Caroline, the latest by Raised On TV, has a very late-nineties / early 2000s indie rock sound to it. With sorrowful, somber lyrics matched alongside jangly, complex guitar lines and a rapidly-shifting instrumentation, Caroline has the band wear their influences (At The Drive-In, early Death Cab for Cutie) on their sleeve. We’d recommend playing Caroline a number of times to hear each of the distinct sections of the band. Raised…
A bluesy bit of guitar draws upon Uncle Tom’s Cabin-era Warrant, Every Mother’s Nightmare, and a bit of Whitesnake and Cinderella. The power of the vocals (especially with the call and response that is present at points) is matched by the tremendous guitars. Imagine Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Frank Hannon’s bayou-infused guitar styles, polished up a bit and with some of the most intense arrangements one has ever heard. The…
On their latest single TAKEOFFYOURCLOTHES, Water District are able to make an engrossing and intense effort built off of Plus-44 and Alkaline Trio. With a bit of the vocal-forward styling of Rise Against, Water District is able to make a punky, poppy track that will even appease the most technically-minded listeners. The vocal / drum dynamic pushes the cut’s momentum higher, while the bit of synth that is peppered in…
Player Way is the perfect laid-back track; this new Warm Brew effort comes forth with some of the catchiest hooks this side of Nate Dogg. Wiz Khalifa’s flow works well to keep things varied while promoting the chilled-out spirit of the effort. The 1:30 mark of Player Way is marked through rapid-fire bars building upon the styles of Twista and Bizzy Bone. The production of this single creates a haunting,…
It is difficult to put your own fingerprints on Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah, but Gregory Harrington is able to do so. This is because of the tremendous close-knit and touching woodwinds that establish the song’s narrative. The richness of Harrington’s Hallelujah continues as additional elements are included in the mix. With nods to classical, jazz, and blues weaved in here, Harrington is able to make something that absolutely soars. The careful…
On Beaming Right Up, Makes My Blood Dance are able to tie orchestral metal, angular indie-rock and mid-oughts emo into something that will appease fans of Guns ‘N Roses and AFI alike. Taut instrumentation and a dense, thrushy layering ensure that listeners will have to play this cut many times before hearing everything that has been placed within. The charismatic vocals of Beaming Right Up is matched quite nicely by…
On Cupid, Juliana Hale is able to build upon the strong singer-songwriter style of Pink and Lady Gaga. For much of this single, a piano represents the sole force establishing the instrumental side of things. Hale’s inclusion of strings at opportune points puts a highlight on the track, especially when her vocals go silent. Each part of Cupid is able to contribute mightily to a cohesive sound. Fans of early…
On Waiting For This, Kelly Padrick is able to refresh the sound of The Bangles and Bananarama. Equal amounts of alternative rock and electronic pop are blended to create something that hits the same mark as Madonna’s Ray of Light or Blondie’s Heart of Glass. Padrick is able to do more than tell a story on her latest single; she is able to build upon the harmonies achieved by the…
On The F-Word, John Paciga is able to create a song that could easily slot into a Broadway musical. The talent, a driving piano line, and oodles of allure ensure that the melodies crafted on this single will bury themselves deep into the minds and hearts of listeners. With the dynamic between the piano and Paciga’s vocals ensuring each are on the top of their game, it’s not surprising that…
On Never Let You Down, Chase The Jaguar is able to link together pop, synth-funk, and indie rock in a wholly unique fashion. The multiple layers of Never Let You Down ensure that listeners will have to play the single multiple times before hearing each nuance that has been peppered through the single. The raw charisma of the vocals are a stand-out part of the isngle, but listeners should not…
Long before the band Foreigner became lazy, shorthand slang for bloated, stadium dinosaurs (often and likely unfairly lumped in alongside era peers like Journey, Styx and REO Speedwagon), they were an upcoming band of British and American rockers with a knack for writing catchy, timeless songs with wildly memorable guitar riffs. In 1978, just two years into their existence and still boasting their classic line up, they played a blistering…
Francine Honey is an Ontario-based singer/songwriter that has a familiar, rustic tonality in her sound but consistently delivers heartfelt, inspired original lyrics that are relatable to all walks of life, and in her new album To Be Continued…, we witness her breakout moment transpire over the course of eleven sumptuous songs. We open with the rustling strings of “Snowflakes on My Eyelashes,” which features Honey collaborating with the equally talented Beth…
SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/album/1ODcZglHuNODyXKhOT0E00 The Bobbleheads dish out an electrifying slab of authentic indie rock in their latest single “I Really See You,” and it’s really got both critics and fans abuzz from one side of the country to the next at the moment. In the colorful and surreal music video for the song, viewers become as entranced by the kaleidoscopic visuals as they are by the cerebral quality of the music,…
On Middle of the Night, Norway’s Annprincess creates a bouncy dance track that draws upon the 1990s sound of Amber and Alice Deejay while whipping in hints of electrofunk and mid-1980s dance (Pet Shop Boys, Depeche Mode). When Annprincess moves into the chorus of Middle of the Night, the crowd will be whipped up considerably. A tremendous amount of charisma bleeds through the track, ensuring listeners are energized. The thick,…
Dream Bigger immediately draws in listeners with a soulful, impactful set of vocals that link together Leona Lewis and Adele. With little more than synths and drums playing in the background during the first minute of this single, Sammi Rae Murciano is able to ensure listeners are firmly planted on the edges of their seat. With Dream Bigger’s chorus, Murciano is able to hit listeners hard with impassioned vox and…
BANDCAMP: https://thevicsofficial.bandcamp.com/ A lumbering, jazz-influenced beat greets us as we descend into the clutches of a bulging bassline, which itself is peppered with a lusty texture that is as intoxicating as it is chill-inducing. Soon, a rich, multifaceted vocal scrapes against gilded guitar strings, shifting our focus away from the cerebral grooves resonating from the drums for a moment. There’s an air of mischievousness that we cannot escape from; it’s…
URL: www.caseyahern.com Among country artists, standing out can sometimes be as big a challenge as breaking through to the mainstream is, but for Cali country girl Casey Ahern, carving out her own identity in a sea of sameness isn’t difficult in the least. The singer/songwriter gives us a little bit of herself in four awesome songs that comprise her new EP He Was Summer, and though it isn’t the expansive introduction…
URL: https://www.derrickdavismusic.com/ Playful tempos punctuated with funk-influenced electric guitar. Twelve-bar blues taken out for a walk with a chilling bassline that throttles us into a wistful chorus. The lusty timbre of Derrick Davis’ honeysweet singing infiltrating an iridescent harmony at the peak of its catharsis. Whether it be “Best I Can,” “Blow Song,” “Hunter” or any of the other seven tracks that comprise his all-new album Anti-Social, Davis is bent on…
Chicago alt folk/Americana upstarts The Way Down Wanderers have managed to spike their music was some interesting elements on their sophomore effort, adding in snatches of jazz and pop here and there, while still remaining true to the sound that made their debut a satisfying affair. Though not vastly too different from their self-titled record, Illusions takes small steps forward both musically and lyrically for a more consistently appealing sound.…
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/mattshapiromusic/ New York indie star Matt Shapiro returns with his latest effort Fade In, an extended play that sees electronic grooves clashing with melodic, urbane poetry in six brilliantly produced tracks. Featuring such thrillers as the breakout singles “Rockaway Girl” and “The Addict,” as well as fresh cuts like “Johnny” and “Water’s Edge,” Fade In fuses vicious dance beats with likeable and familiar pop song structures, but it isn’t overly ambitious in…