Derek Davis’ third solo release, Resonator Blues, is a departure from the soul and funk leanings of his previous solo outing Revolutionary Soul and his history of releases and shows with Davis’ longtime band Babylon A.D. The dozen songs included on this release are drenched in blues, but never the paint by numbers variety that inspires big blues fans to sigh in despair. Instead, even on the album’s cover tunes, you get a…
On BAAD, MAAD is able to refresh the R&B sound of the late nineties and early 2000s. The robust beat, thick bass, and shifts between a quicker and slower approach ensure that listeners are kept at the edges of their seats. The vocal range that MAAD hits during her latest single is considerable, adding further depth to the composition. We’re particularly in love with the dynamic that is achieved between…
The Bus Stop Poets come forth with a bouncy rock track that blends together equal parts progressive rock, jam band, and alternative. The multiple vocal tracks that play over the instrumentation for Blow make for a heavy, contemplative beginning. The guitars and drums are able to establish a similarly-thrushy backdrop that will stand up to multiple listens. The robustness of the Bus Stop Poets during their single is outstanding; one…
On Wretched Cabaret, the Legion of Saints are able to create an alluring rock track upon the framework of oughts acts like Queens of the Stone Age, Wolfmother, and Bloc Party. The passion and charisma of the vocals will immediately draw listeners in, while the taut back and forth between the drums, intricate bass lines, and sizzling guitars sticks with fans long after Wretched Cabaret ceases to play. The production…
On Loose Cannon, Zuffalo is able to blend together jam-band rock with hints of 1970s rock (e.g. Fleetwood Mac) into a crunchy, alluring effort. Sizzling guitar work builds off of early Led Zeppelin, while splashy drums punctuate the backdrop of the track. Together, these elements coalesce into a cohesive effort that will tattoo its melodies deep into the minds and hearts of listeners. Zuffalo is able to gradually shift this…
Just two tracks into Umpteenth, the sophomore LP from Brooklyn-based Onesie, you’d swear this was an early ‘90s college radio rock find, sandwiched between Pavement and The Breeders. Across 11 tracks, the band play a beautifully-cohesive brand of Power Pop, but it’s clear they also have a strong affinity for some of the classic Glam and 1970s rock bands as well after listening to the chugging guitars on a song…
Pride Before The Fall comes forth with an intense energy and a charismatic set of vocals that will immediately draw in listeners. We’re particularly fans of the guitar / vocal dynamic, but a case needs to be made about the taut bass line that plays at the back of Iron Age Mystics’ new album. Save It For The Revolution adds a bit of blues and funk into the mix. With…
On I Need You Tonight, Jennifer Truesdale is able to deftly blend pop, jazz, and 1980s country to make something wordly and full of nuance. The backing instrumentation is a bedrock upon which Jennifer’s vocals can shine. Robust horns, taut drums, and sizzling guitar works unite to tattoo the single’s melodies deep into listeners’ minds. The sheer range that Truesdale achieved during I Need You Tonight will keep fans on…
With a sweet little swing, “You Don’t Need a Rose” infects the air with a confident swagger that listeners won’t be able to shake when taking in its decadent strings alongside the other ten tracks that Lauren Crosby’s I Said Take Me to the Water has in store for pop fans this spring. Driven by its lighthearted lyricism and freewheeling rhythm, “You Don’t Need a Rose” is a good sampling…
Despite breaking up nearly 10 years ago, there are still few bands from the ‘80s and ‘90s that can still command allegiance from the masses like R.E.M. Sure there are a slew of groups from that era that can brag about cult status, but R.E.M is among the few who have managed to hold on to their core early adopters from their I.R.S. years and bring along an entire generation…
Flowers is a surprirsly deep track. The dreamy vocals that are laid down here intermix with fuzzy guitars and punchy drums to establish a complex array of sounds. Happy, Hollow is an act that is able to make a contemplative, fulfilling track one that could mindlessly tap their toes along to. It is this ability to be something for everyone that further rasies their stock. One needs to dig in…
The Inoculated Canaries are able to tinge their Sneakers with a hint of ska and alternative rock, making something not quite unlike Oasis, Blur, and Safe Ferris. The taut guitar lines that weaved through Sneakers showcases the technical skill of the band. A more instrument-heavy section further indicates the level of familiarity that the constituent elements of the band have with one another. With a bouncy sound and a polished…
On Psykik Chemist, The Cutthroat Brothers are able to go back to the stripped down rock style of 1970s Detroit and infuse it with just a hint of Ministry and Ween. Whipping in a bit of Nekromantix to the equation, it becomes easy to see precisely how innovative The Cutthroat Brothers are. Keeping the same high energy throughout the entirety of their latest cut, the band is able to get…
Perspective has a lush beat that calls back to the funk of the 1970s and the sound laid down by the Fugees and Corinne Bailey Rae back in the 1990s. The charismatic vocals of Sy Smith imbues this effort with all the trappings of R&B and rap. We particularly love the bass lines and the sensual vocals contributed by B. Slade during Smith’s latest. The continually shifting and changing sound…
Used To Be is a tremendously touching effort that showcases the vocal range of Daniel Shaw. An alluring piano line is matched well with booming drums to make a beat that will tattoo itself deep into the minds and hearts of listeners. The narrative that Shaw lays down here is something that has fallen out of love will understand. The ability of Shaw to come forth and reinvigorate the pop…
Make no mistake, Portland’s TK & The Holy Know-Nothings are above all else a bar band. And quite possibly one of the best bar bands going at the moment. From the tear in your beer opening track, “Alone” to the boogie woogie vibe on a song like “Good Stuff,” there’s a song on Arguably OK to speak to just about anyone inside the bar. Elsewhere on the album, “Emanuel,” is…
On Nina Brownn’s new song Are You Still Mind, Shatta Wale is able to lend an immediate urgency to the track. Brownn’s vocals are able to shine in a multitude of styles from R&B to pop and EDM; Wale’s backing vox are able to provide a solid counterpoint. The track has a solid narrative that listeners that have ever fallen in love will be able to understand; Brownn is able…
Be My Queen begins with a retro-infused rock sound out of the late sixties and early seventies.Hints of keys lift up dreamy vocals reminiscent of The McCoys and The Monkees. Hooky guitars are given additional emphasis with on-point drums. Together, these elements unite to create something fun and unique; the passion and charisma of the vox during Be My Queen makes this a must-slot for any college alternative / rock…
Right Somebody is the latest track from Black Lion. Haunting synths and a goodly amount of reggae-infused backing vocals provide a heaviness to this track. With booming bass and hard-hitting flow coming forth, Black Lion is able to make a track that has high crossover value while having enough substance to appease even the most jaded rap heads. Right Somebody is able to build upon a 1990s flow (imagine Tupac…
In a velvety-soft guitar melody, David Gelman paints us a vivid picture of undying romance in “My Vows to You (Wedding Song).” With the aid of a pristine piano’s melancholic yearn, he conjures just as evocative a harmony in “Presence of the Lord.” Exotic percussive swagger drives the lush lyrical center of “In the Sun,” and though it’s not quite the swarthy swing of “Feel Alright,” it’s perhaps even more…