FrontnBack’s “Royal Beauty Queen” is a delightful and fun pop-reggae effort that will appease any fans of Akon or Sean Kingston. The light and airy arrangements are precisely what Frontback’s vocals need to shine. The rich instrumentation ensures that every second of Royal Beauty Queen is substantially different from what had immediately preceded it. This song is truly timeless, a composition that is honest while being proficiently arranged and produced…
Cate Le Bon announces her seventh album, Michelangelo Dying, out September 26th via Mexican Summer, and releases the lead single/video, “Heaven Is No Feeling.” Michelangelo Dying’s creation was led by pure emotion, usurping the album Le Bon thought she was making. The product of all-consuming heartache, her feelings overrode her reluctance to write an album about love, and in the process became a kind of exorcism. What emerges is a…
Ron Brunk’s “Feel The Sunlight” has a very bright sound to it that matches well the late spring time that the song was released. The bit of additional vocal elements added to the chorus provides fullness to the song, while there’s a bit of closeness contributed by the very human drum work that plays in the background. Each element on Brunk’s Feel The Sunlight feels right and adds something different to…
The Fake Whales’s Shine draws inspiration from Lynyrd Skynyrd, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and James Taylor. There are good amounts of folk rock as well as psychedelic elements that will bubble up from time to time. There are elements that will have listeners singing along jammed up alongside very heady and deep instrumental elements. Shine may only run for about four and a half minutes, but the space that…
Amarachi’s “Earth Is Ghetto” is a fun and compelling composition that succeeds due to its softly-sang approach and multiple layers. While the song ultimately resides in the pop soundscape, the distinctive arrangements create a robust backdrop upon which Amarachi’s vox can reside. Earth Is Ghetto’s strongest suit has to be Amarachi’s vocals, which convey richness and emotional complexitry all while bolstering the overall harmonies of the single. Check out Amarachi’s…
She Rises, the newest single from Karen Atkins, is a softly-stated piece of alt-pop that builds off the framework of performers like Liz Phair and Natalie Cole. There’s a bit of rap-esque flow that starts up shortly after, giving She Rises a very unique sound that will undoubtedly draw fans in. The distinct parts of She Rises all join to make an engrossing effort; what is presented here is starkly…
On Passion, Milky Chance are able to create an infectious groove and a bit of wry vocal delivery. The bassy beat that weaves its way through Passion glues these parts together, creating an alt-dance track that will appease fans of MGMT and Crystal Castles. The layered approach that Milky Chance use here differentiates Passion from similar fare, ensuring that listeners will continue to find new twists and turns even multiple…
Say It Back, the latest effort by Summer Colds, looks back to 1990s alternative rock for inspiration. This lo-fi track contains considerable guitar fuzz and booming drums. The raw charisma exhibited here by Nic pushes this effort into rotation-ready territory. Say It Back’s bridge gives fans a few seconds to catch their breath before moving back into the hooky, power-pop-infused sound that initiated things. This is a home run for…
“Single of the Year,” the new single from Maddye Trew (out May 23 via TLG/Virgin/Trew Blue), is a slow-burning triumph of barroom melancholy and clever lyrical craftsmanship. More than just a fun country ditty, it’s a layered and emotionally resonant track that sits comfortably at the crossroads of modern Americana and classic Nashville storytelling. WEBSITE: https://www.maddyetrew.com/ Where many artists chase the sonic trends of pop-country, Trew digs her boots deeper…
On The Gardener, D. Boone Pittman is able to making an endearing country track that will have listeners recalling their own families. The raw passion and emotion that D. Boone showcases here is nothing less than extraordinary. One can easily pick up exactly how much their grandmother meant to them. Pittman’s ability to not only tell a story but to add to the overall harmonies of the track is unmatched;…
Allbrook Station’s “Chimerical” is a song that possesses all of the things necessary for the band to garner some serious rock radio airplay. There are assertive drums, utterly charismatic vocals, and a brooding production that will draw in fans of acts like Seether and Falling in Reverse. Allbrook Station crafts something familiar but utterly their own; this is the sort of rock that works perfectly no matter whether one is working…
On Classy, A-Wax 1 Million is able to build upon the California sound refined by performers like E-40 and Too Short. The song’s production is perio-daccurate while possessing all the hooks necessary to have listeners fall in love with the single. There is a sublime confidence that is exuded by A-Wax 1 Million that further converts anyone that’s happened upon the single. The sub-2 minute run time of Classy showcases…
The remix William Odell Hughes’ “Loving You Was Easy” is an utter bop, calling back to the late 1970s funk and disco movements. The dulcet tones presented here by William are simply a sight to behold. The crispness of the instrumentation is perhaps the best side of the single, representing a pillowy surface upon which William’s vox can leisurely relax. Loving You Was Easy has enough clarity to it that…
On Follow, LNX-T.N.T. OVAPROOF is able to make a definitive statement. The strong vocals here are matched nicely by the single’s instrumentation. The bit of echo that follows each lyrical line does a good job in gluing together these two segments, making Follow a song that could easily slot in modern rap or reggae charts. The repitition of the titular phrase ensures that listeners will be singing along with the…
On “Choosing The Rubicon”, andrew reed & the liberation are able to tell a tell of assertiveness and capturing one’s goals. The rising and falling action of the track are absolutely engrosdsing. While the band can be whipped into a frenzy, there is a considerable amount of the song’s run time that showcases a more tempered, emotional side. This yin and yang results in Choosing The Rubicon being one of…
andrew reed & the liberation’s “Pulsar (I Came, I Saw, I Conquered)” starts with an insistent piano line that gradually cedes ground to taut instrumentation. The driving combination of the guitars and bass ferry the song to an arena rock style (think Styx meets Pink Floyd). Of particular note this time out has to be the intricacies established by that act. Facts need to strap on their favorite pair of…
Thunder In My Soul is an assertive rock track that blends together progressive rock, thrash metal, and psychedelic music in a fashion that will have listeners firmly sitting at the edges of their seats. Each part of the band’s latest single provides something slightly different for fans. The sizzling guitar work punctuates the single, while Andrew’s vox do well in establishing a late-1980s-infused style to Thunder In My Soul. With…
ILL Level has a hard-edged approach that will immediately get fans’ heads bopping. There’s a bit of grittiness here that feels like a mashup of Detroit and NYC styles. The intricacies of Phat Kat’s bars are nothing to sneeze at, while the hooky chorus act as a way to further highlight this approach. The distinct approaches of each side of this triad keeps ILL Level’s momentum high as it winds…
On “Play Ball”, Shaheed & DJ Supreme are able to create a very chill, laid-back track that will have fans singing along before the first play of the single concludes. The hopeful sound is generated not only from the lyrical flow, but from the keys and shuffling drums that comprises the single’s backing beats. Play Ball’s chorus is a whole other level of catchy; this is the sort of stuff…
On Too Late, The BreakBomb Project “Too Late” take listeners on a journey. The music video for Too Late is immediately able to draw in fans with brooding, emotive strings that approximate a cityscape. As additional elements enter into the frey, Too Late’s overall sound begins to shift and change. The fuzzy vocals are something for fans to pick up on, while the insistent dance beat tattoos itself deep into…