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To the Moon and Back with Topher Mohr

3 Sep

topher mohr

It should come to no surprise that musician Topher Mohr grew up in Michigan. His eclectic music, which aptly pieces together elements from several genres suggests inspiration, and what better motivation than the elaborate music history of Detroit? While Mohr is impossible to pigeonhole, his music did spark a thought. If Michael Fitzpatrick (of Fitz and the Tantrums) is today’s modernizer of old-school Motown hits than Topher Mohr is reviving the old art of tender crooning. It seems like a lofty proclamation until I introduce you to:

His gentle voice is soothing but subtly strong and passionate. His vocal is saturated with emotion, and the soaked feeling is easily identifiable in his airy guitar plucking. While Mohr does not have the dark, coffee-roasted voice of the traditional old-school, five-pack-a-day crooner, he does, however, revive the old sound and modernize it. It’s exciting to listen to him make an old standard like “Fly Me to the Moon” ring with a contemporary flair.

Beyond his black-and-white performance of “Fly Me to the Moon,” Mohr released his new LP Phlotilla earlier this year. Prior to the LP release, he toured the world with his friend Mayer Hawthorne, another artist who features an eccentric style of music creation. Mohr’s album focuses on vintage pop, and “Ruthless” stays true to the genre.

The rhythm is similar to Fitz’ Motown-inspired hits, but Mohr combines the rhythm with a Maroon 5 meets the 1980s melody. This combined with Mohr’s versatile vocal creates an intriguing hit that even has room for a clean guitar solo! It’s a moving piece and one of the strongest on the new album.

Find out more about Mohr (yes, I went there) at his Website. You can also check out his Facebook and Twitter.

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N8 ST9 Has Come Full Circle

28 Aug

N8 ST9

N8 ST9 (Nate Stein) has been on my radar for some time. The post-electronic artist mixes skilled instrumentation with dreamy electronica to create a delicate sound that, while heavy on the electronic percussion, is harmonious. Now, on the heels of his new album Full Circle, I believe it is a good time to introduce him to the readers of this blog. This aforementioned mixture is musically intriguing.

Perhaps most engaging about the new album is its vibe. Electronica and instrumentals sometimes conflict when haphazardly paired together, but N8 ST9 combines the two elements competently, thus creating a cool, euphonic atmosphere that surrounds the listener. The album is split between pure electronic instrumentals (like the two reviewed below) and pop-fueled tracks like “Light Up Myself,” which ST9 wrote for a close friend who is a recovering alcoholic.

Aside from the imprecation outburst to begin the song, “Light Up Myself” is a diverse song that has three distinct parts. The song begins with an ethereal guitar riff that transitions into a Paul Simon-esque verse with creative percussion, which continues even when the song shifts to a modern Indie rhythm. In only two minutes the song effortlessly shifts back and forth from different musical elements and inspirations. This is just accentuated towards the end of the song with the airy piano bridge fit with melodious vocalization. ST9 takes listeners through a musical parade, successfully evoking the ups and downs of his friend’s life.

The above two tracks are the diverse instrumentals I mentioned. “Intention for Bliss,” the opening track on the album, features the fluffy keys reminiscent of an Owl City song. “Watching” features more driving electronica (something I don’t usually go for). In this case, though, I am lured by the 80s beats that blend well with the melody ST9 successfully introduces to the listener.

It’s an impressive release for the young artist, and I am looking forward to listening to more of his music.

Check out the rest of the album and follow ST9 on his Facebook and Twitter

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NOVI is here to Make A Scene

6 Aug

NOVI

Back in 2011 when Los Angeles-based pop singer Novi released her debut EP Now I’m Here she raised eyebrows with her brazen, imprecation-filled single “Blackbirds.” Underneath the ribald lyric, though, was an artist ready to break out. NOVI, the moniker of Carolyne Neuman, is no stranger to success – her first release, “All the Way” was featured on One Tree Hill – but with the forthcoming release of her second EP Now I’m There I think it is about time that the country started learning more about NOVI.

Remember when Florence and the Machine first released “Kiss with a Fist” in 2008. The debut single went on to foreshadow the success of the band. I mention this track because I believe its brash nature best reflects NOVI. NOVI reminds me of a young Florence Welch – unconventional, fearless, and skilled. Those are three qualities that are particularly necessary if you want to succeed in the industry.

Now, NOVI’s music is different from Florence’s music. While Florence – besides from “Kiss With a Fist” – focuses on creating an ethereal atmosphere with her songs, NOVI mixes an in-your-face attitude with a touch of Lana Del Rey’s sun-soaked voice. The music itself covers the spectrum of effervescent and blunt to emotion-saturated and harmonious. One thing remains constant in all of NOVI’s music – it is good. Yes, this seems rather simplistic – especially in a review – but the music is diverse, stimulating, and, well, good. Let’s put it this way – once you listen to a track you want to continue exploring the esoteric world of NOVI. Let’s listen to two tracks from the new EP.

“Whisky and FireFlies” begins with an infectious whistle opening – much like “Good Life” by OneRepublic – and that bleeds into NOVI’s verse – which almost acts as a singing rap. The percussion carries the song into a Florence-like chorus. NOVI’s voice is deceptively good. The vocal play in the song is skillful.

“Make A Scene,” though, is where I see true star quality. While “Whisky and FireFlies” is a nice song, “Make a Scene” is a powerhouse – a true force that has mainstream and Indie attraction. The beat is ridiculous. The listener is fully drawn into the song from the start and NOVI helps suck the listener further into the piece with her eclectic vocal. The hook is potent. Featuring a Mika-like instrumental rise, the chorus is the song’s core. This is a 2:45 bundle of goodness, and, if it is any indication of NOVI’s future, much like Florence, it looks very bright.

 

Keep in tune with NOVI – Website, Facebook, Twitter

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Fip Fok Warriors – CoCo and the Butterfields

30 Jul

Warriors

 

 

It should come to no surprise that Coco and the Butterfields is from Canterbury, a historic English cathedral city; the band’s music is downright regal. As the photograph (an eclectic amalgam of Pocahontas and Braveheart) above suggests, the band combines traditional English pop with pastoral folk and gritty hip/hop to create a tremendous sound that has not only sparked its own derivative genre (“Fip Fok” – folk/pop/hip-hop) but also has expanded the ears of listeners while sucking them into an infectious sound. What? Did I look into the picture too much?

It should go without repeating that I am a big fan of what Coco and the Butterfields is creating, but, heck, I’m going to bedizen the group with flashy adornments of praise. The music is fresh and original. Original is an understatement. The five-piece band combines the folk prowess of Micah Hyson (double bass) and Rob Wicks (banjo) with the filthy and fresh beatbox stylings of Jamie Smith. Folk and beatbox? It takes a rare breed of band to pull off that stunt successfully. Just take a listen to the band’s glorious cover of “Just a Dream” by Nelly. It is unconventional (almost humorous in its musical absurdity), but after the initial shock sets in, it is not difficult to imagine the song being a Coco original. This is the mark of a great band.

“Warriors” takes effervescent to a new level. The music is off-the-bubbly-charts. If you do not have the sudden urge to get up, jump up and down, and sing along to the track than something must be terribly wrong with you. In a style similar to fellow countrymen Skinny Lister, Coco and the Butterfields combine a traditional folk instrumental with fresh elements. “Warriors,” though, maintains a unique theatrical feel that creates a big-screen appeal. It also maintains a dangerous contagiousness that invokes constant repetition of the song…seriously. The song is a gem. This band needs to make its way to the Big Apple, so I can hear the song live – yes, I’m selfish. Heck of a song from one heck of a band.

Get on the Coco and the Butterfields train. Follow the band on its Website, Facebook, and Twitter.

 

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Through It All with Kye Alfred Hillig

24 Jun

Kye Alfred Hillig

Kye Alfred Hillig has recorded 18 full length albums of original material and has written more than 1,000 songs. He has been the primary songwriter for four bands, been on multiple regional and national tours, and performed many shows in the Pacific Northwest before going solo in 2012. He is the quintessential troubadour; his granular croon and unique brand of folk combine to create original pieces that fill each album with full-blown hits.

So, why do we not know more about Hillig? Perhaps it is because he first went solo last year. Well, if his first two solo efforts are indicators of success, Hillig will soon be a household name for folk lovers. Put simply, this man can sing, write, and play. His twangy croon has elements of Josh Ritter and Conor Oberst, and his lyric balances metaphors, axioms, and personal anecdotes.

While different in voice and lyrical content, Hillig, in his sheer productivity, reminds me of John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats. Similarly, each song of his is original and listenable – a tremendous quality and feat for a musician.

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Together Through it All was written during Hillig’s first months of employment at a funeral home in the Puyallup Valley of Washington State. He gathered several songs for the new album, and, even though it had only been four months since the release of his debut album solo album Aurora (Darnielle-esque!), Hillig is a songwriter and felt the itch to get in the studio and lay down the new tracks for his second release. The album was released in February of 2013.

This song plays right into my weakness. Introductory staccato piano chords and accordion (seriously, I cannot help from being lured by Parisian folk!) So, immediately “An Unedited Presentation of Souls” sent me back to Jardin du Luxembourg. Hillig’s apt vocal, well-placed harmonies, and rapid-plucked acoustic guitar do not hurt. With the fused style of Joe Purdy and the Counting Crows, Hillig allows the song to flourish with rich instrumentals and soothing vocals.

“You & Me & Time” emits a different feel; a folk ballad that moves like calm waves undulating in the ocean. Hillig’s versatility is striking. This song also has some of Hillig’s most inspired lyrics on the album – simple and beautiful:

“And I don’t care if they think we’re wrong
And I don’t care if they hate this song
Let them paint the world so black and white
I’ll take the colors that make up our lives, and baby we’ll paint the night”

When asked about his inspiration, Hillig said:

“The thing that inspires me most in music is the continual investigation of difficult subject matter, the areas and ideas that make most of us uncomfortable. I’ve found that these places are gold mines for creating work that feels meaningful to me. It wasn’t until going solo that I really found my voice in music. Since then it feels like I’ve really discovered who I am as a songwriter. I believe strongly in going to work for my music. Making myself available for songs to happen is a vital part of the process now. I don’t sit around waiting for songs to fall in my lap. I start fiddling with instruments daily like an archeologist trying to unearth something, waiting for something to show itself. Some days I find something worth keeping. Some days I don’t.”

Doesn’t this excellently describe the writing process (songwriting/prose/poetry)? It is like an archeologist trying to unearth something. Luckily for Hillig, he rarely digs without finding precious metals.

Check out the rest of Together Through It All. Follow Hillig on his Facebook and Website

 

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