LY@TT have released “Song for Pete Ham,” and it’s one of those songs that will live in your head for a long time after it has concluded. It’s a homage to a musician whose songs touched so many of those who followed. The care and respect can be heard throughout. All parts are genuine, and none try to be more […]
ROCK/Review Baïki – KosmoX
Songs that get you moving, and songs that get you thinking as you move. BAÏKI’s “KosmoX” manages to do both at once, which is no easy feat. The bassline and percussion are punchy from the get-go and never let go. The singing is a different thing. It’s theatrical, it’s like they’re winking at you, and it’s exactly what the concept […]
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 […]
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. […]
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 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 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 […]
ROCK/Review Paul Louis Villani – Who Do You Belong to Now? (Great Southern Land)
There are some songs that stay with you for a long time. This is one of those. In “Who Do You Belong to Now? (Great Southern Land),” Paul Louis Villani has come out with something so moving, something that penetrates and sticks with you after the song is over. The first thing that catches the ear is the vocals. The […]
ROCK/Review Sean Tweedley – Ooola Hooora
There are songs that simply make you feel good. Not in a complicated way. Just good. One of those is Ooola Hooora. Once it begins you’re already nodding, when that bassline kicks in you’re all in. All of the instruments, vocals and sounds were recorded by Sean Tweedley himself in his home studio in Los Angeles. That kind of dedication […]
ROCK/Review Rosso Tierney – Oh Divine
Rosso Tierney has always appeared as if he has something significant to say. Now in “Oh Divine,” though, he seems to have found the purest path to doing it. This song is not as loud as some of his previous songs. It’s mostly about piano and vocals, and I believe it’s the simplicity that makes the emotions hit the target. […]
ROCK/Review Motihari Brigade – Fortunate Son
I must admit, this wasn’t what I thought I was going to get. When I heard that there was a Fortunate Son cover being released by Motihari Brigade, the project led by guitarist and songwriter Eric Winston, I felt it was logical as it is a popular song. But I didn’t expect it to hit this hard. I was kind […]
ROCK/Review Sean MacLeod – Light Up the Sun
The opening of this song is pretty nice. The acoustic guitar is soft, calm, unhurried, it slowly draws you in before the full sound begins to open up. When it goes right, that’s a slow build that can feel really satisfying. Here, I think it really does. When it all falls into place, you’re in it. The jangly guitars and […]
ROCK/Review Roman Ceglov – Fight
There are some songs which sound like they were ripped from a moment and never tidied up after. Fight is just that. It is raw and spontaneous, and it’s something you can’t fake. Right from the opening riff it pulls you in, and the tension doesn’t let up throughout. This is why it’s so interesting. The guitars are fuzz-heavy and […]
ROCK/Review OpCritical – Doing Fine
When a song has a clear message and delivers it with this much enthusiasm, it’s just so satisfying. From the opening riff, Doing Fine has you by the short hairs and doesn’t drop you. It’s raw and immediate like the best punk and grunge songs are and it embraces that influence.There’s an honesty in the performance that makes every lyric […]
ROCK/Review SARK – Flying Toward Tomorrow
This track gets to you in a subtle way. It doesn’t shout or impress you immediately. It begins with a piano, simple, reverb-laden, and simply sits with you for a moment. The opening alone is enough to set the tone for something that feels like a true film, and a bit sad in the best way. Then the guitar comes […]
ROCK/Review David Omlor – The American Boys (The Ballad of Frank Gusenberg and the St Valentine’s Day Massacre)
This is one of the few songs “The American Boys (The Ballad of Frank Gusenberg and the St Valentine’s Day Massacre)”, to bring a 90-year-old true crime story to life. With real style, Dave Omlor does it. The first few seconds you know what kind of ride you are in for. It’s loud, it’s fun, it’s this kind of energy […]