It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue starts off Vargen’s collection of Bob Dylan covers. Immediately showcasing his ability to transform vital parts of Dylan’s corpus, this introduction is heartfelt, emotive, and well-polished. With such a distance between the original and Vargen’s version, fans will be locked in to see what the performer does with the rest of these compositions. I Threw It All Away keeps hitting listeners in the feels…
“Fly With You” an experimental dance -pop track from Canadian poet/mind bender Lailien feat. vocalist Ruby Perl. Out now via his sophomore album, TA-DA!, “Fly With You” surpasses any expectations the listener might have for songs with the word ‘fly’ in its title. Lailien, the offbeat recording name of Toronto’s Brad Shubat, seals the gaps between pop/electro fusion and a bevy of remarkable tones and beats. Lyrically, “Fly With You”…
Tom Tikka and the Missing Hubcaps come out of their corner swinging on the three song EP Working Class Voodoo with the title song “Working Class Voodoo”. The rock leanings of this track are pushed in just the right way; it isn’t Tikka’s style to bulldoze listeners with a guitar blitzkrieg. Nuance is the word of the day here. Tikka and his band achieve a specific stylistic approach early on in this…
Making that quintessential rookie release stick with fans is definitely no easy feat, but for Canadian hard rock band Walker’s Cay, they’re making it look pretty simple this May. Taking the world by storm via their first two singles, “Tell Me” and “Why Oh Why,” Toronto’s Walker’s Cay do more than introduce us to their sound in these songs – they lob a piece of their artistic identity in our…
Canadian singer/songwriters are having a good spring, and out of Montreal, this statement applies particularly to one Sébastien Lacombe, a veteran player whose new single and music video “Gold in Your Soul” is capturing the attention of critics around the continent at the moment. Lacombe’s conservative approach the guitar melodies blended with his deeply enigmatic poetry give “Gold in Your Soul” a very easygoing, classic pop feel with a uniquely…
Save Me is a touching pop track,. The amount of emotion that comes forth with Eden’s vocals are fantastic. She is able to draw upon the tradition of performers like early Sheryl Crow or the slower works of Avril Lavigne for inspiration, all while imprinting her own unique styling into each composition. The high-water mark for Save Me comes in the crescendo that occurs at around the 3 minute mark.…
Live It Up has Vanessa V. come forth with a funky and fun rap track that is wholly unique when compared to the rest of modern rap music. There’re a number of distinct sections here, including a more laid-back vibe and something that seems more akin to the rap style of the late 1990s and early 2000s. The booming bass of Live It Up will tattoo the song’s melodies deep…
Superman has Ryan Brahms laying down some soulful vocals. An intricate, introspective backing instrumentation links together a snap track and synths with just a hint of echo. Superman shines because of Brahms’s vocal range and ability to stop and turn on a dime. The hopeful message that is pr promoted during this single is given a further highlight when Superman hits its final 45 seconds. Ending with a touch of…
On her latest single Nwaye, Malou Beauvoir is able to blend together a more contemplative instrumentation with considerable vocal power. The guitar work on this single calls back to the mid-1990s, while there’s a multi-layered approach utilized here that keeps the replay value of Nwaye high over multiple plays. There’s a timeless feeling to Beauvoir’s vox here; stretching out over the composition effortlessly, it’s Malou’s voice that will stick with…
Jason Young wears many hats. He is bandleader of The Ruse, a project who opened for global powerhouse Muse on three separate world tours, but he has another long standing project called Heartour and its fifth release R U IN in may be his finest musical achievement yet. The Connecticut born singer, composer, and musician turned back to Heartour after placing The Ruse on hiatus and the resulting ten songs should solidify…
Ari Skye’s Look Into My Eyes has a timeless sound to it that will immediately draw in fans of any pop varietal. Ari contributes to the genre with tremendous vocal skill. The snappy synths that play at the bottom of her latest single gradually build into an engrossing sound by the chorus. The voice / instrumentation dynamic will imprint Look Into My Eyes’ melody deep into the minds and hearts…
On O Mesmo Filme, Ricardo Dias is able to blend a dark, brooding instrumentation with a weathered, energetic set of vocals. Building upon the late 1990s rock style of acts like Stabbing Westward and Fuel, Ricardo stands apart from other efforts being released this spring. The instrumentation on O Mesmo Filme is fantastic; sizzling guitar work rises and falls over the course of the track, dropping out at the right…
Bulletproof has Sierra Pilot straddle the line between hard rock and emotive pop music. The dichotomy that the band builds up during this song will ensure that a wide swath of fans will be able to dig in to the music. Sizzling guitar work blends with emotive vocals to ingrain the track deeply into listeners’ psyches. Bulletproof enjoys a layered approach that can stand up to repeat plays. Focus on…
Premium Clean has commissioned their very own theme song. In Clean Baby, Clean Mama Zipo and Slash are able to imprint a hard-hitting rap flow while promoting the company. With a video showcasing vibrant colors and meme-tastic imagery, Clean Baby, Clean Mama is destined to capture the attention of anyone that views it. The track’s titular chorus will bury itself deep into fans’ minds. Few companies are able to successfully…
If I Could needs little more than a piano and V. Contreras’s voice to keep fans on the edges of their seats from beginning to end. The journey that fans will take on this track is immense; expansive compositions unite with a set of pipes that can reach a considerable register. This single would be perfect fare for anyone that likes 1990s R&B, musicals, or music that is vocal-forward in…
On Big Hit Song, John Paciga breaks down the process for crafting a chart-topping single. The passion and bouncy vocals do well here, further lifted up through joyous pianos and a downright cheery set of synths. There’s something here for everyone as Paciga is able to showcase the difficulty of the process. While the song itself is about the music industry, the message that John promotes here is that drive…
On Orion, IVEEN builds upon the rich vocal tradition of performers like Stevie Nicks and Patty Smith. Rising and falling like a tide washing against a beach, IVEEN is able to not only tell a cogent story with her latest track but also provide further depth to the booming drums and claps that punctuate the single. By the time that Orion concludes, IVEEN has swept up anyone listening in and…
Bovine Nightmares create some of the most unique types of hard rock we’ve ever heard on their newest track, Giving Little Robots to Children. There’s a bit of the theatricality of Alice Cooper and Lordi, the intense instrumentation of a Blind Guardian, Candlemass, or Suicidal Tendencies, and a bit of the hooky style of a Devo or an Atom and his Package. Giving Little Robots to Children goes through a…
I See You have Rayvon and Sugar Bear create a poppy reggae sound that calls back to the late 1990s and early 2000s. With an absolutely infectious one-two chorus laid down by the pair, fans of booming bass and more delicate R&B hooks will be able to find something to dig into. The backing instrumentation works in tandem with these voices as it both ensures people make it out onto…
David Drake’s Shooting Arrows at the Sun is an effort that calls back to the folksy rock of Donovan along with the crooning style of Chris Isaak and early-nineties Tom Petty. The bit of desert rock / psychedelic guitar that rises into prominence during the single provides a nice counterpoint to the smooth vox laid here by Drake. The percussive punctuation that presents itself as a touchstone during Shooting Arrows…