CD and DVD reviews
For The Kill’s “Fire & Whiskey” is hard rock at its absolute best. Dominating through sheer volume the songs pummel the listener into submission. Tying the songs together is Frank’s commanding vocals which rise above the intense riffing. Joey C.’s attention to detail is particularly satisfying as his guitar playing is pure perfection. Tommy D’Angelis’s…
Lärmheim’s “Cent Soleils” offers up an aural kaleidoscope of sounds and styles. Ranging from chaotic, noise-like rushes to the absolute sublime subdued ambient acoustics, Lärmheim does it all with the utmost of ease. With clear influences ranging from Aphex Twin’s very best work to Pan Sonic’s unrelenting aural assaults, “Cent Soleils” presents a plethora of…
Saul Williams is bringing a new sound to hip-hop with his electric beats and chilling sound. His recent self produced album MartyrLoserKing shows Williams extreme close eye for technique and perfection. Williams is definitely someone to watch out for, MartyrLoserKing delivers a form of hip-hop, trap, and electronica that he has conjured up into his…
Idiot Grins offers the best of country and soul on the triumphant “Big Man”. From the incredible horn section to John Hansen’s powerful vocals, the entire album brims with joy and optimism. “Big Man” swings triumphantly with the colorful work of Michael Conner on keyboards and Randy Strauss on guitar. Anchoring the sound is the…
There’s no question Sarah Morris’ new album, Ordinary Things, clearly works within an established tradition. Morris isn’t trying to remake the wheel with any of the release’s ten songs, but that isn’t to say that this is bloodless, risk-averse exercise. Morris sings with such unfettered openness that each new song comes as a gamble –…
I think…hmm…how do I put this? Could I be any MORE excited about this music from Bad Reed? And I’ll answer my own question today…no…no I could not. Not only is Bad Reed a fantastic example of a band & sound that would quite easily make my personal playlist any given day of the week…
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 Rage Against the Machine, Tool, Eagles of Death Metal, and Massive Attack so sought after? Sure, they sound good, they look good, they feel good. But above that they’ve got…
Irresistibly smooth “Alarm Call” shows off the Shoko Igarashi Organ Trio’s impressive chops. From the nimble drumming of Kazuhiro Odagiri to the playful work of Takafumi Suenaga on organ, everything comes together. By far the heart and soul of the album pours out of Shoko Igarashi’s tenor saxophone. Remarkably expressive Shoko Igarashi’s work on the…
A short, dramatic tune from Pop/R&B/Soul-singer Mel Monaco with her new song “Single Again;” in a powerful & edgy tune…the theatrical nature of the performance and music will grip you firmly. There’s something nearly Amy Winehouse-ish about the song…and overall it’s a cleverly written song that plays with both the light & the dark and…
Hailing from Montana, up and coming pop Charlee Remitz drops her debut album Bright White Trims. A shifty mixture of club friendly, beat-driven tunes and darker, ethereal indie electro pop, the record packs plenty of vibes into eight fresh, infectious tracks without overstaying its welcome. The production emphasizes the multi-layered keyboards, dub step thumps, and…
Effortlessly combing elements of funk and jazz into a satisfying whole, Jim Wellman’s “Dawn to Dusk” is a pure pleasure. The songs are luxurious with infectious bass lines, sly guitar work, and gleaming keyboards. Slinking by ever so slowly every single part of the album shines. Vocals rise above the immaculate arrangements adding a sense…
“Pain of the Past” shows Sarantos tapping into the gauzy sound of early 90s shoegaze. With a sense of nostalgia serving as the unifying theme of the song. Sarantos looks back towards the past, the sorts of things that can cause pain and last with a person through the rest of their lives. Such things…
These guys got the ol’ hamster running hard on its wheel trying to power my brain-up to describe my thoughts on this one! Stormy Mondays…a folk-rock band from…well…from Spain…I’m 99% sure about that even though I don’t quite have all the facts and some of the ones I do have are en España. But from…
Siren’s Sky is a collaborative effort consisting of guitarist Herbert Kaptein, and vocalists Esther Bredius, Lydia Salnikova, Jessica Rasche. The band is based in Rotterdam, Germany and their latest album, titled “Forever” was released November of last year. One of the most dynamic and under the radar multi-talents on today’s indie music scene, this exciting…
Elise Wiener is a multi-talented young lady. Starting her artistic journey with visual arts and making a living creating greeting cards. She had a way with words and shared her passions through her poetry as well, and now expanding her creativity yet again in this passionate tale, Country Song. Audio: https://soundcloud.com/elise-wiener/country-song The tune is a…
There has always existed a place for spirituality in popular music, but context is important. Few listen to music with the expectation of being browbeaten by dogma or assured of eternal damnation if they don’t conform, and fewer still will stick around to listen once the righteous fusillade begins. Martin X. Petz understands this and,…
James Brant create emotive chamber pop on the meticulous “Strange By Design”. With attention to detail James Brant captures it all from the warm sound of the piano to the taut guitar work, he covers it all. Tying these elements together is is penchant for earnest vocals and articulate lyricism. Like small stories, these songs…
Sung straight from the heart, Midwest Soul Xchange’s “New American Century” is an emotional journey. A narrative guides the album forward towards gentler pastures. Glimmers of hope peak their way throughout the careful delicate arrangements. Country, folk, and pop merge into a tasteful whole. Elements of Fleet Foxes are apparent throughout the album as their…
With a true sense of style IIIZ’s assured self-titled debut combines the power of rock and EDM into a satisfying whole. These are songs that deserve to be played as loud as possible. Effortlessly merging the worlds of rock and dance akin to Elektro Guzzi’s approach of ‘a band playing techno’ the result is something…
Mind the Journey’s “Color In The Gray Machine” is a warming inviting album with a neo-psychedelic vibe. With a style reminiscent of the Flaming Lips mixed with Deerhunter the songs are pure pleasures. Structurally Mind the Journey goes for a format akin to Tame Impala’s most recent release “Currents”. Aurally the songs employ dreamy textures…
Stormy Mondays creates a gentle elegant sound on the impeccable arrangements that pepper “The Lay of the Land” and “Wading The River”. Heartfelt in tone the songs are carefully arranged from the folk-inflected “The Lay of the Land” to the more classic rock inclined works of “Wading The River”. Tying these pieces together is Jorge…
The Mailman’s Children (TMC), is a Canadian-American rock band, stationed out of both Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada and Helena, MT, USA. Front man Eric Labossiere resides in Helena while the rest of the boys live in Winnipeg. The Mailman’s Children bring a unique brand of acoustic-electric rock to the table. Known for smooth, passionate vocals, driving…
Residing in West Texas, Jerry Bogan is merging Country and Rock with Adult Contemporary which sounds welcoming and relates to many. And Bogan knows a thing or two about creating original songs since he has hundreds to his name already. The latest single “Let It Rain” is Jerry’s newest creation that will be featured on…
“High Time Now” shows off Stevie Fitz’s joyful carefree approach to dance music. With a light touch the sounds shine brightly. Balearic in tone the piece has an airy feel to it as if at any moment the sounds will simply disappear. Keeping it light certainly helps to emphasize Kate Walsh’s incredible vocals. Kate Walsh’s…
With a sultry vocal style, Angela Burns creates slinky lush songs on the “So That You Can Feel Better” mixtape. Throughout the mixtape Angela Burns uses her clever lyricism which serves as the heart of the mixtape. Delicate at times the songs nimbly cover quite a bit of ground going from classic rock references to…
With their rich blend of acoustic and electric instrumentation, June Star combines musical ideals both old and new on their 10th album to date, Pull Awake. Led and founded by singer/songwriter Andrew Grimm the album’s 11 tracks explore a good chunk of ground; sounding more like a hungry young band throwing everything at you all…
Kinderjazz is the Christobel Llewellyn founded the band together with her partner David Llewellyn as a means for young children to learn about music and instruments used in a jazz orchestra. Originally, Kinderjazz started as a 10 piece but after a chance meeting at Billy Hyde’s music store in Sydney with Latin Percussionist Aykho Akhrif,…
Tougher one for me…Reggae and I have never really gotten along despite its ever-friendly intentions. That being said, I can tell when an artist or band is getting it ‘right’ in any genre, even the ones outside of my own personal taste. I’m not claiming to have any superhuman powers – you can do the…
A musical genius is at work here and the composition at hand is called ‘One Link Between Them’. Les Fradkin has created an out-of-this-world sound with his one-of-a-kind Starr Labs Ztar MIDI guitar. Sounding like no other, Les combines space rock with futuristic & classical elements where you will get one innovative blend of audio…
Fantastic single from Rebecca Jade! After a brief, static-filled vocal-sample that cleverly drifts into the main synth-piano melody…RJ starts to sing sweetly…with a classic-vibe that goes all the way back to the first confident-female voices to grace the microphone in our music’s history. And as if on cue, the reliable bass-groove and solid drumbeat come…
From their earliest incarnation as FarCry, One From Many has never struggled with their artistic vision. Sharing common personal goals and standards is every bit as important to a band’s long term success as musical concerns. Andrew Supina’s songwriting has always shown tremendous curiosity in its willingness to explore personal concerns, glitters with genuine empathy,…
Really classic sound of confidence and bold-tones from Chrystyna Marie, singer/song-writer based out of Beverley Hills, CA. Originally from Toronto…we had her at one point fellow-Canadians…after hearing her smooth-rock/blues vocals and the fearless approach she takes to her performances…well-o-well-O-Canada…what can I say aside we might regret losing this one to the south! No one has…
Solid tunes of light, atmospheric, delicate art-rock from Joseph Sant…they’re actually quite involved and intensely interesting throughout his new EP, Sea White Salt. There’s a lo-fi, smooth-indie vibe that runs deep within these four-songs – they’re essentially built on what’s actually cool verses what’s perceived to be cool out there in the mainstream. There is…
Add Agency’s “Gemstone Radar” recalls the best of slinky 80s late night pop. With a sound that would not be out of place on James Murphy’s DFA Records Add Agency’s “Gemstone Radar” creates infectious anthemic songs. Full of surprises Add Agency deftly includes elements of dance, synth-pop, and rock into a coherent bewildering whole. Songs…
Rhett May has put together his best effort yet, in my opinion, with ‘Fast Cars And Sitars’ where the recording quality is top of the line. Vocally & musically, Rhett May has outdone himself on his latest release. ‘Fast Cars and Sitars’ is pure perfection where Rhett’s Indian roots meet Rock & Roll fever. Whether…
You’ll find a pretty tight & addicting rhythm & groove on Where The Bees Come To Die, the latest EP from Boy From The Crowd. Ranging from extreme-rock to all-out frenzied music-madness – this is a two-piece that goes straight for the throat and makes a memorable sound through a combination of old-school-meets-new and some…
Ray William Roldan has a new single out called, Cowboy Cadillac. I am a big fan of this gentleman, fun hillbilly country that rocks your socks off. He is back and does not disappoint. This guy knows how to grab your attention and how to keep you locked in to the very end. It starts…
Absolutely a memorable moment in time from Mleo…I’m loving this new single “Ridiculous” – this is entirely rad throughout its every second. From the west-coast & based out of Sacremento & L.A. – I bet you’ll hear what I’m hearing here in this single; these four deserve an incredible shout-out for the energy they can…
Embleton’s “It Did Me Well” comes straight from the heart. With a raw passionate sound the songs positively thrive. Tying together the stylistic twists and turns that pepper the album are the lovely, tenderly sung lyrics. Kevin Embleton’s voice serves as the core of the album, whether he’s going for the alternative country rock dreaminess…
Of the three albums by Azaima Anderson I’ve had the opportunity to hear, I think this is my second favorite. Each has its charms. Each is distinct from the others, too. Yet, there is a lyrical magic that runs through all of her music. That is, in many ways, the defining element. I love the…
