Noise Shaft

Evolution of the Groove - Miracle track rewview

2018-05-27T10:45:00.000-07:00

Year : 2018
Genre :Funk Rock
Origin : United States
Where to check it out: > - here - <

This review starts off with an informative snippet about the origins of the band, taken directly from the official SoundCloud of the ensemble.

Funk, rock, R&B, Hip-hop, soul, gospel, jazz: These are the elements that have molded and shaped the core sound, as well as, the overall experience that is Evolution of The Groove. Originally founded in 2010 by Steven Cunningham and Chris Sclafani, the band focused on combining the elements of each member’s background to create a new and unique sound that would emphasize the preservation of the ever lasting “Evolution” and “Groove” that is music, which is demonstrated by their brand new sound with everything from high energy, in-your-face jams, to soothing meaningful beats, featuring emotional lyrics as well as invigorating instrumentals.

"Miracle" is an excellent example of straight-to-the-point funk-pulsation, heightened by a rock heft, yet tamed with firm hands amidst the fields of slick melodic sensuality, courtesy of a wise-, yet soberly traditional choice of harmonics. One area in which the song immediately emerges to distinguish itself from the fray, is the excellent vocal performance of the female lead, periodically supported by a decently performed male counterpart, a sound/narration that is fortunately wise enough as to not attempt to challenge the female principle, it instead chooses to submit to it, thereby showcasing the former in its optimal sonic volumetrics.

A stone traditional, yet very efficient verse is traded for a surprisingly effective chorus structure, in which the band declares complete freedom to express the best inventions they have happened to sculpt into audible stimulus, and this climax certainly does not disappoint, supplying enough interest to keep the keenest of ears occupied. One relative hindrance is, that once the particularly interesting chorus reaches its conclusion, the re-occurring verse structure can't help but reveal its less challenging appeals. Yet, one can be sure that the chorus will re-surface, and the excitement factor regarding this anticipation won't really dissipate into nothingness during the entirety of the track.

"Miracle" is doubtless a quite solid effort, and one has a hunch that this ensemble has all the chance in the world to open up a hatch or two directly into Funk-Sezame in the future, a happenstance likely to be realized as soon as they decide to invite a little bit more experimental spirit into their craft, of which they already exercise a solid command and a sober understanding.

Check out the song here.

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Eli Tidmore - Chameleon review

2018-05-16T05:07:00.001-07:00

Year : 2017
Genre : Soft Rock
Website: > - here - <
Origin : United States

Eli Tidmore 's Chameleon LP is a meticulously optimized effort, highlighting the key areas of musical influence the artist deems as the most relevant ones in his personal evolution as a creator.

A keen and relentless sense for strong melodies is observable throughout the spin, dressed in myriad sense of well-researched flavors, as expressed by the mere individual moods the songs themselves choose to submit to. The character of the music is mellow at heart, yet never depressively morose enough as to make the narration overly sorrowful or elegiac, as Tidmore has an excellent sense on how/when smuggle a tidbit of irony in the mix, - usually both lyrically and musically - thereby evading shoegaze territory. Read on to know more.

As hinted at earlier, these songs are all about finding the common denominators between a verse and a chorus, as, funnily enough, the "gesture" of not approaching verse and chorus differently, tends to serve a song extremely well, and there seems to be a relative lack of artists today who already have realized this fact, let alone bringing it to succession. Aerosmith is a grandmaster of coming up with songs that hardly feature verses, they are just choruses on top of choruses.

The resultant music on this LP is often of such a natural flow, that you no longer care to distinguish the individual parts, instead, you just submit and appreciate the underlying logic and emotion. The numerous-, yet not overly-abundant precedents of how a given influencer surfaces in the context of songcraft, is definitely something that the disc manages to form into its advantage, courtesy of a well thought out track order, one which seems to tell a smartly concealed overall story when you subconsciously connect the dots. Further emphasis needs to be placed on the notion on how efficiently Tidmore can play with the "chameleonesque" trait the album builds its identity on, as realizing the connection between the source and the result is extremely fun, since Tidmore does not seek to deceive and deviate, he instead admits the presence of the influence, correctly regards it as just natural - and as a tribute to the influencer - and comes up with a variation on it.

In case you wonder about some of those influences at this point, and would prefer to see some exact examples pointed at when their presence is undeniable, then consider the track called "The Next Life", in which a tremendous "Yoyo" -by Wham - influence seems to be evident, or the song called "Background", the track which Corey Taylor always listens to "Through the glass", if you feel the tactile irony, and why not do that, when the influenced song manages to come up with its own identity, doubtless fueled by the super-similar feeling, which though, was of key importance all the while. Tidmore is even bold enough to borrow a whole thought of train from Foo Fighters, then takes it into a totally different direction, and, once again, why not do that, why not cast a different light on a successful subject?

This review largely is built on the premise that Chameleon is an extremely diverse disk, and, while this statements stands true in the context of colors revealed, a further addendum is to be mentioned: Tidmore does not deny his roots on this album, and, as such, the timeless fascination towards the intimacy of the acoustic guitar is omnipresent. This decision tends to instill just the right amount of country-melancholy into the entries, but, as stated already, the agenda never is to depress, but, to invite to reflect and introspect. A quite decent LP overall, one which contains a whole set of evolutionary paths worthy to investigate even further.

GyZ at Bandcamp.

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Richard Schroder - Wildest Dreams track review

2018-04-20T09:34:00.002-07:00

Year : 2018
Genre : Country
Origin : United States
Official site: > - here - <

Listening to Richard Schroeder's Wildest Dreams makes one realize that this highly talented artist has surely must have forgotten more about country than one is likely to ever know about it. The track is an all-heft-out-, sizzling, boomy declaration of robust, major country-power, and the best thing about this effort is how it manages to come up with lyrical content that literally invites you to re-adjust your position regarding what you thought to be true about the world, and you in it, AND, naturally: your wildest dreams in it.

Hearing a country singer so efficiently challenging you to ponder if your wildest dreams indeed are wild enough, (thus, worthy to have enough) is the most you could hope for from this genre-, nevertheless, a rock solid variation on this solemn agenda. With extremely well-researched production values that encompass you into a lush torment of sound, and high quality performances, Wildest Dreams proudly reigns in the intriguing intersection where the content and genre is definitely country, yet, the flags of rock already are seen on the horizon.

Seldom-, yet super-pleasant are the times when the reviewer has no other option than to express a maximal level of enthusiasm towards an artist, and the precedent now indeed is such, as this doubtless is a declaration that punches two balls home in a single swing, even though both are coming in with 360 miles per second. An immediate recommendation.

Where to check the song out:
Richard Schroder's Soundcloud

Richard Schroder's official website:
www.richardschroder.com

GyZ at Bandcamp.

If you want, check out my music

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Collins and Streiss - Free review

2018-02-22T02:37:00.000-08:00

Year : 2018
Genre : Pop
Label : Independent
Origin : Canada
Where to check out: > - here - <

With their track called "Free", Canadian duo Collins and Streiss gives you one thorough, unperturbed opportunity to hear and feel how their collective artistic credo bends to the meticulously formatted will of positivity. Anatomically reminiscent to a friendly, beefy church song, Free is quick to reassure you that no harm will be done to the fabric of the universe during the playtime of the declaration, and indeed all sentiments of shade are thoroughly discarded from the safe space the song seeks to convey-, and, in a sense, imprison you in.

From a structural point of view, the statement reflects the central anatomy of a collaborative effort which indeed has been made via the most conservative approach possible, resulting in an intact, yet relatively immobile core that could not have been tampered with during the process, as said core itself was the initial main idea all along. The song sounds pleasant, even. Yet, its artistic foundation is having quite hard of a time showcasing anything that freedom would be in jeopardy of. In this sense, the effort bites more than it is about to chew. No challenges are showcased herein except for the management of the unbearable realization of being devoid of those. All life-critical things and comforts are in an arm's vicinity. Everyone is safe and FREE. The irony is considerable, and might very well be of deliberate character. Hard to tell, which is the most optimal aspect of the song.

The track assumes you to be a metaphoric mirror, situated at the center of a heavily censored environment, one which is devoid from content worth critically reflecting on. The track demonstrates a sense of interesting corrosion, resulting from artistic conformity, and the most interesting part is how the narrator seem to fail to see that his diagnosis is a threat signal, and not an achievement. Or, maybe the artist IS perfectly aware, and he is adamant enough at conveying the message that he is ready to sacrifice himself in the process, even. If the case is such, then the song is pure genius. With "Free", you are "Free" to see that freedom is in danger, once everyone safely forgot its price.

GyZ at Bandcamp.

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Jazzgroupiez - millinaissance EP review

2017-12-29T15:06:00.001-08:00

Year : 2017
Genre : Chillout
Label : Independent
Origin : United States
Official site: > - here - <

Jazzgroupiez's millinaissance EP is the result of a solid, well researched genre-consortium that emerges successful at establishing organic connections amidst the reverberating tints of vinyl-based smooth jazz and more modernistic, loop-based fascinations that seek no urge whatsoever to deviate from the super-submissive gravitational pull of extremely mellow chillout. The EP's strongest point lies in its insistence of adhering to a set of very clearly declared stylistic constraints, as these four + one-, brief statements of jazzy/moody breeze all express and saturate a love so deeply felt for the genre, that the listener feels as if the mere flow of time would face a challenge enduring the exhibition of one given idea, such is its notable urge to move on to caress the next one at last.

This relative haste is covertly/efficiently mitigated by a certain technique, which is permeating the effort: the EP has a keen sense of what it wants to "hunt" for in a given melodic statement, therefore it often utilizes the tactic of taking out a chunk of melodic happening/occurrence from an originally more complex pattern/melodic sequence, and it casts various harmonic lights unto the given shape, and gives you apt opportunity to observe and heed the given result with intense scrutiny. But no further agenda is embedded or hidden herein, as really, you are here exactly for the result that you are being shown already. Nothing further to see here, let's move on, shall we? - proposes the disc. Which is a reoccurring gesture that forms the basis of operation of this record. Thus, the brief playtime of these elegant entries makes more and more sense as the listener progresses on with the EP, as the creators save you the "usual hassle" of convincing you that they INDEED have came up with patterns of relevance, since they already know that they did indeed, and, even better: they know you will know and notice that, too, provided you have competent enough ears to come to said-, inevitable conclusions.

In this context, the millinaissance EP is a collection of 4 + 1 interesting experiments that seek to achieve the same effect of super-mellow auditory intrigue via the most fundamental-, and, therefore, most primordial machinations of moody smooth jazz, and the show isn't reaching an end upon completion, as the disc reaches its beginning once more without you noticing, and you find yourself on it once again, with even more curiosity.

GyZ at Bandcamp.

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Osea - Make me feel track review

2017-12-05T05:23:00.000-08:00

Year : 2017
Genre : Synth Pop
Where to check the song out : >-here-<
Origin : Italy

Osea's track "Make me feel" reveals pop sensibilities rooted in an era that has shown interest in drawing pulsations that are in a constant sync with the intriguing thrills of the night. Anatomically, the piece showcases the straightforward compositional tactics, and you probably would have no qualms if to hear this statement smuggled neatly and secretly into any and all sensual compilations .

What's particularly interesting, is Osea's mixed voice singing, as he is so authentically past over any and all anxiety of how he sounds, that the mere act of witnessing him embracing his own acumen, - without any obtrusive effects unleashed, mind us - is a liberating experience, and, by the end of the logical conclusion of this elegantly simple and simply elegant effort, you find yourself being curious of a consecutive track, which hopefully is under construction already.

Check out "Make me feel" at Osea's SoundCloud here.

GyZ at Bandcamp.

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Rahul Mukerji - Ma De Re Sha review

2017-12-04T14:00:00.000-08:00

Year : 2017
Genre : Instrumental Melodic Rock
Origin : United States
Where to check the album out: > - here - <

Buy it now

Rahul Mukerji's debut effort is a straight-to-the-point guitar album, in which the Indian-born artist showcases apt capacities and talent at coming up with Satrianiesque riffage-galore, and, not surprisingly, the music on display works the best whenever Mukerji attempts to go beyond the influential ties via sculpting out an authentic musical identity, which especially is noticeable in the track called Children of I-2, which this reviewer considers the stone cold sober high point of the release. Satriani himself would snap his famous fingers in approval upon hearing the aforementioned declaration, as the Flying in a Blue Dream-influence-, although thematically present, yields music that immediately goes for the core of playfully morose gloom, and channels content right from the heart of it. Read on to know more.

The record has an interesting, albeit suspenseful quality to it, which separates it from your everyday fretfest: Mukerji's gravitational pull towards Indian note selections and progressions is quite evident-, although not over-intrusive throughout the effort, and this compositional method works best when it commands the entire structure under its influence, as is the case in the decent, ballsy conclusion of "Baisakhi", for example. Alas, Mukerji frequently is under the assumption that he needs to atone for channeling from intensely intriguing places, and a set of 3-4-, largely inconsequential deliveries litter an otherwise quite interesting flow. It is not to say that there is anything wrong with a monologues prisoner-guitar elegy like "Hope Anew", still, the song is prone to overstay its welcome as it evidently fails to notice of how it is being sinful of not only amending-, but glorifying stylistic paralyzis. Luckily, concluding track "Sinner" - ironically enough - ends the spin on a high note, characterized by brave rhythmic variation and colorful anatomies.

The structural variation is one key area that lets instrumental rock exhibit its most interesting machinations, and it also is one area in which this disk exhibits both its memorable peak moments and a fair amount of relative weaknesses on. From time to time, some of the tracks - even the title song - rely on very polite, risk free harmonic constructs that do not demand all that much from the ear, and Mukerji can't restrain himself from unleashing the Malmsteen as a form of subconscious over-compensation, convincing you on two separate occasions that he can play as many notes per second as Yngwie, in the exact same order, to the exact same effect, but the structure the notes are played on, coats you in the feeling of a sterile, persistent absence of an authentic idea, caught in the process of relentlessly overstaying its welcome, leaving you exhausted and being glad that you endured, at all.

The album ultimately weighs in as a decent debut regardless, as the peak moments easily outweigh the fillers by their sheer charisma, - and by the mere fact that work has been put into them - and there is little else to hope than the next effort of Mukerji will regard the rigorous invention and sculpting of colorful structural anatomies as the most paramount of tasks to be done, as currently the artist is mildly - and only mildly - suspect of amending sonic environments that are just too safe to be in, to be locked in, even though his music looks so much better when out exploring, instead.

Check out the album here.

GyZ at Bandcamp.

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Dave Wirth - Eyelids and Oil & Open Mouth Monstrous Teeth track reviews

2017-10-10T12:21:00.001-07:00

Year : 2017
Genre : Elegiac Country
Label : Independent
Origin : United States
Official site: > - here - <

With his two latest declarations "Eyelids and Oil" and "Open Mouth, Monstrous Teeth", Dave Wirth defines a largely unexplored territory as the basis of his current musical interest. While the songs are non-apologetically country at heart, their anatomy is prone to tenderly submit to a Pink Floydesque sensibility. One has a feeling as if listening to the music of a truck driver who already had the chance to see the best and the worst the road has to offer, and now it is due time to reflect on the results of the experiences, the results that are stigmatizing his soul and body, while he still sits in the "company" of the incoming white stripes that are relentlessly tuned to infinity, and they urge the man behind the wheel to make the best effort possible at maxing out his human condition.

These songs are devoid of any and all rabid dynamics you would assume as pertinent to being a truck driver: the insatiable thirst for adventure-, if it ever were present, has already been assuaged by the countless satisfaction of it, and now the protagonist finds himself in a meditative position, as reflected by the characterology of this music. Drums are not even included in these songs, not in the common sense in the word, anyway: a probable symbolic parallel drawn to express the insignificance of time while on the road. A minute, a life, an eternity: each have super-similar meaning in this type of existence, that which commands its experiencer to go as mellow as comprehensible, because everything else is a pain to bear, while this mellowness can endure all, anything and everything. Maybe even 10000 more white stripes.

Wirth's signing is soulful and honest, and the revealed instrumental sounds are especially rich in timber and softness. This is the music of the truck driver who did not yet decide whether to quit his job tomorrow, while a substantial part of his psyche seems to be indicative of a dormant conviction that there is no other home for him than to being on the road. A spiritually submissive and uplifting experience.

GyZ at Bandcamp.

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Free From Gravity - Step Into the Sunlight review

2017-09-12T15:40:00.001-07:00

Year : 2017
Genre : Melodic Soft Rock
Origin: United Kingdom
Label : Independent
Official site: > - here - <

Free From Gravity is a UK-based ensemble of five musicians sharing a consensual love resonated towards the soft rock sensibilities rooted in the best traditions of the given genre. Think "Men at Work", but substitute said group's trademark rendition of gloom and musically intriguing grit with a more risk-evader type of demeanor that is almost exclusively focused on self-reflective and cheerful sentiments, deliberately rendered with ultra-smooth sounds and timbers that openly seek to radiate auditory warmth, and emerge highly successful at this agenda.

When Free From Gravity reveals its top form in the context of songcraft, even Dire Straits comes to mind, courtesy of the slick production standards that wisely commit to keep a constant limitation on intensity, never quite offering a glimpse towards hard-rock heft, and this diligent focus guarantees an experience that remains enjoyable for the widest demographic palette - without compromising the honesty and authenticity of the soft rock music on full-scale display. Read on to know more.

On the field of melodic soft rock, songwriting pretty much is everything in the sense that the longer you seek to conceal the lack of clear thought in operation (allegedly) contained in your music, the more suspicious your blend of soft rock will look-, let alone sound like. One thing that is very easy and pleasant to appreciate regarding this effort by Free From Gravity, is how self-confident this spin is of its own irrefutable charms, and how willing it is to tell you all about this, right from the beginning. This release has not time to waste, it always weighs in as a straight-to-the-point type of structure, which is admirable.

A Men At Work correlation already has been drawn, and this very notion is strengthened further whenever the group exercises an increased degree of willingness to experiment with-, AND command harmonies outside the ultra-polite volumetrics of party-compatible major chords. Eloquent, good musical taste and rhythmic imagination is oftentimes observable throughout the release, so much so, that the more straightforward compositions have the additional optimum chance to assuage the less demanding type of ears that are craving straight-to-the-point cheerfest to sidekick their beer, with no further laments or artistic obstructions included.

The beneficial irony is, that everyone with any keenness towards the genre of soft rock, is guaranteed to be inescapably entertained by this record, as the statements on the release are nifty, fit, concise and muscular enough in their own right as to relentlessly emerge as irrefutable entries, regardless of their narrative character. As hinted, the number of cheerful songs on the release is plentiful, but, luckily, Free From Gravity monitors the exhaustion-level of major chords with rigorous awareness, and musical thrill and tension always gets introduced just in the nick of time, so, even if you are a music critic with hungry, insatiable ears, you will be entertained. The influences of the band is fun to decipher, anyway: "Saints and Sinners" is the quintessential testament of a song inspired by "Money for Nothing" by Dire Straits, for example - and you will pick up on notions of this sort during the listening session, which always is fun.

What separates Free From Gravity from an everyday average party-group that plays family friendly "safesongs" on the car stereo, is their evident aptness to channel music from the very space of ideas that the aforementioned Dire Straits and Men At Work were/are channeling from, and this varied behavior easily weighs in as one of the most prominent assets under the group's command. A safe recommendation to all music aficionados.

Check out Free From Gravity at their official site here.

GyZ at Bandcamp.

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Twelve of Confusion - Worldsun review

2017-08-26T02:46:00.000-07:00

Year : 2013 to 2016
Genre : Modern Metal/Black Metal
Label : Independent
Origin : Finland
Official site: > - here - <

Black metal has numerous fields of operation that it could work supremely well on, and one of these production commitments deliberately seek to engulf the listener into the mere remnants of what once might have been a perfectly valid set of instruments, but THEN came The Black, and took most of the volumetric essence with it.

This approach emerges excellent at conveying a sense of the nietzschenian superloneliness, as you most often feel that there is something to intently behold and secretly scrutinize beneath the layer of black, but you, as listener, should not be entirely comfortable at the prospect of the veil being removed. Finland-based Twelve of Confusion is a firm admirer and practitioner of said sub-genre of voyeuristic soul-torment, and their monster length double CD effort "Worldsun" comes to burn some well defined holes into Carl Sagan's fabric of the cosmos AND into your soul, if you think you happen to have one. Let us see the temperature posthaste - read on to know more.

This double decker is pretty much guaranteed to mitigate your cravings for highly authentic and non-compromising black metal, and the thoroughness of the journey will take you through soundscapes that are jam-packed with inventive variation throughout. If you are familiar with the music of Burzum, for example, you must have noticed how Varg Vikernes - lead mastermind of Burzum - is prone to utilize ideas that he lets unfold during elongevated sessions, obviously as an effort to instill/cultivate a meditative effect to the given idea - the case not always is such with Worldsun. While there are well identifiable influences that bring to mind Blut Aus Nord and/or the aforementioned Burzum, these guys usually have less time and patience to contain restrained (?) fear and disillusionment, all waiting to be unleashed and contained on the canvas of music.

This compositional ethos emerges with apt capacity to place elegant emphasis on variation and diversity of expressive form in the context of time and sonic volumetrics. The track called "Ghostworld" is one of the most varied efforts on these spins, and registers as one of the most "optimally disturbing" as well, merely as result of how easy it is to relate to the interconnected segments, and how interesting it is to witness the organic connection between the individual chunks - you remember the previous, as it is echoing in a tormented fashion while you are subjected to the consecutive one in the very prison of the present.

Melodically speaking, the band already has a masterful command of how to fabricate and showcase exquisitely tormented sounds, that let you - to quote Meshuggah's Thomas Haake - take in the pleasantries of "aesthetically pleasing decay". This multi-layered approach clearly is a conscious one: while the base is engulfed in the spilled contents of monolithic pits of tar, their immediate surroundings are courted by sound-shapes that dominate the middle register, shapes that were engineered to have their hopeless agony exhibited in a way as to offer something informally relevant to the mere space that contain them, finding the sear bliss of hope - in the form of a final signal - as their final respite. The track "City of Gold" is a great example of how the band is not reluctant to throw everything AND the ectoplasma-filled kitchen sink at your mom. Seemingly the whole build is about to explode, but, upon closer inspection, you realize that each element has its role, and you are being offered a galaxy of stimulus to soak some hungry ears into.

The vocals on the discs is wisely positioned quite low in the mix, seeking to escape the constant danger of being crushed to oblivion by the mass of the present sounds. Their eagerness to survive is commendable, and invite you to occupy them as your avatar, mocking you, essentially, as you struggle for the intactness of your ego constructs. I like the fact that the lead vocalist demands all/everything and anything from his vocal chords, and his shrieks are particularly powerful and intriguingly uncomfortable. If you feel comfortable listening to a black metal vocalist, then the vocalist is a slouch, mind you.

Many of the songs feature a semi-clean set of singing: an artistic stance that conveys a tint of a folk-sensibility, and, believe it or not, it often reminded me of Kurt Cobain's trademark timber. But the feeling is such as if you'd hear Kurt sing folk motives like there is no tomorrow. The singer clearly sings on the top of his lungs, no economic fuckaroundery herein. So, highly authentic and disturbing shit. As said, the vocals are never let to command the music, they are mere instruments in the cavalcade of tormented stimuli, and, interestingly enough, they manage to score an even bigger impact via their futile persistence expressed/banged against the impenetrable vortexes adjacent to them in all conceivable spacial and inner directions.

The double effort even delivers a tint of ambiance in a brief-, but highly effective segment contained in the track "Elucidation", which further accentuates the band's willingness to experiment relentlessly, while the ending of said segment is a masterful threat-voucher traded in for max effect, as it is clear that the destination highlighted by the conclusion is no place you wanted to end up at originally. The very next track, "Villein's Ascent" comes to you directly from the bowels of anti-existence, as Villein clearly is a space-ghost-zombie now who is up to no good, and he is about to invite you to stay for some eternities.

Even though we are talking about a double disc delivery, as result of the exemplary diverse set of narrative attitudes, the spin concludes rather swiftly and eventfully, leaving in you a clear and safe desire to subject yourself to the material once again. There is a lot of beauty and horror to be found herein, all ready to be related to, so what's not to like?

Check out these discs at the official BandCamp of Twelve of Confusion.

GyZ at Bandcamp.

If you want, check out my music

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Buy me beer.

Sienná - Q.o.S review

2017-05-03T11:56:00.000-07:00

Year : 2017
Genre : Chillout with a Soft Psychedelic tint
Label : Anneis Records 3H50002
Origin : Norway
Official site: > - here - <

Sienná's latest full length effort Q.o.S - the "S" is reverSe - brings deeply contemplative and reverberating pulsations along a chilled demeanor.

Clocking in around the 40 minutes mark, the spin values content quality over content quantity, dressing the experience up into an especially well-varied set of musical rhetorics that give apt opportunities for the artist to paint full fledged-, and quite imaginative visions on.

You'll never know what Sienná is up to, as your host is skilled enough at sound wizardry to maintain you curiosity via exercising the full-value right to administer surprises with considerable frequency, coming to you in the forms of soulfully sculpted-out sonic elements that constantly share the optimums of clear thought and playful-, albeit smartly channeled elegance. Read on to know more.

As hinted, the album has quite a well-varied characterology, as Sienná is as interested in exploring the mere anatomies of sounds as she is equally intent at courting easily approachable rhythms that show little-, to no interest whatsoever at declaring any wars beyond mid-tempo. Sienná is out to affect you by digging deep, and heft is not a tool she shows interest in. The name of the prime game is a massively relentless fascination cultivated and expressed towards oriental-, and even fragile doom/pink psychedelia flavors, yet these thrillingly stimulating tendencies are not over-abundant or tolled to death and beyond by any stretch of the imagination, they rather serve as a base ground of operations the artist is prone to touch back upon the completion of yet another successful auditory experiment taking you wherever Sienná deems worthy taking you to.

A keen respect towards the offered sound is gratefully observable: the disc takes no part whatsoever in the loudness fixation paradigm, instead, the creative conduct on display honors the value and intrigue obtainable from the mere phenomenon of dynamics. A tasteful interest in monolithic sounds is present, yet this mere tendency is prevented from getting in the way of the aforementioned thought of the clarity, that which always demands relevant emotional/melodic statements to be made, and Sienná showcases apt readiness to form these fragments into flows that indeed demand immediate revisits even upon their very creation. During these more free-spirited efforts, - which oftentimes are solely devoid of full-fledged indicators of rhythm - are the definite peak moments of the overall experience, and are prone to yield results that will literally take you to such intriguing inner places that you will give the thumbs up for the artist for pointing their existence out, giving you a lantern in the process, as well.

As a deeply experimental and unusually diverse disc of optimally odd yet irrefutable ingredients, Sienná's latest effort brings a unique musical identity, and a whole lot to soak some ears into. Courtesy of Sienná's outright irrefutable talent at revealing patterns that can not be satiated with anything less than submitting your full attention to them, the album is an immediate recommendation even for the seasoned music aficionado.

Check out the release here.

GyZ at Bandcamp.

If you want, check out my music

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Tripp Denom - The Funktional Addict EP review

2017-03-31T01:13:00.000-07:00

Year : 2017
Genre : Stoner Indie, Hip Hop
Label : Independent
Origin : United States
Official site: > - here - <

Buy it now

San Francisco-based Tripp Denom cultivates a diverse set of culturally popular addictions, combined with the relentless urge to create hip hop songs about the numerous peak moments engineered and harvested during his favorite pastimes and most successful hedonistic exploits.

Indeed, an ultra-hedonistic approach to life is clearly observable: Tripp Denom is a passionate user of ganja, cars, and female flesh, so pretty much each and every song is a clear declaration towards the simple realization of some-, or all degree of this layered truth. There are two types of moods on the EP: throughout the first narrative ethos, you will be stoned like a petrified ancient vamp motherfucker, and the music won't relent, it will organize the remnants of your free will into complete submission, using only tender but firm tentacles to accomplish this goal, and it will encompass you into an inescapeable purple haze - oh Hai Jimmy, 'the fuck are you doing here! - then the plot - and your magic - thickens, as a woman soars into your view in full combat readiness, revealing her commodities, and marketing the promise of metaphysical unification. Each part is free to grab, very literally, and yes, it has a soul, but today there is no need to convince her of your capabilities as a man of societal stature - she already knows that there is an ecosystem working in the background, - that is why she is here, you idiot - and she came to put the cherry on its top. All problems solved. So, in these songs of moody haze, you will combat to the death with voluptuous female ass and epic tits of evolutionary profitability drawn directly from the mere flesh of the cosmos, and you will surely suffer a barrage of nervous breakdowns if you are a gender-politician to any degree. This disc is sexist like fuck, and that is the good thing about it, naturally. Read on to know more.

The second mood of the disc is more of a thrilling character, bringing to mind Krayzie Bone from Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. I have the feeling that Tripp Denom works best when the mellow method is introduced, and here is why: I realize that the more tense builds here are supposed to instill a sense of danger into the listener, but, hell, when the music comes to intimidate, Tripp Denom can't help but tell me about some random cunts he just fucked while on ganja. This is not the point, man. To THIS music, you should have shot up them army of niggas while not feeling a thing, in true pro-psycopath fashion, just saying.

But, in reality, Tripp Denom is a deliberately joyful experience, and an interesting happenstance is observable through it: Tripp would be willing to conform to the cultural expectation of delivering intimidating hip hop moods with every second song, - as he clearly is culturally influenced to do so - but the guy is so inescapably fixated on pussy and ganja, that he has no tools nor concept to/of how to intimidate shit. His soul simply does not bend to that direction. But that is a good thing, in my opinion, as he is a master of mellowing out, and his songs work great when he is not trying to come across as a tuff madafaka. And he does not attempt that, anyway. (Only the music assumes that he is about to, on every second song.) Subsequently, the more tense songs here are also the less convincing ones, but, only from the standpoint of narrative coherence, more precisely, the lack of it. There is no point talking about fucking pussy while there is thrilling music going on. Everyone will think that there is imminent danger, and what could be more dangerous than failing to produce a fucking erection while in the direct vicinity of aroused pussy? Stoned to death is a better alternative. The mellow ones - the ones about fucking consenting cunts in politically incorrect fashion with an immaculate erected penis, while being stoned - are superb. The sense of harmony is nothing sort of brilliant in these songs, while, the suspenseful track do little more than reveal Last Ninja and '80s cheese from B-movies. Come one dude, smoke another joint and fuck another cunt. Then massage her soul when no one is watching. You are better that way.

Check out the album here.

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The RA-6600 - Followed a Boy review

2017-02-06T09:48:00.000-08:00

Year : 2017
Genre : glam rock
Label : HEMBOT Records
Origin : United States
Official site: > here <

The RA-6600 duo is still adamant at delivering the best traditions of free spirited glam rock with new found vigor to define the genre as fresh and relevant. Their latest effort is an extended play, an addendum to a series of EPs the duo has been releasing throughout 2016, now continuing this optimistically invasive trend with another collection of hefty, straight-to-the-point glam tracks that radiate the charm of the style with undeniable convince power and production-rawness you are not used to hear.

As is the usual case with this duo, the most optimal trait of this release is how it does not concern itself with super-clean production values. The aim of the game is to get hold of the given idea with the least amount of required effort possible, but NEVER less. As result of this creative stance, the music successfully finds a constant source of joy via the act of creatively de-bunking the most secretively kept tricks and techniques of glam, and, the best part is, that the members never abuse their position after a thorough investigation. Instead, they rob a given idea clean, and they are moving on, no time to waste: we have came to exploit this idea, but we are interested only in THIS and THAT, thank you very much!

The lyrics are similarly indicative of this sanely defined flexibility, painting pictures that are relentlessly playful and heart-wrenchingly unfulfilled in SOME sense - but these percepts are way too delicate to project insatiable conclusions on, and this is why the record emerges as yet another honest, and authentic delivery of the duo. After all, there are things you can NOT talk about - and you best remain silent about those. Highly ironic, and this is the music that openly chases mentioned irony in the context of bare-to-the-bone glam. A safe recommendation for the fans of the genre, but all music lovers will be prone to admire its wild, manic, exploitative demeanor that simply does not give a damn of what you think about it.

Check out the duo here.

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Dave Wirth - Flutters review

2017-01-29T05:54:00.000-08:00

Year : 2016
Genre : Acoustic ambient chill
Origin : United States
Official site: > - here - <

Flutters by Dave Wirth is an excusively acoustic full length, divided to 13 arrangements of improvisative/super-contemplative string strumming. And there is a lot to be heard indeed, as frequencies demand full attention as they are finally given due time and real estate to claim their full share of murdered silence on.

"Technically" speaking, the artistic aim behind the disc is to showcase how awareness moves within an unrelenting type of layered existence which IT creates in the process, leaving behind traces of sounds, but now documented in larger-than-life proportions, courtesy of recording equipment entirely devoted to paint a very precise picture of audible stimuli. Read on to know more.

Wirth's music is deeply introspective, self-reflective, imperturbed, and dangerless. It has a concept of motion, even an ability to move, but it does not have any urge to do so on a constant basis. Instead, the album first and foremost is prone to invite the listener to re-discover the fundamental intimacy of the concept of sound. Wirth won't try to convince you of any special-, Mad Sk1ll LevelzZz at guitar molestation, nor he will bring forth a constant urge to discover harmonies that aren't conceived on this earth - although he will have surprises up his sleeves. With songs like "Penumbra Nadir" or the titular "Flutters", increased levels of harmonic awareness and playfulness is observable, toppled by the fact that Wirth always manages to stay away from the act of shaking his own hand - which would be very hard to do while playing "tAh" guitar while holding a coffee mug, anyway.

As mentioned, the core behaviour of the record is reflective of an artistic stance that does not seek to impress at all, as its aim is to re-discover and worship the importance of sound, and indeed this very awe-, this very fascination towards the magic of sound created out of nothing/out of mere potential, is captured and delivered on the release. As such, the disc is a necessary success. I have zero doubt that Wirth captured his soul while playing this, and it is up to the individual listener to find out if said listener is able to identify the pivotal points of soul movements/activities lingering in this deliberate self-abduction.

This agenda, to capture the movement of the player's soul, is primordial, while the anatomical structure of the respective songs is only of secondary importance. In his review request, Dave Wirth wrote to me that he had to convince the producer to not use any after-effects and highly occult sonic-wizardry through the release, let everything stay natural, as it was upon the creation of the tracks. A noble and sane goal: these precedents were recorded with a myriad of microphones, and the production values indeed are top of the foodchain, as each and every receptor of the ensuing recording apparatus is directed into capturing the full register of the acoustic guitar. And there is a lot to be heard indeed, as frequencies demand full attention as they are finally given due time and real estate to claim their full share of murdered silence on.

A deeply intimate release, which openly emerges to fetishize the timeless charm of the acoustic guitar, and said instrument won't have a single complaint in store towards this relentless dynamic. A legitimate, thorough love affair for all acoustic guitar lovers. Listen at 4:03, at the end of the "Penumbra Nadir" song: is that a sound of digestion?

Check out the album here.

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Mason Way - Social Media track review

2016-12-08T03:54:00.000-08:00

Year : 2016
Genre : Hip hop
Label : Independent
Origin : United States
Where to check the song out: > - here - <

Relentless-, hilarious hip hop notability Mason Way is back with a flamboyant social criticism of social media. The artist in question certainly was a staple amidst these pages in the previous periods - use the TACSF function on the top of the page to look up his stuff - and these days he started to develop a keen sensation towards massively ornamentic soundscapes, now spiced further up via quite relevant vocal - as in singing - components.

The rapping itself has tremendous amounts of charm, as the narrator inherently declares himself as an autonomous individual who allegedly is not affected by the casual-, virtually infinite turmoil pertinent to social media, whereas ironically occupies a position from which all the emotional content he feels towards a certain lady, ARE, in fact, the reflections and results of what he experiences amidst the boundaries of these social media interactions. One of my favorie bits is when he says: "these tactics won't work, bitch, I'm Mason Way." This is the ultimate declaration of independence, or, at least, a valiant attempt at it. Whether this irony is conscious or accidental, is up to the listener to decide, which immeditaley makes this track worthy of serious attention.

Check out the piece here.

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Cranky George - Misery Road track review

2016-11-10T01:21:00.001-08:00

Year : 2016
Genre : Soft Folk Rock, Country
Label : Independent
Origin : United States
Where to check the song out: > - here - <

Misery Road is an entry from the upcoming longplay of LA based folk rock/country ensemble, Cranky George. This page has a lot of good info on the history of the group, while this review will concentrate on the single, as an indicator of what possibly you could expect from the foreseeable future, "debuting" on the 18th of November - simultaneously with the new Metallica double release. This spirit at dormant competition is something one must reckon with an intact poker face. Let's dive into the song!

Misery Road eloquently and inventively worships oldschool songcraft traditions with top tier production values, these latter meticulously balanced/arranged in at attempt to court said traditions with maximum-, though well orchestrated efficiency.

The self-reflective, ironically introverted, placid initial pacing conveys the classic country setting of parking at a fireplace in the company of a bourbon, a dead relative and a banjo - banjo not included, do you happen to have a lighter? -, yet, this trusty pulsation (pun intended) is armed with the intention to dress into moods and colors of hefty, brisk intensity.

At a given dramatic point in the song, by which you falsely think that everything has happened already, and grandpa is no risk to the society OR to your psyche as the top dog of this music-universe, the band commands the intensity up against the roof, as to let the soul reach beyond the skies, nevertheless remaining faithful to the bulk of the exhibited musical character. Clean, competent, all-voice-out lead singing is supported by a country ethos that reveals grace and elegance with sufficient power to display the heart of country classicism.

The result is an ironic, hilarious display of deliberately larger-than-life comic book country done in a truly badass, ballsy fashion. This feat could not have been pulled off without a decent frontman-, nor without sophisticated taste and competence on/at how exactly command the sounds to make them more intense, but keeping them from messing with the structure. The track is a truly pleasant experience to listen to, as it does not satisfy with merely existing, instead, it IS a successful musical metaphor FOR the flow of existence itself. An immediate recommendation for all music lovers, and don't forget, it is only a week's time until the LP debuts.

Step on the Misery Road here.

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REP - Street Walkers track review

2016-11-06T01:12:00.001-08:00

Year : 2016
Genre : Hip Hop, Christian Hip Hop
Label : Independent
Origin : United States
Where to chech the song out: > - here - <

REP is back not with a vengeance, but, with a fresh review request concentrating on another track of the Co-Laborations LP.

Street Walkers is an attentively sculpted, massively mid-tempo hip hop track, pinpointing lurking danger and ambiguous remnants of hopes at every corner. The central musical attraction of the song is a nice pairment of a highly retroid slot-machine riff, - the melody itself has a luciferian Last Ninja vibe - and this motive is quick to demand for itself gargantuan support by a duo of mobsters in the form of a powerful, sneaky bass, and a clever drum passage that admires the musculature of said bass, inventively pinpointing the key points in its relentless anatomy.

The rapping is good, too, as REP knows that it is best if he is "just" a REPorter, staying away from the framing of brisk morality. Instead, he is revealing percepts and reocurring thoughts/tendencies that are amidst the pertinent components of the observed daily life of a prostitute, as you do not have to be one to know one - the lyrics reflect the position of a man who feels empathy for the prostitute, yet is in the process of seeking to decide whether the woman would prefer to be "saved" from this lifestyle at all.

What I like about this track, is how the mood of the music reflects this timeless concealed dilemma, conveying the percept that everything you think about the situation, might be utterly wrong - nevertheless both the music and the prostitute invites you to come and find out.

Check out the song here.

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REP - Escape Room track review

2016-11-05T16:16:00.001-07:00

Year : 2016
Genre : Hip Hop, Christian Hip Hop, Soul
Label : Independent
Origin : United States
Where to check the song out: > - here - <

Escape Room is an entry found on the latest longplay delivered by Virginia-based hip hop artist REP. Your host is not at all reluctant to express a clear and unconditional devotion towards Jesus, and Escape Room is one of those songs that emerge successful at painting elegant allegories about the state a soul MIGHT find itself in, if subjected to existence without a palpable pointer to grasp unto. The Escape Room, of course, is your body, in this metaphor. But let's not spoil the challenge and the fun of finding the key to it.

The music is quite interesting, and here is why: the bulk of the piece is an almost fragile-, though well researched sonic environment, composed mainly of bass lines that paint out the harmonic domain with inventive strokes of sounds flirting with the timing, and REP seems and sounds to be almost conscious to refrain from the utilization of such casual super-orhodoxies like a snare drum, hi-hats, or a crash cymbal. The song simply evades these elements, and, hilariously, you spend the whole time listening if they will ever show up - and there is no void to be felt upon realizing that they were NOT invited this time.

The song manages to capture a floaty feeling, and finds efficient methods at maximizing its potential with a strictly limited set of instruments and sounds utilized. The piece is a collab, by the way, and the talented singer Mikaela Juday brings you clear, soulful lead singing that is precise and brisk: there is zero trace of autotune.The chorus is awesome in character, and Mikaela knows this, too - but the music fails to realize in the background that SOME elements are yet to be brought to the table to court the lead singer as she declares the main gravitational pull of the entry. Mikaela bursts into full bloom mode in the chorus, but the music fails to recognize it. A pity.

Luckily, REP steps in to deliver a decent block of well-tempoed rapping without offending anyone. A talented artist with true musical vision, and a particularly strong sense of how to validate limitation in the context of diversity of sound. Sometimes less is more. And sometimes it is not.

Check out the song here:
REP - Escape Room

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Phantom Pop - BETA review

2016-10-11T14:04:00.004-07:00

Year : 2016
Genre : Massively Instrumental Jazz/Funk Fusion
Origin : United States
Official site : > - here - <

The music contained on the latest-to-date Phantom Pop full length does not bow down to the curteous routine of assuaging your everyday/average funk/jazz craving along tropes you are embarrassed to pretend you know nothing about - instead, the release delivers the funk/jazz fusion goods with such an undeniably intoxicating command of the notoriously whimsical genre, that you won't likely be given any room to be cynical in towards the stimuli upon a submissive listen, nor when you execute max-level inspection paua' towards this supersexy, all-muscle effort.

The album is massive both in its scope and in its hyper-optimized ambition - the latter being an inescapable result - almost a happy accident - of the unconditional love towards the genre which is simultaneously worshipped and insatiably exploited by the ensemble throughout this exquisite audio adventure. Read on to know more, because the cat knows where you live.

BETA is a super-sized sonic declaration of foxy moods, chased along cunning melodic arcs by a combined skillset of top tier songcraft and creative grace, always keeping the fields of operation within the given framework of jazz/funk fusion. Needless to say, the disc necessarily conveys a manically deep understanding of the most intimate bowels of the genre, an insight revealed through super-intriguing chordal passages that usually seek to merely provoke the ear with unfulfilled-, but OH!, so intricate promises, as opposed of merely saying something concrete to an awareness with blunt-force boring face value.

The ever-intriguing basis-feeling is such as if you were floating in outer space on experimental mood hacks, yet the album smartly says a gentle-, nevertheless firm "NO!" to Allan Holdsworth-esque hyperabstraction, and wisely maintains constant contact with harmonic/rhythmic structures and warm, tactile pulsations that always keep your awareness on the grid. The disc consciously defends you from feeling like a space-pinball subjected to the proximity of plush-cushion-asteroids that are craving your vicinity like there is no tomorrow.

Although a massively-, and primarily instrumental disc, the spin features a track that is spiced even further up by a hilarious rap segment, while the haunting, beautiful female vocals (they are modal, and not worded) will always keep a superhumanistic touch around, soaked deep into the soul, just for good measure. These female mood-vocals never seek to frighten you, nor they seek to get you off of life. They are going for the deepest emotions possible, and have excellent ideas at their disposal to showcase how to find those. They seem to convey the timeless covert dilemma and relative discontent with the perception of how a human does not seem to be nor Bacteria, nor God ENOUGH.

As mentioned, the album is immense in its scope in the sense that it clocks in above the one hour mark, yet the pacing of the music warrants these epic space-fusion proportions along highly acceptable appendix-arguments. Reasoning: these meticulously crafted tracks have multiple layers of interpretability. The complexity of the animated sounds is such indeed that a super-focused listen will find a whole lot of content to sink its capacities and fervent teeth into, being free to doing so practically without end - but the jaws will tire out, and the music knows this very well. The visceral feel-, the meaning and the intent of the music always invites you to just STOP processing it, just RELEASE everything, and CHILL the hell out with it. "Chill the -f- OUT, you must." - as Yoda would suggest.

The spin openly seeks to intoxicate you right from its beginning, and I guarantee you that the moment will come when you realize that it already succeeded at doing so. So, what's not to like? The - in my opinion - fact, that the album works stupendously well along both listening strategies, is one of the key reasons that Phantom Pop's latest delivery BETA is an irrefutable invitation for all music maniacs, and reigns as one of the most relevant surprises of 2016.

You want this.

Phantom Pop is an instrumental band from Brooklyn, NY. The group combines elements of funk, soul, and R&B with the improvisation of jazz to create their own sound.

Originally formed by Dave Lowenthal simply to create an album, Phantom Pop has gone on to tour the east coast, southern, and Midwest U.S. The first self-titled album was selected by WNCW Radio as one of the Top 100 Releases of 2015.

Members: Dave Lowenthal - Bass; Josh Schusterman - Drums; Noah MacNeil - Keyboards; Atsushi Ouchi - Saxophone; Matt Giella - Trumpet; Songyi Jeon - Voice; Theo Moore - Percussion; JSWISS - MC

Phantom Pop extended family includes: Haruka Yabuno - Keyboards; Eitan Akman - Guitar; Owen Broder - Saxophone; Michael Sarian - Trumpet

Phantom Pop Link Tsunami:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLjQ16Ohc40

http://www.phantompop.com
http://www.facebook.com/phant0mpop
https://www.youtube.com/c/phantompop
http://phantompop.bandcamp.com
http://twitter.com/PhantomPopMusic
http://soundcloud.com/phantom-pop

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AL-X - Fearless track review

2016-10-07T07:21:00.001-07:00

Year : 2016
Genre : Dance Pop
Origin : United States
Official site: > here <

LA based AL-X is an upcoming dance composer/producer with a keen interest in delivering massively melodic dance music along exigent pop sensibilities, purposefully revealing the most flirtatious traditions of the style.

With rhetorics clearly rooted in the school of thought that regards easily approachable, elegantly simplistic progressions much more paramount than experimentive tendencies, the single "Fearless" could be a picture perfect statement of top-form Madonna, as the somber, contemplative moods inherent to said artist, are displayed abundantly in this 3 minute affair.

Never risking maximum efficiency with taking detours that are simply not worth winking towards in this genre, the track knows what it wants to do, and pulls it off eloquently. The melodic arch in the verse is sufficiently indicative that you are about to witness a woman's soul burts into a sonic declaration of - well - b(l)oom (and definitely not doom) - soon, while the chorus backs these promises up with a skillfully researched route taken along the full surface of the suggested structure, now revealed with optimum power.

Doubtless a well sculpted melodic dance track, with a rather abrupt, but logical end to it - so it is not hard to find the will to revisit the piece: a safe recommendation for any and all fans of the style.

Buy link: https://itun.es/us/fQvZeb
Genre:pop/electro/dance

WWW.ALEXMUSICSITE.COM
Twitter.com/Alexmusictweets
Instagram.com/Alexmusicsite
Youtube.com/thealexmusic521
Facebook.com/alexmusicnow
Soundcloud.com/alexmusicsite

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Red is the New Black track review

2016-09-25T05:05:00.001-07:00

Year : 2016
Genre : Psychedelic Rock with a Doom tint
Origin : United States

"Red is the New Black" is a particularly strong, invasive psychedelic track with a definitive doom tint to it. A somber, massive declaration that has come to me through a review order placed with no additional information attached. "Red is the New Black", and that is that, no band name, no nothing, review it please.

The music itself is situated at the middle of an optimum intersection where the timeless rules - hah - of psychedelia and current production standards meet. The hefty, supra-old school intro guitar jumps you from the speakers like Magilla Gorilla on an otherwisely desolated island, and the ensuing sonic anatomy quickly reveals a type of devotion rendered directly unto the monolithic altars of ironically sly and sinister moods and sentiments, revolving primarily around money. Oh well, money does not make you happy, but it won't make you unhappy, either.

The track bravely explores brisk avenues along bluesy building blocks, while its constant focus/intention remains to ritually kamikaze into the bowels of good old fashioned blight, a dark, dangerous and deliberately heartless territory, which is revealed with picture perfect accuracy through exquisite chord choices and tempo alterations. During these segments, the incomprehensibly uplifting-, nihillistic indifference of Dark Souls - yes, the video game - emerges, symbolic of the somber-, yet imperturbably unfuckwithable attitude that lurks beneath the music as a fueling force.

One can tell that a whole lot of love has been given during the making of this track, as the whole structure is an excellently varied expression of a well-placed curiosity cultivated towards the most delicious components of its very own anatomy. The song eloquently showcases the timeless nature of doom-tinted psychedelia, and you want it.

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Astronauts of Antiquity - Future Back track review

2016-09-22T11:23:00.000-07:00

Year : 2016
Genre : Dance / Melodic Pop
Origin : United States
Official site: > - here - <

"Future Back" is a fresh single by upcoming dance/melodic pop wizards "Astronauts of Antiquity". Composed by three key individuals, the ensemble's premiere focus is to sculpt out intoxicating, yet easily approachable soundbeds, flattered even further by a brand of lead vocals that are openly playful and tender, yet pack a punch friendly enough as to prevent the end result from falling to the other side of the horse in the expression process.

The song chooses to unfold rather super-efficiently, revealing a pleasant disco-pulsation with a whole lot of spots to park inventive-, yet not too obtruse ornaments in. The main attraction emerges as the optimum combo formed out of the imaginatively sentimentalist lyrics, supported by a type of vocal delivery that opens up quite comfortable interpretational fields to regard said/sung sentiments with both musical gratitude, and a poker face kept intact. Lead singer India does not mind releasing the timeless inner child, and the result is quite interesting, because his rigor at staying in tune is super-relentless, and even the relatively rampant pitch correction does a superb service to the track. Yes, such precedent is possible.

The music - minus vocals - is good in its own right, too, as it does not commit the mistake of reeking rigid remnants of over-production, managing to greet receptors as something that feels almost casual, while maintaining an almost exploitatve urge to progress invasively within the boundaries of the selected framework. The single is a definite success as a stimulator of interest in the trio's full lenght delivery, due to be unleashed on consensus in October.

Check the song out here.

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Jim Levatte - This Ain't My Day track review

2016-08-25T11:05:00.002-07:00

Year : 2016
Genre : Country with a Redneck Rampage tint
Origin : United States

On the surface, Jim Levatte's single "Ain't My Day" is the picture perfect representation of the most prominent redneck ballads, yet, your host is both reckless and inventive enough as to spill nitro instead of family friendly orange juice on the well behaved parade. Levatte prefers well placed, elegant irony over sunset-supported hay-sentimentalism, and challenges the redneck ethos, as opposed of being a mere-, helpless, submissive participant and observer to it.

The production choices reign in a safe spot between shotgun-grade southern rock and retirement-home pleasantries, making the track a candidate for an immediate revisit upon completion. Read on to know more.

Do you know the Guns 'N Roses song "Breakdown"? Anatomically, Jim Levatte's effort shows a greal deal of similarities with said declaration, particularly in the context of the harmonic structures and the evoked emotions. This track is more exploitative though, - which now is a compliment - as it exhibits an almost undeniable urge to deliver a status report AND call it a day ASAP, a decision that serves the longevity of the track even as a first time encounter.

Country is a great-, but uncompromisingly pretentious genre at its heart, and this pretentiousness is the sole reason that the style also reigns as a timeless one. Because pretentiousness rarely goes out of fashion. < - Pro Tip! You are simply not supposed to say and do SOME things in country, because folks surely will give you a slanted look, and/or a good old fashion beating for bonus good measure.

Levatte knows all the tropes of the genre, thereby the reason he embarks on a journey to see the depth of the curvey mirror the redneck ethos is STILL willing to scrutinize itself in: a brave and a hilarious agenda. Had he come out with a full length fueled by the same intention, he easily could be to country what Steel Panther is to hair metal. As such, based on this track alone, Jim Levatte definitely has found a legitimate type of rhetorics to resonate through, and one remains curious to see if the artist will have enough content under his belt to fill a full length declaration with.

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Heavy Star - Electric Overdrive review

2016-08-22T04:32:00.001-07:00

Year : 2016
Genre : Heavy Metal with a Rock & Roll tint
Origin : Italy

Italy's Heavy Star brings a super-traditional method to the metal, through which a deep appreciation of the most classical and well-founded genre-tropes are observable.

Times are not seldom when the disc evokes feelings and sentiments reminiscent to those meticulously established by the original glam metal era of the '90s, only-, and THIS is a BIGASS only: there is a more eloquent definition of BALLS on display, and this consideration, luckily, is of key importance - both in the context of intensity and compositional techniques. As such, a good amount of the content will revolve around the longing for the quintessential woman. Which is perfectly valid, as there is not much else worth longing for while occupying a male body or two, anyway.

The songfract is everything in this style, and this time, it is channeled according to the strict-, yet imaginatively interpreted-, ingrained rules of the game. The band does not seek to re-invent the steel, as they are perfectly aware that it is working trustily, and they came merely to wield it. With a soberly paced flow optimized for 8 hefty declarations of elegantly concealed romance, Heavy Star is truly having a blast showcasing mature variations on this hilariously sexist - therefore fun - brand of metal, administering it with apt skills showcased in their collective acumen. Read on to know more.

The soundbeds are both gritty and comfy, the rhythm guitars are out to tease, instead of seeking to kill on sight, and pretty much all variations of structure are happening with the intention of keeping a constant flow/pulsation intact at all times while taking it through a diverse set of the adjacent sonic domains.

The lead vocalists deliver a truly admirable job, giving everything and then some more to belt true life into these statements, and it is safe to say that their pipes have enough heft and juice as to make the surrounding sounds bend to their will. Mixingwise, it is nice to hear and see that the vocal arrangements do not seek to dominate the environment, instead, they flow on the top of sounds as central elements, with no noticeable effect-wizardy unleashed upon them. Most of the time, the most fantastic effect on vocals is: the "none at all, GTFO" effect.

The guitar solos demand separate mentioning, as the guy on the primal axe solos like there is no tomorrow, giving tEh Michael Angelo Batio a thorough run for his money even when on war steroids. The solos are articulate, extremely speedy, and exhibit true artistic vision despite the relentless urge to shred almost insatiably.

All in all, an optimally super-traditional heavy metal release that is able to cast fresh, new lights on one of the timeless sub-genres of metal, pulling this feat off in the constant presence of collective musical imagination. The disc knows exactly what it wants to do, and this is the reason that it can execute it with picture perfect accuracy.

The review concludes with the official background information pertaining to this band.

The massive sound of HEAVY STAR makes you go back to the heyday of metal-rock: the days when bands like Ratt, Skid Row, Tesla, Def Leppard, Black N' Blue and KISS (of course!) where at the top of music charts worldwide. And yet, it has hints of more modern European influences, like Gotthard and Eclipse.

HEAVY STAR was formed at the beginning of 2014. Originally only intended as a four-piece outfit, it was founded by guitarist Marco ‘K-Ace’.

Mr. K-Ace intentions were to bring back that certain aggressive sound of the '80's and '90's, chockfull of melody and yet supercharged with razor-sharp guitars, wrecking-ball drumming and gutsy, daring vocals.

In order to achieve this, he enlisted a selection of Italian metal heavyweights, such as Albert Fish of Midnight Sin (vocals), Roberto Biaggioni (bass), Mauro Money of Bang Out (drums) and, ultimately, Danny Slade of Skull Daze as an additional guitarist.

Marco himself has a long and varied experience, starting with historical Mayhem, one of the seminal glam-metal bands out of Italy (whose recordings have been recently re-released on vinyl). Marco K-Ace also played in the orchestra of RAI (Italian prime TV network), and he collaborated with Chris Catena on his debut album Freak Out (along with artists like Glenn Hughes, John Lawton, Bernie Marsden, Dave Meniketti, Bruce Kulick, Tommy Aldridge, Eric Singer, and more...), while honing his chops with several choice tribute and cover bands in his native Rome.

Writing and production for the album was done together with producer and longtime-friend Ray Sperlonga in his Rosary Lane recording studio in Rome. Recorded with both analog and digital techniques, mixed by Capasso and Sperlonga, the album was then mastered digitally by Fabio Lanciotti.
Work on the album was completed in October 2015.
HEAVY STAR! A much -needed return to rock n' roll top classic form! Burn it up, burn it high, baby... the Star is rising!

GyZ at Bandcamp.

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ARJUN - Gravity review

2016-07-29T12:43:00.000-07:00

Year : 2016
Genre : Fusion Jazz
Label : Pheromone Records
Origin : United States
Official site: >here<

Arjun's latest full length release marks the completion of a massively improvisative fusion jazz trilogy that has started out with their 2013 outing "Space".

The ensemble has garnered considerable attention with their particular brand of polite harmonies and easily comprehensible rhythms, toppled by massively improvisative leads. The disc is a well balanced, introverted guided tour on sonic vistas that do not attempt to challenge the set of basic rules that will warrant a type of inevitable insant jazz fusion: the one which is immediately ready both to be played and to be listened to, once certain conditions are fulfilled.

As such, the music is joyful, riskless, and optimally naive in the sense that it does not attempt to demand the next to last trick of rampant musical imagination, instead, the album remains a stable, enjoyable guided tour on top of harmonies that reign relentlessly satisfied with their doubtless impressive anatomies, especially as they are courted with soloistic approaches that are equally quick to reveal the mechanics of thought and skills that summon them . Read on to know more.

As noted, Gravity, as an album, won't demand new chapters to be written into the history of jazz fusion, yet the agenda hardly was such, anyway: the handling of the instruments is indicative of an apt readiness to deliver consistently under the will and conventions of a certain rule-set, and the creative criterias of these considerations are met with restrained, polite elegance indeed.

Your mind will never be in any danger of being ripped out just to be re-arranged, and re-inserted. This very consideration though is not necessarily a negativity: this full lenghts doubtless reings among the perfect choices if the music you are going for is a demeanor of jazz fusion that does not demand your full fledged attention. Gravity deliberately won't pose such demands, because you always know what is going to happen next, as result of a particularly placid creative behaviour of playing around in a harmonic environment long enough as to wonder if the given setting is of any further interest and creative novelty yet - of course, this can be both a benefitial trait, or a hindrance, depending on your aim with the music.

I like and admire the crisp production values of the delivery. All instruments are nice and fuzzy, while being skillfully separated from each other, in an attempt to secure their anatomic volumetrics. All in all, the album is highly successful as a family friendly jazz fusion statement, yet you should not expect it to reinvent a single thing in the universe. If you are looking for a jazz fusion album that does not demand an effort on your part, then this is the ideal spin to hop on.

Check out Arjun at their official site here.

GyZ at Bandcamp.

If you want, check out my music

and / or

Buy me beer.