Biting Elbows’ “Love Song” links together Disintegration-era Cure and mid-1980s Depeche Mode. The vocals that are laid down on this single are reminiscent of performers as wide-ranging as Walk The Moon and Conor Oberst. We dig the instrumentation that ebbs and flows on this effort. Take special care to focus on the track after the 2:30 mark. Love Song’s bridging point has the band move into new territory in the…
nIMO & The Light’s “Skin to Skin” calls back to acts like The Smiths and The Tragically Hip. The instrumentation on this new single builds upon the tradition of performers like U2 and INXS, with subtle nods to 1980s goth music. Skin to Skin’s bass, guitar and drum dynamic is fascinating, pitting the rich and omnipresent bass line with a more sporadic and impactful guitar. The drums punctuate Skin to…
Couch Jackets’ “Pillows And Rillos” is a fascinating track. The distinct sections oof the single – the synths, drums, vocals, and guitars – are pulling double duty. This means that not only do they contribute to the overall coherent effort that is Pillows and Rillos, but that they also can be enjoyed on their own. In the same way, pick out pieces of the track – the 1980s synths seemingly…
An Old Friend’s “Lady” is one of those track that imparts as much deep and effecting emotion with its instrumentation as it does with its passionate vocals. The track draws from the late-nineties and early-oughts indie/alternative rock styles of the Deep Elm acts. Lady is an effort that ebbs and flows, with louder, most guitar / drum -heavy moments buttressed alongside rich and impassioned vocals. The track will keep listeners on…
Tritonal have brought in Lourdiz to their new track “Love U Right”. The inclusion of her voocals allow Tritonal the ability to layer glowing synths and perfectly punchy beats in a way that makes the resulting track incredibly deep. While it is incredibly easy to enjoy the song driving around or doing something else, Tritonal’s unique ability to make this a heady and complex effort means that one should really…
Albert Hammond Jr has been crafting music for well over a decade at this point, and on his latest single,”Far Away Truths”, he’s able to spin the very angular rock music of the oughts in a bright new way. A guitar / bass dynamic hearkens a bit back to the 1980s; supersonic vocals draw upon Rush as much as Interpol.
Seconds Before Landing’s fourth release is a three song EP entitled Trio Volume 1 and shows how far songwriting John Crispino and Seconds Before Landing has progressed since their debut concept album The Great Deception. Crispino is a multi-instrumentalist as well and his drumming and synthesizer contributions to the release are every bit as important as his vocal and lyrical offerings. The band has worked with engineer Andy Jackson before…
It’s taken five albums – albeit all really good releases – but Texas native Amanda Shires has finally put out a career-defining record.
For as much creativity and immersive artistry that has emerged in the last decade, one aspect of the entertainment business has continued to suffer, almost, ironically, in silence. I’m talking about pop music, specifically it’s more electrified rock n’ roll realm. Pop’s heavier side has been going through some particularly rough times since the fusion of electronic and urban subgenres to create super-scenes that know no boundaries both sonically and…
There is seems to be a strong sense of inauthenticity with the vast number of bands who are suddenly unplugging their guitars and calling themselves “Americana” now. But soon enough, another genre will come along and be ripe for exploitation. And when it does, you can bet Riley Moore, a refreshingly genuine voice in the Americana/Folk movement, will still be playing his brand of no frills, but deeply satisfying music…
Over the past several years, when not on their seemingly endless global tour, Mike Peters and his bandmates have been busy breathing new life into old classics. First came the 30th anniversary of their debut, “Declaration,” which saw the songs re-interpreted and re-recorded for a new decade, followed quickly by “Peace Train,” another series of re-recordings, this time of lesser known B-Sides. But, after an eight-year break, the band is…
Rumors of the Great White Skunk, the third album from Oklahoma based duo Cliff and Jeana Downing, builds on the success of Captain Ledge Band’s first two albums with a collection that shows their exponential growth as songwriters since the band first formed. The duo’s journey to a third album has been well chronicled and you hear a lot of the gratitude they share for making music together coming through,…
Karen Atkins’ cover of the classic Paul Simon track “Slip Slidin’ Away” is fantastic as it is able to possess the spirit of the original while imprinting her own unique tack on the track. Little more is needed on Atkins’ version than her inimitable vocals and just the lightest touch of guitars and drums. One will be teleported into close quarters with Atkins’ recording (a video is below) as she…
Kristy Chmura’s “Abandoned House” calls back to the strong female vocal style of Tori Amos and Sarah McLachlan. Chmura is able to pull double duty on this single as her vocals tell a story as well as contributing mightily to the overall harmony of the track. Abandoned House is fairly spartan in its instrumental arrangements, but uses each flash of guitar, drums, or strings in a fashion that highlights Kristy’s…
The Broke Royals’ “Higher” is a hopeful track that builds upon the rock of the Goo Goo Dolls and Imagine Dragons. While the chorus of this single is incredibly infectious, I think that the backing instrumentation far outstrips what is heard on radio stations. The band is able to turn on a dime here, with a number of distinct sections ensuring that the final few notes of Higher are as…
The time between when we first covered Cowboy Mouth and today may just be the longest we’ve ever seen. We covered the band’s Fearless about a decade ago. The band’s still together and has just released a new single, “Broken Up”. Broken Up is a bouncy effort that comes with a catchy set of vocals, sizzling guitar work, and a close and cozy production that makes it seem as if…
Earthquake Lights’ “The Fix” is one of those special tracks that absolutely pops. The instrumentation is absolutely perfect, with the guitars, drums, and bass both contributing to a cohesive sound while providing just enough in the way of highlighting to the rich vocals. The ebb and flow of The Fix ensures that listeners will be on the edges of their seats. Earthquake Lights build upon the alt-rock of the late…
U2 is the latest in line to get the re-release treatment on vinyl and the occurrence serves as a great reminder of the band’s ability to redefine their style again and again. Their latest records to get a proper 180-gram double LP treatment are 1991’s Achtung Baby, 1993’s Zooropa and their first of two hits packages, “The Best of 1980-1990”. Achtung Baby was their first proper studio album in four…
When people are living in harmony and love is plentiful, communities at peace and joy is more common than fear or hatred, there is always music. In times of distress and chaos, where no one seems to want to get along and there isn’t any singular uniting shelter that we can come together under from the storm, there is always music. Music is in fact the one element of our…
England’s classic street punk torchbearers The Filaments had a couple of solid releases under their belts before calling it a day in 2005 when their singer emigrated to the U.S.