You can hear many of Melanie Rogers’ influences in her new self-penned single “Fever”. She often cites artists as diverse as Vera Blue, Welsh singer/songwriter Novo Amor, Joy Williams, and Enya, among others, as crucial older performers who cast a long shadow over her own work, but the special thing about her is how she transmutes their influence into something individualistic and unique. You would never claim she is imitative.…
Talking Heads frontman David Byrne once wrote a very controversial essay regarding the abolishment of the term “world music”, finding it reductive and disrespectful to basic artistry of hard-working musicians around the globe that should be boxed in due to the nationalization ideals of American music. I’ve always been inclined to agree with him because, well he’s David Byrne and there have been plenty of excellent musicians who’ve wanted to…
Atlanta based 5 Piece band, Pistols At Dawn, are a blend of Alt Rock, Metal, and Modern Rock stylings. They consist of, Adam Jaffe on Drums, Tommy Richardson on Guitar, Devin White on Guitar, Billy Sullivan on Bass, and former Rockstar Supernova finalist, Chris Pierson on Lead Vocals. The band’s original Guitarist, Mike Buffa, tragically passed away in 2018. Buffa was a founding member of PAD, in 2015. Their new…
There’s an ephemeral humming before a piano strike before the titular title is said by singer Raquel Kiaraa in her new song “Dear Jesus”. It sets the stage for the almost holy ambiance it makes you feel like you’re in a place of faith whether a chapel, or nature, it’s a place higher than yourself. Kiaraa’s voice, in the beginning, feels slight and humble, yet beautiful as she states that…
Few artists can lay claim to a path, as mercurial as Dova Lewis. From her upbringing in the suburbs of Montreal, to a life changing excursion in the Isles Of Hawaii, and then the dream factory in Los Angeles, Dova is rich with experience. Her journey has brought her full circle, back to her city of origin, in Montreal. Her latest offering is a 4 Song, self-titled EP. The first…
4 My Ppl has some downright evil backing beat allowing the lyrical flow to shine out brightly. Hints of horns act as the perfect counterpoint for the booming bass lines that kicks at the bottom of the effort. The soulful chorus punctuates the track, ensuring that each piece of Goodie Mob are able to get their licks in. There’s a ferocity present to these bars that showcase a hungriness to…
Feeling Good has a fun, laid-back style to it that draws on the 1990s. Bits of R&B, dance, and pop unite to make something that will have listeners out on the dance floor. The instrumentation and lyrics combine to make something cohesive, with luxurious bass lines working with a set of vocals that effortlessly reach through scales. Feeling Good is the epitome of swagger, with a thick bass beat that…
A life in the country is a life that is good, sings Chris St. John in his opening song, “I Need a Horse”. It might sound strange coming from an attorney (and former judge for that matter) but one has to imagine he might be thinking that a life spent behind a desk or a nose stuck in a law book is not really living – that slowing down and…
Today, we are speaking with Randy C Moore. What’s happening in your life right now? I just moved from Nashville, Tennessee back to my home in Texas. Playing a lot of new places here in Texas, meeting a lot of new people who are loving my music. Life is very good. Can you give us a little background information about you (biographical and as a musician)? I am from Humble,…
In an era of amalgamated genres, it’s rare to find something so sheer, and indisputable, as to be unitarily defined. But such as the case with Conceptz’ “Drippin And Drownin,” which is nothing short of the purest evolution of Hip Hop, and unabashed in that designation. Brothers, HighRowGlyphFix and Short Fuze comprise the duo known as Conceptz. Over the last 9 years, they have steadily ascended in the industry, somehow…
“Underneath the ground we’ll be safe and warm / Underneath the ground far below the storm / We’ll hide in the dark and we’ll rise when the world is reborn.” These are some of the words Jeremy Rice sings in the new single “Underneath the Ground,” and they unmistakably channel the feel of a pandemic-era world waiting to come to life once more. The insularity of the harmony through which…
Ian Bouras’ A Blind Painter’s Guide to Coloring Breath is one of the young year’s most interesting releases yet for a number of reasons. The eight songs on this release are demos; circumstances dictated the nature of this release. Bouras, under optimal circumstances, would have polished and further developed these tracks, but Bouras spent the bulk of 2020 as a patient in various psychiatric hospitals. Bouras experienced considerable difficulties reacquainting himself with…
Vianchi has returned with his follow up single, to the ever so slightly morbid, “Die [Alone].” “Overdose” is a stylish and sensual dedication to being so lovesick that we indulge to the point of excess. Too much of a good thing can be reductive, and Vianchi is walking a fine line on “Overdose.” It’s said that love can be a drug, and the character in Vianchi’s, “Overdose” is chasing the…
Anyone can be loud and proud about it. If you’ve got the right stack of amplifiers and a sense of adventure, you can produce sounds as big as mountains whilst utilizing the natural ambience to get people’s attention from a great distance, but to manipulate raw tonal energy into something that feels emotional and tangible to the average person – as Phantom Wave do in their new album Wilds – takes a…
Sophomore albums can be ever tougher than virgin efforts are, but you’d never guess as much from taking a peek at the seamlessness of Bobby Dove’s Hopeless Romantic. Although created with much of the same stylish color their first record was, Dove’s follow-up to Thunderchild is a lot more personal, and you needn’t look much further than the LP’s title cut and lead music video to understand what I mean. They’re a singer/songwriter…
Thomas Deil’s Runnin’ immediately starts with an assertive set of vocals that allow sweeping synths and a booming bass line to come on in. Effortlessly linking together pop, modern EDM and even hints of R&B, the track will be able to rise up the charts. The production of the track is immaculate in that the instrumentation and vox build each other up instead of work at cross-purposes. The dynamism of…
You can always tell when an artist is truly invested in the music they’re making, and after giving “Love to the Moon” a listen just this week, I think it’s obvious that Raquel Kiaraa is the real deal. Kiaraa’s honeysweet vocal and old timey harmonies are two of the biggest reasons why “Love to the Moon” feels familiar and fun at the same time, but looking even closer allows for…
DICI is on the scene with his debut self-titled EP. His multi-dimensional, multi-cultural influences are imbued into these rap tracks. Born and raised in Milan, Italy to an American father and Japanese mother, DICI is now living in Miami, Florida. DICI also recruits producer Guiseppe D, a New Yorker for these stunning songs. Imagine being 17 and having the tools to convey your innermost thoughts, as well as find the…
“The One That I Love” is one of those tracks that listeners of all bents will be able to appreciate. The song is effortlessly able to cross over between country, rap, and pop in a way we’ve not heard since Big & Rich or Bubba Sparxxx. Billy D. Rice’s contribution to the country-rap genre is considerable in that it moors 1970s and 1980s-infused guitar with some killer rap lines (contributed…
Pennan Brae’s “Passing Fad” has a 1970s rock style, granted it by the killer guitar work and the on-point drums encountered in the first minute or so of the track. The dreamy vocals that Pennan lays down here stand over the instrumental fray. When Brae’s voice takes a break, a sizzling guitar line in the vein of Lynyrd Skynyrd builds up to some fantastic effect. Coming back into focus, Pennan’s…