Ratbag Joy is a tempest of contradiction, the best kind of contradiction, bright, bouncy and irresistibly danceable on the surface but with an undercurrent of emotion just under the glitter. The New Citizen Kane (Kane Luke) provides something that is euphoric yet bruising, that particular emotion of celebrating pain, of smiling through the entropy. As soon as the beat comes, […]
Hip-Hop/Review Bloodlin3 – No Mercy
It is interesting to listen to an album which does not want to remain on the same emotional plane, and this is precisely what Bloodlin3 does in their album No Mercy. Key contributors include Stephen King (2Severe), Mallachi (Miggidy), and Reinman Quiji (Blackrein), whose diverse talents and unique perspectives helped shape this fully realized artistic statement about the intricacies of […]
ROCK/Review Shyfrin Alliance – Colours of Time
It is so poignant when the music is willing to address the greatest questions in life and the Colours of Time by Shyfrin Alliance is no exception as it does it with such elegance and refinement. With Eduard Shyfrin, whose life story as a classically trained pianist, award winning mathematician, and masterful musician is a tale of modern renaissance, this […]
FOLK ROCK/Review Wattmore – I Don’t Miss That Woman
Brisbane brotherly combo Wattmore has produced a real gem in the form of I Don’t Miss That Woman, which is a breakup song but one that does not rely on self-pity but steel capped boots and sarcasm instead. This is not the usual heartbreak ballad, this is an all-out emotional exorcism in twangy guitars and presented with the same deadpan […]
ROCK/Review Adam Wedd – Merchant Man
Adam Wedd has a rare type of honesty in his EP, Merchant Man, the sort that does not aim to be overly dramatic or pretentious, yet still, manages to hit the bulls-eye. Listening to this project is like turning the pages of a journal of a person and each song is a different chapter, a different emotional line. The Merchant […]
Pop/Review Ava Valianti – Buttercups
The Buttercups by Ava Valianti is an artistically effective work on the disquieting reality of young love, rich in details of a tidal wave which engulfs the listener into its maw. The song reflects the emotional experiences which are very intense and produce a sensation of exaltation and helplessness. Valianti is only 15, but her emotional maturity is shocking and […]
ROCK/Review Love Ghost – Spirit Box
There is something incredibly touching about an artist who can turn a tragedy into a sea of beauty, and with mind-blowing transparent sincerity, Love Ghost has done just that with Spirit Box. Finnegan Bell, the genius behind this emotionally charged project, has produced more than a song- he produced a séance of the heartsick, a musical conduit that provides a […]
ROCK/Review Michellar – Aunque sea por una noche ( If its only for one night )
It is emotionally evocative when an artist finds their musical roots, and the first Spanish song Michellar created, entitled “Aunque por sea una noche,” is as touching as watching somebody discovering their home. San Francisco-based artist has been able to do something that takes no language to understand, she has written an acoustic ballad that appeals directly to the soul […]
METAL/Review Brian Hunsaker– Haunted
There is something truly cathartic about heavy metal in its finest form- when it can turn personal demons into sonic catharsis- and that is exactly what is done in Brian Hunsaker and his song, Haunted. The metal veteran out of the Seattle area has produced something that is cinematically epic yet also very personal, making a song that sticks with […]
METAL/Review Nordstahl– Mjölnir
There are moments when a song doesn’t just play—it erupts. Nordstahl’s “Mjölnir” is one of those rare tracks that grabs you by the collar and refuses to let go, demanding your complete attention from the first crushing note. The industrial metal outfit has crafted something truly special here. The vocals hit like a sledgehammer to the chest, carrying a weight […]
METAL/Review Nordstahl – Ragnarök in Berlin
Occasionally an album comes along that is more of a needed corrective than a form of entertainment, and Nordstahl with Ragnarok in Berlin is just such a no holds barred artistic statement. Conceived of in frustration at the general apathy and intellectual dishonesty, this industrial metal project uses the weapon of Norse mythology to deal some of the most pressing […]
ROCK/Review Blindness & Light – Your Solitude
It is somehow paradoxical in the most beautiful way that a band that is spread across continents writes songs about loneliness and isolation and Blindness & Light is no exception, with their song Your Solitude being a perfect example. This rag-tag ensemble of post-punkers, spanning Anglesey to Yorkshire and beyond to Japan and Argentina, have created something both personal and […]
EDM/Review Jodie Vinall – Ice Cream Buns
Other times music is just to make you smile and Deltiimo and Jodie Vinall with Ice Cream Buns is just that unabashed moment of joy. The team-up between the UK electronic artist and Portsmouth vocalist produces something that simply cannot be overlooked; a technicolor explosion of EDM energy enveloping an absolutely entrancing performance by Vinall. The vocals of Jodie Vinall […]
ROCK/Review VaterSon – These city streets
There is something kind of special about seeing a father-son musical collaboration and VaterSon with the track These City Streets shows that blood can indeed be thicker than water in terms of rock and roll chemistry. This Malmö-based Swedish duo have created a sound that is simply massive considering the fact that there are only two of them, and they […]
METAL/Review WizardX – Monster Mind
It feels so freeing to experience an artist who does not feel like they needs to make excuses to take up space, and WizardXs Monster Mind is a rallying cry to all of those who have ever been told they are too much. It is not merely another genre-bending exercise, it is a highly choreographed sonic revolution that turns individual […]
Pop/Review Noah Zayden – Ya no me doy
Then there are songs that talk to you, and then there are songs that talk through you-that express the truths you have been carrying but could not quite put into words. Noah Zayden with his Ya no me doy falls into that more unusual genre, a confession and an independence manifesto rolled into a carefully constructed pop-rap song that does […]
Hip-Hop/Review Malak Shalom aka Shavirus – Heeler Rope
Occasionally a song comes along that strikes you like lightning, and it is unexpected, electric, and impossible to resist. It is not merely another genre-bending experiment, but a daring declaration of an artist who obviously does not have the desire to remain in comfortable little boxes. It starts with a funky guitar riff that gets your attention right away and […]
Pop/Review Sundrift Sky – Home in my heart
It is so wonderfully human to seek comfort and comfort in the presence of another person, and Sundrift Sky does so with such beautiful sensitivity on the track, Home in My Heart. It is not just another electronic pop ballad, but rather a sonic hug that envelopes you in the same feeling you get when you are surrounded by someone […]
Folk/Review Ophelia Moon – Memory Fades
The pain of forgetting is so acute and Ophelia Moon is able to capture it with such devastating accuracy on the song, Memory fades. It is not only another reflective ballad, but a pensive discourse on the merciless gentleness of time, with soundscapes that sound like a confession in an empty room. The vocal technique used by Darren O. Moon […]
Electronic/Review Ophelia Moon – Banter of Wolves
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 […]