All posts by Anastim Ducray

Black Bluebirds – Love Kills Slowly

Black_Bluebirds

Black Bluebirds describe themselves as “an electrifying power trio from Minneapolis, Minnesota.” One of their newest tracks is titled “Love Kills Slowly” and is featured on their new album “Like Blood For Music.” The style and sound is low-key reminiscent of Bowie or Freddie Mercury, but darker, more avante garde and overall a little less flamboyant. The song features some really impressive singing, with the vocalist really going all out in ways that would have given Iron Maiden a run for their money. The whole thing is a nice eclectic mix of synthpop, indie rock and (glam?) metal, performed by some real professional musicians that know what they doing.

http://blackbluebirds.com/
https://blackbluebirds.bandcamp.com/

Cody Daniel – The Night

Photo Credit: Briana Gregorius
Photo Credit: Briana Gregorius

Vocalist Cody Daniel is a somewhat unique artist in that his music combines elements from unlikely genres, such as alternative, R&B, pop soul. Others do this, but Daniel seems much more conscious of his eclectic influences. It’s not surprising. Younger musicians today have been exposed to many musical styles in their lives through, whereas artists in the past were often limited by whatever was popular in their geographic area or what was on the radio. Cody has released a video for his song “The Night.” Shot on location in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, the video is clean and professional, on the level of what you’d see on Mtv these days. A clearly talented singer, Cody Daniel’s voice propels the song as the listener sits back and watches the action unfold. It can be difficult to tell at times what is going on at times, but a night of romance and relationship drama it surely is. This music is very marketable and Cody has the potential to go very far with the right people backing him.

For more info:
https://www.cody-daniel.com/
https://www.facebook.com/codydanielmusic

Kaseeno – Antonio Banderas (Trap Party Vol 1)

kaseeno

Just a heads up, popular artist “Kaseeno” has released a teaser video for his catchy single “Antonio Banderas” (the song is also featured on his latest album, Trap Party Vol 1.) True to it’s name, it’s a fun party jam. Kaseeno delivers the Spanish lyrics well, managing to keep things tight even with the song’s complex pacing. Kaseeno’s laid back and easy going style combine with his energetic vibe to make the track a real pick me up. If the official video lives up to the quality of the song ( and all indications are it will as the teaser features Kaseeno getting out of a live helicopter) then it has a chance to be epic.

https://www.teamkaseeno.com/

Heart of a King – Furyus DJ Dee Kimble – Chess – Kamara O Fa

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“Heart of a King” is a collaborative hip hop effort featuring several artists. It is a smooth and fairly laid back jam. In line with one of the creators, the song utilizes a chess analogy and that of claiming one’s birthright as the rightful heir to the throne. Despite the talk of “kings” the lyrics are delivered with a low key and humble attitude (perhaps like an honorable royal) rather than boastful and aggressive. “Heart of a King” is also a melodic enterprise that displays more musical versatility than one might expect in this genre. It is in every sense a coherent musical composition, and rises to something much more than a mere collection of rhymes.

For more info:
https://www.iammarkivus.com/stand-alone-music.html
https://open.spotify.com/album/3GLOtr5HMfhKKWdgdRJbrb

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djdee

Lou Patty – EP

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Dutch band “Lou Patty” has a new 4 song EP out and has released a video for one of the tracks, “Hostile.” The first thing that struck me about “Hostile” is that the synths are just radical. I mean seriously the opening synths are awesome, and this trend continues throughout the song. As someone who has owned many synthesizers over the years this was like synth porn to me. Top quality gear and excellent usage. The band claims to have some 80’s and 90’s influences, and I must say the vocals do have a nice kind of 80’s analog vibe. The singer seems comfortably charismatic and has a fairly dynamic voice for this style of music. The mix and production quality here are also phenomenal (produced by Lou Patty & Marlon Wolterink – White Noise Studio, assistant recording credit to Freek Philippi.)

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Other tracks on the EP like “Kings and Servants” or “Minute of Peace” are more guitar driven and remind me very much of late 80’s / early 90’s hard rock, with a lot of precision guitar work at alternating speeds and a kind of brooding atmosphere. The last song, “Molly Ray” almost sounds alternative musically. It’s a little lighter than the other songs and gives the vocalist a little more room to play around with.

You don’t have to listen to these recordings for very long to realize this is a professional band of seasoned musicians that know exactly what they’re doing. This entire release is excellent both technically and artistically. If you don’t believe me, give it a listen for yourself.


http://facebook.com/LouPattyrocks

http://www.lou-patty.eu

Feather Haiku – By Marie Helen Abramyan

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In the foliage

A kind token from a bird

Feather in Fall’s grass

“Feather Haiku” is one of Marie Helen’s most recent poems. She is becoming known for her seasonally themed poetry. Though short in length, this haiku is nonetheless thought provoking, offering the reader a silver lining in the changing season as we head toward the coming winter. The remnant from a bird gives a subtle reminder of summer memmories and that spring will appear once again.

Marie Helen is also a songwriter who founded the Los Angeles based band “Lyrics of Two,” (which consistently held the #1 spot on the Deli Music Charts in the category of mainstream pop in Los Angeles.) She has recently completed a book of poetry titled “Celebrating The Holidays And Seasons With Poetry And The Smaller Things In Nature.”

For more info:

http://www.lyricsoftwo.com
http://www.lyricsoftwo.com/feather-haiku/

SuriLee – Don’t Know

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Fremont,CA based artist SuriLee got her start singing Bollywood hit songs to friends and family in her native India. Her training in Hindustani classical music influences her music, which includes elements of Pop and R&B. He latest release, “Don’t Know” (from her debut album, “Wild Lily”) is kind of a mellow, yet personal song, with an ambient musical backdrop. The beat on it’s own would make a pretty decent piece of electronic music as an instrumental. Despite the song’s lyrical theme of “uncertainty” SuriLee’s vocals are expressive and convey a genuine sense of emotion. The music video is well done and features some breathtaking coastal scenery. SuriLee is a passionate performer and it shows at all levels.


http://www.surilee.com/

https://www.facebook.com/SurileeMusic

Putu Putu – Giver Boi

(featuring DJ Tira, DJ Maphorisa, DJ Sox – Naak Musiq)

GiverBoi

Giver Boi, a pop singer from South Africa has a new music video release for his song,”Putu Putu.” The beats in the song are the best part of the song, building and balancing the right amount of drama throughout the song. Putu Putu is mostly a party or “club jam.” I can’t really comment on the lyrics, since I don’t speak the language. The best I can tell, “putu” is the name of a kind of porridge, but I don’t think that is what the song is alluding to, if you know what I mean. Clearly a lot of work went into the production of the song and video, and it shows. They got some decent models to show up for the shoot. The song mostly gives off the vibe of money, sweethearts and fun. Hard to go wrong with that combo.

Fore more info:
http://giverboi.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Giverboi

DJ DYL – Happy to Be Here

dyl

Florida based hip hop artist DJ DYL has a new single out titled “Happy to Be Here” (featuring Boogs Malone and Murc Jones.) It’s an uplifting song, and the best way I could describe it would be the hip hop equivalent of Bobby McFerrin’s “Don’t Worry Be Happy.” Musically, “Happy to Be Here” is quite good and easy on the ears. There are some terrific ambient sounds in the background, and I found this jam to have a relaxing and almost meditative quality to it. It’s very mellow but still performed with energy. “Happy to Be Here” is a catchy tune that’s filled with positive vibes. Check it out if you get a chance.

For more info:

https://open.spotify.com/track/3Llp233eehL4SudWDUcSZh

https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/djdyl

Miztuh Chazs – Conceited – EP

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With an upcoming official release date of November 24th, “Conceited” is a new EP from hip hop artist, Miztuh Chazs. My first impression of this album is that the production quality is very high. I can remember a time when indie hip hop artists recorded on 4-track cassette, but such is not the case really anymore. The quality here is as good as you would find on a major label. I personally don’t care much about production, but for those who do, “Conceited” is legit.

What I really want to stress about this EP though is how much fun and entertaining it is. Miztuh Chazs’ fun going, party personality is evident throughout the tracks. He makes frequent use of humorous, attention grabbing samples and sound effects. His lyrics are often creatively unpredictable, with gems like “Pussy smells like cotton candy, and she be going down smooth like her name is Brandy.” The song “Push to Start” even contains a Domino’s Pizza reference.

“Conceited” is an entertaining listening experience, but one shouldn’t overlook the fact that there’s some genuine artistry here. The whole project is very well put together.

For more info: