DJ Thommek’s “A Little Bit (After Hours Rework)” takes you right into that after-hours feeling that does not wish to end. It’s a familiar one, you’re likely to know it. The party is winding down, but no one is quite ready to call it quits. This track does a fantastic job of capturing that in-between moment, and it remains with […]
GOSPEL/Review Dianne Forte – “Hallelujah” Just Keep Your Heads Up Now (Instrumental)
No words are needed for Dianne Forte’s instrumental “Hallelujah Just Keep Your Heads Up Now.” Music is really the only talking that goes on, and it’s done very well. The first few seconds of this song tell you where it’s going. The entire track is full of lift. It doesn’t rush you there though. The pacing is slow, as though […]
ROCK/Review Grekula – Detached
Grekula’s new song “Detached” is somewhat like viewing old photos and not getting the full picture of a person. In the middle of the track is that strange, quiet feeling. It is definitely there, and the song is not overly explicit. It allows the “feeling” to be heard. This song has a lot of emotion in the piano. Mathias Thijssen’s […]
Pop-Rock/Review vanna pacella – Plead
Vanna Pacella’s “Plead” exudes an uneasy sense that you can’t shake. There’s a frustration under all of the song, which never comes to a head but remains constant throughout. You can sense that feeling even before you know what the song is talking about. A lot of this is done with her voice. It skips from soft to strong and […]
Pop/Review SEBASTIAN RYDGREN – night hours
Sebastian Rydgren’s new song “night hours” stays with you after the music has stopped. It’s about loving somebody who doesn’t love you back. That’s evident throughout the entire song. There’s nothing forced or artificial about it. It is straightforward and simple. Much of the feeling in this song is in his voice. He is not trying to sing too much […]
FOLK POP/Review Dalinda – The Nile
Dalinda’s “The Nile” starts with a subtle, weighty quietness; quietness that makes you pause, that makes you listen. Nothing feels rushed. It’s a slow song from the get-go, and it’s going to take its time to draw you in before the first lyric. It is relaxed and confident, allowing it to settle into the mood. She is tender, and her […]
Pop-Rock/Review Tom Minor – Bureau of Change
The kind of song that doesn’t last very long on Tom Minor’s “Bureau Of Change”. The sensation of perpetual motion is one of the many reasons it is fun. Within the span of a couple of minutes, it changes style and mood several times. It’s constantly on the move, and you don’t know what to expect. The first thing that […]
ROCK/Review Despite the Wane – All in Vain
Despite the Wane opens “All in Vain” with a guitar line that sets the tone from the get-go. It’s dark and it’s beautiful. It has a nice chill to it, but it’s not going overboard trying to catch your eye. Rather, it gradually draws you in. Right off the bat, it’s obvious the band is going for a specific vibe. […]
Metal/Review Fenix From Yesterday – RAGE
Fenix From Yesterday is impressive from the get-go with RAGE, and the pace doesn’t slow down. The band is definitely aware of the level of intensity they are looking to achieve, and they are all 100% dedicated to delivering it. They’re not afraid to show their full selves from the first riff. Each moment is powerful and focused. The vocals […]
Synth-Pop/Review CARLOS UCEDDA – The DJINN
From the get-go, Carlos Ucedda’s “The DJINN” takes you on a path that leads you far away from the mundane. It has the feeling of being on a late-night dance floor and in a mythical place at the same time. The song has a continuous electronic beat throughout. It gradually penetrates your mind, and you don’t really know what it […]
Pop-Rock/Review Slim Loris – Stoic
Slim Loris start “Stoic” off with a familiar yet new sound. It’s a continuation of the previous decades, yet it’s very much in the here and now. There is a good sense of movement from the very beginning. The song appears to have a clear direction and begins to develop towards it immediately. The verses are intimate and personal, as […]
ROCK/Review Michael Vdelli And The Art Of Dysfunction – You And The Blues
Michael Vdelli and the Art of Dysfunction start “You And The Blues” at a slow pace as opposed to a fast one. The guitar is the lead instrument, and it’s calm and detailed, holding onto each note just a little longer than you would expect. You can hear the weight it has long before the vocals begin. I think the […]
Pop-Rock/Review Fiona Amaka – Anyway you come
AnyWay You Come is quiet and open with Fiona Amaka’s voice and a guitar that seems to have been carrying a heavy burden for some time. No large entrance. It just starts like a normal conversation, and that makes you feel immediately connected. Her voice is warm and used, as if she sings about a real situation and not performs […]
Pop-Rock/Review zukrassverliebt – In My Heart
The opening guitar line of zukrassverliebt’s In My Heart feels like it’s heading somewhere good. From the first few seconds, there’s a lightness, a sense of sitting up a bit straighter, before you’ve thought about why. There’s a natural progression to how the song is going to go and where it’s going to lead you that you can sense already. […]
Pop-Rock/Review Reetoxa – Love Keeps Burning Still
In “Love Keeps Burning Still”, Reetoxa’s opening piano part is like a private confession before the words come out. Mildly fragile, the kind of sound that you lean towards rather than away from. The song is immediately a personal one, and has a reality to it. The voice of Jason McKee is at the centre and open and unguarded. A […]
Pop-Rock/Review Arn-Identified Flying Objects and Alien Friends – Happy People Won’t Hear (Album Version)
Alien Friends and An-Identified Flying Objects start “Happy People Won’t Hear” with a keyboard sound and shimmering guitars that immediately fill the space. The beginning is welcoming and comfortable. Nothing is rushed. The song is slow and seductive, luring you in slowly until you feel fully at home in its mood. The vocals are subdued, almost as if someone is […]
Pop-Rock/Review The Sway – The Grief (Remix by Harry Kook)
“The Grief (Remix by Harry Kook)” from The Sway is a rare feat. It takes a song that’s inspired by real loss and makes it into a song that you almost want to dance to. That combination doesn’t seem to work so well, but somehow it does. My first impression of this is the layering. It’s like there’s a pulse […]
Pop-Rock/Review Matt DeAngelis – Helpless To The Fire
With bright, unforced voice, Matt DeAngelis introduces “Helpless To The Fire”. It does not over-extend itself to make its point. It’s a natural style of delivery, even when the words get darker. That’s what got me from the first few seconds. This arrangement begins with a small one. The guitar and piano play quietly and patiently, followed by the drums, […]
Pop-Rock/Review Harry Kappen – Distant shore
The keyboard sound in Harry Kappen’s “Distant Shore” reminds me of a certain side of seventies rock. It’s the warm, slightly weird one that seems like it came from a long, long way away. The sound makes the whole song floaty. While listening, it seems as though the ground is slowly falling away from under your feet. The thing that […]
Pop-Rock/Review Fish And Scale – Letter from Paulus
There are some songs that creep up on you. Letter from Paulus did exactly that. German artist Roland Wälzlein has taken the world-famous hymn of love and transformed it into a quietly devastating rendition, in the most appropriate way. His voice is immediately apparent. It has a coarse, low heat that draws you in from the first moments. There’s a […]
ROCK/Review Lawnmother – Medicine- Hit Parade Mix
Lawnmother’s Medicine Hit Parade Mix starts off simply and stripped back with just a few notes, reminiscent of the beginning of a story around the fire. It grows rapidly and when the track finally lets go, it opens up with sound and energy in a swift pace that never completely loses its raw edge. This is not a track to […]