Category Archives: Reviews

Lena Mond – Flowers Bloom

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Flowers Bloom is a new single from singer/songwriter Lena Mond. Lena resides in Germany but was born in Kiev, Ukraine. The song has a very minimalist feel to it. Featuring light guitars and a subtle beat, Lena’s softly passionate vocals are at the forefront, carrying the song. Lena’s expressive voice manages to naturally convey emotion very well. The music is very dreamlike, a quality which is amplified by the video visuals (clouds, crossfades etc.) This corresponds with the content of the song, where longing and introspection feature heavily. The backing music is very colorful, giving the song a childlike innocence. All in all Flowers Bloom is a straightforward and beautiful indie pop song. Lena takes a chance and opens up her heart in this track, and listeners will respond to that.

For more info:

http://lenamond.net


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Caesar Osiris – Scary Times

Scary Times is a new single from Los Angeles based singer/songwriter Caesar Osiris. It’s a tropically futuristic jam with meditative vibes and a deep ambiance. Let me just say though that the video for this song is incredible. It features some great “dead mall” aesthetics, utilizes a number of iconic settings in the Los Angeles area and just generally does a nice job of capturing a hauntingly dystopian atmosphere. The cinematography and effects add to video’s dreamlike ambiance. The music is strangely calming and reassuring, though it definitely boasts a danceable, pulse generating beat. It’s difficult to classify this kind of music, but the best description for me would be “dreampop.” The video is very avant garde, at times seeming more like a performance art show than a standard music video. Caesar maintains a very mystical presence throughout the video, seemingly in contemplative reflection but always still in motion.

For more info:

https://www.caesarosiris.com/

Miss Money – Mrs Parker

Miss Money

Mrs. Parker is a new music video from Miss Money. It’s a lively summertime hip hop jam with tropical vibes. The song has a very nice melodic bounce to the beat and features an attention grabbing spoken word intro. The cinematography of the vid is very professional, showcasing some sweet marina locations. Minimalist and catchy, Mrs. Parker delivers a rhythmic and punchy sound. Miss Money has headlined shows with many popular artists like Cardi B and Wiz Khalifa. That should give you an idea, but really this artist has their own distinct style.

For more info:

http://instagram.com/missmoneyofficial_
http://sptfy.com/missmoney
http://twitter.com/realmissmoney_

AjGod – So Isis

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So Isis is a new instrumental tape from rapper / producer / DJ, AjGod. It’s not entirely instrumental, as it makes use of occasional vocalization samples and what not. Largely though it has a psychedelic and rhythmically meditatve vibe. The cover and title here are really appropriate, because the groovin’ electronic music definitely has an Egyptian feel to it, reminiscent of the kind of pyramid level music one would hear in a retro video game like Secret of Evermore, something which is evident immediately in the first track Backseat With a Backwood. Other jams like Greed 101 have more of a delightfully eerie, fresh sound. All of the tracks on this tape are more creative and avant garde than I was expecting. There’s really a lot of variety in the sounds used for each track. No corners were cut here, and nothing seems like filler or padding. The music is very ambient and chill. I almost felt like I was being put into a hypnotic trance by Egyptian Gods while listening to some of these songs. Anyway, this tape is really enjoyable and well done. There’s no attitude, no drama, no ego getting in the way. Just a solid artistic creation.

For more info:

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mi3NBNP0FAvwY5P5ThQ-sFLaudxiEF-QQ

Luanne Hunt – The Night He Came to Town

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The Night He Came to Town is a new single from critically-acclaimed country/folk recording artist, Luanne Hunt. The song itself was written by Canadian songwriter Dave Ward. Hunt is already well known for her previous hit, Christmas Without You. One doesn’t have to listen for too long to be able to tell that she is a phenomenal vocalist. Her crystal clear voice carries the song from start to finish. Luanne’s voice reminds me a bit of Sondra Locke’s. It’s just very delicate and pristine. The track has a storytelling narrative as well, almost like you’re listening to a musical audiobook or fairy tale at times. In fact, I could even envision an expanded version of this song being performed as a short musical. The song features some very professional guitar work (credited to Joe Eiffert) as well as a lively fiddle performance by Christian Ward. Everything about this recording is top notch. The stellar performances combined with the creatively quirky elements of the song should propel The Night He Came to Town to the charts associated with its targeted demographic range.

For more info:

www.luannehunt.com
www.facebook.com/luannehuntindiecountrystar
www.twitter.com/luannehunt

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

Mark Winters – Copper Queen

Mark Winters Copper Queen

Copper Queen is a new single from Mark Winters, a rock musician from Sugar Land, TX. Nothing fancy here, just a guy who combines poetry with guitar and does so quite well. I really like the production on this recording. In particular, the guitars have a very pleasing tone, with a nice delay type effect that’s fairly distinctive. It almost reminds me of psychedelic music if you were to combine it with southern rock vocals. The mix does a great job of transforming Winters’ organic and relatively minimalist style into a full and powerful sound. Winters also has a decent voice. He claims that his grandmother taught him how to write poetry, but he clearly has fine tuned his vocal abilities as well over the years. Winters presents himself as very humble and ordinary, but there is nothing amateurish or hobbyist detectable in this recording. This is top of the line stuff.

For more info:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarkWintersBand
Website: http://markwintersmusic.com/

Christopher Baltz – Maverick Wav.

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Maverick Wav. is a new album from Christopher Baltz, a Christian hip hop artist from Easton, Maryland. The album is richly packed with 13 songs. Christopher’s faith obviously is a big inspiration in these tracks and features heavily thematically, however, there’s enough focus on the musical aspect that one can enjoy the album in a casual capacity if they so choose. Delivery wise, Baltz has almost a spoken word slam poet kind of style, which is very stream of consciousness. The songs also function as motivational exercises, both for the artist and the listener, as Christopher frequently comments and reflects on his own situation. It all makes for a very introspective work. We see the artist assessing and addressing various criticisms and exploting self-doubt. At the forefront though, he is always building things toward faith and what he refers to as “big wave” status. The beats on this album are excellent. They have kind of a surreal 80s-90s retro feel to them. In fact, without the rapping, these songs could be released as instrumentals with different aesthetic packaging as part of a completely different genre. Maverick Wav. is above all, a heartfelt and sincere release, that’s worthy of a listen.

For more info:

iTunes: https://music.apple.com/us/album/maverick-wav/1463924069?app=music&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

https://www.storefrontier.com/cbaltzmusic
https://cbaltz.hearnow.com/

Devish – Remembers

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Remembers is the latest song from the artist, “Devish.” It’s a synthwave jam, action packed from start to finish that pulsates and dazzles like an electric light show in audio form. It combines speed with an ambiance of high drama to really get your heart racing. The track is consistent but contains enough variation and musical dynamicism to remain interesting throughout. Remembers is entirely instrumental. There are no vocals, but it manages to do just fine without them. There’s not much else to say except that this is a lively and etheral dance track that’s sure to satisfy a club crowd.

For more info:

https://open.spotify.com/album/3vbxiWK8fhTWSVFps05Vvx

Bryson Briight – Algo Nuevo

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Algo Nuevo is a new single from an artist known as “Bryson Briight.” It’s a ambient jam that falls somewhere in the realm of dreampop, and it is in fact very good. The song is mellow and meditative but with enough energy that it won’t put you to asleep. Listening to this reminds me of the hypnotic feeling one gets while driving late at night when it’s snowing and the snowflakes constantly stream into your windshield. It’s hard to explain. The vocals are really beautiful and well done, without any autotune or annoying processiong. Everything about this song is pure and lovely. Algo Nuevo is an authentic indie pop gem, which sadly will probably never reach the widespread audience it deserves. That’s okay though. Those who do manage to find their way to this song will be richly rewarded.

For more info:

Hendrix – Dispirited (Episode 3)

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Dispirited is the third single/video in a continuing series by musical artist and former marine, Ian Hendrix. It was produced by Ian Hendrix and Robert Eibach, while a video credit is given to Juan Guillermo Cano – WTH Productions. This third episode is consistent with the first two. Once again we’re treated to stellar, professional female vocals which drive the song. Really it’s just a beautiful, crystal clear voice, definitely better than anything you’ll hear on the radio. The video animation is top notch. We see continuity in style and aesthetic from the previous episodes. The desolate space and barren planetary surface convey an emptiness which sets the emotional tone.

The actual narrative is enigmatic, with strange elien creatures in homeostasis/incubation containers on a strange spaceship. We get the sense that this is foreshadowing to something which will be revealed later. Really though when it comes to this song/episode, it’s not so much about the intricate details of the story but about the overall ambiance. The mood and the emotion are what the viewer connects with in these pieces.

In terms of the actual music, I have to say that so far this is the best song of the three. It’s just really dynamic and the romantic lyrics resonated with me. Seriously the vocals are just dreamy. Dispirited also takes us further along in the storyline, as we can finally get a sense of the overarching framework developing. It will be really cool when all the episodes are finished so we can watch the entire story unfold in succession.

For more info:

https://www.hendrixmusic.net/