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…
Laura Davies is looking to spill blood all over the dancefloor this autumn. There’s no insularity in her vocal, no hesitance in her steps; in the new single “Do You Feel?” and its epically dark music video, we’re invited into a world of grim melodicism and electropop-influenced grooving unlike the contemporary holiday harmonies you’re probably already sick of hearing this month, and as much as the aesthetics come in contrast…
Milky Chance’s cover of “Tainted Love” inserts an absolutely infectious bass line into the mix. With a sultry, sexy set of vocals parlaying the lyrics, Milky Chance has made a play for considerable radio play as we move into the new year. There’s a coherence here that is hard to deny; listeners will be able to enjoy the constituent elements just as much as they can the whole composition. Fans…
“ As far as beats go, there’s never been a Harper Starling song that didn’t feature something worthwhile. In fact, for as gifted a singer as she is I actually think that Starling’s artistry is more reliant on percussive prowess in making a statement than it is her crooning abilities. It’s undeniable that her voice is the cherry in “Cannot Tell a Lie,” but between the enormous grooves in the…
Fault Lines is one amazing track. Listeners will be able to play it multiple times before hearing each and every nuance that Dave Vargo has placed within. While the vocals are front and center, listeners would do well to dig in deep to the interaction between the guitar and drums. The slower tempo of Fault Lines separates it from the rest of radio-rock music. We can hear hints of Aaron…
David Dalessio’s Before Tonight refreshes the synth-pop of the 1980s while impressing with soulful vocals. The dynamic between these vocals and the funky bass lines pushes each to an entirely new plateau. Each segment of Before Tonight will get listeners on their feet. We are enamored with the sizzling horns that gradually increase in prominence as Dalessio moves to the second half of the composition. No matter whether the individual…
Greg Hoy’s Spouses of the Lowly has a classic rock track that links together a bit of the mid-1960s surf rock with Elvis Costello tm create something infectious. The charisma of Hoy during this single will endear him to anyone listening in, while there’s a bit of angular guitar work that calls forward to Bloc Party and Queens of the Stone Age. Hoy’s latest has legs for days, with enough…
High contrast and low-fidelity, Andrew Reed & the Liberation’s music video for “Twisted World” is both visually enrapturing and sonically demanding of our attention, pushing the line between modern and old school post-punk conceptualism more than enough to be considered an instant classic. Reed slams us with layer upon layer of melodic noise, but at the heart of his performance exists a harmony as gilded as something out of The…
“But I want you to know / I’ll always be here / I’ve got nowhere to go / I’m just trying to be clear,” pleads Barry Muir in the ascent towards the climax of his new single “Weathered the Storm.” His words don’t have the desperation that might have with a different singer conveying them to the audience; he’s a man on a mission in this performance, and that mission…
Comprised of elements both synthetic and startlingly organic in nature, the clandestinely romantic “Earth and Air” immediately feels like an energized take on a classic Echo & the Bunnymen sound, but with a twist – it’s steeped in too much modernity to be a true throwback. Such is the case with the other dozen songs included in BD Gottfried’s new album Onion Doves, but this lead single perhaps encapsulates the motif…
Sometimes, in order to create fluidity in an exceptionally conceptual piece of music, you’ve got to utilize contrast a little more than the status quo calls for, and I think this is definitely true in the new extended play Equinox by Aquarius. Although it sports many of the same attributes a conventional rock record would – vocals, guitar, a sense of machismo coupled with a delicate songwriting pedigree – Equinox is an indie rock…
Minimalist ala “Care” and calculated in “Jump” and the clean-cut of “Cool,” there’s something rather efficient and cunning about the construction of most tracks in the new self-titled album from Whoop this season, which is quickly becoming one of my go-to alternative rock listens of the late year. URL: https://www.whooptheband.com/ Without sacrificing any of the melodic wit and detail that separates their sound from that of the masses in 2021,…
Big, loud, aggressive, and slightly industrious; Tarot Cat’s “Am I Dreaming” isn’t pulling any punches with the audience, and if you’re not careful, its oversized beats are almost certain to pummel you this autumn. Instead of hammering out a retro-punk anthem like a lot of their contemporaries have been, Tarot Cat is going a little more avant-garde with their style in this performance and making it more than clear where…