Jon Shina makes cool, original music – that’s a fact. It’s fun, unpretentious and has a large array of sounds to choose from and most importantly it is refreshingly original. If I had to compare it to something it might be Max Tundra because of the massive orgy of sounds that you wouldn’t even think would work together but somehow do. His album entitled Doo Over mixes so many great organic instruments with clever electronic elements and samples. It really is a pleasure to listen to someone who has a creative talent to be able to assemble so many different sounds and make sense of them.
The album starts with “Doo Over’ which has awesome, ferocious drums and sustained guitar leads that if it wasn’t for their tone might not work but it totally does and is a great, short starter. The second track “25 Maple” brings things up a notch with a surplus of sounds including organs, dirty drums, various synths, samples, and cool breakdown that has some great lead vocals. Listen to this track – it’s really good! It kind of reminded me of The Books in how the parts changed so often and something new and exciting was just around the corner. The good times continue with “Surrounded By Plastic” which is as original as it is catchy. Possibly the most experimental song in the album is “Super Duper Girl’ with so many different samples and changes that it might make the most tantalizing listen on the album. “Child of the Nineties” closes the album and continues with the intricate programming and adds another shade of unique drum programming. Just go and listen to this album already–Do it!
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Ron Chesher is a solo artist hailing from central Virginia. Under the pseudonym of his project Undertow, Chesher’s EP Red Bird Soliloquy blends a unique mix of keys, strings, percussion, and other electronic influences that is not wholly definable under any singular genre. The genres cross together and work for better or worse but mostly the former. The beats are rhythmically complex and often have a dark, almost ominous tone, while the vocals are skiddish and delivered like a rap but somehow not. The production is strong and is another solid release from Go Forth Records. It’s ultimately a very unique listen that will have people either moving on or intrigued.
The album kick things off with “Once Again” which presents us with an industrial beat, distant piano, and Chesher’s unique spoken word/rap until it all breaks down with an organ, piano, and guitar, dismissing the drums entirely. What’s most unique is when Chesher starts singing. It’s such a contrast to the beginning of the song but somehow he pulls it off. The highlight of the album for me was “Through It All” which is put together extremely well. All the elements seemed to work including his spoken poetry. Another decent song is “Scarcrossed” partially because it is such as departure from the rest of the album. That being said there was no climax and left me bored by the end. The spoken word is gone instead replaced by some sort of Chesher singing style. The album closes with the “The Feeling We Get” which is probably the darkest song on the album but is fitting. Ron Chesher will not appeal to everyone and often times I found myself confused as to what he was trying to achieve in the song but I one thing I can say is that he has created something original. Some people just have it in their blood. It’s that thing that’s been nagging at you while you live your life. Constantly bringing your mind back to your passion. It is almost more prescient the more you push it away. I’m pretty sure this is the way a lot of musicians feel when they are working their 9 – 5 jobs and I’ll make the assumption that Blake Farha had a similar itch. Blake Farha is a native Texan singer/songwriter who has been playing and writing music for over 13 years. After earning a degree in economics, he taught English abroad for a few years, and then decided to move back to Austin, TX to pursue music. It wasn’t until after playing a number of open mics that he was ready to record his first EP The Uphill Climb, which for its six songs are simply Blake’s voice and his guitar. Luckily, this is all he really needs to make an album that keeps your attention as the melodies are catchy and the lyrics are poignant. He sings about things like ambition, regret and distrust. The first song entitled “Just Listen, Please” actually speaks to his passion to play and share his music. He sings, “This is my art, and all I want is to share it with somebody new with a little luck you might open your ears and let it speak to you.” Not only is this the tale of 99% of musicians but it’s also a very good song with a diverse vocal delivery. The theme is switched with the second song “A Lot to Learn” as he talks about his younger self and the ignorance that most of us share when speaking with an older generation. Each song continues with it own tightly-knit packaged theme that holds together well on its own but is even better within the context of the whole album. Blake Farha has made an impressive debut EP and should have us excited about what his future may hold.
James Parenti has been playing intimate acoustic performances in New York City and throughout the Northeastern US since 2007. After honing his craft for years his exceptional debut album, "Maybe That's Why We Lost” was finally released back in 2011. The album is filled with delicate, intimate songs that are meticulously crafted. The songwriting here is what ultimately makes this a great album. Little more then a guitar and vocals is present throughout most of the album and the occasional dry drum kit with a set of brushes. Not unlike Elliot Smith’s recording-style, Parenti overdubs the vocals, which give it an even more intimate feel, and really works well in the context of the songs.
The album starts with “Your Frame” which is laced with a somber ambience that contains beautiful vocals, poetic lyrics and just the right amount of solace that will have you hooked. The albums doesn’t let down with the second song entitled “Catching Snakes” which introduces some light drum work with brushes and visits themes about attachment and love. The album is consistent and there really isn’t a dud among the mix. With so many good songs it’s the kind of album of albums that you press play once, drink your preferred alcoholic beverage and enjoy the finely crafted songs. If I had to pick, then it would be “Lyla,” “Nothing Here for You” and “Winter” as my highlights among the goodness. Don’t pass this one up if you appreciate a well-recorded album that has excellent songwriting. When the feeling is right and all the elements are well balanced, I find it really hard to get tired of the intimate and direct feel that you can get from good old-fashioned folk music. Mix it with a vibrant pop-rock twist and you got a really pleasant mix, not unlike bands such as Wilco, Fleet Foxes or Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers. Craig Robertson's full length "Everything Will Pass" definitely falls along these lines, relying heavily on the brightness and organic feel of the acoustic guitars that animate the songs on the album. The vocals lay pretty low in the mix, but the soft, deep tonality melts perfectly on the song arrangements, almost reminiscent of the melancholic vibe of artists such as Nick Drake or Elliott Smith, but with a little more lightness to it, and an outlook towards classic sounds such as Neil Young-inspired folk rock. The album kicks off with an upbeat, folky song sprinkled with some country twang entitled “The Fadeout (Country of the Mind).” The howling “ooooh’s” and cascading acoustic guitars set a good pace before the last phrase of the song breaks down with an instrumental piece that slowly starts to dissolve before we are introduced to “Everything Will Pass” which continues with the creative picking of guitars and even starts to rock a bit. Don’t be fooled though because there are some slower numbers of this album such as “The Old Stoner” and the album’s closer “Sunday Driver” which is some smooth sounding upright bass. This is a really good record that flows smoothly from start to finish.
Based in Auckland, New Zealand Ratsmagic is a group of dynamic musicians, who started jamming together in March of 2012. Their music is a fusion of blues, funk and rock executed so that it clearly displays that all the members in the band are not only creative but also technically very accomplished. Their self-entitled debut EP is an eclectic blend of music that mixes jam-band type tendencies that would surely make a fun live show. The first two tracks (“Over My Head” and “Sticks and Stones”) exhibit groovy blues-rock riffs with undertones of funk. “Over my Head” starts with some metronome-like drumming with a wild, frantic harmonica until the funky, yes very funky bass kicks in.Vocal duties are shared on this song and they play off the male and female vocals, collaborating effectively on certain parts and choosing to go solo other times. The remaining three tracks “Ready to Shine” “Studio Girl” and “Viking Kong” are a little bit darker and don’t have the jam-band type vibe as the previous songs. “Ready to Shine” is a great track with Joplin-esque vocals and contains some really incredible lead guitar but the highlight for me was “Studio Girl.” I can imagine that this album sounds incredibly similar to how Ratsmagic might sound live. This is an impressive debut EP that showcases Ratsmagic’s ability to tap into a variety of different styles that should appeal to a wide audience.
Forest Marchini started his love affair with music at a very tender age, eventually beginning to try his hand at song-writing at 13, embracing genres as diverse as grunge to rock-classical hybrid. "Bridges" strays from the rich arrangement and orchestral compositions in favor of a more intimate, stripped down approach putting piano and vocals under the spotlight. This record was completely self-written and self-produced by forest, and this makes for very minimal aesthetics, with songs evoking a canned - lit environment, not only because the mood of the recordings, but also because of the highly introspective and poetic nature of the lyrical work, that in a way bring his music close to artists the likes of Ellott Smith or Nick Drake, but trading the acoustic guitar for the haunting and embracing piano compositions.
The album starts with "Mind the Gap" which is an emotional piano ballad which displays his diverse vocal range. The lyrics avoid typical cliche's and vary in ambiguity and imagery. Other songs such as "Porcelain" and "The Observer" were highlights among the songs. That being said the song-writing here is top-notch and proves you don't need other players if you are incredibly skilled at one instrument. Overall, this is a solid, honest and emotional record that manages to sound accomplished with very little in the mix. While Aladdin and Jasmine had their magic carpet ride, I was soaring through my own carpet journey through a universe beyond what Aladdin defined as "magic". So maybe I didn't have a princess to show the breath taking views of the city and fly beyond the pyramids. But instead, I had the architecture of Futility Closet's unique sound illustration show me a whole new world. A world where hip-hop beats are collaborated with deep melodies that your taste buds in music are exposed to a unique flavor you can't resist.
The Carpet Universe is a universe beyond the stars and planets. It carries you through a genuine space where your mind is completely free to roam and enter a new realm of thinking. Futility Closet expresses his music to make you feel at peace and allow you to be who you are. It's a journey to look back at the moments you used to feel and a present feeling of forgetting that the world around you is still roaming. You don't need a sense of direction of where the music is going with you. Allow the music to flow in you and lead you to open your soul with the diversity of instruments engaging at your inner heart. Jasmine had no idea Aladdin would show up at her balcony to bring her on a trip she would never forget. And neither was I expecting a carpet ride to a universe beyond my imagination of birds chirping, water flowing, hi hats, and snares all mixing with each other. Every week we mention a couple of artists that are worth your time to check out that were not featured in our weekly reviews.
Spirits of the Age has the exact feel you might think the title would describe. If you have a taste for the older electronic equipment that hasn't been touched by human hands for a while. Lawton Hall is here to change that. Based out of the Midwestern center that has held talents past our knowledge, it would have only been a matter of time before someone else decided to break-ground. Now I will say that Spirits of the Age is not for everyone. As a pure instrumental EP, lasting well into the 8 minute train of progression, as a music inhabitant you'll find that these strange sounds have escaped what the internal courses of what one's emotional let down and up bringing would sound like. What keeps coming to mind is the very instinct of a series of sounds we remember as children, whether your father worked in a factory or relative worked near railways. This metal tactic embraces a simplistic comparative towards an old fashioned world with the futuristic molds of today. The track that stands out for me is The Future Forest which embarks on an emotive transition between hypnosis and relativity. At a scientific point of view these electronic devices Lawson has found beneath the rubble, contract a symphony that is only heard through the process of our brain combining the sounds we hear in everyday life. Never making the connection that we in return are creating our very own orchestrated atmosphere. Madison, Wisconsin is harboring a man that rattles the nights with unforeseen circumstances that may make you second guess whether you would want to walk up to the house that has the surface facing the alley, leaving the music hovering above, wanting to be heard. Many questions have been asked if the Midwest itself is the showcase for Lawson, whether his surroundings are the reason for the way his music sounds. And in the rightful way of a mysterious being, he simply response with that "its a bit more complicated than that."If you can handle the dark side and the brighter side of things, converging your your line of sight. Then this EP is rightfully for you. |
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