Better Day is the lead-off track from DownTown Mystic’s same-named new album (due out January 24th on Sha-La Music). Better Day is a track that could easily make it onto rock rotation in the early eighties as DownTown Mystic blends together hopeful vocals with laid-back guitars and on-point drumming. There’s a bit of an edge to Better Days that gradually reveals itself as Robert adopts a bit of the “Unmasked”-era…
Slowly creeping out from behind the shadows of silence, we find the traces of an otherworldly melody in “Extemporization,” one of the eight songs comprising the new record from Ian C. Bouras and Dion Abraham, Refractions of Sound. Boldly venturing beyond limits that most artists would fearfully stick with, Bouras and Abraham explore the depths of the sonic universe without stripping away the personality from their colorful harmonics in songs like…
Catch Em All is a hard-hitting track that will immediately draw listeners in with a booming, dark backing beat. Ace Hardy’s gritty vocals add an air of authenticity to his bars; the rapper’s ability to intersperse slower sections with a quicker patter keeps things interesting from the first line all the way until the end of the single. Hints of Killer Mike and I-20 are interspersed here, but Ace Hardy’s…
Carol City is on the come up. Kick 5000’s For 6 is a confident and assertive track that shakes up a stale rap scene. With nods to performers like Rick Ross and Migos, Kick 5000 and Supa Mega are able to make a track that can work equally well on rotation as well as on the streets. The backing instrumentation on For 6 is equally deep, with hard-hitting, bass elements…
White Sun has crafted an engrossing composition with their new single, Tantric Har. Linking together tribal (e.g. Maori / Hawaiian) chanting with new age and world music approaches, White Sun tattoos the song’s melodies deep into listeners’ brains. Subtle changes to the synth line provide fans with enough fuel to make it the entirety of this eleven-plus minute arrangement. One needs to pay special attention to the 8/9-minute mark as…
Joe Coss and Liquid Phase are able to make a hopeful track in Bright Colors that draws upon the late-1980s output of Shiny Happy People-era R.E.M. and the B-52s. Coss’s vocals cede ground to guitars and piano, ensuring that the resulting single has a fullness to it that will stick with listeners long after the song ceases to play. While the song could easily slot into alternative / college rotation,…
Trust My Love begins Unbreakable, Dejhare’s new album. The effort builds upon the strong late-nineties efforts from Madonna while incorporating hints of dubstep and world music. Time Is Everything slows things up, ensuring that listeners are able to see an entirely different facet to Dejhare’s music. The dynamic between the vocals and a thick bass line separates this single from the rest of the fare on Unbreakable. Stand by Me…
This Is My Father’s World is a tremendously emotive composition that draws on traditional American compositions. An organic sound to this track bears considerable narrative components, a trend that is continued through the entirety of the album. I Need Thee Every Hour succeeds due to a number of distinct elements – strings and piano – that are able to be enjoyed as singular items just as they can be collected…
SirNature AlexZander is able to restore the glitz and glamour of the early nineties with his Hey Ms Sexie Thang. Authoritative vocals and considerable charisma ensure that listeners will inexorably make it out of the dance floor. Telling a story as well as adding further to the overall harmonies of the single, SirNature AlexZander establishes a cohesive and comprehensive sound to the lead single to his new album, “Southern Soul…
Ride has CaliYork blending the laid-back Chicago instrumentation of early Kanye or J-Dilla with the mid-oughts rap flow of 50 Cent or Jadakiss. Further imbuing authenticity to the single are bars dropped down by Styles P. A silky-smooth vocal hook is reminiscent of Joe and early Chris Brown. This chill vibe is punctuated with a bit of the more reggae-infused patois of Buckshot. Ride goes by quickly leaving listeners clamoring…
During Nobody’s Comin’, Dennis J. Leise is able to flip the traditional gospel sound to make a scathing critique of all the charlatans and slimeballs that wrap themselves up in the vestments of the holy and the honorable. Taking the first minute (or so) of Nobody’s Comin’ to gradually set things into motion, Leise immediately draws in listeners. Adopting the leit-motif of traditional religious music, Dennis crafts something special here.…
Yellow Sandcastle is the opening composition on Irina Imme’s This Little Girl. The track will immediately draw listeners in through honest and earnest vocals, which are paired with a bit of strumming guitar. The song is able to have tremendous gravity with little more than this dynamic, bolstered as it is with a hint of strings. The four-plus minute run time is more than enough to allow Imme to really…
Alone (with me) is a fun alternative piece of atmospheric rock that is wholly unique. This means while there are nods to performers like Maroon 5 and Keller Williams, that Katmaz’s intense instrumental interludes and David Byrne-esque vocals separate him from the vast majority of performers currently releasing music. The emotive guitar work that is laced through the entirety of Alone (with me) is given a new lease on life…
The Darker Days Mix of All Yours All Mine is fun because ASHRR is able to build up an 1980-draped, synth heavy composition, while a more electronic/1990s lens is placed over the single at fruitful places. Don’t Wait Too Long is a refreshing of 1980s synth pop (a la early Depeche Mode and New Order) that marries the timeless style with the taut instrumentation of acts like Franz Ferdinand and…
Giselle Torres’s Navidad en la Playa is a hopeful, timeless effort that calls back to the holiday tracks of the 1990s and early 2000s. Sleigh bells and bright vocals unite to draw listeners in, while the tempo established in this track will keep people bouncy and bubbly until Torres closes things up. Navidad en la Playa percussion moves into the more focal point of the composition at about 3 minutes…
Hunting Memories is a full-length release of the same title, by visual Artist, Tahiti Pehrson, the sole creator of what is an excellent collection of songs that take you through some of the stories of life and things that happen with people along the way. The outcome is a very fresh and well-balanced perspective from an Indie Singer/Songwriter who does things his own way and hangs his hat on his…
The Return of Space Girl / Goodbye is a high-energy track that immediately showcases Bad Mary’s on-point drums and menancing, brooding guitar work. The switch-over to a loud and brash sound that takes equal influences from 1982 punk and mid-1980s hardcore (Agent Orange, Black Flag) will immediately draw fans in. Vocals link together the work of performers like Bif Naked and Save Ferris, adding further vibrancy to an already bright…
Get Me Started is a fascinating composition as it effortlessly adopts hints of jam bands, 1990s Brit-pop, and alt rock. Uniting these various approaches are Freeman’s inimitable vocals. With nods to psych and Apple Records-era frontmen, Freeman makes something that is fresh and current while ultimately drawing upon a considerable musical tradition. Get Me Started’s instrumentation will stand up to numerous plays, continually showcasing new twists and turns even months…
The Way I Am is a laid back pop / EDM single that keeps things slow and somber. Haley’s inimitable vox are pushed to the stratosphere by the inclusion of Ella Vos. The presence of both voices during The Way I Am acts as a very organic approximation of a couple. The video (presented below) continues with this theme, showcasing a duo working through some seriously heavy emotional baggage. The…
Look No Further is a powerful rock effort that brings in bits of Walk the Moon and The 1975. The touching vocals laid down here draw back on the tradition instituted by The Smiths and Depeche Mode. Particular high marks during Look no Further have to be the punchy drums and sweeping synths that provide a distinct sound to the composition. flawes are able to make something special in this…