With their seventh album, the Indiana-based indie rock/folk/country band Murder By Death has managed to turn in their best collection of songs in their more than decade-long tenure. That’s not to say their earlier efforts were weak – far from it – but on Big Dark Love, the five piece have written a nearly flawless record that blurs the line between haunting (“Big Dark Love”), beautiful (“Strange Eyes”) and at…
The sweeping synths that open up Tonight allow for tremendously sultry and sensual vocals to dominate. The two elements create an erotic and passionate song that will get listeners on the dance floor.
There is a hopeful sound to the release’s first track, Don’t Let Chances Pass You By, which ties together hints of Bon Jovi, Bruce Springsteen, and Dave Grohl. The interaction between the instrumental and vocal elements creates a track that is timelessly hook, with a number of distinct hooks for listeners – Pagano’s vocals are stellar, the drums are punctual yet splashy, and the guitars provide the hard edge that…
Black Blood is a slinky, sultry track that defies convention. The track is able to equally touch upon pop, electronic, alternative, and industrial that will appease followers of each. The interaction between the vocals and the instrumentation ensure that Black Blood tattoos itself onto the minds and hearts of listeners.
The CD, Lullabies, began as a way of answering the many requests that jazz vocalist Dena Taylor received asking that she turn her voice toward a CD of lullabies. It was during the recording sessions of the CD that it became the basic support system for a charity Dena created following the abuse and subsequent death of a 3 year old toddler. That charity is The Lullaby Project dedicated to…
A number of the rappers that are currently looking to break it big glom onto established rap flows for their claim to fame. Chil Wil is an artist that comes forth with a distinctive style of rap that will tattoo itself into the minds and hearts of listeners. The production of this EP makes each of the five cuts ready for rap rotation; the album’s initial track Stridin straddles the…
Luke Jon Shearer crafts a style of music on his Close Your Eyes, Open Your Mind that is wholly distinct from other music coming down the pipeline. There are healthy doses of late-nineties Britpop and darkly emotive industrial elements, but the human element contributed to the compositions by Shearer spins the resulting songs in a bold new dimension. There is considerable cohesion that exists during the initial registers of the…
Climb Like Ivy Does begins with Reign of Clouds, a high-energy track that links together acts like Pendulum and Queens of the Stone Age with a much more late nineties / early oughts Deep Elm meets Chicago emo sound. The production of the tracks on Climb Like Ivy Does is stellar, allowing every guitar line, bass riff, and authoritative drum beat ample time to shine. Shyest Kindred Spirit has a…
Jumpship Astronaut is able to create in Alive a track that will work perfectly on pop rotation, but possesses enough depth to be eagerly devoured by EDM fans. There is a shuffling dance groove that Jumpship Astronaut inserts into this introductory salvo that ensures listeners will stick with the band from the beginning to the end of Humans.
Fairy Dance is a twinkling composition that is able to tell more of a story than a vocal-heavy composition. Karran’s piano work here is delicate, strong, and always interesting – listeners will be set adrift on the compositions that begin his latest composition, Forgotten Road. Angel of Tullagh Strand is much more introspective than precedent tracks on Forgotten Road, showcasing a wholly different set of sounds and approaches taken by…
The sheer amount of intensity that Omar Bowing brings to his first album will ensure that listeners stay at the edges of their seats from beginning to end. Virus is a track that has every side – screamed-out vocals, splashy drums, and Machine Head meets Coal Chamber styled arrangements – working towards a specific outcome. The dense and deep approach that is taken during the onset of Earthquake showcases Bowing’s…
Hello is the latest single from Cole Phoenix, and is a track that ties together past and present in pop music in a way that will ensure that listeners will be able to find something to dig. The vocal ability of Phoenix represents the focal point of Hello, and it is further boosted through an eighties-tinged instrumentation that is influenced by ZZ Top, Yaz, and Dead or Alive. To keep…
Busy Loving You is a softly spoken and calm effort that will impress listeners with the smart arrangements and the soulful vocals laid down by Clark. The production is spot on, ensuring that listeners will fall in love with each track only a few moments after they have started listening.
There is a powerful singer-songwriter tradition that is presented during the initial track on the Perfect EP, Cry. The track benefits from a smart production hast could easily have it present on pop or adult contemporary radio play. The intelligent arrangements that back up these vocals make for a compelling and alluring style that will resound loudly in listener’s ears long after the album has ceased spinning. Perfect is a…
Yup, a band that goes by the name Sugar Candy Mountain is just as odd and trippy as you’d expect. But that’s part of the appeal of these Bay Area neo hippies. On their latest, Mystic Hits, they churn out a baker’s dozen of swirly guitars, vocal feedback and layers and layers of keyboards that sound like a mix between The Beatles in their LSD years and Tame Impala.
The past couple for years have been a virtual nirvana for fans of the brilliant, yet short-live ‘90s Power Pop band Jellyfish. Despite only having only released two proper studio albums, Omnivore Records has been slowly putting out a slew of gems from the California band. It started by releasing both Bellybutton and Spilt Milk on vinyl, followed by a trio of never before released records: Live at Bogart’s, Stack-A-Tracks…
Despite a fairly generic moniker, the full length for the UK-based The Fireworks, Switch Me On, manages to blow away any preconceived notions about this being just another run-of-the-mill indie pop band.
Walk The Line is a powerful rock track that pushes forth equal amounts of vocals and instrumental elements. The taut arrangements that are present during this track is reminiscent of an early Billy Bragg or Jello Biafra. No Way Out begins with a strong drum beat and raucous guitar line that is punctual while still having that spontaneity needed to keep things interesting from beginning to end. There are hints…
Winds of Change is effecting, melodically solid, and possesses a dynamism that will tattoo the song’s melodies deep into the psyche of listeners. The extended guitar / drum dynamic tells more of a story than ten pop tracks, while the added presence of Kesson’s vocals here creates considerable depth. The titular effort on Drinking With The Angels is a very traditional country effort that would sound perfect in the late…
The first thing that listeners will hear when they begin to spin When The Lights Go Off Single is the tremendous production, allowing the beat to swell up and immediately command attention. When the flow begins, fans will have pay full attention to hear everything that has been placed into the track. There is a complex and intricate style that is fostered through When The Lights Go Off by Kent.…