Esthema’s Long Goodbye is a rich progressive rock record that harnesses classic and modern sounds. With its short opening track ‘Three Sides To Every Story Part 1′, it’s clear from the start that Esthema have worked hard to bring together a range of instruments to create some provocative prog. As the three part opening section…
Category: REVIEWS
CD and DVD reviews
Billy Ray Deiz, “Rather Have Sooner”
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Laced with woozy tremolo and everything you would expect from smooth country tinged soul, Billy Ray Deiz’s ‘Rather Have Sooner’ lets loose the big guns. It’s all here; swaggering saxophones, snappy funk guitars, and vocals that balance melancholy with a cheeriness that makes the track sunny and uplifting. With funk like this, it’s impossible not…
Xavier Toscano, Feel So Good
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Taking cues from Bruno Mars and throwing in a huge sprinkling of electro pop, Xavier Toscano’s new album Feel So Good is a party album full of bright lights and vibrant colours. Opening with ‘Never Wanna Leave’, Toscano’s style is shown to be upbeat and playful from the start, leading into ‘The Remedy (Feel Alright)’…
Winchester Revival, Eyes in the Canopy
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Eyes in the Canopy is the latest four track EP from East Bay, California based band Winchester Revival. Winchester Revival is a difficult band to categorize, with a refreshing and unique sound that carries throughout Eyes in the Canopy. The EP opens with “Chemical Yellow,” an alternative trip-rock tune that proudly displays the musical prowess…
AntoineRNB
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Antoine is hitting the scene and is building his career one song at a time. His soulful melodies come across smooth and vibrant, unleashing true raw emotions in every beat. Straight from Poughkeepsie, New York he is ready to take on the world. Each track is defined by catchy hooky lyrics and foot tapping rhythms…
Sex With Strangers, You Know Something We Don’t (CD)
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Vancouver rockers “Sex With Strangers” seem to making all the right moves. Working hard, releasing music, hitting the pavement. Make no mistake about it these 5 from Canada appear to be surging and are quickly becoming a household name – North and South of the border. For a 5 piece band like Sex With Strangers…
Farewell, Manchester, ‘Found’
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Perfect pop in the style of Owl City and the Killers right here from Farewell, Manchester. Opening with title track ‘Found’, the sound of Farewell, Manchester might not be the most original but it is delivered in a way that comes across as caring about the place it comes from. Making use of the aforementioned…
Stone Diamond, We Stole the Stars from the Black Night
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The clarity of this Stone Diamond is spot on with one jamtastic, brilliant cut! Stone Diamond is a rock band that has a lot of history together. Starting as a garage band some many years ago plus dealing with a breakup at some point in the past, Stone Diamond is moving forward with no regrets. …
Mini Diaz, Invisible Fences
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Taking cues from Chrissie Hynde and Zero 7, Mini Diaz delivers eclectic pop filled with passion and heart. Let’s face it, if music doesn’t make you feel something then it rarely seems worth giving it the time. Thankfully, Mini Diaz creates exactly the kind of music that is impossible to listen to without being moved…
Blue Light Bandits, The BLB Demo
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Classic bluesy soul. That’s the dish of the day from the Blue Light Bandits, with a generous side order of funk. Blue Light Bandit’s music is smooth and stylish, shown firstly with ‘Sarah’, a smoochy love number littered with all the funk-soul elements you would expect. As the track progresses, it becomes clear that there…
Rick Shaffer, Misadventure
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I had the pleasure of reviewing Rick Shaffer’s second solo album titled ‘Hidden Charms’ (http://skopemag.com/2011/05/25/rick-shaffer-hidden-charms) back in 2011 for Skope and I knew then that Rick had a special quality about him. His latest release and now 5th solo effort, ‘Misadventure’, proves that Shaffer’s ‘Hidden Charms’ are revealed once and for all by way of…
Xombie, Capital X
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With some brutal beats and out there vocal stylings, Xombie’s latest album Capital X will shake the dust from your weary bones. Stream the full album here: https://soundcloud.com/xombienyc/sets/capital-x/s-VNfUp Starting strong, ‘Velocarapper’ sets out Xombie’s stall with clarity and focus, laying down some aggressive hip hop vocals with some real nu metal leanings. The fusion of…
Matt Townsend And The Wonder Of The World
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Matt Townsend’s curious blend of folk rock leans in many ways towards Neutral Milk Hotel and Apples In Stereo, immediately made clear on opening track ‘Seventh Story’. Listen: http://matttownsendmusic.bandcamp.com/ The folksy americana makes good use of lap steel and emotive, wailing vocals and form an undulating rhythm. ‘Carry On’ continues in the same vein, with…
Sean Wagner And The Ne’er Do Wells EP
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Blasting into the soundscapes with trumpets blazing, Sean Wagner And The Ne’er Do Wells blend Irish folk, americana and marching band tunes to complete abandon. After seeing Monsters University it irritated me that the best tune on the entire soundtrack wasn’t featured on the main OST. It was ‘Gospel’ by the Marchforth Marching Band, and…
Tanya Marie Harris, Second Hand Dreams
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Citing inspiration from Patsy Cline to Carrie Underwood, Canadian and Nashville country pop rock singer Tanya Marie Harris is destined to inspire future generations of country music lovers with her new single “Second Hand Dreams”. Something that really stood out to me are the lyrics, her story is about her father that sacrificed his own…
D.Z tha DoK, A Souljah’s Ambition
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D.Z tha DoK’s latest mixtape lays down tight beats and confident rhymes, with a narrative approach and a sense of direction all the way. http://www.datpiff.com/DZ-tha-DoK-A-Souljahs-Ambition-mixtape.628239.html Opening with ‘Combative Soul’, the military imagery is immediately present, with a beat that creates the sense of marching onwards to fight a noble battle. Lyrically the track calls into…
Larusso, Life In Static
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Larusso aren’t afraid to hide their influences. Rather, they are the kind of band that shows through their music that they are proud to be a part of the rich legacy of modern hardcore. Larusso-pic-4-750x500Let’s get the comparisons out of the way; Anberlin, Brand New, Yellowcard, Taking Back Sunday (spot the reference in the track…
Alex Cook, The Swing Set
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Who can forget the greatest party of all time? Fortunately I am old enough to remember some of it. Trust me when I say being in Las Vegas in the 60’s and late 70’s was the place to be as artists like Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Tony Bennett dominated the strip and airwaves. So…
Xander Demos, Guitarcadia
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The opening track is titled “Right Angles.” You can tell right form jump not knowing anything about this act that it is definitely metal. This gives you an old school metal feel almost and that is a good thing to me. The third track, “Under A Darkened Sky,” jas some really strong and good sounding…
Amy Rose, Country Crazy
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The opening track ” Country Crazy” starts off with a great high energy. There are good instrumentals, Amy Rose’s voice adds to the song very nicely. I like the country/pop sound she has! At first I was really into track two, “I Just Want You To Know.” Then, as I listened more and more to…
Mike Barnett, Everyone Gets to Dream
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Midwest artist Mike Barnett, great hooks and melodies to get you thru your day. Old 97’s producer Salim Nourallah produced and played a great bass on the tracks. Dallas super players contributed. Do you miss George Harrison? Me too. One of the greatest things a music-lover can experiences is the discovery of a new artist…
Jerra Blues, “Soul Inspirer”
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Transformed from a b-girl to an MC on one of the modest hip-hop labels in Russia in 2004, recording a handful of singles as both a rapper and singer, and also winning a few festival contests. “Hip-hop quickly became my religion and the love of my life” Jerrra. Some of my biggest musicial inspirations are…
Jude Gwynaire, Singing Rock Lake
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Opening with ‘Ocean City Groove’, Singing Rock Lake establishes itself as an album filled with a range of influences. We could reel off names like Boards Of Canada, Death In Vegas, Royksopp, and the more obscure sounds of Finland’s Paavoharju. http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/judegwynaire54 ‘Girls Of Malibu Canyon’ has a dark, energetic and at times pummeling groove that…
A Hundred Years, Cosmic Imbalance
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A Hundred Years is a trio of avowed “creepy dirtbags” from Edmonton. Purveying a genre known as “psychedelic badlands rock,” this group of malnourished, long-haired misfits has – since its inception in early 2012 – acquired a reputation for maniacally intense live shows, be they underground or otherwise. As front man Jeremiah Simmons remarks, “We…
Deborah Henriksson, Traces
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Deborah Henriksson’s voice perfectly suits her celtic, ethereal music. Written with her longtime producer Mats Nyman, Traces is a delightful collection of classic, yet modern celtic folk. On ‘Fly’ things sound almost like the symphonic rock of Within Temptation, with slightly gothic hints, but the strongly celtic tones are what carry the song along, with…
Marshall Dane, One of These Days
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How would one describe Marshall Dane? Dane’s voice cuts to the heart of any story, taking you down back roads, through broken lonely hearts, and into hopeful, open skies. Launched in May 2013, in time for last year’s CMAO Awards – for which he was nominated in several categories including Male Artist and Album Of…
Stevie Bucks, “Soul Projects” Mixtape
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With a distinctive style that sits somewhere between Kanye and a kind of caribbean influenced dub, Stevie Bucks shows of his skills as an emcee with his latest mixtape, Soul Projects. Stream the mixtape at Datpiff: http://www.datpiff.com/Stevie-Bucks-Soul-Projects-mixtape.501518.html From its opening track, the flow is relentless like a steady stream of bullets, and blending with…
Kenny Fame, Another Man’s Woman
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“A hoe down between Woody from Toy Story and Teenage Fanclub, while they dance around a purple campfire.” Audio – http://www.reverbnation.com/KennyFameMusic/song/21104574-another-mans-woman The archetypical renaissance man, Kenny Fame returns with another track that takes his sound into a totally new direction. This time, Kenny Fame has put his hand to country and blues. Tonally rich, saturated…
The Lost Poets, Insubordia
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The five tracks that make up The Lost Poets’ Insubordia form a dark, brooding record that draws on a wide range of influences. The EP can be streamed in full at Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/lostpoets/sets/the-lost-poets-insubordia Opening with ‘Ode To K’, there are hints of Alter Bridge and even Slipknot, with rich vocals that sustain and break at…
Chris Andres, Authentic Outlaw Country
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Americana artists often offer listeners something that is very genuine and can be awe-inspiring. British Columbia based singer / songwriter Chris Andres fits well into this category with his latest release entitled fittingly enough Authentic Outlaw Country. In his own words: The term “Outlaw” gets thrown around a lot in the music biz, but if…
Mangoseed, Basquiat
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Mangoseed’s debut album is a funk infused slice of quirky rock. Opening with ‘Lioness’, an energetic track which nods to Rage Against The Machine in terms of funk/rock fusion, while ‘Careful’ lays on the 2-step pretty thick at points, with a cracking snare that you’ll just have to hear yourself to believe it. Vocally,…
Red Undead
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Red Undead is an Alternative Rock band from Mission Viejo, CA. . Influences: Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Franz Ferdinand, The Strokes, Pixies. The band enjoys pizza, Kirin Ichiban, and pirate tales. Mary Yanashima – vocals, Daniel Jun – drums, Thomas Monroe – guitar, Blake Martin -bass. An original blender of sound mixing bands like White Stripes,…
Lovesick Saints, Dia De Los Muertos
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Blasting out ballsy punk rock tinged with hints of dirty southern blues, Lovesick Saints’ Dia De Los Muertos EP is a hook-laden set of punchy tunes. Opening with ‘One Foot In The Grave’, Lovesick Saint’ style is immediately made clear, with their growling guitars and Green Day style vocals. The guitar work even has hints…
Shudder, Inside My Head
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Hailing from the city of Detroit in the US, the rock world brings you “shudder”. Formed in 2003, this 5 piece has had quite an adventure from their early roots to present. However today they are here to show the world they mean business! Combining the sounds of rock and modern melodic metal, you get…
John Lynam, WAR
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Gritty, emotive on-the-road country is the dish of the day with John Lynam’s EP WAR. Opening with ‘Daisey’, we’re immediately met with a driving, rolling piece of rock and roll. The guitars are crunchy, the organs swirl in and out, and the lyrics are romantic. Add to that the uplifting chords of the chorus, it’s…
Aluatta, Foolish Game (2014)
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This CD “Foolish Game” by Italy’s own Aluatta is sure to one day be remembered as one of the classic good timing Americana-Alt Rock CD’s of recent time – and they’re not even from the states. It’s pure rocking Americana magic the way it used to be, full of cautionary tales, and a passion…
Canary Burton, Jazz Bird
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Canary Burton brings us a jazz compilation called, Jazz Bird. She is a lover of music and is a composer that writes for no other reason except for the love of the game. Some people exude their talents and Burton is one of those who creates pure heart felt music from the deepest depths of…
The 12:45 Music Project – (Volume I)
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In our modern age of Rap synths and autotune it can be difficult to find the top seeds among the harvest. What makes masters like Snoop Dog, Nelly, Eminem so sought after? Sure they sound good, they look good, the feel good. But above that they got something else. They got what many in the…
Jared Wesley, The Reinvention of ‘The Cool’ 2
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With its tongue-in-cheek reference to Miles Davis’ seminal Birth Of The Cool, Jared Wesley’s mixtape The Reinvention Of ‘The Cool’ stands in an entirely arena with his old school hiphop. With the intro out of the way, ‘Happy Belated’ immediately establishes Jared Wesley’s style as vintage sounding, with a loose flow and relentless rhymes. Repetition…
Sulu Babylon, Colour
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British indie rockers Sulu Babylon are here with their EP Colour. It’s tinged with all the british indie rock tones we’ve come to expect, and yet touched with a distinctly American influence. Soundcloud EP streaming: https://soundcloud.com/sulu-babylon/sets/sulu-babylon-colour-ep Opening with ‘See It In Colour’, there’s an immediately fascinating blend of emo and britpop, the vocals shifting between…
