On The Dirty Moogs’ latest single “Hot Moms”, the band lies down a funky, electro-infused groove that will firmly bury itself deep into the minds and hearts of listeners. The driving beat that pushes the song along is spun off into a different sound entirely as distinct vocals enter into the equation. Fans will be unable to stop their toes from tapping during Hot Moms. While the song is a…
JidScan “On Fire” has a tremendous back and forth between the harder flow that represents the main body of the single and the more soulful, touching voice that enters into the equation when listeners make it to the chorus. JidScan tells an autobiographical story here of self determination that is honest and earnest. There’s a bit of humanity that comes into focus during the single’s chorus. While there’s a ton…
The Veer Union are able to imbue the Mendes / Bieber track Monster with their own unique flair. There’s a larger than life rock sound that bubbles up into something ferocious during the song’s chorus. The brooding instrumentation works to lift up the vocals well, while the intense drum beats that fill the back of the track deserve some serious attention. Sizzling guitar licks come to the fore next, giving…
Candlebox make a tremendously emotional plea with the acoustic version of their Riptide. Thoughtful guitar work meshes nicely with softly-sang vocals. Ample layers ensure that fans will continue to find news twists and turns during the performance. There’s such an allure to Riptide that fans of Candlebox or of alternative rock generally will be able to find continual reasons to keep spinning the track. We’re in love with the guitar…
Dre’Co’s “Way Up” (featuring Asia Major) is precisely what modern rap and R&B stations need to include. The high-energy track has a considerable amount of depth to the composition. While the song is full of booming beats and confident bars, the production of the single ensures that one will continue to dig up new twists and turns even five or ten plays in. The pair fo vocals here further increase…
The Parcels’ Famous has luxurious funk that drips off each section. With multiple vocal layers calling back to acts like Earth, Wind and Fire as well as The Bee Gees, Parcels ensure that fans will be immediately enamored with their newest single. The tautness of Parcels’ instrumentation is hard to march; each guitar line, bass note, and drum beat combine to make something that will draw listeners out onto the…
Alexi Dotsenko, Brad Metz, and Jack Ringca have worked at DigDog for a long time but their newest release Homeless Theatre is a different sort of album for the trio. They are attempting to reinvent their sound and approach for longtime listeners and newcomers alike; both camps are on equal footing when dealing with this nine song studio album. It veers wildly in terms of subject matter between moments of hyper realism…
With a screeching howl that verges on retro in tone a couple of times, the blazing fretwork Winchester Revival intends on dishing out in their new single “Reborn, Reformed, Revived” is nothing short of a magnetizing treasure for this track. Although it’s true that all good rock n’ roll relies on a certain level of melodic charisma sourced directly from the guitar and the guitar alone, there’s something to be…
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…