Coming at us with a hot and heavy rhythm that could make just about anyone feel like dancing, there’s no debate as to whether or not the swing in Russ Still and the Moonshiners’ “Cancun” is the fieriest feature this hybrid single has to offer. Right out of the gate, there’s nothing in the mix to stop Still and his backing band from dishing out one magnetizing groove after another,…
A vocal, good or bad, is inevitably what defines a rap track more than anything else does, and this is especially true of a fierce number like Rich Lindo’s new single “Jungle.” Lindo doesn’t hide behind any sonic smokescreens in “Jungle;” he comes out swinging hard with a melodic intro that bleeds into the instrumentation rather seamlessly. His epic rapping doesn’t hit us until we get deeper into the track,…
Fossil is an engrossing 10-minute-plus effort that provides listeners with a musical soundscape that virtually requires one to strap their headphones on to hear each and ever nuance that has been hidden within the composition. City in the Sky has a powerful groove from its onset. Twinkling arrangements play at the top of the composition, while an insistent dance beat is crafted that will bring fans back to the dance…
There Are Heroes is a robust, fun all-in song that incorporates a number of tremendous musical and vocal performers. Paul Helou’s guiding hand here allows for a groove to be established that is a bit Frank Zappa, a bit Tito Puente. What is most surprising about the single is how cohesive the finished effort sounds. While there are miles (or more) separating the constituent performers here, the resulting work is…
Endless has Pinegrove call back to the early-oughts indie rock of acts like The Appleseed Cast and The Anniversary. The band is able to make their own unique impression on the style by bringing in just a hint of alt-country (e.g. Avett Brothers). The act’s musicianship is just as alluring as their two-part vocal harmonies. There is a close-knit and fuzzy production style to the guitars and drums that will…
Hide & Seek begins with a dark and intense backing beat that rises at the right point to give Justina Valentine’s vocals a considerable boost. JV’s lyrical flow this time is nothing short of sick, with a speed similar to when performers like Em or Yelawolf really pump the gas. There’s a nuance here that will have listeners digging into the effort a number times before hearing everything that Justina…
Now Endeavor’s You Know Me has a bouncy vibe and a crossover sound that blends together EDM with R&B styles to make for something that will interest a wide subset of fans. There’s a tremendous amount of charisma that is exuded from the lead vocals, which settle into a bit of a rapid-fire rap-esque flow. There’s a smoother, Trey Songz meets Jason DeRulo type of R&B groove that rises up…
Make Believe has a delightful mash-up of Post Malone and Adam’s Song-era Blink 182. The considerable passion that is presented by the vox here is matched with contemplative and soaring guitars and sequenced drums. The song could easily make it onto pop rotation and playlists as LBM showcases the same hope during a relationship that anyone who has found their soulmate has felt. It is this honest and earnest sound…
Keri Wirth has started a Youtube series to showcase the considerable variation in languages around the world. To provide a bit of additional education in these uncertain times, Wirth has crafted a new collection of videos that provide a multimedia approach (visual / audio / musical ) to anyone – child, teen, or adult – that is focused in. A bright color palette and heavenly vocals will ensures that kids…
On Enough, Robert Eberle is able to craft an effort that skillfully blends together pop and EDM in a fashion that brings considerable gravitas. The vocal / instrumental dynamic pushes each side to a higher plateau. The synth and sequenced beat provides Robert with a robust backdrop upon which he can emote, while the shifts in tempo keep fans firmly locked on the edges of their seats. Don Da Menace’s…
On Miss July, Paul Cafcae is able to create a track that looks back to the halcyon days of the 1960s. His approach to pop-rock builds upon the style of the Beach Boys, Dick Dale, and Roy Orbison. The considerable amount of charisma that Cafcae brings to his latest single ensures that this single will bounce around listeners’ brains long after the song ceases. The guitar / drum / synth…
In their scathing follow-up to 2016’s stunningly eclectic Uncaused, Cinemartyr deliver a violent yin to their rookie album’s yang that immediately left me spellbound and intrigued by their growth in the last four years. Titled Death of the First Person, Cinemartyr’s sophomore affair is hardly the typical sequel; from where I sit, it’s about as different from its predecessor as it gets without abandoning the core values of experimentalism that gave the…
Jim Lord’s latest single is a lullaby for the ages. Playing on the words from “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” and arrangement, Lord’s song “Little Star” has the artist gazing afar of the love of his life and what that person means to him. Humming his way to your heart, Lord’s simplistic approach of his voice and an acoustic guitar orbits above Earth. FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/JimLordSingerSongwriter/ Born in New Jersey, but based…
During Scarce, Ricardo Dias is able to insert a tremendous amount of rich emotion and a brooding soundscape that deftly integrates vocal and instrumental sides. Dias’s vocals build upon the work of Chris Cornell and Layne Staley; the guitar / drum dynamic call back to performers like Audioslave and Gish-era Smashing Pumpkins. There is a vibrancy to Dias’s latest that will speak to any fan of rock music. Scarce’s bit…
Brendan Staunton began his musical journey in the early 1990’s singing with the Celtic influenced rock band Dubh Chapter. The band produced an album produced by Steve Hillage entitled Silence, Cunning & Exile but broke up soon after. Staunton briefly sang with the ambient dance band Ultramarine appearing on their track “Weird Gear” before deciding to leave the music industry behind. A quarter century passed before Staunton re-established contact with his past…
In his latest single, the playful “Nothing to Lose,” pop singer/songwriter Johnnie Mikel is exploring a strain of vocal showmanship more indebted to the conservative stylings of a bygone era than it is anything in the grandiose-filled modern genre, but I wouldn’t call it a total throwback. Right out of the gate, this song has a bounciness that it expounds through much more than a fluid drumbeat; in all honesty,…
Alien, the new single from ADITI, immediately starts with her alluring vocals and a complementary set of keys. There’s a booming, brooding sound that begins the track. This sound gradually dissipates and allows for a more 1980s-tinged pop sound. The tremendous care that is taken in creating a track that is able to cover such ground over the course of three minutes showcases a maturity that this rare to see…
On Death Or Liberty, Ocean Hills are able to make a supersonic hard rock track that is able to blend the melodic sound of a Staind with the musical fury of a Five Finger Death Punch. There’s a call back to the hair rock ballad of acts like Guns ‘n” Roses with the keys and bombastic drums. The band is able to keep the momentum high all while weaving an…
I Can has Chanique Rogers provide listeners with an inspirational message and a tremendous set of vocals. The backing instrumentation on Rogers’ single highlights this tale while impressing even the most wizened technical music fan. There’s a fat bass line, a sizzling set of keys, and emotive guitar works all crafting a varied and endearing backdrop for Rogers’s inimitable voice. The praise aspect of I Can showcases that everything is…
OK Mayday make an alluring, touching pop tune with their new single, Blossoms. The vocals do more than merely tell a story, adding complexity to the sweeping synths and perfectly-placed percussion. The dynamism of the band during this new cut means that the song can shift through tempos with the greatest of ease. The gradual increase in tempo during Blossoms’s final minute ensures that the single has the same sort…