonholing themselves in either style. The dreamy vox listeners will find here seemingly call back to the late 1990s, but there’s a vibrancy here that makes them gel nicely with modern pop-rock performances. The guitar/drum-heavy bridge that links together…
Albert Cummings’ new single “Need Somebody” builds upon the proud Americana tradition of performers like Huey Lewis and the News and Bruce Hornsby all while incorporating a fair bit of late-1990s country to the mix. Need Somebody incorporates a fair bit of psychedelic-infused guitar work to stand boldly alongside Cummings’s assertive vox. Turning everything up to 11, it’s no surprise that Cummings is able to turn Need Somebody into an…
Belle VEX’s “Mirror” is an compelling track that builds upon the tradition of performers like Ryan Cabrera and the New Radicals all while infusing the effort with a current and contemporary sound. This ensures that Mirror can easily slot onto pop radio and playlist rotation just as much as it will speak to fans of earlier singer-songwriter styles. The sheer amount of charisma that Bella VEX incorporates into the body…
Sp8ce Owl’s “70s Somewhere” links together the funk of Parliament Funkadelic with the Zapp Band and Jean-Michel Jarre to make a tremendously catchy track. The sparing utilization of vocals during 70s Somewhere ensures that listeners take note whenever they are present. With chops necessary to bring listeners onto the dance floor, Sp8ce Owl’s name will be the talk of the town whenever their latest single makes it onto DJ’s playlist.…
LA Laura Paris’s “Kissing Boys” is an homage to 1990s dance music. Deliberate and insistent synth lines make the track bump while LA Laura Paris’ vocals lie out leisurely on the top of the track. The range that she hits during this single is considerable, continuing to keep listeners firmly planted on the edges of their seats as the single continues on. Moving to a more instrumental-heavy section at the…
Makes My Blood Dance’s “Together Apart” refreshes the goth-metal of the early 200s with nods to CKY and Cradle of Filth. There’s a slinkiness to their latest track Together Apart that will appease fans of Korn and Static-X. The song never lets up with furious guitar work, splashy drums and haunting vocals. We’ve been fortunate enough to review Makes My Blood Dance in the past and each time, the band…
Azucar, the latest track from The Roughhousers, has a hint of 1960s rock tied in with early Dolly Parton. A thoughtful guitar interlude splits the track nicely, allowing Grey’s vocals to tattoo themselves deeply into listeners’ minds and hearts. There’s an attention paid to the track’s vocals and instrumentation that will appease even the most wizened of music fans, all while the song’s subject material can eagerly be picked up…
The Roughhousers’s “Princess Mike” is a wonderful callback to the 1960s, with a powerful narrative and an overall sound inspired by Nancy Sinatra and Melanie. The arrangement here is deliberate with each note contributing to the story that Grey [Delisle] tells here. A bit of surf-inspired guitar (contributed by Eddie Clendening) here, a bicycle bell there, and a whole heck of bluegrass/C&W arrangement placed in the song’s final 30 seconds…
Colin Peterik’s “Michiana” is a track that easily shines among the 1970s easy listening standards. The beautiful vocals play on top on a backing instrumentation that is taut as all get out. With a bit of funk and soul incorporated into the song’s body, Peterik has ensured that his song will stand up to repeat plays well into the year. The dynamism of the arrangements is impressive; the guitars, drums,…
Urban Cowboy has all of the trapping of the mid-1990s country charts while modernizing the message to incorporate a nod to the current world. The instrumentation present during Valles’ latest single is as Nashville as one can get while having the honest and earnest sound that bubbled up in more rural areas. The velvet fiddle and walking bass line that weave their way through Urban Cowboy is truly a sight…
NRG is one track that is able to touch upon 40 years of dance music in the cleanest and crispest way we’ve ever heard. Whether it be through nods to the Miami Sound Machine or mid-1980s MJ, the Latin-inspired sound of the 1990s or the assertive, booming EDM of the modern period, De Royce has made this effort sparkle. As the temperatures continue to increase the further we get into…
Greg Hoy & The Boys’s “Jet Black, Get Back” has a funky, slinky sound to it that links together surf, 1960s pop rock, and even a bit of the harder-edged fare of The Kinks and Pink Floyd. There’s a vitality to Hoy et al‘s latest that ensures that current fans will be able to find something to sink their teeth into. Of particular import during this single has to be…
Shiadanni’s “Penny Pills” has a haunting, immersive arrangement to it that will tattoo itself deep into the minds of listeners. The vocal presence of Shiadanni here provides further depth to Penny Pills, establishing the composition as a blending of Bjork, Massive Attack, and mid-1990s Madonna. The bit of glitch / trip-hop arrangements links up well to a more classical style of music, making for something that simultaneously hits on the…
Acts like the Toronto Tabla Ensemble are more than rare. They are singular anomalies in an increasingly polarized world seldom capable of seeing past the end of its nose. The organization’s selfless dedication to expanding the profile of Indian culture, music, and history in such a way that it attracts interest from every social stratum. They are self-reliant and take on that mission in unpredictable ways; the ensemble’s artistic director…