Taken By Desire is an effort that showcases the breadth of influences that inspire Cleo Alexandra. There are nods made to industrial, goth, and late 1980s hair metal that one can pick out through here. The honest and intense vocals continue to push the track along, while there’s a brooding, dark, and rich backing instrumentation that adds a fullness to the composition. This means that one will have to play…
On This Is Awkward, CALLISTO are able to tie together Green Day and Good Charlotte to provide listeners with a crunchy, chugging pop-punk track. Building upon that style, there’s a bit of a Foo Fighters growl and Monster Magnet-meets-early Sugar Ray stripped down set of raw guitar riffs. The song will tunnel its way deep into the minds of listeners. By working within this late-90s sort of paradigm, CALLISTO are…
Neon Dreams’ “This Is It” is a sunny, hopeful blend of pop, R&B and even a bit os island music. The song could easily make its way onto radio rotation as well as Spotify playlists. The inimitable vocals laid down here will draw in listeners, while the smart instrumentation that plays at the back of the track will keep fans focused in until the single’s final few notes. The cherry…
In songs like “This is for Someone,” Nolen Sellwood is so much more than a singer; he’s a vocalist who can own the energy of the room even when he’s coming to us from within the four walls of a recording studio. His charisma is one of the focal points to be found in his new album Otherwise, and whether you’ve heard his work before or not, he’s likely to make…
Whether grinding out a cerebral jam in “New Blood,” laying down something a bit more calculated in “Soul Power,” hammering away at texture-based ridges and grooves in “Electric Revolution” or disassembling what feels like a familiar arrangement in “Cold Outside,” there’s something very experimental about what The Veldt is playing in their new album Entropy is the Mainline to God. Still keeping a flame lit in the American underground and sporting…
1. Can you describe your songwriting process? Does it differ for every song you write? My process works this way, pick up a guitar or sit at a piano and try to stumble on a seed of inspiration. From there it’s about doing the emotional digging to fully uncover the story and message of the song and then applying craft to it in a way that avoids cliché. 2. Why…
Will Wheaton’s “Lady In My Life” is utterly timeless in its execution. The duclet tones laid down here by Will will stick with fans long after the song ceases to play, while the soundscape established by the synths, bass and drums are robust as all get out. In fact, during much of Lady In My Life, the backing instrumentation acts as another narrative element to further deepen the effort. The…
Round The Corner, the latest effort from CEO FUlly Loaded, refreshes the Atlanta sound of the oughts to reverberate loudly with current listeners. The backing instrumentation keeps the song’s momentum high, while the bars laid down by Fatt Macc keep things fresh until the song’s last moments. Round The Corner’s lyrical content will bludgeon lsiteners over their heads even as the chorus possesses enough finesse to garner rap playlist attention.…
Mateo Briscoe’s “Insane” is a compelling track that will immediately draw listeners in with soulful singing and a backing instrumentation that builds off of introspective rock, traditional country and western, and reggae. It is Briscoe’s vocal range that will keep fans sticking around through the concluding moments of his latest single. More than merely laying out the narrative of the song, Mateo’s inimitable voice bolsters this backing instrumentation in a…
With influences that range from Nine Inch Nails to Dolly Parton, and a touch of Lana Del Rey thrown in for good measure – genre bending Outlaw Pop artist DEVORA has released a new EP “God Is Dead” via Tiger Tone Records / [PIAS]. The EP contains four songs, with previously unreleased track “Bonesaw” leading the way. DEVORA says of the ominously enchanting track: “Bonesaw” is about a night in a motel room gone wrong, in a dark…
Tom Keifer’s A Different Light is a rock track that blends in ballads, hints of country, and a hopeful disposition to create an incredibly hooky effort. Keifer’s voice is what will immediately bring in fans, while the confidence exuded by the guitar work will keep them focused in. The song builds upon the overall feel of Warrant’s Sometimes She Cries even as the band brings in a bit of intensity…
Director Alexander Sharp serves up sexy, slithery vampire with a steely, black-and-white grindhouse aesthetic in the video for Josh Jones & Trevor Kidd’s “Salvation” – available now. Laser-sharp closeups of a pick strumming a guitar string, a drumstick hitting a cymbal, and the beater hitting the bass drum highlight the slowed-down sensuality of the song’s intro, while overexposed film negatives flash over longer shots of the band performing. The result…
Sonarpilot’s “Gorgon” is their latest chapter of The Mirage Project. From the onset, there is a decided sense of brooding, a sort of industrial cityscape in which some force is immediately watching the listeners. There’s considerable technological trappings here, providing a sense of intensity through the single’s early moments. The momentum gradually ramps up the further one delves into the composition, increasing is volume until one feels nearly swallowed up…
Maiden Seoul cultivates an 1980s-infused style during their new single “Verve”. The vocals build off of the tradition of performers like Debbie Harry and The Waitresses, while the taut instrumentation that plays at the bottom of the song draws influence from 1990s alternative and later midwest emo styles. Together, these two elements build something that stands up to repeat plays. We’re enamored with the twinkling guitars and ropy bass lines…
Let’s Get Back To Rock And Roll is a stripped-down hard rock track that will immediately draw in fans of Thin Lizzy, Poison, Boston, and KISS. There’s considerable focus here on the narrative weaved by the vox as well as the assertive guitar work. Filling out the soundscape are booming drums and an emotive, dynamic bass line that flits through the track. There’s an honest effort here to imbue Let’s…
Take It Back is the new cut from Shaheed and DJ Supreme. From the single’s onset, listeners will be greeted with brilliant wordplay and a backing instrumentation that calls back to mid-oughts Chicago and New York. The mentions of rap’s royalty is an homage to the genre, all while the track is able to bury itself deep into the minds and hearts of listeners. This is a song that will…
Robert Abernathy’s “Big Bass Problem” is an ode to country music from the early 2000s. During this single, Robert is able to call forth the spirit of Craig Morgan and Blake Shelton. The dulcet tones achieved by Robert play perfecrtly with the immaculate honky-tonk that is crafted by his backing band. There’s a vibrancy to this song that ensures that the second that each watering hole and honky-tonk happens upon…
Make The World Go Away has Sudano slide into a thoughtful, funky sort of track that will immediately be appreciated by anyone that has had any sort of anxiety about how human interactions go. The intimations laid down here by Bruce touch upon David Bowie and Phil Collins with a hint of Thom Yorke interspersed in here. The bit of horn that presents itself during Sudano’s latest single take up…
Jasmine Crowe’s “The Shirt Song” has an allure to it that will speak to fans of pop and singer-songwriter genres. There’s a vibrancy to Jasmine’s vocals that build off of the tradition of performers like Pink and Meghan Trainor. The backing instrumentation is incredibly taut here, with the bass, drums, and a whistle all combining to comprise the main body of the track. The distinct bridge that separates The Shirt…
Allende starts out Russ Hewitt’s new album, Chasing Horizons. Listeners will immediately be drawn into the soundscape Hewitt’s guitar crafts. The titular track “Chasing Horizon” features Nuno Bettencourt, a decision that provides the single with an additional richness. Together, the guitar, bass and drums combine to render something brilliant. The distinct twists and turns that listeners will experience when they progress through this single will stick with fans long after…