Rollicking strings saturated in pristine white fuzz adorn the opening bars of “Discover,” but as we’ll soon discover, their measured strut is but one of the sensuous ingredients that Kazyak will employ in the sonic stew that this engrossing composition is. A powerful vocal harmony soars into the heavens from which it came in the climactic chorus, and believe it or not, its staggered catharsis is only a drop in…
Not long before Kim Fowley pulled together and ultimately terrorized (or inspired depending on whose version of the story you’re following) the brilliant teenaged, all-female rock band The Runaways, he helped establish the nearly as brilliant, but short-lived, glam rock/power pop five piece The Hollywood Stars. Fowley pulled in a disparate collection of Southern California musicians and went about co-writing, producing and working on his Svengali-in-training role with the group.…
Trap Boomin immediately stands out from the rest of modern rap music due to an unmatched backing beat that incorporates a bit of an Asian-inspired sound. DLRN’s flow hits all the high marks in terms of memorable repetition of phrases and strong, confident lyrics. The feature laid down here by Rich The Kid keeps things fresh while dovetailing nicely with the main body of Trap Boomin. A bombastic introduction, DLRN’s…
Heels is a beautiful track that showcases the passion and ability of Mike Jay. Heels shines based on a lush beat that blends in sweeping synths and a fat bass line. The sultry, sexy vox of Mike Jay here build upon the tradition of Chris Brown or Trey Songz. There’s an addition layer of vocal harmony impressed upon Heels that catapults the effort into the upper echelon of pop-radio performances.…
During Lost Identity, Sonic Rade are able to cultivate a 1980s-synthrock infused sound. A thick, chunky bass line highlights the ethereal vocals, which will appease fans of Peter Murphy or Disintegration-era Robert Smith. The act is taut, crafting a backing instrumentation that holds up to repeat plays. A driving beat punctuates the back of the track as the vocals and guitars are given the spotlight. A particularly poignant moment occurs…
On Chasing Whatever, Trouble in the Streets are able to blend pop, haunting new wave, and EDM into something that is wholly unique. Multiple vocal layers and a dense instrumentation ensure that fans will find new twists and turns even 5 or 10 plays in. The rap-infused flow that is weaved through Chasing Whatever provides further variety to an already eclectic output. Trouble in The Streets shake off any potential…
Stripped-down blue collar punk rock anthems are certainly not a new phenomenon. Everyone from Tim Barry and Frank Turner to Dave Hause have made a living crisscrossing the globe for the past decade-plus playing Springsteen meets The Clash-inspired ditties. But, Dylan Disaster’s latest, Remission, proves there’s still room for at least one more on the tour bus. Thirteen tracks cram the latest from this Long Island native, now calling Austin…
Hints of Sarah McLachlan and Paula Cole can be heard on Beth Bombara’s I Only Cry When I’m Alone. A vocal-heavy approach allows Beth to bring tremendous emotion and gravity to the composition, as a taut instrumentation replete with empathetic guitars and insistent bass keeps things on track throughout. The bit of instrumental jam that is inserted into Upside Dowbn establishes the two sections of the effort as wholly different…
In his new single, the brilliantly melodic “Be My Main,” Allocai is discussing love, lust and the life that we all try to live in between the two in one of the most poetic tracks the young songwriter has dropped to date. “Be My Main” is structured as to keep our focus on its airy lead vocal from beginning to end, but despite the highly stylized lyricisms the he dispenses,…
Most critics will agree with me when I say that country music is reshaping its identity right now, and it’s partly due to the influx of alternative, folk-influenced and Canadian talent entering an arena that has traditionally been dominated by artists who are anything but. Among the more interesting newcomers that I’ve had the pleasure of coming across this month is none other than the Canadian two-piece The Promised, whose…
“Why can’t we pretend? / It’s not me… it’s them / Why did we believe? / That this would be okay” croons Sharon Lia in “Why Can’t We Pretend?,” the new single from her eponymous band’s upcoming studio album Beyond Wonderland, every word glistening with as much of a reflective nuance as the music in the background does. Lia is all heart in this single and the album from which it…
Paul Jacks is back this summer with a fascinating sequel to his watershed solo debut Defractor in In Other Words, a record which is literally filled to the brim with elegant melodies that have been shaped into catchy, yet always surreal, soundscapes of the most erudite variety. Right from the start of the tracklist in “In the Late Dark,” Jacks is playing like his life depends on it, and giving up one of…
Want to sell your home quickly? Then you need to prepare for massive challenges. This is not an easy process as you may think. You need to have some experience or seek advice from previous home sellers. However, if you have never done such a transaction before then you need to be well prepared with some tips. Hence, in this article, I will give you the best property sale advice…
Ocean Blue is an effort that draws heavily on the rock of the 1960s and 1970s. The charisma of the vocals, confident guitars, and a taut instrumentation unite to make for an effort that will tattoo its melodies deep into the minds and hearts of listeners. Makin’ Good Time is an effort that goes a bit further back to the halcyon era of The Beach Boys and The Animals for…
Everything, the latest single from J-Carter, is able to refresh the sound of late-1990s and early-2000s acts like Common, Nas, and Talib Kweli. Booming beats and sultry secondary vocals are able to mesh well with the pointed and intense wordplay of J-Carter. There are a number of distinct arrangements presented here that will take fans multiple plays to fully appreciate. The 1:45 mark demarcates an increase to Everything’s momentum, a…
Bad Energy is an energetic track that blends together a haunting backing beat with a rap flow that builds off of the tradition of J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar. The nuanced wordplay here will have listeners repeating LINKS’s latest single to hear everything that had been contained in. The chorus is able to strike out in a bold new fashion while riffing on the main backing beat. Bad Energy allows…
The one-two punch that begins the Broke Royals’s new album Saint Luxury is warm, emotional, and musically impressive. The brief introduction that washes over listeners with Ave continues into the full, confident alt-rock that issues forth with Saint Luxury . The same deep sound is fostered during the extended vocal introduction to Bad Chemicals. The Broke Royals move into bold new territory with Love & Tatters. Blending together the 1980s…
The Oddneighbourhood’s Cherry Wine is a laid-back, fuzzy track cast in the mold of 1990s alternative music. Dreamy vocals do more than merely contribute the lyrics, adding mightily to the swirling guitars. Instrumental interludes are used to great effect during Cherry Wine, allowing the vocals to punch back in with oomph. With subtle nods to 1980s acts like The Psychedelic Furs and David Byrne, The Odd Neighbourhood are able to…
Slark Moan, the pseudonym for Nashville singer/guitarist Mark Sloan, has spent plenty of time of late gigging with some of that town’s greats, serving as touring guitarist for folks like Margo Price and Erin Rae. But even with that impressive resume, it’s still remarkable just how great his latest effort, Superstition For The Consumer Romantic, manages to be. Across 10 tracks, delivered with airy, soaring vocals – steeped in…
Although Mike Jacoby offers hints of Americana and even rockabilly throughout his third solo offering, the record is still firmly planted in the world of rootsy rock and roll. Jacoby cites folk troubadour Todd Snider as an inspiration for Long Beach Calling, but it’s just as easy to pick out influences from folks like John Fogerty and The BoDeans here. The opening song, the rollicking title track with its Johnny…