Brian Canning resides in Glendale, California with his wife and two children. Canning has been writing songs for other artists, scoring music for commercials and writing songs for movies and touring in bands for a healthy amount of time. Old Flames is his debut solo album.
This was an album that drew me in on the first listen. The music is warm and inviting but also melancholy and reflective. It’s got a folk oriented Americana sort of feel not too far from Wilco and mainly deals with the ashes of previous romantic relationships. The opener “Never Loved A Girl’ and just has a classic late ’60s lower east side vibe. It starts with acoustic guitar and vocals but quickly fills up with an entire band. Everyone plays what's needed and no more. Fantastic introduction. The opener was not a fluke. “I Don’t Care Anymore” is an exceptional song. Those Wilco vibes are strong in this song. I loved the chorus where he delivers the lines “I don’t care anymore.” It’s not sad or like he’s giving up. The feeling is cathartic and freeing. He continues to have success with “Gentle Collapse.” There’s some spoken word on this song which sounds familiar in a Conor Oberst type of way. The chorus is warm, memorable and emotionally resonant. “I Will Always Love, The Person I Thought You Were” is such a beautiful sentiment just on its own but the song matches the feeling of that statement. “Rebecca” is uplifting and catchy. It could be interpreted as being about unrequited love. If the delivery was off, this song could be a bit creepy because of the lyrics but it doesn't come off like that. Canning continues to hit it out of the park with a tender song about death called “Sweet Land.” “And They Sleep in Separate Bedrooms” is an intimate song with some fantastic guitar. Some of the lyrics about not being tempted by his girlfriend's sister made me giggle in the beginning but not in a bad way. As the song progresses it is lush and warm. “Wasting All Your Time” is probably the most chipper sounding song in mood while the reflective “It’s Not Broken” is the most melancholy but both were beautiful in their own way. I loved the Simon & Garfunkel flavor. The Grammys happened recently. I was looking at the nominations and half of the “musicians” didn’t even seem to know how to play an instrument. It felt like I was looking at brands with glossy production. It was disappointing and sad being a musician myself for over twenty-five years. In some versions of the multiverse Old Flames would be recognized far and wide for what it is which is the sound of a very talented musician who sounds like he’s playing in a room with actual instruments. Highly recommended.
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Independent guitarist and singer/songwriter from Toronto, Canada, Joe Silvaggio has been playing on and off with different bands since the ‘90s. Art of Insurrection is his first solo effort. Previously, Silvaggio was in a surf inspired retro rock band called the Atomic Beliveaus. They were among the last bands standing after the Great Lakes Surf Battle of 2018. Before that, he was in a variety of roots rock bands with experimental and psychedelic aspirations. Silvaggio currently gigs semi regularly in and around Southern Ontario and one of the highlights of the past few years was when he mounted a musical theater multimedia show titled The Book of Love. It was a mix of original compositions and covers, poetry and film exploring the theme of love throughout history.
Art of Insurrection was mostly recorded at home with a Mac book using Garage Band, an apogee duet and some good mics which were mostly an AKG 414 & Sure Sm 57 and SM 7B. Silvaggio’s friends contributed on bass, sax, vocals and drums – some of them remotely – and some songs were recorded at a friend’s home studio in Ottawa, Canada called Shovel Face Records. Mixed and mastered by Lewin Berringer from Garage Band and Beyond. The album is basically a mid-life crisis, rock record, which also dabbles in the styles of Americana, country, folk, blues and jazz. On the opening tune, Silvaggio states “Daily Grind” was his feeble attempt at some kind of “laid back Bossa nova.” Whether or not it has elements of a Bossa nova tune, I think it has a smooth, sophisticated sound. It’s lush, mellow delivery and saxophone played by Paul Newman (no, not THAT Paul Newman) and has a fantastic vibe to it. “Crimson Gold” is about empathy and it sounds like it took some inspiration from Neil Young and Wilco. Silvaggio adds his harmonica to the fold, while friends Peppe Piraino sings back up, Joe Iannuzzi on drums and Ian Davis on bass. Silvaggio stated that he couldn't afford a Nashville style pedal steel player, so he tried to mimic the sound of one on his electric guitar. “Home Again” begins with a warm rumbling sound on the drums and just an all-around awesome beat. I think this would make for a great music video with some dude driving in a classic car with the top down on the open road. More sax can be heard here. The next song “The Book of Love (featuring Christina Lianos),” originally written by Stephin Merritt and made popular by Peter Gabriel, is just lovely. And again, the sax played by Newman tied it all together perfectly. “Parting Words” uses a Nick Drake guitar tuning after Silvaggio immersed himself in English folk rock. If I could listen to just one song off this entire album, this one would be it. Silvaggio captured English folk so darn well, it felt like I was transported to another time. His guitar work was so well played, and I’ll be dammed if the saxophone didn’t sound like something from heaven. This song felt like spring, (which just happens to be right around the corner). “Julius and Ethel” is an instrumental Silvaggio wrote for his previous band, Atomic Beliveaus. It’s part trippy, part reggae and the guitar effect sounds reminded me of the stuff Brian Wilson was producing on Pet Sounds. A pretty inventive instrumental. “Post Office Girl” features a thick, dry drum beat I liked a lot and a mellow, warm acoustic rhythm. This one was my second most favorite. “Dust” begins with amp feedback sounds and spacious guitar riffs, and a narration by Jeff Orchard. “Winter Moon” is a brooding melancholy tune recorded with 12 string, slide and an organ – an all-around great closer to a very introspective, but beautifully produced album. The album kept me engaged from beginning to end. Silvaggio remarks that his debut “is small act of protest or insurrection during these hard and cruel times” but, it’s not necessarily a political record. He just tried to explore what he thought it meant to be human under difficult and inhumane conditions. Well, if this is what an independent guitarist/singer/songwriter going through a “mid-life crisis” sounds like, I’d like to hear more.
Samuel Dales is a Melbourne musician who is driven to capture the intensity and urgency of each raw note. First emerging as a solo artist in 2014 with his debut solo album Waking from Life, this was a first look into Dales as an artist on his own terms. His new album Past is Perfect comfortably fits into pop to metal territory and everything in-between. The album sees Dales flitting through genres, but what he keeps consistent is a sound that is clearly and uniquely his own. The music is in parts joyful and sorrowful, but what is unmistakable is the impassioned delivery. Dales throws everything he has into this project, and the results are beyond gratifying.
Past is Perfect starts off with the title track “Past Is Perfect,” where distorted guitars make up a wall of reverb towards the beginning as beats trickle in. It appears Dales is singing his heart out, as he belts out the lyrics with great enthusiasm. The music feels loud and energized. A whole lot of emotion could be felt behind Dale’s powerful vocals. Without wasting any time, the music gets going right away on “Floodgates.” The head-on intensity of the music could be felt in the get-go. Warbling synths sound off to great effect. Gradually, the music builds in momentum growing in sound. Toward the outro, the band is fully jamming out. Feedback reverberates toward the start, as some heavy bass lines arrest “Landfall.” The vocals are full-on tinged with a metal and hard rock vibe. This piece flips between soft and aggressive, showing glimpses of Dales’ range. You never know what you will be getting and this leaves audiences’ guessing throughout. His progressive rock influences could really be seen here. On the colossal “Future Man,” Dales expands his sound for this epic sounding number. This track is lengthier with over nine minutes in recording time. A pensive piano melody starts off this song as some sparse guitar riffs sound out. The vibe is introspective and contemplative. Next, the sound becomes more explosive with a melee of guitars becoming a wall of sound. The vibe has a hard rock edge to it. The sound just builds and builds. The rage-fueled vocals add a touch of aggression to the music. A bass adds a melodious flavor to “Casino.” As a melancholy piano melody leans into the sounds, synths in the backdrop become a part of the ambience. Dales’ vocals are filled with emotion and feeling. I was greatly carried away by the ebb and flow of the music. Some bass lights up the start of “Twin Flame.” Soon a drumming beat races in, keeping an even tempo. The percussions clashes in the backdrop. The sounds become heavy in rhythms. Dales’ voice comes through. The tribal beats really set the tone to this track. What sounds like orchestral strings add to the dynamism. On “Tidal King” bass and synths weave together for an altogether atmospheric sound. A fuller band sound tackles this song in the next instant. The sounds are a welling of emotion. The music feels larger-than-life as Dales mixes some soft and heavy rock into his sounds.“Progenitor” is another epic sounding track with over ten minutes of recording time. A hypnotic piano melody greets the start of this song. Next, the piano tunes grow in melody and starts to sound like something from a Tim Burton film. The melody is very haunting and eerie sounding. Next, some synths and choral background vocals come in, adding to the other-worldly ambience. Some beats shake up this track as giant sounding guitars race in. Dales’ vocals are straight-edged rock once they enter. A tribal beat backs him. Some autotunes add some distortion to the vocal effects. Sparse guitar riffs become more dynamic in traction as a full band sound makes an appearance on “Higher.” The sound is totally charged. Packed with reverberating emotional emphasis and passionate delivery, the closer feels very impactful. The song heavily leans on keys for the electronic impulse. The album finishes with this effective closer. A home-recording, the album was a solo record in the truest sense – Dales played all the instruments himself as well as engineering and mixing the album in his home studio. Borrowing instances from pop, prog and metal, the album is able to dip into different genres while also appearing cohesive as a whole. Holding the record together is Dales’ talent as a musician and vocalist. The album has influences in classic rock, but more than anything his sound is his own. Filled with immediacy and a raw intensity, this was a good start and I look forward to seeing where he goes from here.
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I remember a couple years back going on a first date and at the time I was obsessed with the concept of how technology arises in the world. Some of it was sparked by a podcast I heard between Sam Harris and David Deutsch. I tried explaining to my date how my mind was blown when thinking of this idea of how technology emerging into the physical world is a bit like magic. She looked at me like I was crazy. It’s like we’re in the matrix unlocking access to hidden doors but since the time scale is so spread out and builds on a foundation of previous knowledge it doesn't feel as magical.
That brings me to Technomagic by Robot Farm consisting of brothers Abraham Romney (vocals/guitar), Benjamin Joseph Romney (vocals/bass/guitar/keys) and Anthony Romney (drums). I was excited the album revolved around this theme type of theme. The album contains eleven songs and has a loose “indie rock” feel to it. I often thought the vocalist sounded like Stephen Malkmus from Pavement. The music is often playful and often felt like a reaction to the way we utilize and implement these technologies from social media to texting and everything in between. Despite the pensive and heady topic the music is quite playful. It doesn't feel ominous or dark but more matter of fact. The band also flirts with other topics like romantic love which you could hear on “Stella.” “World Explorers” is an exceptional song about exploring the world in a digital domain and it all works well together. The songs in general were very catchy and well written but there were some more standouts.``Marketeer” is a single worthy song with some of the most memorable melodies. The arpeggiated synths add to the theme on “Star” while “Technological Romance” is another highlight that is warm, infectious and fun. They pull off slight melancholy on “Feelings for You” and the closer “Where We Are” is notable as well. There was an indie band called The Unicorns that released Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone? They took the subject of death and made it accessible, warm and even fun. I feel like this album was on a similar wavelength but a different subject. Overall, I thought this was a great album. The tone was great and I look forward to more of this promising band. Recommended.
Jake, the Dog is Jacob Avery Shank. He recently released a self-titled seven song album Jake, the Dog. He explains: “The songwriting and recording came about this past year (2020), right as quarantining started to happen. I (Jake) was playing in a couple of bands whose shows were quickly canceled. I was left with time on my hands and wanted to record songs that I had been working on.” That’s a familiar story and if one good thing came out of COVID it’s the massive amounts of quality music that came from it.
There are a number of different styles but the focus is on indie pop and rock. “Innocence” is the opener and is a subdued, melancholy and pensive song that’s heartfelt and tender. There’s some nice guitar picking and vocals giving a slight Radiohead vibe to the songs. “On the Fence'' is a leap in energy. It’s a song that’s slightly funky with a prominent bass line that’s combined with strummed acoustic guitar. The vocals are delivered in a more lively and dynamic way than the opener. “Runner Chaser” is a bright and upbeat number. It’s straightforward but filled with some great vocals. There’s a good amount of emotion as well as memorable melodies which were easy to appreciate. The slower and melancholy “Quarter Cent” is on point as well bringing up Elliott Smith type of vibes. “Bardos” is a funky and atmospheric song that felt a tad out of place compared to the tone of the rest of the album. I was reminded of Thundercat. “Rhyme/Reason” is a lo-fi but catchy number while “Deadhead” is celebratory and felt like an appropriate closer. The recording quality is varied throughout. There are a number of songs which are noticeably more lo-fi than others and also a different volume. These are issues usually resolved by a mixing or mastering engineer but there’s only so much that can be done depending on the source. Overall, this is a solid release with a number of gems. Take a listen.
Built From Memories is the first release in ten years from Automated Acoustics. The album is very thematic and most of the songs to my ears sounded like something that would accompany a sci-fi big budget blockbuster movie. I often felt the songs somewhere between Hans Simmer and Zola Jesus. There are four songs but five remixes making it a total of nine songs.
The first song is entitled “Battle of The Gods (Exotic Mix)” and this song sounds Persian and one the more thematic songs in the batch. It earns its name and sounds like a war cry. That vibe continues with “Barebow Rebellion” which has an epic quality with huge sounding war drums, vocal chants and more. I also kept thinking of dinosaurs and the Mesozoic era for some reason. The album starts to feel sci-fi with “Ghosting Again” but is very dark as if we are exploring the villain's terrain with catapults, AI and other tropes from the genre. “Barebow Rebellion (Warehouse Mix)” is a club driven song with a thick kick drum. I was reminded of the exceptional act The Knife. “Ghosting Again (Jungle Gitch Mix)” sounds exactly as it’s described and we get into percussive heavy and fast electronic drums much more in the style of Aphex Twin. “Swept Away'' gets back into movie mode and made me think of huge battle sequences. The more meditative “Barebow Rebellion (Ambient Mix)” is closer to the recent Jon Hopkins track “Singing Bowl (Ascension).” We hear some rare guitar “Swept Away (Stripped Mix)” and overall is a more subdued version of the original. The album ends where it started with “Battle of The Gods (no Exotic mix)” and is just as epic as the opener. This is a huge sounding thematic album. If you enjoy some of the aforementioned underground electronic artists with a healthy dose of Hans Simmer this should be in your music rotation.
Brand-new four-piece rock band based out of New York City, The Grey Scales is rolling out with their new album Life Lessons. The band is led by Brandon Glasgow who contributes on lead vocals, background vocals and rhythm guitar, and who also was the one behind the music and lyrics. Glasgow’s lead is unmistakable as his commandeering showmanship takes the band’s synergy and funnels it through this ten-track collection with explorations into alternative, indie, blues, soul, funk and pop territory.
Life Lessons gets revving with “Atomic People,” where once the guitars hit, the sounds build in texture and vibe. The energy then grows in consistency. The vocals that arrive reminded me of Dave Matthews. I thought Glasgow had a warm and inviting timbre that sounded similar to the type of music this performer plays. The band performs in parts blues with a touch of funk, soul and rock in the mixture. This felt like a feel-good tune a lot of people can rock out to. Some sparse guitar sounds out starkly in the air towards the start of “Hook.” Gradually, a fuller band sound fuses into the vibes. Strumming on the acoustic guitar grows more dynamic and I was arrested by the rhythms. The music is fiery and impassioned. The guitar in particular reminded me of Santana. I thought there was a happening Latin vibe that paired great with the blues. Rumbling bass starts out “Checkmate.” As the low hum of background vocals come in, soon the music becomes more focused with spiraling guitar riffs and Glasgow’s vocals. Glasgow’s voice is filled with grit which nicely fit with the bluesy pulse. A whole lot of soul could be heard in his vocals. This felt like another on-point performance. A raw countdown starts off “Privacy” that has a great punk rock driven vibe to it. Glasgow’s vocals are sung in an electric rush that really hits the pulse with this type of music. The feel-good, uplifting tunes are prevalent throughout this song. The guitars rev for an out-of-control session. I loved the energy here. In this instant, Glasgow’s vocals reminded me of The Call. Off to a sauntering groove, a bit of funk could be heard in the keys and bass lines on “Hey Charlotte.” This felt like something to come from the ‘70s. The funky blues rock notes add a distinctive flavoring to the music. A bit of disco could also be detected in the sounds. This seemed like a playful tune great to get down and groovin’ to. A marching drumming beat sets the tone to the intro of “Falling Down.” Next, some melodious guitar rhythms settle in. Starkly in the backdrop, Glasgow’s vocals sound off. This track had a touch of melancholy to it. The vibe of this song reminded me of Lifehouse’s “Hanging by a Moment.” The nostalgic feel to this track made it a highlight. On “Going Down In Flames,” some intricate guitars meet the start of this song. A couple of distorted effects makes this a wild ride. With little holding back, the vocals come in full of driven energy. Glasgow gets down and dirty with this gritty hard rocking tune. This felt like another track that revisits some classic rock vibes. On “Happy Home,” some percussions sizzle in the background. The guitars add a bluesy vibe to the music. This song had a touch of reggae to it bringing with it a warm and beachy sound. The song’s tune reminded me of Bobby McFerrin’s “Don’t Worry Be Happy.” The howling of wolves greets the intro of “Wolf.” Gradually, the music becomes more amped with a darker edge. Highlighting a bit of aggression, Glasgow’s vocals come in uncovering more grit in his voice. The pacing of the music will make you feel alive. The fiery and passion behind the sound will grab you right away. This felt like a great way to close the album. The band has a great energy. They fully fall back on their live sound to flesh out these tracks. Filled with some great live energy, these songs display the band’s great on-stage presence, as these performances don’t feel overly fixed or polished. Some feel-good tunes in the vein of blues, funk, soul, pop and rock makes for a striking sound. The band brings their brand of rock n’ roll to the masses and it is without a doubt something that will get you rocking out to in no time. Each player is fully in-sync to each member’s frequencies as it is undeniable the band has some great chemistry. An adventure from start to finish, this record is well worth exploring. Many discoveries await, so dive right in!
Seth Emmert has been writing songs for about four or five years which isn’t very long in my opinion but he is off to a good start with his release Doomsday Etc. The EP contains five songs but is only fifteen minutes long and goes by fast. Emmert explains “Doomsday Etc is a reflection on and a reckoning with the problems of incarnation and suffering. It's about attachment, aversion, pain, but mostly my own tendency to kind of get off on my own obsessive and depressive nature.” I can relate and truth be told I’m sure millions of people out there find themselves in a very similar situation.
“Bluecartoonblues” is the opener and a clear highlight. It's intimate, warm and melancholy. Emmert gets the delivery and sincerity right and avoids feeling like a “woe is me” pity party. There are subtle backwards effects that add to the experience and also I thought the electric piano sounded good. “Deathwish'' is a good song as well. It starts off with a very similar vibe but the added instrumentation like drums and pads that show up halfway through the song give it a hopeful and triumphant feeling. “Reckoning” reminds me quite a bit of Bright Eyes, especially their early material I was listening to about twenty years ago. “To Drought or Drown'' is lush and dreamlike and slowly begins more intensely. Last up is “Doomsday” which is a simple song revolving a couple chords but again well delivered. The artist displays his talent with this release and I think if he continues to dedicate his time to songwriting he can expand on some of the ideas and structure with relative ease. Overall, this is an introduction that made me a fan and I look forward to hearing where he goes from here.
I was a teenager in the ’90s and some of the bands I grew up on were My Bloody Valentine, The Smashing Pumpkins, Hum and other like minded bands. Those bands run the spectrum between shoegaze and alternative, and are in my opinion in the space where TV1 from Teal Vessel (aka Ryan Mach) lives.
This was an easy EP for me to enjoy. The aesthetics which define the song is an amalgamation of distorted guitars, driving beats and vocals which are usually covered in hall reverb. “Blue & Green'' has that lush, angelic quality that attracted me to bands like The Jesus and Mary Chain, Ride and My Bloody Valentine. It’s a great song and also a fairly straightforward tune when you strip away the reverb. Next up is “Bumper” and this one veers a little more towards a band like Hum. There is more space on this song for elements to breathe during the verse making for a dynamic impact when the chorus hits. It’s also quite catchy underneath the waves of white noise. “Light Scratches” rocks hard and very much stays aligned with the foundation he creates with the first two songs. This song is a little more “fun” and at points felt like a summer jam. Phaser pedals, memorable melodies and a sense of kinetic energy is all over “Sun” which is the arguable highlight. We get a slight change on “Rigel.” There are some moments where it’s simply stripped down and sounds more akin to Elliott Smith but that’s juxtaposed with the most epic moments on the EP which sounds a little weird on paper but works. The production and recording quality fit the songs. As an engineer myself I would have mixed the songs in a very similar way. Overall, this is a really good EP from beginning to end. All the songs are strong and I hope to hear a full length at some point. Recommended.
Rob Sadowski (guitar/bass/keys) and John O'Reilly Jr (drums/percussion) are Blurred Scenery. They recently released a self-titled album Blurred Scenery. Sadowski has also been writing and producing music for television shows including The History Channel, The Discovery Channel, A&E, MTV, VH1, as well as digital media outlets.
This album is instrumental and to my ears is primarily a rock album. The first song is entitled “The Perils Of Not Knowing” which is a nice mix of sub genres. It’s a bit cosmic and cerebral like Radiohead and Pink Floyd but there’s definitely some prog and math rock in the mix. The lead guitar brings with it an ’80s sort of vibe as well. The title track “Blurred Scenery” contains a great groove. This had more of a ’90s indie rock flavor not too far from the band Hum. The mood feels hypnotic and meditative on “Signal Strength.” I loved the bass line on the song. “Sea of Tranquility” was a highlight and the title is apt. It’s very serene, tranquil and more or less builds with intensity and elements as it progresses. The song reaches a crescendo toward the very end which contains some silky guitar. “Human Transition” bursts at the seams with energy. The BPM is fast and blends electronic and organic elements really well. “5ths Apart” is an explosive song and very dynamic while “Waiting For Change” revisits the vibe of “Sea of Tranquility” which I think is the band's strength. I really enjoyed “Window Seat” but it also contains a different vibe. It’s more chipper than the other songs and felt more folk based with a tiny smidge of bluegrass. The band gets back into more moody music with “You And I” and closes with “A New Devil” which is a darker ambient piece which is basically free of percussion. This was a solid release from beginning to end. The musicianship was top notch and I thought the album was fairly cohesive. Recommended.
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April 2024
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