There’s a maturity that is present to Tamas Bulla’s performance during his latest single Out Of Time that listeners will be taken aback about how (relatively) new of a performer he is. Taking a tact from performers like Hanson, Bulla’s passion and charisma work nicely when framed with a pop-rock approach. Bulla is able to reach a wide variety of notes in his performance here, making the track absolutely shine…
Sunrise is an intriguing effort that ties together 1970s rock (e.g. Santana, Cream) with the vocal braggadocio of Lenny Kravitz and early Rod Stewart. The backing band’s contributions are similarly eclectic, adopting the standards of psych, surf, soul, and modern jazz. Of particular notice during Brandon Phillips and The Condition’s new song are how precise the instrumentation gets. The drums start and stop on a dime, while the guitars are…
Appreciate Life has a robust rap flow that will take listeners back to the mid-1990s. There’s hints of Too Short, Del the Funky Homosapien and Skee-lo that are interspersed here, while the laid back backing beat takes ample inspiration from the hyphi era. The bit of wobble and darker synths that play at the back of Appreciate Life ensure that the track is wholly unique when compared to other rap…
BLVK Mirror has a backing beat that is influenced by J Dilla, while the lyrical complexities laid down by Tyson onBEATS ensure that listeners will have to play this track multiple times before hearing each call out and literary reference. I’d compare these bars to Joyce’s Ulysses; for every mainstream mention (e.g. W.E.B. DuBois, Newton), there are five to ten call-backs that one will need to search out. This is…
Andrew W. Boss is able to build upon the tradition of mid-oughts hard rock with his new single, Patience. Adding a bit of rapid-fire rap-metal flow, Boss is able to keep the energy of his new track high. With nods to Linkin park and Flobots inserted within, Patience will be able to appease fans of numerous musical approaches. The cherry on the top of Patience’s sundae has to be the…
Destiny is a hopeful sort of effort that will immediately draw fans with charismatic vox. Gradually incorporating complex synth lines and a booming beat, the single is something that will wipe away a lot of the stagnant air and sad vibes that have demarcated 2020. The main synth line is whuipped up into a frenzy, making the second vocal section highlighted that much more. As the song gradually increases in…
On Great Things, Rick Dorn is able to make an inspiring praise track that is able to blend together hopeful instrumentation with a pop-friendly vocal style. Part of praise (And gospel) music has to getting fans to be receptive to the message, and this wonderfully-produced effort is able to immediately draw in listeners. With keys, bass, and drums fitting in like pieces of a puzzle, Great Things ensures that fans…
Niramsin’s How You Like is able to come forth with a vibrant sound due to an absolutely scintillating backing beat and passionate, charismatic vocals. There are nods made here to 2000s R&B even as the instrumentation calls out to wobble and modern EDM approaches. There’s a bit of rich, brooding, 808s and Heartbreak-infused synths and bass to add a further layer of complexity to the single. There’s a lot to…
Where does music take you? Does it lift your spirits? Does it motivate you to finish that last 20 minute cardio workout? In the new song “Relationship” from the wonderful singer/songwriter Arina Mai, this petite-sounding singer fills in the void of doubt and reveals more about her inner beauty to her listeners. URL: https://www.arinamai.com/ Mai, who is based in Denmark, first came to my attention with her KP Larsen-produced track…
On Sad Girls Dance Party, Blake English is able to blend together late nineties pop-punk with bits of early-oughts emo. There robust backing beat provide ample highlighting to Blake’s vocals, while oodles of charisma issue forth with each and every lyric that issues forth. Building upon the tradition of performers like Say Anything and Good Charlotte, English is able to craft a single that will easily crossover onto pop and…
Comprised primarily of some electrified string play, delicate piano keys, a profoundly crisp beat and honeysweet vocals that have our attention from the start, Gary Burk III’s “Two Lane Airplane” isn’t the most fanciful country song I’ve heard in 2020. It isn’t featuring any grandiose fat on its bassline, nor does it have a sizzling lead guitar part that puts it into metallic, stadium-shaking territory. For the better part of…
Blistering electric guitars meet warm lead vocals, honest harmonies and more than a couple of slick beats in songs like “Summer Means New Love,” “Good Ol’ Stupid Me” and “Sweet Sugar,” but even in the slow song “Dismal Day” and its easy-going counterpart in “Driving Me Insane,” there’s scarcely a moment in which Tom Tikka & The Missing Hubcaps don’t sound on-point in their new EP Insane. Mixing together elements of…
Live records present us with a different dimension of an artist, and in some cases, a level of appreciation for their craft that wouldn’t have been possible in a more typical setting. In Live from Lockdown, the Streaking in Tongues’ 2020 installment in their growing discography or pure indie gems, the father-son pairing give us access to some of their most revered compositions through a dynamic real-time performance that binds all…
An essential agent of evocation in most any pop/rock effort, there’s no understating what a quality guitar part can contribute to an album as homespun as Daniel Tortoledo’s Through out These Years, and in songs like “Give Me Soul” or “Eloise,” it’s as important as any lyric ever could be. There aren’t a lot of cosmetic frills in Through out These Years, nor are there any attempts on the part of singer/songwriter…
Though guitars are frequently a centerpiece in any given rock album, they take on a special role in the songs found on Glorybots’ new LP Invisible that shapes not only the tone of the music, but the very lens through which we interpret it. In songs like the record-opening “Blepharospasm” and swinging “Radiate,” the riffs serve as a direct extension of the lead vocal in expressing the complete depth of emotion behind…
Take A Bow immediately starts with an echoing guitar that works as the perfect counterpoint for the supersonic vocals that Somaya lays out within. There are nods to performers like Fiona Apple, Sheryl Crow, and Bif Naked during the track’s 3 minute run time. With a nod back to the late nineties, Somaya is able to boldly forge through with a sound that will garner listeners by the barrelful. The…
“I’ve been tangled in this love affair somewhere in my mind / And when I see you, I’m at a loss – words I cannot find” we’re told by a soft, bittersweet vocal in the first couple of lines in 308 Ghost Train’s “Bleed Over Me.” As poetically endearing as these verses are, they’re just a limited preview of what’s about to come roaring out of the stereo in the…
The Burbs has a fun lo-fi vibe to it that calls back to days of massive house parties and college-rock acts from Rich Hardesty and pop-rappers like Asher Roth. With a bit of guitar representing the bulk of the supporting instrumentation, there is a fun and refreshing vibe that is cultivated here. daFinchi has really build up an eclectic style with his discography leading back a few years at this…
Power of Love is a powerful, effecting sort of composition that begins in a soft and tender way before gradually gaining additional layers of instrumentation and Carr’s inimitable scope of vocal delivery. Pulling double duty in both telling the narrative on her latest single as well as providing further depth to the composition, Jekalyn finds herself bolstered further through a rich chorus. There’s a driving beat that becomes commonplace as…
No Feelings has a dreamy, twinkling backing beat that adds a bit of finesse to the rap genre. The bit of vocal modification links together the instrumental and lyrical content, creating a cohesive and coherent sound to Rondo’s latest single. At some point, the hard-hitting is fun but the more contemplative, heartfelt approach will crossover quite nicely to the pop charts. No Feelings is tremendously reverent to the rap approach…