Lost Song showcases the powerful vocals of Ellen Wade, highlighted by the lightest of instrumentation. The depth of these vocals, each low and high experience will ensure that listeners are firmly ensconced into her music.
Sydney, Australia’s own Sasha Leonov has crafted a unique style of music that has been continually evolved since the 2009 release of his first album Accolades For Days of Sunshine. Moving from piano compositions to a fully-fleshed out set of music and lyrics with 2012’s Remnants of Tomorrow, Leonov was able to expand his repertoire with 2013 Skies Change. “Believe Once More” is a tender composition with a deliberate percussion…
Though their sound belies the multi-colored confetti connotations of the band’s name, Majical Cloudz’ vocals and lyrics create a beauty and hope that penetrates their layers of melancholy instrumentation. The Montreal-based indie-synthpop band lies on the opposite end of the spectrum of other current keyboard-oriented outfits like Passion Pit, Foster The People and others of that ilk. Rather than inspiring new wave dance parties as those bands do, Majical Cloudz…
You Don’t Know Me starts out Ghost Lit Kingdom’s I Was Born EP. The track’s ethereal opening expands into a hard-hitting chorus that will impress fans of X Ambassadors and Imagine Dragons. Ela’s vocals here (and on the rest of Ghost Lit Kingdom’s newest) are a bright point; the band’s instrumentation during this beginning salvo hangs with these heavenly vox well.
Lovers & Liars is a country song that would work perfectly on C&W radio in the 1960s; the raw emotion of Elliot during this introductory track will immediately draw in fans of Hank Williams and Conway Twitty. There is little more instrumentally to this introductory effort than a lap steel and the lightest of percussion, but the vibrancy of the narrative that is created could fill up a story book.…
No opens up weareTheBigBang’s Smoke EP and showcases a unique style of music that ties together artists as diverse as No Doubt, Christina Aguilera and Paramore. The production of this initial track allows the drums, guitars, and Jolene’s inimitable vocals ample chances to shine. The harmonies that the band create during this introductory track firmly plant listeners on the edges of their seats for the entirety of Smoke.
Fedd Up is a band from my old stomping grounds (Lancaster, Ohio), and they have just released their Dark Days EP. Fedd Up is opening up for Ghosts in the Attic on September 25th at Victory’s Live. Jake Smith lays down the vocals, Dirk Crist hits the skins, Eric Merz plays bass and Nick Alvis straps up on rhythm guitar. The band is able to create something special with a…
Dreamtrip & Submosis’ Blue Vice is a sedate, atmospheric composition that is tremendously illustrative. A deliberate pace is taken that allows for the composition to rise and swell. The wide array of approaches presented to fans during this composition further increases the replay value of Blue Vice.
Giving Up is emotive, touching, and puts forth strong strides in Scot’s inimitable vocals. While the instrumentation represents a major part of the composition, the focal point of this introductory effort is the large range reached by Scott.
Unlikely Dance is the lead single from Landry Riba’s latest album, Tales from behind the mirror. The video provides a narrative to an already dense and alluring instrumentation. There is little more than a female dancing to the overall beat, but the combined audio/video makes the effort resound loudly with listeners.
Thanks to a slew of cheap-to-free recording software anyone can make an album’s worth of music now, regardless of how mediocre their sound is. The guys that make up Chicago’s (by way of South Dakota) The Kickback, however, took their time building up to a full length. Through years of touring and three EPs, the four-piece indie rock outfit built up a strong collection of tried-and-true rockers and finally committed…
Awaken in Silence is a taut hard rock track that will immediately draw listeners in with a tremendous amount of charisma and a talented instrumentation that includes splashing drums and brutal guitar work. The ability of Five Hundredth Year to move from absurdly heavy metal to beautiful multi-part harmonies is unparalleled, representing the thread that listeners will observe when they continue listening to A Rose From Ashes.
Who says there’s nothing new under the sun? I do. In an era where truly original idea are all but completely exhausted, the best we can hope for is an act that is doing things in a less common, if not a groundbreaking way. Kitty, Daisy and Lewis’ musical approach on “The Third” is one road that has seen considerably less traffic than most.
Get Away With It has Andre Chrys build off of the inimitable vocals of Warren Zevon and Neil Young. The shuffling instrumentation that plays in the background of this introductory track will capture listeners’ imaginations early.
In My Mind is a fun track that links together desert rock, jam bands, and Southern rock approaches into something that is tremendously affecting. The talent of the band’s constituent elements as well as the unified front that they provide listeners make this into a must-listen.
“Om Tare” is a wholly immersive track from Australia’s Sacred Earth. From the onset the act is able to create a musical landscape that elicits comparisons to a desert clime. As the composition continues to play, the rich flute and string dynamic that is created ensures that listeners are on the edges of their seats. The track continues to evolve, bringing in a perfectly intertwined duet of vocals.
The Sweetwater Hillbillies have just released their video for the newest single off of their On The Road release, Goin Back To Texas. Goin Back To Texas has The Sweetwater Hillbillies take on a traditional country and western sound and breathe new life into the style with a vibrancy that cannot be beat.
In terms of 1990s supergroups, Mad Season was easily one of the best. Comprised of Alice in Chains frontman Layne Staley, Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready, Screaming Trees’ drummer Barrett Martin and Walkabouts’ bassist John Baker Saunders – all Seattle residents riding high on the success of grunge at the time – the side project ran from 1994 until Saunders death in 1999. Though they only put out one record,…
I Don’t Care is a perfect introduction to fans, as the effort showcases the vibrant side of the act while leaving just enough play for Giraffe to be able to expand upon this first effort. The track blends together traditional and alternative, calling back to The Donnas, The White Stripes and the power-pop of Boston and Cheap Trick. The deliberate and driving beat of I Don’t Care establishes a quick…
Lancaster, Ohio’s Fedd Up have released their Dark Days EP, providing listeners with a great introduction to this hard, sludgy rock act. Wild Flower is a track that builds off of Soundgarden, Animosity-era Corrosion of Conformity, and Kyuss. The charismatic vocals link up nicely with the guttural intensity of the guitars and punchy, on-point vocals. This introductory single hits on all cylinders, ensuring that listeners are on the edges of…