There’s a heck of a big difference between the emo of the mid-2000s and the emo of present day, and from my perspective, the new wave has a lot more going for it than the previous gen of pop-punkers did. Case in point, the brilliant new single “Used Me (all along)” from Darro – though slamming us with the same poetic reach that we heard some fifteen years ago from…
There’s so much division in America right now that it’s easy to forget that we’re one nation rather than a collection of countries trying to fit inside of one cultural narrative, and I have a feeling this was what the aptly-named Staunch Moderates were thinking about when they made the new single/video combo “Bill Maher.” While the music video for this track is definitely one of the most eccentric and…
Heavy rock is nothing without big guitars crashing into each other, and when Sin for Saints were constructing their new single “Death Eater,” they weren’t looking to produce something cheap and flimsy. The only thing stronger than the emotional ache of the lyrics in this track is the attack of the fretwork, especially as it bears down on the chorus and leaves our vocalist almost no room to scream his…
A lot of outsider influence has been penetrating a typically insular American country music underground in the past couple of years, but that isn’t stopping the likes of Mr. Jim Waneka from giving up an old guard melody like no one else can this December in the form of his new single/video combo “Two Angels.” Where everyone else is trying to experiment with the parameters of the traditional country music…
Kulikovsky’s “Burning Up” is a release that incorporates both EDM and pop elements. With a set of vocals that are inspired by The Weeknd and Trey Songz, Burning Up seems like a no-brainer to include on a DJ’s set. The dynamism of Burning Up ensures that fans can continue to play the track for months all while finding new twists and turns during each spin. We’d love to see more…
It takes a lot of talent to go forth and create your own holiday standard. That is precisely what Alicia G does on her new track “You’re My Favorite Holiday”. There’s a chill, mid-century modern sort of tack taken here as Alicia G calls back to her favorite jazz performers. With her vocals front and center during this cut, Alicia G is able to showcase considerable skill all while making…
On Alex Woodard’s new single “Open Up”, he is able to offer up some seriously emotional content. Little more is needed during this composition than Alex and his guitar. There’s an ample boost to the overall oomph of Open Up when the track incorporates an additional vocal layer. Woodard links together performers as diverse as Tom Petty, the Crash Test Dummies, and the Goo Goo Dolls with his own unique…
Page Sevii’s “Cheat Codes” has a hopeful sound that is interspersed in each bar the rapper drops. A booming backing beat ensures that the song will be tattooed deeply into the minds and hearts of listeners. Part of Page Sevii’s allure during Cheat Codes has to be the harmonies he weaves here; the effort is holistic in how it affects anyone fortunate enough to tune in. The track could easily…
Porcelain has Principe Valiente bring in hints of Disintegration-era Cure with The Psychedelic Furs. Echoing, hauntingly sw3eet vocals are paralleled nicely with insistent drums and a synth line painstakingly draped over the composition. Porcelain is one of those rare tracks that sound absolutely authentic in a mid-1980s setting while sparkling with all of the brilliance of modern music. Adding in hints of a secondary set of vocals provides just enough…
Gospel/soul hybrids are having a pretty good season, and as we inch closer to Christmas, Damon Little presents us with a thoughtful, deeply personal performance in “Stand Up” that brings awareness and worship themes to a time of year increasingly commercialized by the powers that be. Little’s sexy voice develops a harmony as sweet as the summer sunshine right out of the gate, but it isn’t until we’re in the…
Synthetic melodies are never good enough to devalue honest musicianship, but if they were, they’d be the sort you’ll hear in the new single from Denzell Terrell this December, “Keys to ya Heart.” Terrell could have released this single just on the strength of its instrumental charms, its beat, or even the potential it holds for club remixes if directed by a like-minded player, but he didn’t stop at simple…
Rebelling against the popular trend doesn’t get you very far in the music business, and while there’s value in going your own way, I think it’s important to stick with a model people can – for the most part – relate to, especially in aesthetically progressive genres like hip-hop. Beeware knows this, and in his new single “It Is,” he makes it clear to his fans that his main priority…
Blue-collar indie rock isn’t extinct, it’s just gone deeper underground with the advent of electropop’s new wave. There’s still a lot of blood and sweat in this coveted corner of the alternative rock universe, and bands like Summer Rain are proving that right now like no one else can. Summer Rain is a part of a generation of bands that can balance muscularity and melodicism like nobody’s business, and in…
Indie rock is led by the brazen ones; the players who aren’t willing to stand down from a challenge or blend in with the crowd, and from the looks of her new single “Sweet Like Candy,” Cat Ridgeway is definitely one of these players. “Sweet Like Candy” plays with a swinging groove that hits hard but recoils just as quickly, and while its beats are what initially attracted me to…
If I were assessing the talent Janean Christine Mariani has in her new single “Red Number 5” off of the skills she has as a singer exclusively, there would be no need to write a complete review of her performance – she’s a lights-out vocalist who can sing anything she wants. Countrified and charismatic, Mariani’s pipes are solid gold in the harmony-centric “Red Number 5,” but it’s not just how…
Rather than giving us everything she’s got right out of the gate, Ginny Luke is building up as much tension as possible with nothing more than her voice in the new single “Seductive Cinderella.” While there’s a definite pop/metal influence over the aesthetics in this track, I think the instrumental virtuosity is toned down specifically as a means of spotlighting the ability she has with the microphone in her hands.…
Hip-hop’s dark side is often its most surreal, and Uncommon Nasa isn’t content to leave this end of the genre unexplored in his new single “Brooklyn Soup” and the song’s accompanying music video. Rather than giving us his linguistic prowess exclusively, Uncommon Nasa stacks postmodern layers atop his verses that seem to circle us like a shark zeroing in on its prey. There’s a feeling of danger that follows us…
There are many ways to experiment with minimalism, but Sp8ce Owl might have just found my favorite method in the new single “Dancing in an Empty Room,” which is currently out and gaining some serious steam in indie circles this December. Comprised of a lo-fi melody and a rather curious arrangement of beats, “Dancing in an Empty Room” is everything its title would suggest it is – dark, isolated, and…
Big swinging drums and the chime of sleighbells await those who take a peek at the new music video for Ingrid Michaelson’s “Merry Christmas, Happy New Year,” and between the rambunctious rhythm and the gilded harmony Michaelson stirs up with Zooey Deschanel, this is a song almost certain to get you in the Christmas spirit. There’s been a lot of talk about minimalism in American pop music recently, but this…
Sometimes, and this is especially true of Christmas music, simple is the only way to go. We don’t need a lot of symphonic lusters to appreciate the melody of “Silent Night,” nor do a slew of electric guitar solos induce chills any greater than the simple piano keys of a humble “Jingle Bells,” and I think this is something on the minds of The Tano Jones Revelry when they recently…