Monthly Archives: January 2017

Misc Reviews

TimbDagod – Bars No Lyrics

Humbly named hip hop artist TimbDagod has a new single out titled “Bars No Lyrics.” One thing that’s very apparent in this jam is his technical skill when delivering. His timing is tighter than a metronome. He’s able to maintain the consistency for long periods as well, not just short bursts of rhymes. His rapping style has kind of a rhythmic, hypnotic quality to it. It doesn’t express a lot of attitude or exaggerated emotions. “Bars No Lyrics” is a worthy effort, and TimbDagod certainly knows his craft.

For more info:
http://timbdagod.com/
http://www.audiomack.com/song/timbdagod/bars-no-lyricshttp://www.audiomack.com/song/timbdagod/bars-no-lyrics

Misc Reviews

Monsta Ma$h – Latest Tracks

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Los Angeles based artist Monsta Ma$h has recently released a couple new tracks. His style is a unique blend of pop punk and hip hop. The song “Stay on Edge” for example is reminiscent of carefree late 90’s pop / hip hop songs (though he also has a remix of this jam available which utilizes an awesome 80’s synthwave backing.) His music isn’t quite heavy enough to be classified as “rapcore,” but also not light enough or cheesy enough to to fit in with mainstream pop groups like Smashmouth. He falls somewhere in between and strikes a good balance. One thing that’s clear from his jams is that Monsta knows how to have a good time. He’s often hamming it up and laughing and loves to sing about partying. His delivery is confident, articulate and his approach is laid back without coming across as lazy. The production quality is excellent, and Monsta’s latest tracks along with his colorful persona are highly marketable.

For more info:
http://www.monstamash.net/

Misc Reviews

Bar None – Devils in the Details

devils

New hip hop track available from “Bar None.” It has a terrifically eerie carnival styled musical backing to it, which even on its own is enough to give the song a great ambiance. “Devils in the Details” keeps it minimalist and mellow. The song doesn’t ever get too busy or tryhard with a lot of unnecessary flash. The rhyme delivery is unique in the way it alternates between fast and a kind of slow “drawl” style. This is a pretty decent jam, and these guys have a good aesthetic going.

For more info:
https://twitter.com/barnone302
https://soundcloud.com/chuckandlock/devils-in-the-details

Reviews

Sunterra – Reborn (Listen to it Here)

sunterra

Sunterra is a well known Austrian independent metal band that is making a comeback after a 10 year hiatus. On the surface their appearance resembles that of a standard metal band, but appearances can be deceiving. Their new album, “Reborn,” while retaining the ambiance and aesthetic of old school metal is actually an eclectic mix which incorporates gothic, industrial, electro, and even dubstep elements. These various elements are subtly and meticulously merged together, creating a distinct and cohesive sound (essentially metalstep) while not coming across as a stew of mush by combining all these different ingredients. A lot of metal bands look only to the purity and heroes of the past, so Sunterra’s creative approach and commitment to the future is refreshing.

You can listen to it here:
http://player.believe.fr/v2/3614971132287

Misc Reviews

Dario Black – Don’t Let Go (No Te Vayas)

dario

“Don’t Let Go” is a new single out from indie artist Dario Black. It’s a pretty straightforward dance pop track which does a good job at capturing the positive spirit and aesthetic of EDM. After a colorful tropical intro, the song picks up the pace and is brimming with hypnotic romantic energy throughout. This is a club type jam, ripe for an outdoor festival or rave setting. The repetitive nature of the the chorus “Don’t Let Go” helps to drive home the message and enticingly programs the listener to stick with it long after the music stops. The production quality is quite good (as is expected with this genre.) This is a great effort. EDM is a crowded field and it’s difficult to get noticed, but hopefully some DJs will give this a spin.

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Dario has a keen eye for color usage and aesthetic artistry, and I anticipate when/if a full video for this song is released it will live up the song.

Available on Spotify:
http://spoti.fi/2jEhu3Z

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaPlYR9LzMU

Reviews

Charles Luck and Tino Red – One Love

Charles Luck and Tino Red team up here to create the musical number, “One Love.” It’s one of those light and refreshing summertime pop songs, the kind with a little bit of hip hop flavor thrown in. This actually reminds me of the kind of jam you would hear in the fun romantic scenes of a late 90s or early 2000s teen movie. Or it would work well as music in a commercial for just about anything love oriented. It doesn’t come across as cheesy though, just straightforward and solid quality.

A lot of rappers can’t sing at all and simply rely on style, lyrical ability and flow, but Tino Red sings incredibly well. He shows his range and artistic versatility throughout. He could probably excel as a professional vocalist in almost any musical genre.

The audio quality once again is top notch. It actually sounds better than most of what you’d hear on the radio (from an artistic standpoint as well as content and production wise.) I don’t know how these guys can put out so much material. It’s really coming together for them.

For more info:
https://soundcloud.com/blackastronautx/charles-luck-tino-red-one-love-2
http://www.luckonmars.com

Reviews

Charles Luck – Featuring Addie and Tino Red – Earthquakes

Earthquakes is another new track from Charles Luck and his collective. They continue to crank out an impressive volume of work without sacrificing any quality. This particular jam is a mix of pop, light hip hop and EDM which is carried by the sparkling vocals of Addie, a female vocalist. Wisely, producer Ian Hanks and the rest of the crew kept effects to a minimum and didn’t ruin her vocals with a lot of unnecessary processing. The result is that Addie’s voice shines throughout the song with near crystal clarity, while Tino Red chimes in midway through the song with a well timed rap interlude.

The catchiest parts both musically and lyrically for me are the “starting earthquakes, moving mountains…” phrases which are repeated several times throughout the song as part of a lovely musical progression. It builds and rebuilds each time to an epic EDM chorus which delivers the payoff excitable types will be waiting for. As with the other songs associated with this collective, “Earthquakes” exudes a positive, energetic and upbeat tone throughout.

https://soundcloud.com/blackastronautx/charles-luck-ft-addie-tino-red-earthquakes-produced-by-ian-hanks

http://www.luckonmars.com

Reviews

Magazine Gap – In Two Minds

In_Two_Minds

UK band “Magazine Gap” has produced a video for their new single “In Two Minds” (which they describe as a song about mixed feelings.) My first impression of their music is how incredibly well polished it is. This is a high quality professional production. More importantly, the great production values in this instance effectively reveal the band’s talents through clarity, rather than mask deficiencies with a lot of smoke and mirrors. All of the music fits together nicely to form a solid adult contemporary styled pop song. The vocals of James Keen in particular stand out as being quite remarkable. A lot of indie bands and artists have passable vocals, but I mean this guy can really sing. The video itself is clean and keeps it relatively light, adopting a somewhat minimalist aesthetic. The view alternates between the band performing in a studio and scenes of friends spending time together at what appear to be cafes, bowling alleys etc.

This is an up and coming band and with a few good breaks I could see some of their music charting given that it is already as good or better than 90% of what you’d hear on the radio. This song is available for pre-order on iTunes and is expected to be released officially on Jan 27.

Misc Reviews

Lachi – The Selfish Release

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Award winning artist Lachi (whose single “Boss” recently aired on the show “Bad Girls Club”) has a new 4 song EP out. It’s titled “The Selfish Release.” Despite the title, the songs are more about self empowerment and looking out for one’s own interest. There are times when it’s necessary to take a break and sort yourself out for a while.

The impressive opening track “Selfish” shows what a great range Lachi has, both in the vocal sense and creatively speaking. The music is never monotonous and Lachi’s tracks are peppered with surprises here and there. Some of her songs have a Caribbean vibe, while others like “I’ve Decided” have more of a pop/R&B aesthetic. Unlike a lot of artists in this field who rely on producers, videographers and writers, Lachi actually wrote, produced, and performed all of these songs on The Selfish Release. She’s done pretty well for her self with this EP.

For more info:
www.lachimusic.com
http://soundcloud.com/lachi/selfish-written-produced-performed-by-lachi

Misc Reviews

Mr. J1S – ” Right Now” Featuring D. Thompson

mrj1s

Long Island based artist Mr. J1S has an R&B single out called “Right Now,” featuring D. Thompson. It has a terrific and somewhat dreamlike intro that sets up the song nicely. It’s a pretty straightforward R&B / light hip hop jam with lyrics that incorporate elements of pop culture that most people can relate to, rather than relying on boring cliches. Really good production values on this and it is a good representation of the genre.

For more info:
https://soundcloud.com/mrj1swpk/tracks
https://twitter.com/j1sinc