Naughty Jenny has Project213 calling back to the late 1980s and early 1990s. There are hints of the Sisters of Mercy, The Smiths and Midnight Oil. With an assertive set of vocals and luxurious instrumentation, Jared is able to make a song ring out loudly among a mountain of generic music. There is particular care taken into the creation of an aesthetic for Naughty Jenny. The slinky, stripped-down style of…
To say that it isn’t easy to make an original country album that resonates with generations young and old in 2020 would be too great an understatement for any self-respecting music critic to make, but in the case of Carlos Washington’s Steel Horse Swing and their new album Little Bit of Texas, the process looks and sounds all too simple. It’s debatable whether or not we’ve ever seen an era quite…
With a rollicking groove and a bouncy acoustic guitar harmony to lead the way, White Owl Red’s “Out of the Waters” comes swinging out of the shadows hard and clears a path for the trademark vocal of one Josef McManus in this cut off of his latest LP, Afterglow. In Afterglow, McManus’ White Owl Red project is sounding as warm and embracive as ever, and arguably putting down some of their most…
Into The Ground has a deep and dark sound to it that really allows the brooding vocals of Wettworker to shine. This means that there are nods to rap just as there are to darkwave and industrial. A head-nodding groove issues forth from this single; piano lines out of the Black Tape for a Blue Girl playbook imbue the composition with a timeless sound. Human and electronic elements couldn’t be…
I remember absolutely trashing my voice trying to reach the notes that Tom Keifer would hit during Cinderella’s hits back in the day. I was pleasantly surprised that his supersonic skills have not diminished after thirty years. On Hype, his latest track, there’s a very intense style of hard rock that fits Tom’s vox perfectly. This means that are bits of sludge rock and post-grunge that are incorporated here to…
No Ceiling hits a number of distinct marks at its onset. There are nods back to 1980s synthpop (think Zapp Band and neo-retro acts like Chromeo), the raw sex of performers like Chris Brown and Jason Derulo, and a bit of the finesse of a Babyface or Lionel Richie. EMG’s No Ceiling has a timeless sound to it as a result, ensuring that the song can bounce around a wide…
LVVRS are able to create a bouncy, musically intense rock track in the vein of Fall Out Boy and Walk The Moon. Supersonic vocals, a catchy clap track and sizzling guitars all unite to make something special. Iconic oozes charisma as LVVRS are able to whip in hints of 1980s rock (The Police, Genesis) to a vibrant and robust guitar and drum dynamic. Listeners will be singing along to LVVRS’s…
On Balance, Leah Jenea is able to call back to the Motown sound of the 1960s as well as the strong vocal style of performers like Angie Stone and Corinne Bailey Rae. The inimitable voice of Jenea is what will draw listeners in to Balance, while the bit of instrumentation that plays at the bottom of the single provides further complexity and drive to the song. There is an honest…
We were fortunate enough to take a trip down to Austin a few months back, and finally had a moment to provide NeuFutur with our impressions about this ATX institution. Uncle Billy’s has something for everyone, whether it be live music, a comfortable place to hang out, tremendous variation in their menu, or a collection of alcoholic beverages that mix up standard beer styles and do the classics well. The…
On What Kinda Music, Tom Misch and Yussef Dayes are able to blend together Jamiroquai with Massive Attack, all while booming bass is inserted into the mix. This chill, laid back composition even has time to whip in a bit of a J Dilla sound to the production. It is this eclectic mix of sounds that separates What Kinda Music from other current tracks; refreshing the sound of the late…
On Through the Fire, Shahana Ross is able to craft a track that looks back to the R&B style of the late 1990s while including a current and contemporary sound. Listeners will marvel at the sheer vocal range that Ross is able to achieve here. Through the Fire is holistic, uniting the vocal and instrumental sides into something truly special. With an approach that would work equally well in contemporary…
Though it’s understated in some moments and beastly in others, there’s scarcely a juncture in the tracklist of Kodacrome’s The Banff Sessions where the piano play of one Elissa LeCoque isn’t the very heart and soul of every sonic hurricane the record has to offer us. In the haunting “Tender Exit,” it gets a run for its money courtesy of the ebb and flow of a string section that nearly washes away…
The Sarandons have just released the video for their single Don’t Mean Much. Using footage from the mid-20th century adds a further layer of complexity to the heartfelt guitars and impassioned vocals representing the front-facing side of the single. By taking these clips of an earlier America, there is a timeless air that is added to an already complex composition. When fans sit down to experience The Sarandons on this…
On PONR, Allan Smooth is able to bring in a booming beat with charismatic vocals in the mold of Jason Derulo and Chris Brown. The instrumental and lyrical content of this single will bring fans out on the dance floor. Touching upon bits of Yelawolf and Ludacris with his main stanzas, Allan Smooth effortlessly imprints decades of the rap style with his own unique flair. There’s enough in the way…
Spanking Charlene’s last album was recorded nearly a decade ago, but the band clearly hasn’t bothered to let rust settle in. On Find Me Out, their third effort, the music is stronger and singer Charlene McPherson’s vocals are seemingly more powerful (quite a feat when you realize how impressive she sounded on the first two records). The New York band builds on the gritty garage pop that came to define…
Loneliness is an apt title for this effort. One can hear the sheer sad, sorrowful memories of lost love bubble through on this composition. The band turns on a dime as they move toward the song’s chorus. With a good dollop of 1970s easy listening included here, Disq espertly craft a song that will have fans hanging on every word. Daily Routine is an incredibly fun track that calls back…
Into the Night is a furious effort that will take fans on a musical journey. This means that there are solid forays into metalcore, traditional metal, and even mid-oughts hardcore punk in a way few bands are able to successfully juggle. Part of this success is due to the impressive vocals that are laid out upon the top of the single, but a further piece of the puzzle has to…
Say Less is a fresh rap track that has 2Dee come forth with his own unique take on street-wise bars. The deep, breathy style of the performer is given a nice patina by the hauntingly beautiful backing beat behind him. Both elements are giving it their all during Say Less. There’s an organic sound to this composition; when the lyrical content speeds up and 2Dee is spitting rapid-fire lyrics, the…
On Over You, Raylon is able to ratchet up the charm to 10 while coming forth with some of the sultriest vocals one’s ever heard. The passion and raw skill that is exhibited during Over You ensures that Raylon will be able to climb the R&B charts; hints of Trey Songz and Chris Brown can be picked up here. The backing beat is something that deserves a bit of additional…
During Dipshits, Dennis J. Leise tells a strong tale of those who would have the world pass them by. With an infectious titular phrase and a bit of bluegrass and cajun interspersed into the mix, Leise makes a powerful chiaroscuro of traditional and modern content. The confident styling of Dennis’s vocals during this composition is the cherry on top of the sundae. While Dipshits comes and goes within a two-minute…