The Seattle-based four-piece punk band The Drowns manage to somehow sound both assuredly nostalgic and contemporary at the same time. On their latest LP, Under Tension, the band brings to mind everyone from The Street Dogs and the first few Dropkick Murphys albums (sans bagpipes) to Swingin’ Utters. The fact that Ted Hutt, one of the best punk producers to come around in decades, oversaw this latest probably didn’t hurt. But…
Echoing into the ethers for what feels like an eternity, the opening chords of the aptly-titled “Notational Witchery” might not seem like the most elaborate of any you’ll hear on the new record from Darren Michael Boyd, the instrumental Lifting the Curse,” but they turn out one of the more captivating melodies on this incredible LP just the same. In Lifting the Curse, Boyd pushes the limits of rock n’ roll guitar…
With a scooped EQ and overdrive as heavy as a pile of cinderblocks, Terry Ohms lays into the opening riff of “King of The Mountain,” the first sounds we’ll hear in his new album Cold Cold Shoulder, and while this deluge of distortion and evocative noise is about as stirring a first few bars as any indie rock fan could ask to hear in a new record this February, they’re only…
In a gust of a verse that will set the tone for all of the kaleidoscopic harmonies soon to follow, Chris Mardini begins our journey into his heart amidst the opening bars of “Sleepless,” his third single currently out everywhere that quality independent pop is sold and streamed. There’s a bit of melancholy in his voice, but it’s nowhere near as strong as the optimism that drives the words cascading…
California-based Dustbowl Revival have always been a little hard to pin down musically. There is definitely an Americana vibe to their music, but there are also hefty elements of jazz, swing and pop. Their latest, Is It You, Is It Me does little to dispel that confusion. Across a baker’s dozen of new songs, the band relies just as heavily on their horn section as they do their acoustic guitars…
Simple Minds may best be remembered in this country for the outro song that gets played during the final shot of The Breakfast Club – a track that has almost become shorthand for Generation X rebellion, played at school reunions to this day. But as many in Europe and elsewhere outside of the U.S. realized decades ago, the Scottish band has an exhaustively large cannon of music that pre-and post-dates that…
On Hollywood, Olya K is able to create a robust dance track with an infectious beat. The song does well in refreshing dance music from the 1970s onwards. The bit of pop that bubbles through with Olya K’s vocals ensures that the single can garner replay value. Synths and insistent percussion will draw listeners out to the dance floor, while the song’s chorus will reside in one’s brains for months,…
During Tune Me In, AM Clouds are able to refresh the alternative rock sounds of acts like Soul Asylum and the Goo Goo Dolls into a vibrant and taut experience. The band is able to link together fuzzy guitars, thick bass, and charismatic vocals into a song that will stick with fans long after the song ceases to play. Particular kudos have to be given to the extended instrumental section…
Critics have been getting excited about rockers Kings County since the 2019 release of their eponymous debut, and for good reason – riddled with strong-armed, rhythmic hard rock elements that their peers have mostly abandoned, the group’s sound follows the beat of its own drum both literally and figuratively, frequently bringing to mind some of the greatest entities in the history of the genre. Their guitar parts are studded with…
Woebetide, the new effort from Ready, Steady, Die! is glorious in how it captures listeners’ attention. Beautiful vocals play at the front of the track while the instrumentation gradually reaches a creschendo. Breaking over the song like a weave, the synths and guitars push the aforementioned vocals into a higher plateau. Working towards the same goals, these distinct elements combine into a perfectly-polished piece of drama. The track’s final minute…
On Half Of It, Lila Blue is able to call back to the days of performers like Joni Mitchell and Carole King. Strong vocals are matched through confident pianos. While there is a passing nod to the pop of the 1960s and 1970s, a look forward to the work of Fiona Apple and Ani DiFranco will draw fans in by the barrelful. Fans will be on the edges of their…
On Radical Change, A Permanent Shadow is able to blend together new wave and 1980s ska styles into something bold and refreshing. Assertive vocals hand off the reins to Flock of Seagulls-inspired guitar work and luxurious synths. Most stunning of this composition has to be the masterful use of tempo; the slower section in the song’s middle allows for A Permanent Shadow to gradually build things back up into a…
Gusty grooves adorn the string balladry of “Never Apart.” Discordant minor-key harmonies make merry with a happy-go-lucky swing beat in “Never Miss.” Ruark seduce us with a glowing melody in “Naturally,” the staggering “Sick of It,” “Time Wouldn’t Waste Away” and the title track of their new album When You Coming Home with as much ease as they do when provoking thoughts unique to every listener in a contemplative “Sweet Senseless World,”…
During Wake Me Up, Ryan Black is able to call back to the alt-rock of the 1990s. With nods to the Goo Goo Dolls and The Wallflowers, Black will interest listeners; a fuzzy guitar lays bold strokes down while the on-point drumming keeps the composition moving at a solid pace. Ryan’s voice is special here in that it tells an emotion-packed narrative while blending in well with the guitar lines.…
While The Raspberries and Big Star are almost always the first bands namechecked in any discussion about Power Pop, there were a slew of remarkably brilliant U.S. bands throughout the early-, mid-1980s who picked up that flag and carried it on for a while before getting drowned out by synth pop and hair metal on the radio. Groups like The Plimsouls, The Romantics and Dramarama created some remarkably addictive songs…
Roses From Blood is an effort that looks back to the high-water mark of 1990s-goth, with hints of Black Tape for a Blue Girl and Apocalyptica meshing well alongisde breakneck industrial / electronic composition. This track hurtles along in a deceptively fast fashion. Smart usage of similar string lines establish a soundscape that could easily fill in for your favrotie cyberpunk novel. By linking these styles to a traditional /…
On Magic, Keldamuzik is able to blend together a bit of funk and 1990s R&B into a modern form of EDM. These calls to disparate musical styles are coordinated into a cohesive entity, ensuring that fans are out representing the performer on the dance floor. Keldamuzik is able to pull double duty in telling a cogent story as well as bolstering the sequenced beats and authoritative percussion that peek through…
When it comes to getting personal in a song, there aren’t a whole lot of country groups as adept and skillful as Flat River Band are in most every song they record, and in their fifth studio album, the retrospective Every Dog Has Its Day, they impart one provocative country tale after another as though we were sitting with the power trio around a blazing flame in the wilderness. The fireside…
World is Burning is a fun blend of styles. Hints of reggae and drum n bass unite to make something eclectic. The number of distinct shifts in tempo and genres incorporated here will immediately draw attention to both the musical and lyrical sides of the track. The number of current events that spell doom for the world – global warming and pollution are but a few – are given bold…
On Green, Greg Hoy & The Boys create a straight-forward rock track that incorporates hints of 1960s Merseybeat, The Descendents, and Franz Ferdinand Vocals echo boldly out at the top of the song, while the chorus brings infectious vocals alongside taut instrumentation. The bass / drum interactions are punctuated quite nicely through sizzling guitar work. These instruments are able to ratchet up the song’s momentum, ensuring that listeners are firmly…