Month: October 2014

DEAR CRIMINALS “STORM” MUSIC VIDEO

Montreal’s Dear Criminals is Charles Lavoie, Vincent Legault and Frannie Holder’s side project. Having expressed their will to play together for years, they finally decided to unite efforts in this project where Charles’ intense and strong vocals and Frannie’s vulnerable and fragile voice complement each other in a very unique and touching way. This vocal…

SKOPE NEWS FOR OCTOBER 31, 2014

MARYANN “SLOW RIDIN’” NEW SINGLE “Slow Ridin’” is a track from Future R&B artist Maryann’s freshly released Ep “This Is What The Moon Sounds Like”. The song is quite the contrast from her soothing track “Landing”, and the Reggae influenced “The Long Way”. This song shows a playful and more open side of Maryann’s music.…

GARY CHERONE’S HURTSMILE RELEASES LYRIC VIDEO FOR “BIG GOVERNMENT”

Just in time for the 2014 midterm elections, Gary Cherone’s Hurtsmile has released a new lyric video for the song “Big Government”; check it out here. The song, which appears on the band’s new album, RETROGRENADE, is an unabashed political critique, featuring Cherone’s fervently ironic vocals (“Omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient big brethren…” Of the track/video Gary…

BLUE TOFU’S NEW SINGLE ‘HUNGER TANGO’ HITS BIG

Tim Story, a Grammy nominated producer and one half of the enigmatic and soulful indie pop duo Blue Tofu (www.bluetofu.com), calls their blend of seductive, brooding grooves, deep visceral textures and his partner Andrea Mathews’ haunting vocals “mutant pop music…sort of trip-hop with a smoky, David Lynch kind of vibe.” Their delightfully hard to peg…

Rainstick Cowbell, Hand over the Heart

Rainstick Cowbell (Scott Arbogast) in an interesting Slop Folk artist based out of Portland, OR. As I gave this, his fourth release to date a right and proper listen I have to agree with the slop folk comments – but it also has remnants of classic Psychedelic Rock. I’m a huge fan of Psychedelic rock.…

SKOPE NEWS FOR OCTOBER 30, 2014

ELIZABETH & THE CATAPULT “HAPPY POP” VIDEO PREMIERES AT WALL STREET JOURNAL Elizabeth & The Catapult is proud to release the animated video for “Happy Pop”, the lead track from the Brooklyn band’s recent album, Like It Never Happened (Scratchback Records/Thirty Tigers). The Wall Street Journal’s Speakeasy Blog debuted the clip from artist Michael Arthur…

NIIA “BODY” VIDEO

With the grandeur of Sarah Vaughan, the soul of Sade and just enough of a present-day twist to settle her somewhere between “Jessie Ware elegance and Sky Ferreira cool” (Buzzfeed), Niia has steadily been ramping up for the launch of her debut “Generation Blue” EP, out today on Something Local Records. The classically-trained, 26 year-old…

THE HUNTS RELEASE THE VIDEO FOR THEIR NEW TRACK “REMEMBER US”

Recently signed to Cherrytree Records/Interscope, seven-piece sibling band The Hunts, have been playing music together almost their entire lives. Ranging from ages 16 to 24, twin sisters Jenni and Jessi and their five brothers Josh, Jonathan, Jordan, Justin, and Jamison all learned to sing and play violin as young kids and spent much of their…

RAYE REVEALS NEW TRACK ‘HOTBOX’

Hailing from South London, more specifically Croydon, RAYE (real name – Rachel Keen) today announces the release of her debut EP ‘Welcome To The Winter’, along with revealing the second track to be heard from said EP, entitled ‘Hotbox’. The forthcoming EP, which will see a release in November, was recorded, written, and co-produced by…

NUBIAN ROSE “BREAK OUT” OFFICIAL VIDEO

“Break Out“, the new video from Swedish hard rockers NUBIAN ROSE, can be seen below. The song is taken from NUBIAN ROSE‘s second album “Mental Revolution“, which will be released on November 24th via Livewire/Cargo Records. The album was produced by Christer Åkerlund, engineerd by Jakob Herrmann, mixed by Tobias Lindell (HEAT, Europe, Hardcore Superstar,…

STIMMI HENDRIX “ELECTRIC LAND” SINGLE

Born and breed in Brooklyn, NY, but currently residing overseas, Stimulus is a member of the well-known live band The Real Live Show and has had his music featured on Showtime, a Pontiac TV commercial as well as esteemed sites such as Hypetrak.com, Okayplayer.com, Urb.com, Potholesinmyblog.com, frank151.com and fusicology.com. In addition to being a member…

STOLI ADMIRES JASON WELLS FOR TAKING LIFE BY THE HORNS

Hello to all and Happy Halloween. What are you planning on being tomorrow night, I am the infamous green goblin. I decided to switch it up and publish on Thursday this week. Before we get to Jason Wells I read in the Wall Street Journal that music sales at Apple’s iTunes Store have fallen 13%…

Rachel Lynn Sebastian, Raven Heart

After six arduous weeks of recording, the collaborators were met with a major setback: All twelve “Raven Heart” songs needed to be remixed and re-mastered. The problem was that Rachel Lynn had already scheduled a six-month U.S. tour to promote the album that would not be rescheduled. The decision was made: Cori Jacobs (Master Fader…

RxGF, Any Other Way

RxGF’s third full length release is action packed and positively brimming with indie cool. “How To Make It”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQR6urI2z4M#t=48 Listen to the full album Streaming links: BandCamp: https://rxgf.bandcamp.com/album/any-other-way SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/rxgf/sets/any-other-way-2014 Any Other WayOpening with title track ‘Any Other Way’, things sound painfully hip from the start, with its sprawling echoes and glacial tone that perfectly…

HOW TO USE YOUTUBE TO PROMOTE YOUR MUSICAL TALENTS

YouTube is used for many purposes ranging from comedy sketches to promoting commercial products. It’s also been the cornerstone of supporting musical artists that have gone on to create a name for themselves. Although YouTube is used by many for quick clips of entertainment, it’s a powerful medium to demonstrate to the world the kind…

Love Jupiter, 1967

Over the years we’ve seen rock, pop, and even hard rock slowly erode into over-commercialized, corporate puppet shows providing music that is extremely sing songy, predictable, popish and highly corporate. I hereby call this new breed of music “Poser Rock” and I want to personally thank all the corporate giants for successfully transforming “Sex Drugs…

SKOPE NEWS FOR OCTOBER 29, 2014

AARYN ROSE TO RELEASE HER DEBUT SINGLE, “EVERYWHERE I GO” Ten year-old singer/songwriter AARYN ROSE is excited to announce the release of her debut single, “Everywhere I Go,” today! “Be yourself,” Aaryn states. “Don’t let other people take away your personal power away, and always try to be the bigger person” “Everywhere I Go” was…

SINÉAD O’CONNOR SHARES OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO FOR “8 GOOD REASONS”

Out today, Sinéad O’Connor shares the official music video for “8 Good Reasons” from her 10th studio album ‘I’m Not Bossy, I’m The Boss’ available HERE via Nettwerk Records. Shot on a bus in Dublin, the official music video for “8 Good Reasons” shows Sinéad at her most direct and powerful, but also demonstrates the…

“FOOLS GOLD” THE NEW VIDEO FROM FITZ AND THE TANTRUMS

Fitz and The Tantrums deliver a tale of love, loss and landing on your feet in the official video for their new single, “Fools Gold.” The clip, which was directed by Zak Stoltz, launched today and can be seen HERE. “Fools Gold” is the latest single from More Than Just A Dream (Elektra/Atlantic Records). “The…

Wolfgang Douglas, Wonderful Life

Wolfgang Douglas’s “Wonderful Life” lets loose. Everything within the two songs emphasizes this carefree attitude. Sonically the songs resemble The Strokes’ second album hopped up on unreasonable amounts of caffeine. This means the hooks are strong. Rhythms are out of control moving as fast as possible. Lyrically the two songs reflect this overall gleeful abandon.…

DANNY MERCER “WHO ARE YOU LOVING NOW?” VIDEO

Throughout his fledgling career as a singer, songwriter, and musician, Danny Mercer has had a way of impressing people right out of the gate. A few years back, when Mercer was a college student and aspiring songwriter, he saw a tweet from The Messengers’ Nasri, who was looking for fresh talent, and sent off some…

SKOPE NEWS FOR OCTOBER 28, 2014

MISSY ELLIOTT, LIL’ KIM AND DA BRAT REUNITE TO REVIVE “LADIES NIGHT” AT SOUL TRAIN AWARDS 2014 It’s ladies night at SOUL TRAIN AWARDS 2014! Today, CENTRIC announced that the Grammy Award-winning Queen Bee herself, Lil’ Kim; Grammy Award-winning double platinum artist, Missy Elliott; and the first female solo rapper to ever go platinum, Da…

SEAFRET NEW VIDEO “GIVE ME SOMETHING”

Bridlington duo, Seafret have released a stunning video to accompany their track ‘Give Me Something’. Directed by Brendan Canty who shot the controversial video for Hozier’s ‘Take Me To Church’. The duo from North Yorkshire released their first track ‘Give Me Something’ on September 21st on Sweet Jane Recordings to a rapturous response, amassing over…

FIGURE “TUNES FOR TERROR” HALLOWEEN MIX

EDM/Heavy Bass producer and horror enthusiast FIGURE (aka Josh Gard) has taken a decidedly fresh tone with the release of his rock/punk filled mixtape “Tunes For Terror”. A perfect blend of such diverse punk standards as The Misfits’ “Braineaters” and Dead Kennedy’s “Halloween”, with rare rottun rockabilly masterpieces like Southern Culture On the Skids’ “Devil’s…

RECONCERA “SCUMWRECKER” LYRIC VIDEO

Missouri metal outfit Reconcera, which features three members under the age of 20, has released their brand new single to the masses. “Scumwrecker” is the first new material from the band since their self-titled EP that was released last year. Vocalist Josh Smith commented on the single by saying, “It was kind of a strange…

Hunter & The Dirty Jacks, Single Barrel

Here’s to pouring old wine into new bottles. Hunter & The Dirty Jacks, a Los Angeles based blues-rock outfit, have self-released their full-length debut, Single Barrel, without even a blink of irony. While younger, retro-themed bands in other subgenres are increasingly steering towards sharper moments of outright parody, a unit like this never falls completely…

FROM GARAGE TO THE BIG TIME: TAKE THE NEXT STEP IN A MUSICAL CAREER

The music industry is a hard place to break into. Luckily, with the growth of technology, fame is no longer determined by music label executives. In today’s market, growing your career depends on you, and the work you’re willing to put into developing yourself as a musician. Take these tips to heart if you plan…

SKOPE NEWS FOR OCTOBER 27, 2014

MUSIC VIDEO FOR NOEL GALLAGHER’S “IN THE HEAT OF THE MOMENT” Britpop tour de force Noel Gallagher (formerly of Oasis) is back with another solo album as High Flying Birds, and Noisey is proud to present the music video for its first single “In The Heat Of The Moment.” http://noisey.vice.com/music-video-premieres/noel-gallaghers-high-flying-birds-in-the-heat-of-the-moment-official-video TASHAKI MIYAKI SHARE COVER OF…

FIRST AID KIT UNVEILS GLOWING NEW MUSIC VIDEO FOR “STAY GOLD”

Acclaimed Swedish duo First Aid Kit has shared the glowing new music video for their song “Stay Gold.” Watch/embed the Alex Southam-directed clip, which was shot on the Swedish island of Gotland, today on VEVO. Having just completed a sold out U.K. tour, which included an unforgettable night at London’s famed Royal Albert Hall, First…

AViVAA NEW SINGLE ‘CRYSTALEYES’

After the success of their first two singles ‘Reel Me In’ and ‘XX’ AViVAA returns with their latest single ‘CRYSTALEYES’. Since their formation, the duo have continued to explore the limitless depths of their combined creativity, drawing influence from different corners of music. AViVAA branch away from their usual minimalist style with ‘CRYSTALEYES’ delivering a…

THE BARNUM MESERVE “COLOURS”

The Barnum Meserve are a British epic rock/pop band that feature a strong orchestral section, who formed in Nottingham in November 2007. They will release their debut album ‘The Barnum Meserve’ in Q1 of 2015, with the lead single ‘Colours’ released on 1st December 2014. The Band consists of: Leon Wiley (Piano/Vocals), Dylan Griffiths (Bass)…

FICTONIAN REVEALS SECOND TRACK & VIDEO ‘DOUBLE NEGATIVE’

UK based singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Fictonian has today revealed his second track ‘Double Negative’, and its gorgeous video accompaniment. Once again, Fictonian has given us all another slice of elegantly written and executed acoustic-based alternative pop. The accompanying video was animated and directed by Annie Kruntcheva, a flip-book animation artist whose previous work has seen a lot…

Sam Northwood, “Want To Be Home”

Sam Northwood is a pop singer out of London, England. His current single is dedicated to raising awareness of being homeless and the trials that go along with the misfortune. This is a cause that I believe is often marred by judgment and ridicule and I am very pleased with his efforts. We can never…

FOR THE EARS: HOW TO BECOME A MASTER MUSICIAN

Music is a vast field of study, and many musicians struggle to figure out how to advance the way they would like. Whether in knowledge or performance, musical development is a skill that continues no matter where your career takes you, and there are various ways to master it. Learn from Those You Admire One…

Leonino, Naked Tunes

Leonino makes perfect pop music, pop music with true soul. “Naked Tunes” are light lovely pieces stripped of unnecessary excess to get to the heart of the matter. Lyrics reveal a keen awareness of storytelling as each song unfurls to reveal adept skill at observation. Alongside the detailed narratives are catchy warm melodies that adorn…

Ken Dahl, “Casper”

Ken Dahl’s “Casper” has a brilliant concept with pitch-perfect execution. With a focus on the nastiness of anonymous online bloggers the track moves forward thanks to the help of an incredibly infectious beat. Everything about the track indicates a keen sense of awareness about the double-standards that anonymity brings online. For anonymity allows people to…

Alice Sungurov, Broke My Heart

“Broke My Heart” is a lush piece of pop. Alice Sungurov’s voice serves as the focal point for the entire track. With a relaxed easy groove the song reflects upon the oftentimes confusing aspects of being in a relationship and the heartbreak that comes with the end of a relationship. No breakup is easy. Here…

Random Dander, Second Cuming EP

Random Dander sound truly completely out of their minds on the “Second Cuming EP” and this is a very good thing indeed. Throughout the collection they appear to be possessed by a boundless energy. Hence the songs have a strong physical quality to them as every song appears to be dripping with sweat. Incredibly catchy…

Tyler Gilbert, Okay Murphy

Tyler Gilbert’s “Okay Murphy” is a well-balanced blend of electric and acoustic rock. His distinctive voice and vision help bring together a diverse range of approaches, from the celebratory to the tragic. “Okay Murphy” takes its many elements to create a beautiful, oftentimes tragic sound. Tyler Gilbert ” Ok, Murphy” EP https://soundcloud.com/tyler-4-2 Kicking off with…