Lullwater comes out hard with their new single Empty Chamber. With a ferocious guitar and drum dynamic lighting up the track’s first minute, the vocals are able to shine brightest during the single’s second minute. The two distinct elements are able to combine to a robust wall of sound breaking over fans shortly after that. When this supersonic sound gradually shifts into a more atmospheric, guitar-led section, listeners are really…
On her new track Balm/Burn, Kristen Lee Sergeant is able to refresh a storied jazz vocal tradition that traces its way back about 100 years. With a backing drum and bass line that elicits comparisons to early modern jazz performers, Balm/Burn is able to contain some deep and dense dynamics that need to be experienced multiple times to properly understand. Sergeant’s vocals pull double duty here, both telling listeners a…
On the first chapter of See Through, A BOI is able to deftly navigate vaporwave, 1980s R&B, and trip-hop styles. There is a richness here that unites these dispare elements. Sweeping synthesizers, insistent percussion, and echoing vocals establish this effort as wholly unique from what’s currently garnering radio and playlist rotation. It is the skill of this backing instrumentation that will have fans coming back for more. With a gradual…
On Beats of Zion, Rocky Dawuni is able to link the past and presence of reggae music.Soaring vocals are given additional oomph through a shuffling, brass-infused backing beat that will stick with listeners long after the track ceases to play. There is an intense momentum that is cultivated here. On Wickedest Sound, Dawuni impresses Stonebwoy into service. There is a bit of 1960s jazz and bossa nova music that is…
Riley is able to call back to the late 1990s for inspiration while keeping the overall production of the single absolutely popping. The backing beat provides bassy beats with a rising and falling money counter / gun drum percussion. The presence of V$ ASAD adds a further layer of complexity to an already intricate composition. Rapid-fire flows are bold and front-facing; this is a pair of rappers that have no…
When Will I See You Again is a touching ballad from Fiona De Vos. With a tremendous vocal range, De Vos is able to immediately pull at listeners’ heartstrings. The presence of emotive guitar lines pushes the track a bit into the power ballad style. With multiple vocals entering into the fray after the two-minute mark, De Vos is able to separate this track from the other singer-songwriter singles that…
On Buy Any Means, Willi M. Blake is able to call back to the halcyon days of gangsta rap. With a screwed and chopped sound to the single’s chorus, there’s a whole hell of a lot of gravity here. Blake’s flow on Buy Any Means is sick; rapid-fire bars come forth, bolstered through sweeping synths and a booming bass line. Blake is able to keep listeners interested through the entirety…
In Stuck in a Video Game, Feyer is able to tell a story about the playing experience in a fashion similar to Atom and His Package and Owl City. With a bit of chiptune and video game-esque synth arrangements, Feyer is able to really hammer home the overall feel of sitting down and getting down and dirty with a wide array of video game genres. A clear, clean, and crisp…
On Situation, Gold Dig and Mista Roe are able to create a track that both calls back to the late oughts and the current era of rappers (e.g. Big KRIT, Kendrick Lamar). With sections to Situation that call back to The Game and Trey Songz paired alongside a more gritty, street-wise flow, there’s something for everyone on Situation. With a chorus that will tattoo itself deep into the minds and…
On Jessica WJ, Cayucas are able to make a catchy piece of alt-rock that calls back to the halcyon days of the mid-1980s. With tremendous charisma and taut instrumentation, Cayucas are able to immediately catch listeners’ attention. The bit of synths and Cure-styled guitar/drum dynamics imbue this single with an air of authenticity. The track is effortlessly able to change styles while maintaining the same momentum of the song’s first…
On A Million Times, T-Pain is able to bring back the same laid-back flow that set him so far ahead of what other rappers were doing in the oughts. The shuffling production of the track ensures that the sound has a current and contemporary sound, while the feature by O.T. Genasis provides a bit of a boost to the single’s momentum. Refreshing and a nice change of pace from what…
On The Kings House, The Gulps are able to make a high-energy track that incorporates the best in surf-punk, 1980s prog-rock (Subdivision-era RUSH, anyones), and 2000s angular rock in the vein of Franz Ferdinand and Wolfmother. With the vox, guitars, drums, and bass hitting on all cylinders, it’ll take everything one has to not get up and rage. The bit of fuzz that is draped over The Kings House ties…
The Irrepressibles are able to create a wholly engrossing electronic track in their latest single International that resounds loudly with listeners long after the song ceases to play. Bold synths and intricate compositions whip in hints of goth and synth-pop as the track continues to play. There is considerable depth showcased during International; one should strap on their headphones to hear the depths of the backing instrumentation. This is our…
Soap Bubble Dreams is the new album from indie/alternative rockers Para Lia from Germany. This new release should go up fast on the radar if it gets heard by the right people in the right places, because it contains everything that is no longer being done, and everything that’s still being done without all the proverbial bells and whistles. It features German musicians René Methner and Cindy Methner, each of…
Philly has a long and storied musical past, from Blue Eyed Soul (Hall & Oates) and legit Soul (Gamble and Huff) to Hair Metal, lost and lots of Hair Metal (Cinderella, Britny Fox, Tangier, Poison…). But Bluegrass is not one of the genres that usually come to mind when you think of Philadelphia. The complicatedly-named Who? What? When? Why? & Werewolves? could possibly change that. On their 7-song debut, Greatest…
Axdy’s Stardom begins with booming bass and a delicate set of vocals playing well off of each other. With the vocals pulling double duty in both telling a story and adding to the overall harmonies of Stardom, it’s no surprise that the finished effort is impressive. There is a bit of brooding, a bit of intensity, and a whole heap of unique sound that issues forth shortly after. With nods…
Haunted is a track that tackles a number of genres to make for some of the most hard-hitting and emotionally intense music we’ve heard. With a supersonic set of vocals reaching their highest plateau during Haunted’s chorus, DIAMANTE is able to indelibly impress herself upon the minds and hearts of anyone listening in. With hints of Linkin Park, Evanescence, and Skillet that can be picked up here, Haunted is one…
On Dar.Ra’s new track, Diamonds N The Shadows, a funky, intense rock groove that is as much White Zombie as Stacey Q, listeners will be ferried through a number of distinct musical styles. There are booming drums, 1980s synths, and some funky fresh new wave / rap mashups that just work. The composition continually shifts styles and sounds to keep listeners on the edges of their seats. With some of…
Hero, the latest effort by Los Angeles’s Malea, is a fantastic addition to her corpus. The track begins with little more than Malea’s vocals and guitars. As the track continues to incorporate additional elements (such as a bass and keys), the resulting shifts in momentum ensures that Hero is proceeding at a quick pace. When things move into the two-minute mark, Malea puts a bit of brakes on the composition.…
Don’t Deny Me is Fellow Robot’s expansive rock track that looks to the days of Brit-pop and surf rock for influence. An airy set of vocals lightly floats on top of a thrushy, intense unity of guitars, bass, and drums. The four-minute run time of Don’t Deny Me allows for the track to focus on a number of distinct sections. The talent and passionate arrangements are able to establish a…