Hugh James’ “My Brother’s Shoes” is an effort that ties together country & western with gospel styles. James is able to weave together an intricate narrative with a backing chorus. My Brother’s Shoes has an instrumentation that rises and falls, to provide considerable gravitas to the effort when it needs it while dropping out and allowing Hugh’s vocals ample opportunity to impress. The production allows the drums, voices, and piano…
Belle VEX’s “Something New” has a bouncy beat and nods to R&B and EDM styles. The vocals on Something New stand boldly above the chill synths and assertive dance beat. The track could easily be slotted onto pop, dance, or college radio stations and playlist. Belle VEX is able to create something familiar but is done at such a high standard that it contributes to the overall corpus of the…
Osaka Popstar’s cover of “Fish Heads” is a sea change from the original. Adding a bit of stripped-down Ramones styled punk into the mix, Osaka Popstar energize and spin the effort into something that will bury itself as deep into the minds and hearts of listeners as it did about 40 years back. The video throws a bit of John K-esque art into the mix, making for a full multimedia…
Josh Collins is able to make a heart-felt and touching effort in “Hold You Back”. The track needs little more than Josh’s vocals and guitars. There is an honest and organic feel that is cultivated during this track that gradually is spun out into a wholly engrossing bit of pop-rock. The rough-hewn approach to the track’s production makes each line and each note resound long after Hold You Back ceases.…
“Heart Shape Pill” is a funky track that brings together a jam band style with hints of funk and soul. The taut instrumentation that represents the backdrop of this single deserves one’s focus. So much is happening behind the vox; fans should strap on their favorite pair of headphones to hear everything that has been included within. “Night-Stepper” is our favorite of the pair. In this effort, the drums, bass,…
Angela Josephine has just cut a pair of tracks. On “Go Easy”, the careful aesthetic of guitars and drums makes for an engrossing opening. Different sections provide further expansion on the initial theme; the more deliberate and higher velocity during the track’s lead out stokes the interest of fans. Josephine includes a male vocal during “40 Days” that changes things up considerably. The back and forth between guitar and…
The Cutthroat Brothers’ “Kill 4 U” is an interesting track, built off of influences as wide-reaching as Motorhead and the Nekromantix. With a set of vocals that pull a bit from the Butthole Surfers and Nine Inch Nails, Kill 4 U is a track that would be at home in a Tarentino flick. Dirty, grungy, and performed with raw orgiastic fury, the vocals on the single push it to an…
Christmas Is A Time For Everyone is the latest effort by Velinski. The track is able to present the traditional side of Christmas while having a modern and contemporary sound weaved in. Sleigh bells and choral efforts unite with a robust bass line. The vocals are able to pull double duty here in both furthering the single’s narrative while bolstering the harmonies laid down by the instrumental side of things.…
Because It Hurts, the latest from GOODING, has some tremendous instrumentation to go along with a slinky, sexy pair of vocals. The interplay of female and male elements during GOODING’s latest ensures that listeners will get out on the dance floor. A dirty, funky bass line adds considerable depth to the single. The bit of brooding and darker elements whipped into Because It Hurts ensures that one should be able…
Nadia Lanfranconi’s “Italian Country Song” is one of those country tracks that is able to shine in the current musical climate while still drawing on a rich precedent tradition. Lanfranconi is able to have a bit of the honky tonk and the trapping of 1980s and early 1990s country (e.g. Martina McBride, Wynonna Judd) in her latest effort. The bit of current pop that gets weaved into Italian Country Song…
Jesus Honcho’s intricate flow on “Infatuated” will take fans a few plays to properly unpack. It’s truly a testament to his ability that he’s able to put down such a heady set of bars while further contributing to the overall harmony of Infatuated. The production here is smart, utilizing a minimal amount of sequenced beats to properly highlight what Jesus Honcho is trying to express. Infatuated ends before the 2:45…
Interpol’s “If You Really Love Nothing” has all constituent elements of the band working together to craft something special. The dynamic between the bass and drums is a bouncy back and forth that is punctuated by the on-point drumming and splashy cymbals that are laid down. Haunting guitars work to provide a second voice with the dreamy vox that blink in and out of existence. The depth of If You…
Pop Noir’s “White Jazz” an interesting creature. The track takes in a number of distinct musical styles – synth-pop, dreamy California pop, and a bit of alt rock and dance to make something wholly unique. The vocals on White Jazz variously flirt with the synths and guitars to make a cohesive and bouncy track. White Jazz is one of those efforts that has something for everyone – one second, a…
Liily’s “Toro” builds off of the work of Bloc Party, Foo Fighters and Franz Ferdinand, with a bit of the dirty 1970s rock sound (MC5) interspersed in. Of particular note during Toro has to be the band’s scintillating guitars and technically impressive interplay between the drums, vocals, and aforementioned lead. Liily’s charisma is undeniable – the lyrics are supersonic, bringing the assertive drums and riffs into an entirely higher plateau.…
Paul van Dyk’s “Music Rescues Me” is a hopeful track that blends an assertive synth line with a set of hopeful vocals laid down by Plumb. Building off of the late-1990s Italo dance sound while whipping in a louder than life instrumentation makes this special. The bit of classically-styled keys incorporated in at the two-minute-mark allows for Music Rescues Me to remain as engrossing as it was when it first began.…
sam.’s Wreck My Soul is a track that ties together current pop and EDM approaches with hints of trip-hop and Bjork-esque indie music. Together, these elements are able to wholly involve listeners. The numerous layers on Wreck My Soul further allow fans to tuck in and find new twists and turns on subsequent listens. The single’s arrangements deserve additional attention as the dynamics between percussive and synth elements tell just…
While The Clash, The Damned and the Sex Pistols all justifiably get their due in just about any discussion around the origins of punk rock, Cock Sparrer is almost always inexplicably left off the list by many in this country. Which is odd considering the London band had several years head start on all of the aforementioned peers, dating all the way back to 1972. And as influential as the…
Jason Isbell surprised many when he walked away from cult favs Drive By Truckers 10 years ago. What were the chances of an Americana artist that bristled against modern country music making it beyond a record or two. Turns out, the chances were a hell of a lot better than most thought. It helps that Isbell also happens to be one of the best songwriters to come around in a…
The Weeklings are able to refresh the power-pop / AOR of the 1960s and 1970s with their new song, “In The Moment”. In The Moment has soulful vocals built off of the bands of the British Invasion while the guitars take inspiration from ELO and Boston. The Weeklings are able to make a clear, guitar / drum / vox dynamic shine brightly. With just a bit of a nod towards…
PSYRUS’s “Hitcher” is able to deftly tie together synth-pop and new wave in a bold new direction. Haunting vocals and sweeping synths unite to make for a track that shifts between sounds, tempos, and even approaches. Hitcher is one of those efforts that continues to provide twists and turns to fans after multiple plays. With Hitcher being one of those earworms that will bury itself deep into the minds of…