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 […]