Mollo Rilla is a rock band from Cleveland, Ohio. Formed in 2017, the quartet resulted from the members leaving their former bands. Mollo Rilla’s core mission is simple: musical freedom and damn good rock music. The group enjoys blending other styles, such as latin, disco, flamenco, classical and theatrical, along with their own style of American rock beats. They write songs about freedom, fantasy, faith and another theme that never gets old – love. Members are Marco Ciofani (vocals/lead guitar), Simeon Ruple (keyboard/backup vocals), Austin Adams (bass/backup vocals),and Joey Shannon (drums). Their self-titled album Mollo Rilla was recorded and mixed in Akron, Ohio at the Akron Recording Co., mastered in Cleveland at Cauliflower Audio and for the hard-core “black disc” fans out there, Molla Rilla was pressed on vinyl in Columbus at Musicol Recording.They state that their music is most comparable to artists like Queens of the Stone Age, Kyuss, Muse and Jack White.
Within the few moments of listening to the first track “Ego” I was fairly certain that this Ohio band had no trouble in nailing the “doom/stoner/rock-metal” genres on their head. Things get even better with “Nightmare” with its infectious guitar licks, searing solos and driving rock beats – a lot of rock n’ roll attitude in there for sure. “Holy Water” takes things in a different direction. I heard a lot of old school influences, like early Queen, Doors, Iron Butterfly, Grand Funk Railroad and Ram Jam, but I could also hear Queen of the Stone Age, too. I’ll also add here, for the record, if you like hard rock guitars with creative kick ass solos, this is your band. “Ghetto ghoul” may be what you think a ghoulish song could be – creepy and spooky. I would say, take one-part Doors, one-part The Cramps and mix it all up in a doom metal batter and this is what you’ll get – tasty stuff! One of the longer songs on the album is “In Dreams” and this one mixes sounds of death metal guitar, low brooding bass lines and wildly eerie synths (think horror flicks), within a concept song framework. The darkness within this number reminded me of Black Sabbath. “Nectar” features a more psych rock flavor and a trippy, hippy rhythm. A lighter mood than the previous songs during the verses, but with a gloomy chorus to add a dose of darkness. The ending gets really good as the band taps into a theatrical rock metal vibe. Next up is “Gabriel” a slower tune with low tribal drumming, soulful echoing guitars and celestial sounding keys. The group definitely sets a more relaxed tone here and shows a different side to their talented musical chops. “Anthem (Intro)” appears to be the introduction to the following song by the same name, and only vocal and piano are heard – you can really hear Marco Ciofani’s tonal range beautifully here. “Anthem” then goes into this pure classic rock n’ roll sound – think of those danceable, tribute-styled songs a la 1970s, or like classic AC/DC – good stuff, man. “End Times Preacher” rips it up fast and hard in a punk/thrash rock kind of way – this one should get you moving and shaking. Damn, I don’t think this band is going to let up one bit. The next song “Flower” tones things way down and it really blew my mind. I mean, I thought I was hearing a completely different band. Never mind that it’s over ten minutes long – all of it was gorgeous! So, if you’re familiar with smoky western guitar, lounge-like swing groovy-ness from the 1960s, then you’ll understand where I’m coming from. “Pyramids” brings the listener back to the band’s fast and furious punk-thrash-metal style. I would say this one is maybe akin to System of a Down or Rage Against the Machine, but those are bold guesses, as this song offers so many more creative twists and turns. “Ascension” features a little less hard rocking quality and surprisingly a fantastic melody. Right off the bat, I thought of Alice and Chains. What’s interesting here is their use of dead air after singing “Ascension” during the chorus. Then they go into this lofty, ambient solo with fantastic vocal harmonies, piano and ride cymbals and abruptly go back into the song’s main guitar riff, while ramping up a theatrical rock vibe at the end. The last number is “Odyssey” and this one was worth waiting for. Guitar riffs like Judas Priest meeting up with, I don’t know, Motörhead and several other rock gods, all inside a bad ass rock n’ roll sound that doesn’t let go. The band throws in some futuristic synths just to throw you off, and then belts you down and makes your ears bleed with one of the highest screeching guitar licks you’ll ever hear. Insane! At first, I didn’t know what to expect from a band with a strange name and a hefty collection of songs, but after a few minutes in I was hooked. If you like both old school rock style from the bands I’ve already mentioned and some others like Deep Purple, MC5 and KISS but you also like the modern stylings of today’s rock bands, then give Mollo Rilla a try. And, oh yeah, if you need a soundtrack for the rest of your summer, this may be what you’re looking for – I know it’ll be mine.
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Voidstrider, from Austin, Texas, is a three-piece rock band composed of two brothers – Clint Fischer on guitar, vocals, and R.J. Fischer on drums with Whitney Fischer (R.J.’s wife), on bass and vocals. Their sound harkens back to ‘70's and early ‘80's hard rock and metal – so if you’re into that get ready, you’re in for a treat. Growing up in Colorado, Clint and R.J. planted their musical roots in punk rock and hardcore and the previous bands they were in made headway in Denver’s underground DIY scene. In 2004, the brothers packed up and made the trek to Austin, where they quickly established themselves as contenders in the hardcore scene.
Along with their punk rock influences, Clint and R.J. had already been developing their own unique sound with the creation of Voidstrider. Their blend of punk, classic metal and hard rock can be heard throughout their self-titled debut Voidstrider. Whitney joined the band in 2012 and since then Voidstrider has shared the stage with bands like Diamond Head, The Skull, Medusa, Josefus, Pentagram, Mothership and Ruby the Hatchet. Other influences include a legendary mix of groups who paved the way for rock bands to carry the torch of rock and roll into the 21st century: Sir Lord Baltimore, Scorpions, Glass Harp, Highway Robbery, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, Rainbow, Dio, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Uriah Heep, UFO, Emerald, Captain Beyond, Thin Lizzy, Heart and The Resurrection Band. “Picture of Hope” explodes out of the gate, bringing forth influential sounds of Dio, Priest, early ‘70s KISS (think “100,000 years”) within a pre-synth Rush concept/storytelling style. I loved how the drum rhythm, bass and guitar all were in synch with each other, playing note for note. Such a fantastic opening that I had to play it again, and again. “Star Strider” was absolutely nuts. I would say their arrangements of fast and slow tempos, chord change-ups in an art rock/metal rock fashion is like early Rush, but this song also has the sinister, Manchester metal sound of Sabbath and underground punk. Dang, and this is a three-piece band? “Eyes Alive” features a more Judas Priest/Motörhead punk metal style. The three members just don’t let up one bit throughout this number. “Metamorphosis” begins with a sweet drum intro and classic metal guitar riffs. This one has that moody, dark feeling like a Dio number, but I could also hear Zeppelin’s “Achilles Last Stand” and perhaps one of Deep Purple’s similar tunes. I thought this song had the best of everything. If you were hoping for a slower tune, well, you might have it with “Hunter’s Moon” – but just a bit. This one features a repeating and rather catchy guitar riff, a low marching bass line and more stellar drumming from R.J. and what one Bandcamp reviewer called “a Neil Peart Solo project.” But hey, I’m not dissing Peart nor the band here – heck no. What stood out for me here was Voidstrider’s quick tempo changes and off beats, all the while keeping time with each other. Not always an easy thing to do when you’re playing fast. With only a mere five songs on their debut EP, I felt like I’d just been in a cage match or broke out in a cold sweat watching one. Overall, Voidstrider captivated my attention from beginning to end and weren’t about to let go. Their style and sound is big, bold and raw and for me that’s the mark of a true heavy hitting, no nonsense rock band.
Justin M. Wilsey is an artist who recently released Ugly. The album is lo-fi experimental grunge you could say. It’s not pretty music by any stretch of the imagination and maybe that’s where the title came from.
Up first is “Ugly” which starts with low drones and a sample of Jonah Hill from Superbad. It’s explicit and the whole song just feels sort of shady and dark from the lyrics to the textures. Wilsey’s vocals seem purposely delivered on the darker side. The vibe was interesting to say the least and his style was unique. Up next is “Better Than This” which is a very lo-fi recording. It’s a more basic song that is stripped down. Wilsey is strumming a couple of distorted and fuzzy major and minor chords. There is some light percussion of some sort. He sings “I know what I know.” The melodies are memorable but took a couple of spins to fully appreciate. “Muse” is about a minute-and-a-half long and he was trying to be a little more angry and explosive on this song. It’s chaotic and it was hard to tell what he was saying because of how expressive the delivery is. “Less Drama (when you're not around)” is a little less angry and more just melancholy and maybe dismal sounding. It’s atmospheric with tons of reverb and he does a good job creating a dark tension here with sharp edges. He starts to stretch his voice and the song just feels like it’s ripped apart at the seams before coming back together. “I Smiled” introduces a hip-hop beat out of nowhere and really sounds like a completely different artist because of the programmed drums. Wilsey laments with tons of expression. “You Will Never Know” is stripped back with just clean guitar and vocals and was a great way to close the album As an engineer myself I think the production and recording quality was lo-fi but also different. For example, the guitars are all high end on “You Will Never Know” but that type of sonic imprint is not on any other song. I like that Wilsey has a lot of ideas and l also don’t mind the darker and indignant tones but I think working with another engineer might be worthwhile to at least get another ears on the frequencies, tones and textures which create cohesion on a release. At the very least a seasoned mastering engineer could help with the technical aspects. Wilsey has a unique vision that is for sure and am excited to hear more. I hope to hear more from him because his music certainly got my attention.
Lewis Jack Inman is a musician from Leeds in the UK who recently released Far Away. It’s a complete DIY effort and contains ten songs. The songs are somewhere between folk and indie rock.
The album opens with “Far Away” which revolves around acoustic guitar, mandolin and bass. It’s a pretty straightforward song but on that note it's well written. The verse is melodic and catchy and the chorus finds Inman singing at a higher octave. I was impressed with the songwriting. Up next is “Say goodbye to the sun” which also demonstrates a good sense of songwriting. I started to really appreciate Inman’s voice at this point. It’s naturally aesthetically appealing. “Lovebite” might the highlight on the album. Iman adds drums to the mix on this song and it had this mellow and nostalgic indie pop feel to it. The vocals are again on the money. “When they call you to church” is a little darker, perhaps even a little gothic sounding while “Junkie” is a stripped song revolving around just the guitar and vocals. The sort of almost hopeless melancholy on “Junkie” continues with “For wherever you are.” “Breaking out” was a much needed form of levity and is very catchy. It provided some joyous moments and reminded me of The Beatles at points. “Boy & girl (you know)” is more lo-fi than a lot of the other songs. “Shrapnel face” has its moments while “Echoes” is a nostalgic closer. As a recording engineer I have some advice for Inman. He isn't capturing the body and nuance of the guitar. He may need to implement close mic-ing techniques to make sure he is capturing some of the warm frequencies between 150 - 300 hz. There is a lot of difference with the sonic imprints of the song. This is a case where if Inman wants to record and mix himself, handing the mixes over to a mastering engineer would make a significant difference. Overall, however, I thought he did a good job with the recordings. I thought the songs were all well written and he has the ability to pull off sad and happy songs and some of the moods in between. Recommended.
Atomic Bionic Sonic Chronic is the most recent release from Purple Corporation. The music is this sort of lo-fi sounding bedroom project. It has the inescapable feel like a lot of the sounds were created while experimenting in a DAW. That’s not a bad thing but is certainly as aesthetic that artists like Youth Lagoon and Majical Cloudz have embraced and work here as well
The band’s overall sound sort of has this plastic psychedelic feel to it. Animal Collective and the album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band came to mind. The band is at their best when they are playful and don’t take their music too seriously. The album starts with “Rewind” and there are definitely some unique things happening. I especially appreciated the chorus which goes into that plastic sort of psychedelic realm. The vocal melody is memorable. I really started to get on board with “Ad” which is where comparisons to Animal Collective are a little more apparent. The sort of synth sounding horns work, almost reinforcing the artificial type qualities to the song. “Samurai Stories” has a very cool sound and is the arguable highlight. This song has one of the more substantial grooves which is funky with some hip-hop flavor. The synthetic steel drum sounds work as well. There is a lot more in store for you such as “Packs (feat. Jakob Leventhal)” which is a largely instrumental track that is hypnotic. I loved “Gloomy Sunrise” which is weird in wonderful ways. It’s dark but absurd and even comical if you listen to it with a certain set of ears. There are a number of highlights as the album progresses. “Movin’ Around,” “Do Watchya Do” and “Total Eclipse” come to mind. I like that this band is pushing themselves and exploring exciting sonic possibilities. This album has a lot of different colors, textures and tones. The songs are actually more accessible than they sound on paper and are candy for your ears. Take a listen,
Charcoal Burners is based in Dunedin, New Zealand and recently released The Best Day You Could Imagine which completes a trilogy of albums.The band is comprised of Andrew Spittle (guitar/vocals), Sally Lonie (bass/vocals) and Finn (drums).
The music seems very influenced by the early ’90s. There is overt ’90s aesthetics that can be traced to bands like Dinosaur Jr., My Bloody Valentine and plenty of bands in between. The vocals play really low in the mix in typical shoegaze fashion. The band gets going with “Winged Bird” which is a fairly straightforward song considering the genre. There is a good amount of fuzzy chords which sort of turn into white noise while soft and warm vocals lay on top. The song is well written and there is clearly a memorable chorus which sounded surprisingly poppy. Up next is “Battlescarred” which is one of the highlights. The song hits hard and the vocals reminded me of My Bloody Valentine. It's repetitive and hypnotic. “Days Behind” is very atmospheric and I would argue more tranquil than anything that came before. “Rings Run Circles” is a fast one. The vocals were a little too buried for me but I still enjoyed the melodies. “Reticent” was another solid song bringing to mind a group like Primal Scream while “Darkroom” is certainly dark and ambient. “Blind You” is perhaps the catchiest song in the batch and “Robbed and Beaten” contains some of the best dissonant shoegaze textures on the album. This album will most likely resonate with people who actually grew up on the genre. There is definitely a purity to it that seems to be founded in rock bands from the early ’90s. Recommended.
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Every week we mention a couple of artists that are worth your time to check out that were not featured in our weekly reviews.
Artist Album Rating Edgeworth At Ranscombe Studios 3.3 Brady Cornett A Manic Response To Melancholy 3.5 Blue Lights Whatever You Need 3.4 Eldest Sun Up is down and all around 3.6 Justin Sundlin Revisiting the Past 3.7
Lee Clark Allen is an emerging R&B/soul singer/songwriter who recently released his debut EP entitled Little Rock. The album title originates from his growing up in Arkansas. This album certainly has that feel of southern soul, gospel and blues that was a part of American history that became the foundation for so much music. The production does sound modern in a good way. In fact the production is truly exceptional. The instrumentation as well as the vocals are beautifully captured. That being said the seeds of this music have roots that trace much farther back. Suffice it to say there is a beautiful blend of aesthetics that spans over decades, in fact you could argue even over a century.
The EP starts with “This Little Light” which is indeed a cover done in a unique way involving what sounds like a school choir. It’s only about thirty seconds but it is a nice way to introduce the EP. The first full-fledged song is “I Won’t Tell Myself” and I loved the smooth vocals right away and it is the arguable highlight. I will add that not only are Allen’s vocals absolutely rich and soulful but so is the female accompaniment as well. The instrumentation also just nails all the right notes. It’s an absolutely gorgeous recording that is crisp and natural in the best way possible. Up next is “Religion (You Are My)” which contains more exceptional vocal performances from everyone involved. The song is like butter on warm toast. It melts and is soulful in a way the whole congregation would be happy to be attending. “The Way You Love” is about a minute long but perhaps is the most original sounding song in the batch. It’s stripped but unique sounding. I loved it. “Mud (Rise)” is another stripped back song really putting the vocals up front. This song is pretty straightforward but there is just a ton of emotion spewing out from the song. It picks up slightly and with some finger snaps and sounds like the most soulful church musician that you would beg to have at your Sunday worship session. Last up is “Lay Your Head” and again is fairly stripped back. It’s even more mellow until the end of the song which is a joyful celebration. I absolutely loved this album. This music is just flat out better than the majority of music that is considered popular. No amount of fancy tricks or some type of computer algorithm are going to create the soul and heart these songs have. Music like this is reflection of the human condition itself. Highly recommended.
On the Bandcamp page for Jungle Juice, the band makes a declaration “Who the f**k wants to know who we are!? Just listen!!!” That’s the most aggressive and intense invitation to spiritual and existential understanding I have heard since Jiddu Krishnamurti. Unfortunately, some of their album Insomania is sung in French and German and I don’t understand either so I missed out on some secrets of life. It’s all good because the songs were catchy, epic, exciting and fun to listen to.
There are nine songs on this album but it’s a very long album because of its length. There are three songs that go past the nine-minute mark and one that goes past the twelve. The first song is entitled “The Meaning Of Life” and is a faster song once it gets going around the two-minute mark. I loved the drumming here and in fact the groove is infectious. There is a good amount of energy throughout the song and they definitely showcase some of their technical abilities. “Some Strange Things” is next. The groove on the verse reminded me of Björk’s song “Human Behaviour.” I thought the chorus however was bright and loved the vibe here as well. The first nine-plus-minute track is entitled “Ultra Lemon” and they go down the neo-future cosmic psychedelic realm. I thought their vocals were pushed too far in the background but the groove definitely is pretty epic and gets weird in a good way. “Help Me” features what sounds like spoken word while “Insomnia” is an airy, down tempo song that sounds ethereal and heavenly. The second nine-minute song “This Time” is experimental but also finds some great grooves. “La Grace,” “I'm A Passenger” and the twelve-minute closer “Better Days” continue to build a foundation. There is so much I love about this album and there is so much to explore. It definitely seems to be as epic and all encompassing as possible. My only slight issue was the length. I felt exhausted by the time I got to the end. There is a good chance six songs may have been my perfect amount if you consider listening to an album from beginning to end to be an important factor in the art. Overall, this is a wild cosmic journey. I’m still not sure what the meaning of life is since I only understand English but loved the melodies and songs. Take a listen.
Ahmed Kharem is a musician from New York who recently released Nothing is a Lot. The album contains eleven songs. I thought this vibe and style that Kharem is playing into these songs is more popular than ever. Kharem plays into melancholy and nostalgia that goes between sounding hopeful and hopeless. It has that sort of tortured artist type of feel that comes with a side of beauty. Although this blend of emotions seems to be most ubiquitous amongst singer/songwriters Kharem certainly does it very well.
The album starts with “Nothing is a Lot” and suffice it to say if you like this song you will like all the songs. There is light guitar picking, reflection and the classic spirit of the ’60’s troubadour/folk musician. The vocals are very well delivered and the dynamics are subtle but effective. “Love on the Cape” is even more still and intimate than the opener. The piano and notes are ever so soft as are the vocals. “Center” is very angelic and ambient sounding. “Floorboard” was a highlight which again embraces soft guitar and subtle single piano notes. The other highlight was “You Know the Sea” and I love the fact that drums came into the mix. “Bridges” is the closer and also contains drums. It’s also the most hopeful sounding song that blends all the melancholy and reflection from before. These songs often crossed over into easy listening to me when it came to the textures and tones. The songs on top of emotional traits I mentioned are sweet and tender. It’s obvious that Kharem is trying to be sincere with his words and emotion even when certain moments felt somewhat saccharine. This type of contemplative thought certainly feels more appropriate at different times at least for myself. I think watching a sunset by the lake or taking a solo hike would feel like the time I would listen to Nothing is a Lot and fully engage with these types of emotions. On that note everyone is different and you can decide for yourself when you want to enjoy these songs. |
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