The Busking EP by Hatted Doe is an excellent sampling of bluesy rock songs. Tipping the hat (no pun intended) to the title of the EP, the songs are stripped down to just guitar and voice (both of which are occasionally overdubbed upon) and the songs hold up very nicely making for an intimate and rewarding listening experience.
The EP opens with “Still Standing” which sounds like a stripped down Guess Who fronted by Nico channeling Linda Perry. The chorus is catchy and has some nice backing vocals. The guitar breaks are bluesy and well executed. “Songs To Set You Free” is a slow groove with an R&B like flavor to it. The chorus is very catchy, and the vocal delivery throughout is very emotional and powerful. There is some Marc Ribot-ish herky-jerky guitar soloing at the end that is a nice punctuation to the song. “What It’s All About” follows a descending guitar pattern and a gritty bluesy Janis Joplin vocal on top. An extremely well executed guitar solo and a husky vocal performance give the song lots of soul. The lyrics are smart and as usual for Hatted Doe, the chorus is very well constructed. “Tell Me Angel” is another good foray into r&b with its choppy guitar and soulful vocal line. The reverb laced finger-snaps that occasionally show up are a nice touch that add some unobtrusive percussive qualities in a winking way. “Present Forever To Last” closes the EP and departs from the 1960s classic rock vibe that influenced most of the preceding songs and moves more into a 1990s 4 Non Blondes power ballad territory. The execution is flawless, the vocal tone fits perfectly and there’s a haunting slide guitar solo to break up the verses. It’s the strongest song on the EP and it would be interesting to see the band follow up on this direction of songwriting more. The songwriting and performances are good, and if this sampling shows what half the band can do on their own, it’ll be great to hear a full album with the full band.
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Solomon Vaughn, a/k/a Boonie Mayfield is a hip-hop artist hailing from Colorado Springs/Denver, CO. Vaughn has had a career of ups and downs (like when he got all of his equipment stolen) but recently released Boonie Mayfield Presents: Solomon Vaughn. Boonie Mayfield Presents: Solomon Vaughn is an eclectic hip-hop album that is soulful, fresh, retro and relevant. There were multiple times I was reminded of D’angelos latest release Black Messiah in that it contains an old school R&B soul vibe you can trace back to to the 60’s and 70’s. Those moments which are perfect for a hip chill lounge end up being the best on Boonie Mayfield Presents: Solomon Vaughn.
After a quick intro entitled “Brothafromanothamotha (feat. Shawn Keith)” the album starts rolling with “The Wonder Years.” The beat, the rhymes and just about everything else on this song are top notch. There is such a chill yet mysterious vibe that Vaughn creates that you are almost destined to start bobbing your head and snapping you hands. “Driven (No Limits)” utilizes synth and has a distinctly different feel from “The Wonder Years” while “Haterade” is one of the most innovative songs that takes advantage of smooth bass lines, sporadic organ, and gospel vocal harmonies. “Haterade” has original rhymes that avoids cliches and tropes. Vaughn doesn't have a problem throwing in words like “orthodontist” or just making up his own word “Haterade.” “Mile Hi” was an unexpected seven minute song that is largely vacant of vocals. There is a psychedelic haze on this song like you're in a dream. The song could have probably been wrapped up in five minutes but was still nonetheless enjoyable, Another highlight “Foya” which was only a minute and a half long but has some of the most infectious melodies. “Foya” contains soulful singing that I hope to hear more of in the future. At seventeen tracks Boonie Mayfield Presents: Solomon Vaughn can sometimes feel a bit scattered. There were a couple tracks which probably could have been left out to make the album feel cohesive. That being said Boonie Mayfield Presents: Solomon Vaughn never has any straight up duds. The album contains a number of good and a couple of great songs. Boonie Mayfield Presents: Solomon Vaughn is no-brainer if you are into hip-hop that isn’t afraid to be original and take some chances.
Crooked We Stand by 18 Seconds is an album of instrumental guitar-led soundscapes in the vein of Sigur Ros or Explosions In The Sky. There are some really incredible moving moments on the album that with some editing could really soar.
“I Am Empty Are You Too?” Has some well programmed electronic percussion incorporating handclaps and claves that burble under an arpeggiated guitar and a grunged out melodic line that incorporates a long legato line. The “b section” of the song has a Smashing Pumpkins-like chunking guitar pattern complete with squeals. The stereo effects move the melody around towards the middle of the song which make for an interesting effect, afterwards the song moves to what feels like the same loop of music for quite awhile. It’s a well written part but could be half as long to get the same point across. “Raccoon On The Highway” has a catchy driving Pearl Jam-ish progression with a heavily effected melodic line that sings out over it. The song has a fantastic “b-section” that locks into a new groove and has a smart distinct melody that contrasts with the chimey accompaniment. Locking in with the drums tends to be the weaker moments of the album. “Time Is An Illusion I Am Melting Away” follows an ostinato pattern of a descending line that is reframed by the changes in chords and instruments that find their way in. The tremolo guitars in the background give a swirling atmospheric effect, and the clean acoustic guitar really drives the song. There are a few missed hits in the drums which are unfortunate as it can distract from some of the melodic lines and changes in feels, particularly towards the end of the song. “Cuddling Bears” opens with a sea of harmonic sounds evoking bowed glass or vibraphones. Soon it’s joined by a haunting chimey guitar line that rises and falls with an Explosions In The Sky type of vibe. Adding in a reverbed piano and occasional cymbal hits completes a very expansive soundscape. There’s a moving string line that enters and works, but the addition of the drums which don’t quite lock in and are a bit busy don’t, however. The song does gel together by the end, but at that point it’s gone on a bit long. “In The End We’re All The Same” starts out with a strong melody that is soon thrown askew by a descending countermelody that is out of phase. It’s striking and it works towards the title. Again, however the drums take away from the drive and groove of the melody by never quite lining up consistently. “The More I Look, The Less I See” could almost be a U2 instrumental in melodic and harmonic content. The strings and chimes add some intensity over the growling motor of the guitar. Here, the drums add a mostly nice build. “Sifitikki” closes the album with Sigur Ros/Explosions In The Sky atmosphere and some gorgeous guitar tones and melodies. There’s a beautiful hushed quality and the understated nature of the piece works extremely well to create the tone. The closing song is the strongest song overall on the album (though many of the other ones have lots of strong moments) because the strengths of performance and composition are really shown off. Shortening up some of the sections of the other songs and lining up the percussion could really help them take off. 18 Seconds creates some very smart soundscapes, it would be nice to highlight those strengths even more.
Dan Woodfield, Adam Ostick, Tyler Lowes, and Nathan Fitzsimmons are the four members that make up Nevertime High. The band has been working relentlessly on their self-titled thirteen song album that is pretty straightforward pop punk. You can hear influences from band like Less Than Jake to Blink 182 and about six degrees of separation from there. The songs are well-written, anthemic and do exactly what you expect a pop punk song to do. There is no doubt the band will have to swim through a sea of adversity when they are entering such an over saturated genre. The fact that the sons sound familiar to mainstream pop punk is only going to make their music that much more transient.
The thirteen songs begin to bleed into each when listening to Nevertime High from the beginning to end. It’s obvious the band has their tool and tricks (guitar scrapes, vocal harmonies during the chorus, etc) which they use quite effectively. That being said by the time the tenth song arrives you already have a good idea of where the song is going to go and what to expect because the band rarely goes outside of their comfort zone. The topics the band sings about falls in line what most pop punk songs revolves around. Topics like ex-girlfriends, nostalgic memories of a friend and a million other things kids growing up an affluent suburb can relate to are sung about. Some of the band's best moments are also their fastest. Take for instance “Chasing Sunsets” which showcases their technical skills and tips the hat to speeds that bands like NOFX and Pennywise would play at. Another highlight is “Dreaming Of My Friends” which has a ska vibe that sounds good on the band while “Walked On By” displays a stripped down but effective song that is one of the more memorable from the album. Nevertime High contains pockets of inspired moments but also relies on a lot of tropes you would expect to hear. This is a solid start for the band but hope to hear some more components on their future releases that carve out their own niche.
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Cravagoide is a duo from Italy comprised of Marco Pizzamiglio and Pierpaolo Sala. On their recent release Empty Frame they combine stylistic components from Boards of Canada and Sigur Rós and make a magnificent cocktail of original electronic compositions. Take hard hitting beats of Boards of Canada and replace the alien, ominous atmosphere they are known for with the ethereal, angelic sound of Sigur Rós and you should have a decent idea of what Cravagoide brings to the table.
Empty Frame combines movement with emotions and sounds with sensations as the waveforms paint pictures in your mind. Most of the songs have a reflective quality but never remain stagnant in grandeur. The nostalgia moves forward, back and behind but avoids feeling contrived. The album opens with “Vmap” in which anyone familiar with Boards of Canada and Sigur Rós should notice the comparison I was referring to earlier. Nonetheless, “Vmap” is still tranquil, serene and kinetic. The song can be split into two parts. It starts with soft piano, atmospheric pads and subtle kick drums. It begins to shift in tone and texture and around two-and-a-half minutes pours Postal Service type beats with some of the production you would expect from Boards of Canada. After the first track I was hoping the rest of the album was going to be as strong and wasn’t disappointed. “Try” splices up vocal samples with heavy beats and warm pads. There’s a good amount of things happening but the song still feels like it has tons of space. Some songs like “Lost Cable” are dance worthy numbers you can imagine placing at the hippest club in the city while “B without A” is an emotionally resonant piece that doesn’t overstay its welcome. A personal highlight was “Mosphere” which was a glitch heavy song that reminded of Mum. The nuances in this song make headphones a necessity. It delivers upon what the duo does best as it marries kinetic movement with an emotional foundation. Empty Frame works not only on a song-by-song basis but also as a cohesive album. The duo didn’t over do it with track count and every song is different but connects to the overall themes, sounds and textures. Highly Recommended.
I would have never have guessed that Tough Guise was made up of one person named Jess Wilton while listening to the self-titled album Tough Guise. The retro sounding rock album sounds like a band that was recorded live in a room. On top of that Wilton also recorded, mixed and mastered the songs. The recording is a little shy of what you would expect from a professional studio but nonetheless not bad.
There is little not to like or appreciate about Tough Guise. The songs are well written and Wilton has an original sounding voice premade for rock and the guitar riffs are pretty badass. The first track “I Don't Wanna Save The World” contains a good amount of attitude. There is an essence of Pretenders and even Patti Smith within this song. The song comes at you with a fuzzed out bass guitar and a driving beat. Wilton’s anti-hero lyrics are exactly what rock needs in this day and age. “New Year’s Resolutions” is one of the highlights amongst the thirteen songs. It’s a straightforward no frills rock song with infectious, memorable vocal melodies. The song has more in common with post-punk than modern day mainstream rock. Wilton continues to be consistent with the songs as the album progresses. “Letting Things Be” is a fast paced, energetic tune while “Arguing Opinions” showcases a cathartic vocal performance. “Chasing A Ghost Through New York City” is another fast-paced song that plays into Wilton’s strengths. Overall, Tough Guise is far from perfect but thoroughly enjoyable. I think the next logical step for Wilton would be to try and get to the next level in terms of recording quality. There were a number of issues like varying song volumes and buried elements that if taken care of could make her competitive with more established bands. Recommended.
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Natural Habitat aka Manuel Garcia is a young artist who is showing some potential with his recent release The Heart of Hearing. Garcia may not be old enough to legally buy alcohol yet but nonetheless is showing some sophistication and creative prowess that you wouldn't expect from someone so young. The songs on The Heart of Hearing are simple, revolving around a couple of guitars and vocals. Some of it sounds like The Strokes minus the bass and drums that combines with a chilled out beach vibe.
Garcia feels like a work in progress with his singing. He doesn’t deliver every note on key and could also work on his inflection. That being said, he is a decent singer at this point and his voice works well with the music. Some additional reverb as well as other production techniques in post could have smoothed some of this out. The EP opens with “Clueless” which revolves around two reverb-laced guitars. One sticks to the rhythm while the other takes on the lead. Garcia has some melancholy in his voice as he sings, “close your eyes and open your mind close your mouth cause the words won’t stop spilling out.” The song isn’t exactly upbeat or that catchy but it redeems itself with mood and atmosphere. ‘Last Year” contains the same elements as the first song but is arguably the best vocal performance by Garcia. He lightly touches upon themes of loss and apprehension. Garcia sings. “I was afraid to go home last year cause i couldn’t believe what had came over me my eyes turned green and my hair turned grey these changes i though really came a lot.” Do you notice the similarities to The Strokes on “Drownin?” It reminded me of the song “Someday.” The song is upbeat yet it really feels like it needs bass and percussion. He closes with a “Camera Man” which is another solid effort from Garcia. Garcia still has some way to go to be able to hang with the heavyweights but luckily he has tons of time to do so. I’m sure if Garcia sticks to it we will see him progressing as an artist.
Epic, dramatic, romantic and introspective are all words that come to mind when listening to the self-produced debut Picturesque from Green Bay, Wisconsin's Sweetalk.
Sweetalk plays a blend of melodic, anthemic power rock that brings to mind alt-rock/grunge classics like Alice In Chains and Nirvana along with more progressive modern practitioners like Muse and Thrice. While the first wave of grunge bands were innovative and exciting in their blending of metal power and precision with punk rock energy and immediacy, the style quickly devolved into a formula to shoehorn pop bands into. The result, while attempting to convey adventure and romance, sounded brittle and forced - the auditory equivalent of a faux-aged Western sign. It's contradictory and utterly self-defeating. How can you get into the mood, succumbing to the racing shadows of the nighttime, when your ears are being assaulted by plastic sounds, compressed to death in an effort to win the loudness wars? Sweetalk, however, are not following a formula. This is real music, made by passionate and committed individuals. In comes across in their sonics, which are rich, full, warm, and enveloping - all the better to deliver Sweetalk's raging, synchronized guitar attacks.Occasional post-hardcore breakdowns keep things interesting, never getting static or boring. The album opens with "Moment Of Clarity" which displays the versatility and dynamic range of the vocalist. He sings "Clarity / Tragedy / And wouldn’t you love / Wouldn’t you loveSo how can you / Just watch / It all unfold / Everything." The band really gets going with the hard hitting "Weather The Storm" and "The Right Kind Of Empathy." Sick tone, outstanding technique; Sweetalk is a band to watch (and listen to), for sure. Highly recommended for fans of epic, passionate, artistic rock n’ roll!
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When you think of Colorado, you might think of skiing, granola, maybe the exterior of The Shining if you're up on your film history. Colorado is known for being sunny, healthy, progressive and spiritual. What a lot of people don't realize is that Denver is home to a vibrant and weird musical underground, with a lot of great punk and metal bands, even if they don't get the headlines.
This should be rectified immediately, as so much of what passes for punk and metal is just more bland, bloated, bullshit corporate rock without an ounce of subversion or rebellion. Cities with real scenes are essential for finding the true gritty underground, which keeps the blood of extreme music vital and pumping. The Uglys draw their inspiration from twitchy, angular post-hardcore of the early 2000s, like At The Drive-In and The Blood Brothers. Thankfully, The Uglys turn down the oftentimes-shrill edge of those bands with a dose of sludgy stoner rock. High As Heaven, Drunk As Hell has a bit of everything in its four short tracks: hooks, breakdowns, screamalongs. The Uglys manage to sound tight and rehearsed while still being raw, chaotic and shambolic at the same time. This is true metal fury, music from the underground, the sound of breaking bottles and sharpening knives. The EP opens with "Sweat'n Like A Pig / Sing'n Like An Angel" which is utter mayhem from the start. Lyrics are traded per measure as if the two are having a conversation. They sing "Downtown I’ll be pouring the week away/Guzzle through your boredom everyone’s out of place/Hustle off potential splitting elbows spend to make." The song packs so much in the six plus minutes. "P.F.C." is a fantastic song with an exceptional, original narrative. Lyrics like "Private First Class Christie reporting for duty/Four generations deep into the army/I was supposed to go fishing, but now my brothers missing" and "Shrapnel Suture, Napalm FireFallen Brothers, Funeral Pyre" are pure gold. Extreme music needs true blood like The Uglys to remain relevant, and not just become a lifestyle accessory for weak suburban kids to feel tough. Raw and weird, while still being refined and well-delivered, High As Heaven, Drunk As Hell is a treat for metallic ears and those who are sick of fake revolt.
When the word “post-rock” is brought up most people think of long drawn out instrumental pieces, which lack any vocals. The three-piece band FORMILES comprised of Jack Forsey (guitars/lead vocals), Samuel Patterson (drums/vocals) and Dougie Walters (bass/vocals) are throwing that part about lack of vocals out the window and melding genres like alternative, hard rock and post-rock into one glorious concoction. The thing that is so gratifying about their EP FIREFIELDS is that it feels seamless and effortless. Forsey is picking his parts as to when to sing but it never feels contrived. The songs lack a traditional chorus but still contain memorable melodies.
The EP starts with “SOSAYSI” which is an exceptional song. At first it covers you with a warm pad, drums and bass. The guitar glosses over the instrumentation with white noise. Forsey makes his presence known by belting out the first verse, “You creep in again and i have no choice as i watch you wash over me. I long to walk away from this and embrace the silence beyond.” Comparisons can be made to Local Natives in regards to some of the vocal harmonies. “SOSAYSI” starts off engaging yet predictable but starts to deviate about halfway through. Instead of exploding into a chorus the band goes soft and ethereal with an effective deviation. Without a whole lot of warning the band gets as intense as Queens of The Stone Age and engages in straightforward hard rock. As the song progresses there were a number of twists and turns, which made me take notice. The band interjects a fifty-second interlude entitled “OVERLOOK” which is an ambient piece. It was a simple yet effective segue to “FIREFIELDS” which comes out of the gate rocking. The eight-plus-minute song is just as successful as “SOSAYSI” at melding post-rock tendencies with more traditional alternative/pop song structure. There are some great guitars and vocal parts on this song and I discovered that some of the band’s finest moments are sometimes their most subtle. Take for instance about five minutes in when Forsey’s vocals soar behind an atmospheric background. The song concludes with some intense rocking till it breaks and slowly comes to an end. FORMILES is a band to look out for. There are on to something with their approach and style but quite haven't perfected it yet. I have a feeling their best work is still ahead of them. That being said FIREFIELDS is not something you want to pass on as the songs are certainly impactful and well-written.
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