All posts by Anastim Ducray

Reviews

Diana Anaid – My Queen

diana_anaid

Australian musical icon Diana Anaid returns to the scene with a new album, My Queen. This LP doesn’t feel like a side project or casual effort either. This a full blown, chartworthy alternative/pop/rock record. She must have spent her downtime recharging her crystals because there’s a lot of energy in these songs, which contain trace elements of 60’s psychedelia, 80’s new wave, punk, pop, alternative and even country. The music is very fast paced and upbeat and shouldn’t be confused with the more “dreary” styles of alternative rock. Positivity appears to be one of the major themes of the album. An entire essay could probably be written about the lyrical meaning behind so many of these songs. They tend to focus on rather serious issues, but do so in a way that allows the listener to choose whether they want to explore social consciousness, rock out, or both. Diana’s vocals display such universal appeal and versatility that they could be adapted to almost any genre or era, which probably explains why she’s seen success in 3 different decades of music.

For more info:

https://www.dianaanaid.com/

https://open.spotify.com/album/32H60LhB0enuVC0H5F4RWY

Misc Reviews

FEMI.X – DJ’s BANG MEE (EP)

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FEMI.X, a self described “latin erotic poet,” is set to release her erotic rough house EP, DJ’s BANGMEE. The songs feature erotically charged, occasionally raunchy lyrics, which are surprisingly listenable. FEMI.X has a very pleasant, almost hypnotic voice. It’s very easy on the ears. Content wise, she’s like a house music version of the singer Peaches, (but much less abrasive.) The tracks are very well produced, with backing house beats which blend well with the vocals. The EP is sexual and seductive without seeming cheap, or done for shock value. A lot of attention (here by all parties involved) was paid to getting the music to sound just right, which is what makes it all work.

http://instagram.com/TherealFemi_X
http://instagram.com/Diac.Immortal.Music
https://soundcloud.com/diac-immortal-records
https://twitter.com/DiacRecords

Reviews

Zion Antoni – Clean

clean_zionantoni

Clean is a single from Zion Antoni, a fairly well known grassroots journalist / recording artist / producer from The Bronx. Zion’s sound is notable for displaying a level of authenticity that’s not typical of many of today’s hip hop artists. Refreshingly, he doesn’t go in for a lot of flashiness and posturing. Both Clean and another of his songs, Rain Soon Come, feature magnificent old school backing tracks. He foregoes gaudy materialism in favor of a more retro, avant garde aesthetic (I liked the cover art so much I included it in this review.) The songs have a very analog sound, reminiscent of the golden era of early 90s hip hop. This is of course one of the best compliments you can give to a rapper. This guy manages to capture the delicate balance between style and substance. Unlike so many others, Zion Antoni gets his point across without ever coming off like somebody who is trying too hard.

zion_antoni

For more info:

http://zionantoni.bandcamp.com
http://theurbancry.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page

Reviews

JMI – Bustin’ Seams

jmi

If you’re like me, you might have assumed that a song called Bustin’ Seams is a hip hop song and that JMI is a rapper. Well, you’d be wrong on both counts. Bustin’ Seams is actually the fourth single from New York City-based artist, Junk Made Ill (JMI.) Far from being hip hop, JMI’s music is actually avant garde, dark, brooding and somewhat abstract. Stylistically JMI’s sound reminds me a little bit of 90’s bands like Garbage (specifically Garbage’s song I Would Die For You comes to mind as a distant relative.)

Bustin’ Seams isn’t just music though. It’s also performance art. The video for the single is well produced and choreographed. Shot on “an undisclosed deserted island,” it features a set and costumes which wouldn’t seem out of place in films like Beastmaster or the original Clash of the Titans. Both the song and video emit a darkly subversive, yet intriguing ambiance. The viewer feels hypnotically drawn to the island, even with the realization that something bad might happen there.

For more info:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCViTyVsrjBkF1kcXgaRWHDA

https://www.instagram.com/junkmadeill/?hl=en

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlV-zRZ9NfA

Reviews

LAVAHI – Forever

lavahi

Forever is the ambitious debut single from LAVAHI, an up and coming singer/songwriter from Atlanta. For just being a “single,” the song is extremely comprehensive and contains a lot of musical variety even within the track. The music ranges from subtle, haunting chimes with delicate neo-soul vocals to the upbeat, vibrant, musical electricity which defines the final third of the song. LAVAHI is clearly a more than decent singer, but what’s more interesting is the dynamics at play here. There are many twists and turns and layers behind layers. It’s almost like with Forever, LAVAHI is attempting to use musical experimentation to open a door to another dimension. She may have even succeeded. If nothing else, Forever is a great example of how music with pop appeal can contain intellectual aspirations and still be fun.

For more info:

Website: https://www.reverbnation.com/lavahi

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2nnCFcwXFsylqmkI6eo8m1?si=HS4a457VQuywizLLuOz3NA

Soundcloud: https://www.soundcloud.com/lavahi

Reviews

DJPE and Venissa Santi – Songs With Venissa

ocean-of-emotion

Ocean of Emotion is a track from Songs With Venissa, a new 6 song EP from Afro-futurist producer “djpe” and Pew Award winning Cuban American jazz vocalist Venissa Sant. It is very difficult to pin this music down into a category. It defies compartmentalization. The best way to describe the sound is that of an avant garde, jazz-folk futurism. Though the songs develop in unpredictable ways, the excellent musiciansmanship is apparent throughout. djpe and Venissa managed to bring in some talented guest soloists who contribute trombone, flute trombone and saxophone playing into these songs. This is the kind of music that can’t be faked. I mean, either you can play the flute or you can’t. These people are the real deal.

Some songs, like Ocean of Emotion start off gently, with Venissa’s phonogenic, soothing, spoken word-like vocals leading the way, as the track slowly adds elements, building into a complex piece of musical machinery until before you know it you’ve got something you can dance to. With other songs, such as The Edges, are action packed from the opening bell and retain the same level of energy for the duration of the recording. If I Could Write You a Letter probably has the grooviest musical backing on the album. It gives off a trippy, kind of Halloween party vibe. My favorite song on the album, is My Schwinn, partly because it features some great lyrical depth, but also because I had a Schwinn bicycle when I was a kid. In fact I feel somewhat guilty that I didn’t appreciate it. Being a bratty 80’s kid, I always wanted something like a dirtbike or BMX. I didn’t recognize the superiority of the Sparkly Schwinn’s aesthetic and the comfort of the banana seat until I got much older.

Anyway, Songs With Venissa is a nifty little EP. It’s one of those albums that will receive instant critical acclaim and recognition for it’s artful mastery from anyone who stumbles onto it. In a just world these recordings would be broadcast to the masses. We don’t live in that just of a world, but if you’re reading this at least you’ll know how good these songs are.

For more info:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/songs-with-venissa-ep/1419715080
https://soundcloud.com/djpe-1

Reviews

Amaru – Champagne Attitude

AMARU - Low On The Dough (Radio Mix)

Low On The Dough is a new single from AMARU’s debut album, Champagne Attitude. The song utilizes a lot of symbolism and conveys the emotional fallout one experiences emerging from a toxic relationship with a with a partner with materialistic gold digging tendencies. Champagne Attitude is an apt title for AMARU’s album, as he delivers this touch of bitterness with class and charisma. It’s hard not to be drawn in by his upbeat and energetic persona. AMARU takes bad relationship experiences and romantic drama and translates them
into party fun dance tunes. His original fashion style and precision trimmed beard distinguish him as an artist and recognizable personality. Low On The Dough documents a genuine struggle of being with someone that values commercial brand names over caring and affection. You can feel the impeding doom / sense of frustration in these lyrics:

Dolce & Gabbana
Coco Chanel, Prada
Trinkets you buy at the store
I wanna dress you up in my love
But that’s not enough
Now you’re running to the door

I have no doubt that the rest of AMARU’s album is every bit as entertaining and passionate as this jam. What separates AMARU from many aspiring pop artists is that AMARU’s personality is part of the music, and he is willing to share a more vulnerable side with his audience…while more generic artists work to sweep their romantic mistakes under the rug.

AMARU - CA Promo 1

For more info:
http://www.amaru-music.com/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAGj9Ega0fU

Reviews

Sherise

alone

Sherise is an eclectic vocalist and songwriter who draws from a wide variety of musical influences, including everything from classical to country to indie pop. She’s set to release her upcoming album, Dimensions of Beauty, sometime in the near future. She can certainly sing, having come through a substantial choir and musical performance background. Her vocals kind of remind me of a cross between Sheryl Crow and Ace of Base, with songs like On the Dance Floor representing the conventional dance music style and other tracks like Unfinished Business demonstrating alternative rock sensibilities while retaining a danceably pop dynamic. It’s my favorite of the songs I listened to. Divided utilizes some creative structure and probably the most dynamic vocal range. Alone is surprisingly peppy and upbeat musically, in contrast with it’s rather somber title. Sherise is clearly a talented songwriter and performer, and there is definitely an established market for what she’s offering.

For more info:
http://www.sherisedsouza.com

Amazon Music: https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_srch_drd_B075KPTRJX?ie=UTF8&field-keywords=Sherise&index=digital-music&search-type=ss

iTunes:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/on-the-dance-floor-single/1424983964?app=itunes&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

Misc Reviews

4 Wheel City – Spiritual

spiritual

Spiritual is a 16 track mixtape from 4 Wheel City, a rap group featuring two charismatic motivational speakers and hip hop performers (Namel “Tapwaterz” Norris and Ricardo “Rickfire” Velasquez.) The twist is that they are both in wheelchairs as a result of gun violence. As you might ascertain from the title, Spiritual is geared to inspire. Their stated mission is to “use hip-hop music and culture to create more opportunities for the disabled and inspire people not to give up in life,” but this release isn’t just for the disabled. It could really be helpful to just about anyone who needs a little encouragement and motivation, or even anyone that just enjoys listening to hip hop music.

What’s striking about this release is the fullness of it. It contains 16 unique tracks, each filled to the brim with lyrical substance and musical depth. Even the spoken word intro, the thinnest of the tracks, serves a vital function as a piece of the puzzle. There are some attention grabbing samples, such as those in Noah.
The backing music is very ambient for a hip hop album, occasionally even resembling Native American style music, (which is somewhat fitting for the album;s message of finding peaceful determination and courage from within oneself to overcome adversity.) There is quite a range even here though, with other songs having more conventional house beat backing, and still others featuring groovy, retro analog vibes. One of the best tracks on here is Disabled Lives Matter. It has a hypnotic, old school hip hop feel. Lyrically it goes deeper than you might expect for a song with a bumper sticker slogan title. The song in explicit detail captures the feeling of “not being able to escape,” which is something I hadn’t really considered as being central to a disabled person’s struggle. The sentiment, conveyed very well here, can be taken literally and figuratively. Being disabled makes it physically more difficult to evacuate or get out of harm’s way. Psychologically, one must come to terms with the fact they cannot “escape” their condition. However, Spiritual inspires disabled people to confront their conditions in a positive way, and reminds everyone that each of us has physical and mental barriers that we must overcome to achieve our dreams.

For more info:

http://4wheelcity.com/pages/

https://open.spotify.com/album/7cAQ4weypxBXWeGlODp967

https://soundcloud.com/4-wheelz-ent/sets/spiritual-4-wheel-city

https://tidal.com/browse/album/91704158

Misc Reviews

Mucho Dinero – Book Me For a Show

287291Mucho_Dinero__Book_Me_For_a_Show

Book Me For a Show is a brand new solo mixtape from Erie, PA based artist, Mucho Dinero. At 11 tracks, the listener is sure to get their time/money’s worth out of this release. It comes jam packed with all sorts of flavorful jams like Day 1 and No Snake Zone. What jumps out at me about Mucho Dinero is that he has a distinct sounding voice, which will make him recognizable. He’s soft spoken and has a laid back delivery, but the actual tone of his voice is very unique. A lot of indie rappers sound almost exactly the same as one another, but I really can’t think of another rapper that sounds quite like Mucho Dinero. That is something that works in his favor. I’ve reviewed quite a few mixtapes before which had featured multiple artists, and it can be difficult to tell the who’s who and what’s whats. That’s not the case on Book Me For a Show. The pacing of the songs is somewhat varied. The opening track, Have Ya is chill and subdued, almost coming across like spoken word poetry at times. Other tracks like 2 More are a little more peppy and fast paced. Anyway, this release should definitely be enough to get this dude booked for some actual shows.

For more info:

iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/album/id1382113719?ls=1&app=itunes

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/3YHgWPPgQoII4af5oKJGQt?si=rNsXPADlQjOtYoBSLjVOvw

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDqm8i_iv6hoSLWJtXQHyyx37z1rPvg18