New York’s Pontus starts off his latest release, the IV EP, in a very challenging way. He has front-loaded Ten, a ten-minute composition, requiring listeners to immediately strap in and experience his unique form of progressive metal. The song weaves intricate arrangements that will keep listeners on the edges of their seats; challenging popular conceptions about time signatures or complex arrays of instrumental interaction, IV’s beginning tells a tremendous story…
Whiskey is the first track off of the For Mama EP by Oklahoma’s Small Town Sound, providing fans with an intricate and soulful style that blends together equal amounts alternative, singer-songwriter, and even country styles. The act’s vibrancy kicks into high gear shortly after the track begins; Small Town Sound is able to showcase the allure of alcohol with the somber (sober) beginning and the eclectic, energy-filled second section (after…
Till Dawn is a sultry, emotive, and intense single from Aiym, which immediately strikes listeners with nods to Kelly Clarkson, Pink, and Lady Gaga. Aiym’s vocals do more than tell a story as they join with the instrumentation to push each side to an entirely higher plateau. The tempestuous instrumentation shines in the background of Till Dawn, while listeners will be impressed with the sheer range of notes that Aiym…
What’s That is a smart bit of rap that showcases a deep and detailed flow from London’s SinForCalais. The track benefits from an inventive sort of instrumentation that will tattoo itself deep into the minds and hearts of listeners. There is a timeless sound to this flow that will please fans of late nineties, oughts, and current forms of rap music. The melodies that are achieved with this ornate vocal…
Leave the Light On is a slow and deliberate track, providing listeners with a sound that will stick with them long after this introductory effort has ceased to spin. The track represents the perfect slow dance effort, building up into a place where the sheer range of Kohr’s vocal abilities can be discerned. This backing instrumentation creates something special, providing the right amount of pizzazz for this song.
Creeper is a high-energy track that has each of the constituent elements of Bad Mary creating a charismatic and musically dense effort that will stick with fans long after the track has ceased to play. Marz Attaqx is an effort that builds off of the work of late-1990s Lookout acts while having a crispness to the composition speaks to the current state of rock music. Multi-part harmonies are used to…
Raleigh, North Carolina’s Jack the Radio begin their Badlands with Bad Man, a track that links together psychedelic rock with hints of country and jam band styles. The eclectic styling of Jack the Radio is hard to pin down, meaning that the act takes up so many different standards during Badlands that fans of any styles will find something that they can appreciate. Ain’t So Bad has Jack the Radio…
Mal De Mer is the latest album from New York’s The Morning Sea, with an eponymous track that is tremendously emotive and effecting. Taking up hints of alternative and indie, The Morning Sea to establish something that is instrumentally and vocally compelling. The meandering tack taken during this introduction will have listeners on the edges of their seats Don’t Be Moronic, Merriam speeds things up and adds hints of ska…
Jesse W Johnson’s Primal Scream EP begins with the titular effort, an insistent type of rock that builds upon the framework of Placebo and dusty desert rock. The intense guitar work and immersive instrumentation will immediately interest listeners can keep them focused in as Johnson moves into Fucked Up First. The challenging time signatures of Fucked Up First benefits from a ropy bass line and a deft blend of indie,…
As a magazine from the Akron area, it’s always invigorating to find a talented band from our neck of the woods. The L.A. Knights create a track in Devil On My Heels that links together the work of metal acts like Motley Crue and Malice, tying together intense guitar works, a vocal braggadocio that has the chops to back it up, and on-point drums that fit perfectly while amazing with…
Dropped down like Manna from heaven (or more specifically, from the folks at Legacy Records), Elvis Presley fans across the globe can now pick up the ultimate fan set – a 60-CD collection of records from The King. Included are restored versions for 57 Presley albums originally released from RCA between 1956-and-1977 in addition to three separate discs of rarities dating back as late as the ‘50s.
This chugging dance track ties up hints of late-nineties electronic with hints of Miami dance to create a nostalgic look back into an earlier EDM tradition. There is a vibrancy to Fast Work that ensures that the cut’s melodies are tattooed deep into the psyche of listeners, along with a breadth of influences ensuring that fans of a wide variety of genres can find something to appreciate here. The hammered-home…
The Brooklyn-by way of Athens- indie band Great Lakes has been spent the past two decades churning out five records and managed to keep their sound evolving thanks to a collective of musicians that have come and gone with nearly each effort. Guitarist/singer Ben Crumb has been at the center of each record and for the latest, “Wild Vision,” he pulled in singer Suzanne Nienaber, bassist David Lerner, drummer Kevin…
With their third record in as many years – and third full length since 2012 – Eureka California are proving to be the Willie Nelsons of indie pop; not a year goes by without at least something new.
Drôle de dilemma is the first track on Jacques Pellarin’s My French Cinema, and it provides listeners with an entire range of styles and sounds. Primarily beginning in a classical tradition, Pellarin is able to take up many of the early modern approaches and styles in a bouncy, light-hearted affair. The sweeping sounds of Hans Otto Strasse is provided considerable depths through the numbers of twists and turns that Pellarin…
Ryan Shupe ‘s We Rode On is a tremendously hopeful effort that showcases the power of the American spirit with a rich set of vocals and a catchy vocal style that ties together Maroon 5 and Walk the Moon. The Sun Will Shine Again has an intense instrumental opening that gives ground to allow Shupe to marvel with his vocal output. The production of this track is amazing, as the…
A modern form of indie-pop that looks back to the electronic styles of the mid-eighties for influence, while still having enough chops to make for a musically interesting style during the EP’s first effort, Strangers. The challenging time signatures present during Taylor will have listeners sitting on the edges of their seats, while the raw power of Lionheart’s vocals link together artists as disparate as La Roux and Taylor Swift.
Come Down is the latest single from Water District, possessing an emotive sound and fuzzy guitars that unite to make a wall that washes over listeners. Tremendously interesting guitar lines and rich vocals are present in spades, giving the track a sound that would work as well in 1993 as it does in 2016. Water District make an effort that tie together equal parts emotive rock, punk, and alternative/indie rock.…
Kate Brown’s Bring Me Down Dixie is a tremendously affecting track that shows the sheer vocal range of this inimitable performer. The rich instrumentation of this single provides highlighting for Brown’s vocals in all of the right position, with a production that allows the timeless vocals, splashy drums and wistful strings to create something greater than their constituent parts. The narrative quality of Brown on Bring Me Down Dixie will…
Jenny Bruce will immediately touch listeners with her own inimitable vocal style. Little more is needed during Complicated Hearts than Bruce and her guitar, the combination of which makes for a varied and deep introduction to her Firefly in a Jar EP. The titular track to his EP has an intimate and contemplative touch that is highlighted to the richness of Bruce’s guitar arrangements. The unification of these two elements…