All posts by Anastim Ducray

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

lachi_releasesbanner_2

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

Reviews

Pauline Frechette – A Quiet Walk In The Snow

frechette

Accomplished singer, composer, and lyricist, Pauline Frechette has released a magnificent new piece title “A Quiet Walk in the Snow.” It is an incredibly poignant song that maintains a consistently gentle pacing throughout. It seems to me that it evokes a range of emotions as a reflection of one’s current mindset. When one takes a quiet walk in the winter, it can be one of somber reflection or it can be a majestic experience of joy. Is this a walk of joy or one of sadness? Perhaps both. The context is open to interpretation.

Pauline seems to have roots in French Quebec. Though renowned composer David Campbell is credited with the arrangements, I can’t help but notice how distinctly European this composition comes across. It actually reminds me very much of the film scores of classic French and Italian films of the 1970’s. This would fit right in with the best of them.

“A Quiet Walk in the Snow” is a fine example of what gifted artists can achieve if they dedicate enough time and passion to mastering their craft. Pauline manages to combine meticulous instrumental precision with elevated abstract emotion. It all comes together quite impressively.

https://soundcloud.com/paulinefrechette/a-quiet-walk-in-the-snow

http://www.paulinefrechette.com/

Reviews

Grieve The Astronaut

grieve

“Grieve the Astronaut” is exactly the kind of musical project I love to feature on here. Not too much is known about the band. As their name suggests, they seem focused artistically on a “re-birth of shattered dreams.” Their self-titled album is epic. It very much has the feel of a soundtrack to a space opera. While their style has been compared to groups like Pink Floyd, I must say the tracks on “Grieve The Astronaut” would have fit right in on the soundtrack of films like “Dune.” Everything about this release just oozes with talent, class and imagination. It’s crafted with professionalism and musiciansmanship. It’s like if you fused classical music with futuristic synthwave. This is a terrific release.

http://www.grievetheastronaut.com/

Misc Reviews

E. Bandit – I Been

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E. Bandit has a new track out called “I Been.” The video for it makes great usage of color and effects to illustrate the mood and give the song an artistic quality that goes beyond the lyrics. She describes the song as a “trippy kind of love song written in a drunken stupor.” The psychedelic atmosphere depicted in the video certainly conveys this image. The lyrics carry a lot of self reflection and remorse and plays out almost like a confession or reluctant goodbye letter. E. Bandit definitely displays some delivery skills and good musical instincts here. Expect more good things from her.

http://thehnicmixtapes.com/songs/e-bandit-drops-video-for-i-been-single/