Steeped in enigmatic lyrics that could double for riddles, romantic exchanges between two equally talented vocalists and haunting harmonies between both the players and the instruments, Timber deliver a watershed album in The Family that promises to satisfy the pair’s longtime fans and newcomers alike. The most sensational quality that this record has to offer is its riveting tonality, which triumphs in the face of discordant rhythm and impossibly cerebral grooves with…
I don’t care much for albums with an inordinate amount of polish. Too often musicians working in the Americana vein will opt for glossy over authentic, but you don’t get any of that with Molly Hanmer. Her vocal and musical skills are unquestionable, but she also clearly pushes herself to dig as deep into a song as she can and isn’t afraid to put herself on the line. The opener…
The Silver Snails’ “Ave Maria a Zio Virgilio” draws an a classical musical tradition to weave a narrative that will have listeners focus in to each vocal layer and alluring arrangement. The vocals pull double duty on Ave Maria a Zio Virgilio in that they provide a narrative quality while adding to the overall harmonies achieved by the act. An extended instrumental interlude at the 2:30 mark keeps things fresh, as…
Nika Cantabile has just released the follow-up to Naked Soul Opus 2. Starting off with Sennen Kowa Sagashiteru (from D Gray Man), Nika is able to bring forth tremendous highs and a heavier, chunkier sound together into something that will immediately draw listeners in. Naruto’s Orochimaru No showcases repetition to a fantastic degree, with just enough in the way of variation to keep listeners keyed on in through the effort’s four-plus minute…
Stephen Winston’s “Maybe It’s For James” is a hopeful track in the vein of Cat Stevens or John Denver. The track is able to move through a number of styles, with nods to gospel and the progressive genre of early-Genesis. Maybe It’s For James is one of those efforts that need a few listens – one needs to focus on the lyrical content of Winston initially before moving into the…
Melanie Taylor’s “Adderall” is a powerful and introspective effort that provides listeners a good introduction into the performer. In the lyrics that Melanie lays down here, fans will be able to emphasize and understand precisely what is being discussed. The instrumentation on Adderall is a blend of pop, EDM, and R&B that is able to keep one’s attention until the effort rides out. Melanie is able to make something in…
Scott Gray’s “Raincoats” is a bouncy pop track that showcases a smooth set of vocals, bouncy guitar/piano dynamic, and an overall sound that will inject a bit of happiness into listeners’ days. Gray’s vocal range is pretty considerable, takes fans on highrises and counters with a rich tenor. Raincoats has a traditional production in that everything is dynamic; Gray is able to avoid the tendency present in popular music to…
This last time we reviewed Tris McCall, it was through his contributions to Jim Testa’s There Goes The Neighborhood CD. During “Conspiracy Theory”, McCall is able to call back to the 1980s with nods to R.E.M. and Warren Zevon. Synthesizers, a backing set of female vocals, and a world-conscious set of lyrics make Conspiracy Theory into something brilliant. With a production allowing each element to shine alone or in service…
Isaac Castor’s “Da Bounce” calls back to the late 1990s with a grimy, NO-inspired flow. With nods to Lil Wayne and Romeo, the track is able to deftly whip in past and present. Da Bounce impresses with strong wordplay and a hard-hitting beat that will bury itself deep into the minds and hearts of listeners. The constantly scintillating backing beat provides just enough in the way of oomph to emphatically…
No Confidence Man is an effort that ties together a wide variety of styles, whether it be Computer Love-era Kraftwerk, Franz Ferdinand, or Muse. The Woolly Mammoth, who have just released the single, are able to weave together an engrossing track that takes fans over this wide swath of sound in the course of three and a half minute. The single is similar to an onion; one can continue to…
Silver is an assertive, dominant track that immediately hits listeners over their heads with a sultry set of vocals, sizzling guitar licks, and a brooding instrumentation that will catch listeners’ attentions. The guitar/vocal dynamic on Silver pushes each to a higher plateau, but it is the bassier synth line that is weaved through the single that shines in the first half of the effort. The intense psychedelic-styled guitar work that…
The Camino Side Project have released an effort in Wheels that ties together the sultry rock of INXS with a bit of the seriousness of Depeche Mode. The haunting instrumentation that is laced through this single will keep listeners on the edges of their seat. The breathy, intense vocals that play at the top of Wheels interact nicely with the instrumentation. Adding a ropy bass line into the mix at…
Keith Mosfet’s newest single Let Me Go effortlessly ties together 1960s pop, 1970s folk, and the Britpop of the 1990s. The taut instrumentation on Mosfet’s latest provides a robust backdrop for the paired (female and male) vocals. The guitars are technically proficient while building off of the folk-rock of performers like Neil Young. Let Me Go’s chorus will tattoo itself deep into the minds and hearts of listeners, while the…
Barry Abernathy and Darrell Webb present Appalachian Road Show, the first joint musical effort between Abernathy, Webb and guest star Jim VanCleve on fiddle, is a multidimensional foray into the realm of bluegrass and its southern relatives constructed out of the trio’s love of the Appalachian landscape, and it doesn’t waste any time dispensing the rich melodies that the region is synonymous with. Abernathy commands our heart-strings with his lightning-fast…
Eye Bender’s Tomorrow is an effort that looks back to the days of Vixen and Heart. With a tremendously engrossing set of vocals kicking things off, this cut ensures that listeners will be on the edges of their seat as it continues to gain momentum. Tomorrow kicks into a rocking track that is able to impart considerable emotion in each note sang. The instrumentation is used sparingly with guitars and…
If we were to define The Cold Stares’ new album Mountain purely by its lush lyrical content, to describe it as anything other than a cryptic dreamscape that presses all of the psych-tinged bluesy cues hinted at in Head Bent into full blown experimentalism simply wouldn’t be accurate. Mountain is a gorgeous realization of singer and guitarist Chris Tapp and drummer Brian Mullins’ original audiological blueprint in high definition sound, still fitted with a razor sharp…
Long before Dan Wilson became the go-to songwriter for an incredibly diverse range of musicians from Adele and Taylor Swift to Weezer and Nas, he was known as that guy who sang that earworm “Closing Time.”
The second single from Patiently Awaiting the Meteorite’s album Canyon Diablo, “Strange Intuition”, accelerates the momentum the collaboration between producers/writers The Grand Brothers and singer/songwriter Dee generated with the album’s first single “Electrified”. The band cites a variety of influences for their material, but the latest single demonstrates no clear pedigree while still working well within the realm of electro-influenced rock. The hard-hitting, yet immensely stylish, approach to this single moves…
Kazyak’s Reflection is the sort of album I think you’ll be able to keep returning for years to come and never fully exhaust its appeal. The band complied eight demos, b-sides, and outtakes to form this album, but this unlikely method for structuring anything more than a hodgepodge collection lacking rhyme or reason pays off, instead, for Kazyak in a big way. Patterns and connections aren’t always apparent in an artist’s work…
Laced with distortion and a pristine spring reverb, the searing riff that opens “Gold,” the first track of Emma DeCorsey’s new extended play The Dream, pushes and shoves its way into focus with an unforgiving brutality that is only curtailed by DeCorsey’s smoky, melodic vocal. The stomping beat guides us along as we get lost in the angst-ridden delivery of the lyrics, which overpowers the content of the verse but significantly…