Colors is a synth-heavy track that showcases Waterfall Wash’s love of 1980s electro-pop (Spandau Ballet, Disintegration-era The Cure) and the richly emotive music of acts like The Red Hot Valentines and Taking Back Sunday. There is so much of Waterfall Wash’s own self in Colors that each guitar line, fuzzy synth note, or splashy drum beat contributes to music in bold new ways. This is a dense, bushy track that…
can’t calm down is one of those tracks that effortlessly take up the standards of 1980s rock, 1990s indie, and even look back a bit further to a bit of the 1960s pre-Hippie California rock. The vocals laid down here are beautiful and pull double duty in both establishing the song’s narrative and adding a further bit of complexity to an already-heady instrumentation. I personally dig the increasing chaos that…
Indians Never Die opens up slowly with a guitar and vocal dynamic before gradually including a more etheral, haunting sound as the single continues along. The bit of cymbals that are brought in at around the two-minute mark will get listeners’ hearts racing before the track returns to its intensely personal focus. The repetition of “wasting” shortly after is tremendously effecting, acting as the “dark” side to the often-“light” vocals…
On symbol, Adrianne Lenker is able to call forth the lighthearted spirit of mid-1990s alternative performers, all while including hints of Tori Amos and Ani DiFranco. Little more is needed with Lenker’s latest than a dreamy set of vocals and a surprisingly deep guitar line. With gradual progression of the instrumentation on symbol, listeners will be transported to a place much different than they were when they first cracked open…
Vocals sung in a half-whisper line the melody that greets us at the onset of “Monkeys,” one of eight new songs that makeup the whole of Jonathan’s latest album To Hold. Slowly, an unforgiving master mix crushes us with its compelling strength and gives way to an ethereal mixture of surreal guitar play and aching lyricism delivered in a passionate, tuneful wail. The band’s chemistry is tighter than ever before, and…
There’s a bit of foreshadowing in the opening track from the Andy Browne Troupe’s latest LP, Elephants. On “England,” over a hypnotic synth line, Browne namechecks a slew of greats – everyone from T Rex and Bowie to The Clash and The Beatles. He could just as easily be listing off his influences as brief snatches of most can be heard throughoutElephants, a textbook example of a great rock record that…
YOVANNI’s Breathe is an engrossing effort that completely subverts expectation about proper roles for vocals and instrumentation. During his latest, YOVANNI is able to add considerable harmonies to the ambient soundscape that is built up. At the same time, there is an interaction present that has the single’s instrumentation interlace itself nicely with the lyrics. With nods to classic rock (the more trippy Pink Floyd and early Genesis), electronic (Massive…
On Bachelor Life, Trav Torch is able to make a track that perfectly straddles rap and R&B genres. A heavy, bassy backing beat is perfect in highlighting each bar. Together, these two elements contribute to something great; Bachelor Life could easily make it onto radio rotation and Spotify playlists. Eating, shooting, and leaving before the two minute mark, Trav Torch knows precisely what he wants from the track and creates…
Wiley Roots Brewing Company announced that the brewery is releasing four new pastry inspired beers this weekend, Friday, March 1, 2019 at 12 pm, with the introduction of Blueberry & Lemon County Fair Cobbler, Cranberry & Raspberry County Fair Cobbler, Breakfast Strudels: Nana’s French Toast, and Breakfast Strudels: Morning Coffee Cake. This release will focus on a growing trend in the craft beer industry of breweries using dessert adjuncts to…
Kim Cameron is able to jazz up dance music during her latest track, Fearless Lovers. The effort is able to link together 1990s Italo dance and 2000s electronic with the modern iterations of EDM. Cameron is able to keep high energy through distinct sections that various call forward Ray of Light-era Madonna and the SunStroke Project (through the tremendously impressive sax work of Suzanne Grzanna). Traditional and contemporary approaches make…
The lead-off track from the Six Songs of Protest EP, Organize is an effort that calls back to the Motown sound of the 1960s. With a call and response style representing the backbone of the track, Dobkin is able to whip in extended (and funky) drum beats to really hammer home the titular order. With a sick bass line that comes into focus soon after, Dobkin’s Organize is one of…
Evil is a poppy track that blends together a bouncy guitar with haunting guitar work. With a bit of electronic echo included into the track before a trap / reggae style comes forth later, Evil is a track that a wide swath of fans can appreciate. A strong message about the amount of danger in the world is interspersed throughout Kelley’s latest. The chorus of Evil has a number of…
In the rush to pander to the twin gods of Gen X Nostalgia and the booming Vinyl Resurgence, re-release mania has led to some truly questionable offerings over the past few years. 311, Godsmack, The Space Jam soundtrack… But, occasionally, inside the record label vaults, on a long-overlooked shelf, the beauty of a long forgotten album is found. Such is the case with First Band on the Moon, the third…
Luther Russell has drifted under the radar of many for the past few decades, but his 2018 double album anthology, Selective Memories helped clue in the uninitiated to his brilliant knack for writing Power Pop and Rock songs that brim with substance. His latest, Medium Cool, continues that streak, shunning trendy musical fades for a timeless set of guitar-driven, strong narrative songs that could have come out at any time…
Benedict Sinister’s Ne Dramatise Pas has a retro-futuristic sound that links together dance with lounge. Whipping in current EDM and electro-funk genres to this track, Benedict Sinister is able to ensure that everyone has something to appreciate. Ne Dramatise Pas’s numerous style shifts makes the track continually interesting. A dusty set of vocals ties everything up with a nice bow. The two minute mark pushes things into a more rapid…
John Tracy has just released his Love True Just For You. This hopeful soft rock track has the same epic sound of Lullaby or pre-country Bon Jovi. The dynamic of the vocals and guitars here is delightful, while the bass/drum arrangements add a fullness to the track that will resound loudly with listeners long after Love True Just For You ceases. Tracy’s progression over the course of the last few…
T-Pain has been a continual force in rap and pop for over a decade now. On his latest effort Getcha Roll On, he’s able to build upon the Big Tymerz classic while lighting the effort up with some intense bars. The track also features Tory Lanez coming back to rare form. Together, the two are able to make something that could easily slot into radio rotation while throwing out some…
We’d recommend checking out Strangetown USA in two distinct formats. First, listen to this retro-infused sound and pick up every nod to 1960s surf music, 1970s indie (e.g. Velvet Underground), and 1990s alternative. Secondly, watch the absolutely insane video that links together the original movie version of The Producers, Fear and Loathing in Los Vegas, and Shock Treatment. The song’s melodies will bury themselves deep into listeners’ minds just as…
On Major Moment’s cover of Linkin Park’s Leave Out All The Rest, there is a tremendously touching sentiment that is weaved within a careful instrumentation. The twinkling sound of the track will impress the gravitas of the song upon listeners. The bit of heavier sound that punctuates these softer and more sedate sections really highlights the tremendous emotional content of this performance. A pair of vocals really hammers home the…
We’re absolutely in love with Populuxe’s Garage Sale. The challenging arrangements will require that listeners place their enitre focus on the composition. The band is able to effortlessly move through numerous genres, be it 1960s Brit-pop, 1980s alternative, or a modern take on college rock (e.g. OK Go). The shuffling style and technically insane guitar / drum dynamic during the the 2:30 mark of Populuxe’s latest represents a high-water mark…