On Happy (We’ll Never Be), 3D Friends are able to create a laid-back dance track that ties together Savage Garden, Depeche Mode and mid-oughts emo music into a delectable package. The charisma of the band’s vocals stands out above the taut instrumentation. This blending of masterfully arranged synths, chunky bass lines, and a smooth production makes it easy to imagine the single garnering heavy airplay. The bit of an instrumental…
Memories of Love is a mid-tempo track that establishes Ha Phuong as a formidable performer. The look back towards the 1990s does Memories of Love well, as Ha’s vocals are able to rise and fall upon a supporting Latin/world-music beat. When Phuong moves into the chorus of Memories of Love, the presence of a secondary set of vocals is more than enough to keep the track energetic. Blending the pop…
Andrew W. Boss has just released his single Avengers (video is above). This effort calls back to the rap-metal of the late 1990s and early 2000s. Hints of Limp Bizkit and P.O.D. can be heard here; a sick flow lays on top of crunchy guitar riffs and intense drum beats. Boss’s vocals draw upon the tortured, furious sound of Freak on a Leash-era Korn. Together, the instrumentation and Boss’s vocals…
Dyk’s Trashcan is a rock track that builds upon the style of U2, Audioslave, and OneRepublic with hints of a harder rock style (e.g. Jane’s Addiction, Chris Cornell, Queens of the Stone Age). The environmentally-friendly message is present at all points during the single. A more jam band guitar line enters in at points, providing a wonderful counterpoint to the harder edge that began things. Contemplative, musically proficient, and with…
On Reveries, Lucas Ray Exp takes listeners through a tremendously intimate journey through his psyche. Initially starting out with a more sedate sound, LRE is able to gradually add in technical guitar riffs and booming drums to the mix. Of the course of this nearly-five minute single, Lucas Ray Exp is able to establish one of the most detailed instrumental compositions that we have ever heard. Effortlessly moving through progressive,…
In 1993, The Posies turned in one of the finest power pop records of the decade with “Frosting on the Beater.” So, it was almost a given that it’s follow-up wouldn’t stray too far from that formula. And thankfully it didn’t. The 14-track “Amazing Disgrace,” was just as accessible as it’s predecessor, if a little less optimistic in tone, likely a result of troubles within the band (drummer Mike Musburger…
Christmas in the Desert is a touching, sedate effort that allows Miguel ample opportunity to showcase his songwriting skills. The track is able to succeed because Estrada pulls double-duty, telling a story as well as adding a further level of depth to the sleigh bells and backing instrumentation. The smart usage of silence provides further gravitas to the composition. I feel that Christmas in the Desert is able to be…
Tony Tripi has released a trio of Christmas songs that are able to address the topic of the holiday without falling tinto the same pitfall many performers do when attempting to make tracks that have staying power. On Family Christmas, Tripi is able to craft a seventies-infused rock track that includes sizzling guitar work, a female chorus, and absolutely emphatic drum work. With so many pieces shining, it’s no surprise…
Project Grand Slam’s Greetings from Serbia URL: https://www.projectgrandslam.com/ Fans of pure jazz fusion as it was always meant to be consumed rejoice; 2019 officially commences with the release of the Robert Miller-led Project Grand Slam’s Greetings from Serbia, the group’s first live album and virgin offering to a brand new year. We begin with the rolling grooves of “You Started Something,” which as its title implies inspires something beyond infectious inside of…
The Jackson Whites have released their new Christmas 2018 single, Dressed To Get Naked. The track builds upon the down and dirty rock of the 1970s, bringing in hints of blues, funk, and soul in the instrumental mix. We’re in love with the slightly gritty, incredibly charismatic vocals that sit on the top of the track. The instrumentation laid down here by The Jackson Whites is similarly intense. Fans will…
Don’t Hold Back, the latest single from Paden, is a tremendously hopeful rock track that will immediately draw fans in with intense instrumentation that resounds loudly with each additional drum hit. The charisma of the vocals works well with these instruments, both telling a story and providing further depth to the harmonies of the single. Paden is able to craft radio-worthy rock in the same vein of Of Mice and…
Built on Principle begin their Modesty Martyrs EP with Duh. The track utilizes a groovy backing beat inspired by 1970s psych/guitar-led rock. The feature (Myka 9) on this initial track ensures that this is one of the most heady introductory efforts we’ve heard. Fans will need to play this cut a number of times before hearing every line and dynamic that issues forth. There is a mid-1990s NYC sound to…
Glorious Night is the first track on Narrow Path, the new album from Joe Miralles. The hopeful vocals and taut drum, bass, and guitar arrangements makes for a track that is equal parts 1990s alternative and 1970s singer-songwriter. While this introductory single would easily make its way onto radio / playlist rotation, I feel that the backing instrumentation far outstrips the quality of the average radio track. There is a…
Feel So Good Today is a positive-rap track that blends together Ne*Yo and Flo Rida to effortlessly skirt pop-R&B and rap styles. The sunny backing beat is partially island rhythms mixed in with EDM. DPB’s rap style is polished, contributing more than the lyrical content. The cadence of his rap style during this single adds a further layer of harmony. One could easily imagine Feel So Good Today slotting on…
Mz Rockastella creates straight fire with her latest single, Who We Are. We’re quite impressed at the rapid-fire flow that she lays down here. The intricate wordplay ensures that listeners will have to play the single back multiple times before hearing everything that has been contained within. The synth and percussive elements of the song’s backing beat provides a robust backdrop, rising and falling to properly highlight Mz Rockastella’s flow…
On Solitude Blues, Ryan Zimmerman is able to tell a dense and detailed story with little more than his guitar. There is a rough-hewn sound that imparts further realism to the track. Ryan’s vocals have that same dusty, experienced sound that will call forth comparisons to Chris Cornell and Waylon Jennings. Effortlessly moving through country and western, blues, and rock styles, Zimmerman is able to make his Solitude Blues into…
Reckoning is the first experience that listeners will have with The Colours of Kings’ new album, The Truth is in Me. The track blends in equal amounts electronic and alt rock, touching upon the style of the Goo Goo Dolls and Dishwalla while bringing in bits of U2 and Owl City. A more wondrous sound continues into Fight the Future, where the band utilizes the X-Files as a frame of reference.…
Little Animal begins Fox and Bones’ new album, Better Land. The bouncy alt-pop that immediately issues forth blends together the vocal stylings of Cat Stevens and John Popper. With a robust instrumentation that will have listeners’ toes tapping after the single’s first play, Fox and Bones are able to continue on to Love Me Like A River. Love Me Like A River whips in a bit of country and blues…
Jared Dymbort’s Rearrange immediately hits listeners with a soulful, slightly-bouncy take on Ian Curtis or Robert Smith. The track is able to benefit with a number of twists and turns that places listeners in a much different place than they began. While the instrumentation takes a backing spot during Rearrange, the music that is crafted through the inclusion of synth, guitar, bass, and drums is intricate and fulfilling to parse.…
Holy WOW!’s Nebulas is an effort that will stand up to repeat plays. The sheer depth of the single’s arrangements keeps fans from hearing everything that the band has laid out down here. Hauntingly beautiful vocals call back to the days of Bauhaus and 45 Grave. The taut instrumentation that comprises the backing to this single kicks ass; the bass is dense and brushy, while the synthesizer punctuates the song.…