Category: Features

Posted on: July 25, 2020 Posted by: Kim Muncie Comments: 0

Cinemartyr deliver a violent yin to their rookie album’s yang

In their scathing follow-up to 2016’s stunningly eclectic Uncaused, Cinemartyr deliver a violent yin to their rookie album’s yang that immediately left me spellbound and intrigued by their growth in the last four years. Titled Death of the First Person, Cinemartyr’s sophomore affair is hardly the typical sequel; from where I sit, it’s about as different from its predecessor as it gets without abandoning the core values of experimentalism that gave the…

Posted on: July 24, 2020 Posted by: Kim Muncie Comments: 0

Jim Lord’s latest single “Little Star”

Jim Lord’s latest single is a lullaby for the ages. Playing on the words from “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” and arrangement, Lord’s song “Little Star” has the artist gazing afar of the love of his life and what that person means to him. Humming his way to your heart, Lord’s simplistic approach of his voice and an acoustic guitar orbits above Earth. FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/JimLordSingerSongwriter/ Born in New Jersey, but based…

Posted on: July 24, 2020 Posted by: Sargeant Comments: 0

Ricardo Dias – ‘Scarce’

During Scarce, Ricardo Dias is able to insert a tremendous amount of rich emotion and a brooding soundscape that deftly integrates vocal and instrumental sides. Dias’s vocals build upon the work of Chris Cornell and Layne Staley; the guitar / drum dynamic call back to performers like Audioslave and Gish-era Smashing Pumpkins. There is a vibrancy to Dias’s latest that will speak to any fan of rock music. Scarce’s bit…

Posted on: July 24, 2020 Posted by: Kim Muncie Comments: 0

Brendan Staunton’s Last of the Light

Brendan Staunton began his musical journey in the early 1990’s singing with the Celtic influenced rock band Dubh Chapter. The band produced an album produced by Steve Hillage entitled Silence, Cunning & Exile but broke up soon after. Staunton briefly sang with the ambient dance band Ultramarine appearing on their track “Weird Gear” before deciding to leave the music industry behind. A quarter century passed before Staunton re-established contact with his past…

Posted on: July 22, 2020 Posted by: Kim Muncie Comments: 0

“Nothing to Lose” by pop singer/songwriter Johnnie Mikel

In his latest single, the playful “Nothing to Lose,” pop singer/songwriter Johnnie Mikel is exploring a strain of vocal showmanship more indebted to the conservative stylings of a bygone era than it is anything in the grandiose-filled modern genre, but I wouldn’t call it a total throwback. Right out of the gate, this song has a bounciness that it expounds through much more than a fluid drumbeat; in all honesty,…

Posted on: July 21, 2020 Posted by: Sargeant Comments: 0

ADITI – Alien

Alien, the new single from ADITI, immediately starts with her alluring vocals and a complementary set of keys. There’s a booming, brooding sound that begins the track. This sound gradually dissipates and allows for a more 1980s-tinged pop sound. The tremendous care that is taken in creating a track that is able to cover such ground over the course of three minutes showcases a maturity that this rare to see…

Posted on: July 19, 2020 Posted by: Sargeant Comments: 0

Ocean Hills “Death Or Liberty”

On Death Or Liberty, Ocean Hills are able to make a supersonic hard rock track that is able to blend the melodic sound of a Staind with the musical fury of a Five Finger Death Punch. There’s a call back to the hair rock ballad of acts like Guns ‘n” Roses with the keys and bombastic drums. The band is able to keep the momentum high all while weaving an…

Posted on: July 19, 2020 Posted by: Sargeant Comments: 0

Chanique Rogers “I Can”

I Can has Chanique Rogers provide listeners with an inspirational message and a tremendous set of vocals. The backing instrumentation on Rogers’ single highlights this tale while impressing even the most wizened technical music fan. There’s a fat bass line, a sizzling set of keys, and emotive guitar works all crafting a varied and endearing backdrop for Rogers’s inimitable voice. The praise aspect of I Can showcases that everything is…

Posted on: July 19, 2020 Posted by: Sargeant Comments: 0

OK Mayday “Blossoms”

OK Mayday make an alluring, touching pop tune with their new single, Blossoms. The vocals do more than merely tell a story, adding complexity to the sweeping synths and perfectly-placed percussion. The dynamism of the band during this new cut means that the song can shift through tempos with the greatest of ease. The gradual increase in tempo during Blossoms’s final minute ensures that the single has the same sort…

Posted on: July 19, 2020 Posted by: Sargeant Comments: 0

Looney Babie Ft. YFN Lucci “Look At Me Now”

Look At Me Now, the new collab from Looney Babie and YFN Lucci, links together a laid-back backing beat with smart repetition to ensure that the song’s titular phrase is buried deep into listeners’ minds and hearts. The feature laid down by YFN Lucci here provides the track with enough variation to keep things fresh through multiple plays. The production ensures that the booming bass of the track has a…

Posted on: July 18, 2020 Posted by: Sargeant Comments: 1

Stringz EMB “Beautiful Girl”

Stringz EMB lays out a sexy, sultry reggae-infused beat with his new single, Beautiful Girl. With hints of an EDM influence that is weaved through the booming bass and more Caribbean-infused backing beat, Beautiful Girl feels situated to garner considerable pop airplay. The bit of grit that is present in Stringz EMB’s voice counters the luxurious arrangements well. While the song ceases before the three-minute mark, the track will resound…

Posted on: July 18, 2020 Posted by: Sargeant Comments: 0

Greg Hoy & The Boys “Leaving While You Stay”

Leaving While You Stay has some fire guitar work starting things off. The taut instrumentation that represents the backdrop for the supersonic vocals make for a composition that will stick with listeners long after the song ceases to play. Nods to Jane’s Addiction, Soundgarden, and Queens of the Stone Age can be heard here. Hard rock has never been so catchy. Greg Hoy exudes charisma in this single, bringing forth…

Posted on: July 18, 2020 Posted by: Sargeant Comments: 0

Bruce Sudano “Back In The Neighborhood”

Back In The Neighborhood is a powerful track, as Bruce Sudano showcases the passage of time and how situations continue to change over the years. With a close and cozy production, this single is able to call back to the late 1980s / early 1990s output of performers like Tom Petty. The guitars and drums on Sudano’s latest track combine to make an impacting composition that knows precisely when to…

Posted on: July 17, 2020 Posted by: Sargeant Comments: 0

Anthony Fernando – ‘Radiate’

Anthony Fernando has released Radiate, an eclectic melange of different musical approaches and style. Perhaps most audible here has to be the guitar work, which blends together contemplative arrangements with a style that could easily make it onto college radio. Radiate is a complex effort that will continue to yield new twists and turns with every subsequent listen. The dynamic that exists between the instrumental arrangements and Fernando’s inimitable vocal…

Posted on: July 17, 2020 Posted by: Sargeant Comments: 0

Dušan Mitric – “Miss You”

On Miss You, Dušan Mitric is able to create a perfect piece of pop music, blending together charismatic vocals with a catchy snap/stomp instrumentation. The production is able to rise and fall at all of the right points, providing ample highlights to the composition. The song could easily garner heavy rotation in pop radio rotation or Spotify playlists. With Miss You hanging well with releases from acts like One Direction…

Posted on: July 17, 2020 Posted by: Sargeant Comments: 0

Wai Lana “Lay Me Down”

Lay Me Down is a sedate, engrossing performance that is accentuated with emotive synths and perfectly-placed percussion. The bit of strings that are incorporated into Lay Me Down is the cherry on top of the sundae, making the composition into something that will remain long after the effort ceases to play. Wai Lana’s ability to both ferry listeners along with her narrative ability while building upon the harmonies achieved during…

Posted on: July 17, 2020 Posted by: Sargeant Comments: 0

Psycho Village “Unstoppable”

Unstoppable, the latest effort from Psycho Village, has a bit of 1980s synth pop, a hint of 2000s rock (e.g. Linkin Park, Skillet, Orgy), and whole heaps of charisma. With a slinky synth creating an insistent backdrop upon which the charismatic vox can rest, Psycho Village is able to play for serious modern rock airplay. THe production of Unstoppable has considerable dynaism; the distinct section experienced during the track will…

Posted on: July 17, 2020 Posted by: Sargeant Comments: 0

JHelix “Baby Yellow (In A Dream)”

Baby Yellow (In A Dream) is a track that is tremendously reverent of acts like Go West and Fine Young Cannibals. The sweeping synths and drum sequences that represent the background for the single bring the track further vibrancy. The dichotomy that exists between the human and machine elements makes for something engrossing as well. JHelix’s statement during Baby Yellow is given a new lease on life as the vocals…

Posted on: July 17, 2020 Posted by: Sargeant Comments: 1

Ethan Gold “Our Love Is Beautiful”

Our Love Is Beautiful has a dreamy pop sound to it that incorporates a set of vocals that draw upon Rivers Cuomo with a sedate, whimsical back instrumentation that feels like an evolution of the 1960s pop-rock of acts like The Beatles. Ethan Gold’s ability to make for a dense and thrushy instrumental backdrop ensure that Our Love Is Beautiful will have considerable replay value. The distinct sections that listeners…

Posted on: July 17, 2020 Posted by: Sargeant Comments: 0

Pennan Brae “Pay Dirt”

Pay Dirt has Pennan Brae create some angular, bouncy rock that ties together a wide swath of rock performers from Nine Inch Nails to Queens of the Stone Age. There’s a passion and charisma that is presented here during “Pay Dirt” that will have fans falling all over themselves. The inclusion of a 1960s-tinged guitar provides further complexity to the composition, while Brae’s stripped-down and straight-forward approach to music ensures…