It is somehow mystical to come across a song that is like a dim memory of a dream, and Banter of Wolves by Ophelia Moon is all in that sense of being in between worlds. The project, based in Philadelphia, conceived by Darren O. Moon with the luminous contributions of Maya Mikity, produces sonic landscapes that are simultaneously archaic, and […]
Hip-Hop/Review Rich Bout-It – In Da Air
There is something electric about listening to real Bay Area energy popping out of your speakers and Rich Bout-It In Da Air has got the voltage to spare. This is not a typical West Coast song, it is a statement song that spans generations but remains solidly rooted in the streets of San Francisco. The joint work with Keak Da […]
ROCK/Review Joe Hodgson – Fields Of Redemption
It is a certain kind of cathartic to see an artist returning to himself, and Joe Hodgson and his album Fields Of Redemption is precisely that: the musical homecoming of an artist that is felt way beyond the Northern Irish borders. It is not just another guitar album; it is a soul searching journey with some of the most touching […]
ROCK/Review Blunt Blade – Forgiveness
It is something truly disconcerting about hearing Blunt Blade in the dark with the album Forgiveness. The seven-track adventure of the Minnesota multi-instrumentalist does not only cross boundaries, but destroys them, leaving a sonic terrain that is at once intimate and universal, haunting. By the first few bars of “Justified,” where the singer delivers the incantatory lines in a baritone, […]
Pop/Review Larry Karpenko – Believe the Promise
It is somehow deeply touching when a song can take you back several thousand years with the first notes. This is precisely what Larry Karpenko does in his song, Believe the Promise, and he succeeds in connecting the ancient account of the desire of the Israelites to be free with the modern challenges that we all have to deal with. […]
Pop/Review Mick J. Clark – Anuther Sunny Hulliday
It is so refreshing to have an artist who is not afraid to go out and have pure unadulterated fun and Mick J. Clark gives us all that and more with his song, Anuther Sunny Hulliday. It is not a song, it is a party in the song, a four-minute break of the complications of the modern world. The first […]
EDM/Review PSYCOTRONIKA – FAKE LOVE
It feels strangely therapeutic to have music turn the agony to action, and PSYCOTRONIKA with their song FAKE LOVE, manage to do it with extreme accuracy. The duo of Pagliarini Massimo and Stefano Vaccari based in Parma have created something that is both very personal and universally relatable, a dance-pop anthem that makes you want to move and makes you […]
ROCK/Review The Radio Addicts – Scroll My Life Away
It is always something truly exciting when you see raw talent coming out of the blue, and The Radio Addicts can bring just that kind of excitement with their song called Scroll My Life Away. The thing is that this song is quite impressive not only because of its contagious vibe but also the fact that it was created by […]
METAL/Review Max Chaos – Ride The Wave
There are cases when a artist appears out of nowhere, and right away captures the attention because of the power of will and raw talent. Max Chaos does just that with his debut, Ride The Wave, a rip-roaring dispatch of unabashed bad-assery that knocks a person in the nose with adrenaline and leaves them wanting more. The first thing that […]
ROCK/Review Allan Jamisen – Rock & Roll American
It is absolutely breathtaking how an artist can distill a half-century of cultural disappointment into one swaggering anthem. That is precisely what Allan Jamisen has done with his “Rock & Roll American”, a song that is nostalgic in its frenzy and desperately modern in its sentiment, a reflection on what it is to be an American rebel when the idea […]
ROCK/Review One More Weekend – Aunty Meredith
It is disturbing in a way that a song that sounds like a pure celebration, actually tells a story of control going out of hand. Aunty Meredith by One More Weekend manages to achieve both these feats effortlessly and the result is a song that is both intoxicating and haunting, just like the psychedelic experience described in it. Melbourne four-piece […]
Pop/Review Rasha Jay – Purple Hours
There is a certain fascination to an artist who is able to turn literary inspiration into sonic gold and Rasha Jay does just that with Purple Hours. It is a new song by the Montclair-based artist who seems to have found a secret refuge covered in the tune, which is intimate, warm, and completely captivating. As the song starts, the […]
ROCK/Review Mosh Pit – LCD
Songs just come and play in background and then there are songs that come and take you by the throat and ask you to listen to it. LCD by Mosh Pit is unquestionably in the latter camp, and offers a sonic battering that is cathartic yet confrontational in nature. With the initial sharp guitar chord it is easy to tell […]
ROCK/Review Haus of Sound – Mirage
It is a kind of pleasure to follow the development of a band in real-time and Haus of Sound may have found the breakthrough on their way with the song Mirage. This Seattle outfit has made a daring departure out of the ska-punk madness of Anxiety and the pop-punk power of Pain in My Eyes to venture into a darker […]
COUNTRY/Review Michellar – Get me there to Church
It is something very honest in the song of Michellar, Get Me There to Church, that makes you want to fall in the arms of the song. Michelle Bond has created a country song which is very personal and yet so universal, about the time when love is no longer just the comfortable living together but is the lifetime commitment. […]
R&B/Review Leonie sherif – TWILIGHT (Sp Deville Remix)
Leonie Sherif makes nighttime sound so intoxicating, turning it into a sonic journey that is intimate and expansive at the same time. TWILIGHT (Sp Deville Remix) reinvents her original alt-RnB anthem as a night time adventure that throbs with unnerving tension and groove, and with irresistible grit. The first thing that draws your attention is the fact that the vocals […]
Pop/Review Ophelia Moon – Magic and Daffodils
Music is something which is so touching that it makes us stop and see the magic in the plain view. This is precisely what Ophelia Moon does in his Magic and Daffodils, and this is why it is a dreamlike oasis of poetic images and soothing melodies that come together to uncover the secrets of existence. The thing that first […]
Hip-Hop/Review King Camil – Push
It is something incredibly strong about an artist who does not want to be limited by the expectations of the genre, and King Camil shows precisely this artistic boldness with the song. It is not yet another rap song, but a cinematic experience, which turns motivation messaging into something truly epic. Starting with the initial seconds, the orchestral sounds are […]
ROCK/Review Jeremy Ryan – SMILE & WAVE
It is cathartic in the very core of the being with the first notes of the song Smile & Wave by Jeremy Ryan. This is no run-of-the-mill rock anthem though; it is in fact a personal manifesto, a manifesto that is sheathed in a great instrumentation and presented with the raw authenticity that is becoming scarce in the current music […]
METAL/Review Apeiron Bound – Firmament: Redux
It is something deeply touching to see a band grow and still remain themselves. Firmament: Redux by Apeiron Bound is an interesting piece of insight into the way that the group has evolved since their first album, Multiplicity, and the outcome is nothing less than amazing. The first thing that catches your ear is the dynamic interchange of rough and […]
ROCK/Review Creative Vibrations – Sunday Bummer
It is so understandable to have that sinking feeling as the weekend is over and the real world knocks on the door. On their newest recording, Sunday Bummer, Creative Vibrations has perfectly captured this universal phenomenon and created a multi-dimensional masterpiece that turns the post-weekend blues into an interesting musical narrative. The first thing that will come to mind with […]