Category: REVIEWS

CD and DVD reviews

Carlos Morgan releases “Have A Little Faith””

URL: http://carlosmorganmusic.com/ Carlos Morgan is an artist that will move your soul on his new single “Have A Little faith,” while it turns you onto someone you won’t find anywhere but Toronto, CA. But that is ultimately bound to change once this single gets airplay, and it will get airplay as a one hundred percent…

Rhett May in his new single “Cocktails and Cannabis”

Beats bolstered by a sumptuously raucous master mix come galloping out of the ethers as we find ourselves in the clutches of Rhett May in his new single “Cocktails and Cannabis.” They’re quickly met with a muscle-flexing guitar part that will vault over the rocky rhythm of the drums and hit us with every bit…

Young Doctors in Love …’in Love’

The Toronto, Canada based sextet Young Doctors in Love are set to elevate their profile considerably with the release of their sophomore full length …in Love, a twelve song follow-up to their 2014 debut World’s Greatest Rock and Roll Band. Loosely inspired by Thomas Pynchon’s novel V, Clay Puddester’s songwriting radiates intelligence and intense musicality at every turn without…

‘Existential Frontiers’ By White Owl Red

White Owl Red mixes a rustic form of Americana with the shaggy dog style of Modest Mouse’s early honest output on “Existential Frontiers”. Thoughtful lyricism goes for self-reflection while White Owl Red takes their take. Instrumentally rich the entirety of the album has a lived-in, loved quality to it. From banjo to guitar with a…

The Bongo Boy Rock n Roll TV Show Release ‘Episode 4 Season 8 Full Circus’

Includes Music Video published reviews, promotions and distribution on National Television via our Network of Broadcast on 72+ Terrestrial TV channels. RewOut soars up into the sky on the colossal riffing of “Circus”. A fully chaotic and carefree experience, the song feels absolutely massive. The whole of the track goes for a slight 80s throwback,…

Neko X James’ “Automatic”

Rising from the silence like the first rays of a morning sunlight creeping over the horizon, a dangerously mischievous bass comes storming into the fold in the first few moments of Neko X James’ “Automatic,” which is available everywhere that independent music is sold and streamed this March 29th. In the distance, snapping fingers start…

Ashley Delima releases ‘Fire in the Sky’

Acoustic guitar strings gallop out of our speakers in the wicked slow motion opening salvo that serves as our gateway into the magical sonic windstorm that is “Fire in the Sky,” the all-new single from the incomparable Ashley Delima. Their echo drifts into the ethers and seems to linger in the atmosphere long after Delima…

Ren Daversa New Single ‘Cut and Dried’

When somebody says, ‘It’s cut and dried,” there’s a finality to such a statement. It’s not open for debate, and there’s no alternative solutions. The hand of cards has been played decisively and the game’s all over. There’s similar feeling of finality to folksinger Ren Daversa’s “Cut and Dried” single from her Saltwater album. Daversa…

DR King releases new record ‘My Life’

For those artists whose music takes a hefty page from the book of legends that paved the way for their craft, toeing the fine line between imitation and homage can be as difficult as walking a tightrope wire high above city streets, but that just can’t be said of The Voice’s DR King. King’s new…

Steel Blossoms release all-new, self-titled album

Spindly string grooves slip into focus as “You’re the Reason I Drink” ushers us into Steel Blossoms’ all-new, self-titled album. The poppy swing that drives the rhythm is soon merged with a country-colored melody from the backing band sitting behind Sara Zebley and Hayley Prosser, and we quickly find that trying to resist the urge…

Jas Frank & the Intoits’ new album The Girl from Cherry Valley’

RL: https://theintoits.com/ Classical guitar strings pepper an airy rhythm as we descend upon “High in Space,” the first track in Jas Frank & the Intoits’ new album, The Girl from Cherry Valley, and they offer us a glimpse into the beautiful chaos that the record will treat us to in the nine songs that follow.…

“Emoji” by Alex Dutty

Right from the get-go in the new single “Emoji,” Alex Dutty is spinning us in a hundred different directions with a swirling bassline skewed with acrylic textures emanating from his vicious vocal. The lyric video for the song plays out like a fireworks display littered with the verses slipping from Dutty’s lips in real-time, and…

Bongo Boy Records Release ‘Homestead Vol. 3 by Various Artists’

This is the 3rd release in the album series started by Bongo Boy Records to feature Americana talents. The Darryl Morris Band explores a sense of tenderness on the gorgeous “My Name”. Full of passion the song is sung straight from the heart. Instrumentally rich they employ a country twang to great effect. Giddy energy…

Para Lia release LP ‘Soap Bubble Dreams’

Soap Bubble Dreams is a new release by Germany’s Para Lia, which is an Alternative Rock band led by René Methner, and he plays all instruments and is supported by Cindy Methner who sings duets perfectly around the massively layered guitars and synths, which is all done with colossal results between the two which serve…

“The Devil Lives in the South” by the American Revival

Belting out a sensational vocal harmony studded with acrylic guitar textures, “The Devil Lives in the South” opens the floodgates on the shimmering tonality that The American Revival are discharging in their all-new album The Saint and The Sinner, which is out everywhere that independent country music is sold and streamed this March 22nd. The sixty…

Ren Daversa New Album ‘Saltwater’

Saltwater is not just the name of Ren Daversa’s new album, but also a big part of her life. Although raised on a small island off the coast of Rhode Island, Daversa went on to front the San Diego band The Good China, which took her way over to the opposite coast. The album opens…

Melissa Ruth’s ‘Meteor’ Out Now

BANDCAMP: https://melissaruthmusic.bandcamp.com/ With a skipping beat to lead the way, Melissa Ruth’s Meteor comes to life in its first track, “West,” and the chugging drum and bass swagger is quickly met with a sultry vocal from Ruth that is as textured as any of the vivid string play transpiring beside her is. The mischievous grooves wander into…

Greg Kieser Releases ‘Dear Machine: A Letter to a Super-Aware Intelligent Machine’

RELATED URL: https://www.supersystemic.ly/dear-machine Complicated futures deserve complicated analysis. The combination of rigorous logic, imagination, measured judgment and clarity of expression are rare. Those qualities, however, are the bedrock of Greg Kieser’s study on how humanity might potentially interact, prosper, and suffer with the dawn of intelligent, even “conscious”, technology and adept with its assimilation into…

Straw Dogs Release ‘Your Immaculate Machine’

It’s been 10 years since I last heard from Straw Dogs and their infectious sound as I reviewed their last album titled ‘Love And Then Hope’: https://skopemag.com/2009/05/04/straw-dogs-love-and-then-hope.  I can tell you firsthand that it was well worth the wait because ‘Your Immaculate Machine’ is the band’s sixth record and one prized possession that will raise…

Meghan Timony New Single “Up & Down”

Meghan Timony sings straight from the heart on the intimate folk musings of “Up & Down”. Aptly named the song ebbs and flows in a cyclical fashion. Lyrics focus on the poetic musings on relationships. The track lets the relationship and all its complexities fuel the overall narrative. Instrumentation has a rich, surreal quality to…

Poorxcuse release ‘Cut Fingers Blues’

Out of a dead silence, Poorxcuse comes alive with an imposing wallop of bass and drum destruction in the opening bars of “Miss You Babe,” the new single from their latest album, Cut Fingers Blues. Guttural guitar riffs crash into each other and attempt to smother us with their blustery grooves, but the bassline isn’t…

New Single ‘Vibrations’ By NoTrace feat. Glenn Travis

With the release of his new single “Vibrations,” rapper NoTrace seeks to reshape the identity of modern hip-hop through textured musicality, socially conscious lyrics and, perhaps most importantly, smart producing that balances out slick vocal striking with defined instrumentation. “Vibrations” sees NoTrace teaming with melodic crooner Glenn Travis, and though the two have a phenomenal…

“Where I Stand” Is Amanda Barrett’s Debut Single

On the whim of a galloping percussive groove, “Where I Stand,” Amanda Barrett’s first official single, comes to life in an explosion of distorted riffs and homespun harmonies. The drums take a second to warm to the rhythm of the strings, but it isn’t long before they’re clicking into place with the sterling fretwork from…

Aliché’s new single “Cleopatra”

The sensuous sounds of a fleeting eastern wind come cascading from our stereo speakers in the first few bars of Aliché’s new single “Cleopatra,” and though unassuming and simplistic at the onset of the song, it doesn’t take very long for the melody that they’re producing to evolve into an all-out carnival of gripping grooves…

Fabp aka Fabpz the Freelancer Releases ‘For Tha Crown’

Fabp is grinding out hot, new tracks with his recent album titled ‘For Tha Crown’. Fabpz the Freelancer doesn’t know the word quit as this NYC artist/producer consistently churns out Fresh To Def recordings. This latest project by FabP is no exception as the relentless rapper looks to achieve hip-hop royalty with ‘For Tha Crown’.…

Sarantos Releases ‘Every Handshake Is Important’ Single / Video

A celebration of true togetherness, Sarantos offers up a sage message on the joyous spirit of “Every Handshake Is Important”. For this particular piece Sarantos plays around quite a bit resulting in a freewheeling, funhouse take on songwriting. His vocals are heavily treated and manipulated, becoming pure elastic at times. Melodically nimble the way the…

Six Mile Grove New Album ‘Million Birds’

The album Million Birds marks Six Mile Grove’s 20th year together as a band. It’s also the act’s seventh album to date, and it’s a fine one. It’s a release that asks the question, ‘Why aren’t these guys better known?’ Front man Brandon Sampson has a voice a little like Radney Foster’s. This Lyle, MN…

“All My Girls” by Taylen

A thunderous, bass-heavy beat rains down on us from above in the opening bars of “All My Girls,” the new single from the one and only Taylen, but its thunderous march is only a taste of what’s about to come in the next few minutes of unmatched melodies. A grooving percussive track enters the picture,…

Book of Clouds’ Release ‘Livre De Nuages Vol 1’

Recorded across a number of live shows performed at none other than Brooklyn’s very own Strange Stage, Book of Clouds’ Livre De Nuages Vol 1 is an ambient tour de force that is making some pretty spectacular waves within the scene this season. This improv project designed by Ian C. Bouras and Federico Balducci takes an almost…

The Respectables’ Present ‘The Power of Rock ‘N’ Roll’

The burgeoning bassline that greets us at the start of The Respectables’ The Power of Rock ‘N’ Roll comes crashing through the silence and wraps its heavy arms around us in a tender embrace that will extend into every song that follows it. The music video for this title track plays out more like a dream than…

The Beekeepers New Single ‘Roots Run Deep’

With a quiet intimate quality, the Beekeepers explore a bright and sunny serenity with the pitch-perfect folk musings of “Roots Run Deep”. Rather brilliant they create a whole world to get lost in, one with such vivid color. The patience that persists throughout shows off their highly poetic lyricism. Existing out of time and place,…

Troy Petty Releases “Director’s Cut”

In the distance, there’s something calling…There’s something ringing…It might just be the sound of bells chiming or the chirping of birds gathering off in the distance. All in all, SOMETHING is happening and whether it is in the distance or right upon your face, you always seem to know its presence. Sometimes life takes us…

Szandra Mayer Drops New Single ‘Never Ever’

The glare of a brooding melody overwhelms us in the opening bars of “Never Ever,” the brand new single from Szandra Mayer, but it doesn’t stop the 12 year old singer and songwriter from riding the growing bassline all the way into center stage as we progress forward in the track. The rhythm is violent…

Bud Summers Releases ‘Hard Lessons’

Bud Summers makes the guitar sing on the fiery blues of “Hard Summers”. Raw grit and soul appear throughout the album as Bud Summers documents a hard-lived life. Arrangements go for a flawless take with impressive chops on display over the course of the incredible journey. Production values allow the entirety of the album a…

Cleveland International Records releases an album for the ages ‘Cleveland Rocks’

URL: https://www.clevelandinternational.com/ Music has come so far since the disco beats and bellbottoms of the 70’s, but one thing that hasn’t changed a bit is Cleveland Rocks, the gilded compilation LP assembled by the once-defunct Cleveland International Records. Now back in business, the classic label is reissuing Cleveland Rocks as a tribute to late founder Steve Popovich, Sr.,…

Tucson, Arizona based band, Miss Olivia & The Interlopers release 2 song EP

Miss Olivia & Interlopers create a beautiful bluesy realm on the simply lovely “Leaving You Behind/Blacklisted EP”. Done with the greatest level of care the soulful vocals offer such passion. Sly grooves permeate the entirety of the two tracks while they explore the darker impulses via their thoughtful lyricism. Proving to be exemplary wordsmiths, they…

Buenos Diaz Demonstrates an Incredible Skill Set On “Through The Clouds & The Rain It’s Paradise”

One of the Showcase performers at this year’s SXSW festival, Buenos Diaz demonstrates his incredible skillset in the all new single “Through The Clouds & The Rain It’s Paradise.” Right from the get-go, listeners are entranced by the brooding string play that guides the rhythm of the track along delicately, emitting an evocative reverberation in…