Some impressive synths on this new track from “Daku Lights,” a London based band in the UK. It’s interesting that the band members are wearing shirts that say Miami in their photos, because my first thought when listening to this was that the music gave off kind of a 1980s Miami vibe, combined with a newer more EDM oriented Miami sound. The production quality on this release is excellent and the vocals are all solid. The band should consider releasing a separate version of this that’s all instrumental, as it would make great soundtrack music.
London rock trio “Magazine Gap” has a video out for their new single, “Ran For Cover.” Their style draws from an eclectic variety of influences. This particular track has an overall jazzy feel to it, with some elements of alternative pop and adult contemporary. Basically this is like what pop music made by intelligent people sounds like. “Ran For Cover” is pristine and professional while managing to retain its organic quality. This is much harder to achieve than one might think. There’s no effects “smokescreen” or deficiencies that are being masked here. The production simply accentuates what would already be a solid song, even if it were recorded on 4-track. The horn parts are catchy and memorable, and I found myself looking forward to them on repeated listens. Shoutout to Binker Golding on saxophone and Jeffrey Brown on Trumpet, for contributing what I think is a crucial component to this song.
The video appears to be mostly footage of traveling around the streets of London but edited in a way that somehow manages to create an artistically poignant video. Great ambiance. There’s too much talent associated with this band and their production team to be able to talk about it in a review of this length, but honestly their music pretty much speaks for itself.
The Country music world produces some of the best performers in the world. Some of them fly under the radar and don’t always get the recognition they deserve. “Promised Land,” a new release by Russ Still and The Moonshiners (off their album “Still Cookin”) is a prime example of the excellence contemporary country music has to offer. Russ Still has been playing in bands for over 40 years, and his musiciansmanship and arrangements are clearly displayed in this release. In the lyrics of the song there’s a reference to him being “30 years past his prime.” There’s no indication that anybody on this recording has lost a step musically though. “Promised Land” is brimming with energy and enthusiasm, combined with the skill and professionalism of well worn country scene veterans. Great quality stuff here.
It’s obvious from listening to singer-songwriter Leah Capelle’s new track “Joshua” that she’s extremely talented. Her voice comes through with crystal clarity on the recording. Despite being extremely well produced, the song doesn’t utilize any needless overprocessing or “autotune.” Capelle is a pro singer with awards and high profile showcases under her belt, and I’d be willing to bet this jam sounds every bit as good live. The song itself is kind of a mix between “adult contemporary” and pop but with an organic feel to it. The free spirited outdoorsy ambiance of the video certainly accentuates this. Solid music video from a legit performer.
“And you, Brutus” is an impressive new song from the band Cranford Hollow’s album “Color/Sound/Renew/Revive.” Within the first few seconds of listening, you can immediately tell these guys are professionals. One can sense a lot of working class, mid 70’s classic southern rock influences, but the sound itself maintains a contemporary appeal rather than coming across novel or from some kind of retro tribute outfit. The vocalist is stellar, and his voice vaguely resembles that of early Bruce Springsteen on stuff like “Atlantic City.” The lyrics are imaginative and highly detailed, transcending all the cliches that are associated with this style of music. The recording itself is clean and polished, with excellent musiciansmanship all the way around. Just a solid band. Support them and buy their album.
“America” is a new track out from a talented 4 piece band from New York known as Quantum Split. The video has a somewhat late 80’s VHS-like glitch aesthetic which is clearly intentional and a good artistic fit for the music, which is a quality blend of classic rock, glam and soul. The guitar solos are reminiscent of bands like Guns and Roses, but Quantum Split clearly draws from a variety of styles and manages to create their own unique sound. The contagious energy and enthusiasm in “America” along with the charismatic female vocals provide the listener with a positive and mood uplifting experience.
Sakis Gouzonis is a Greek, electronic music composer, and “Amazing Space” is his 10th studio album. The songs are all instrumental and would be suitable as both intelligent dance tracks, but I could see myself listening to this while on a long, late night drive out of town. It provides an energetic spacey ambiance, but one that you could “think” to as well as dance to. My favorite song on the album is “Into the Stars” which is reminiscent of some of the more epic tracks from classic video games like Final Fantasy VI.
New Orleans based rapper Nyko Bandz has a new video out for his jam, “Lift Off.” It unexpectedly features a cute little dog in the opening. The song itself showcases Nyko’s unique and somewhat unconventional delivery style helps to distinguish him from other similar rappers. The strategic repetition of certain lines such as “I feel like Rick Ross. I’m about to lift off” combined with the slow, deliberate and methodical beat give the song almost a hypnotic quality. Pretty solid video from a rapper with a memorable brand.
“Mildred Pierce / Millard Filmore” is a song from the DIVINATION album. It begins with a cover of Mildred Pierce by Sonic Youth and then continues into Millard Filmore which is an arrangement of the notes in Mildred Pierce in reverse order. The video is a variation on the Alice in Wonderland story with a twist on the relationship between the White Rabbit and Alice.
