Tag Archives: Pop

Post Death Soundtrack Brings Listeners In A Dreamworld

4 May

Hailing from Canada, Post Death Soundtrack does not disappoint with its new wave trip hop sound.  Set to release May 27th, a standout track from their upcoming album entitled The Unlearning Curve holds David Bowie undertones and elements of new wave. You Can’t Go Back delves deep into a narrative of a wandering mind, with poignant lyrics such as “you can’t go back, the system is out of order, and we all throw our hands out”. Further making references to falling in a rabbit hold will make the listener think they are reminded of Alice In Wonderland and the merging of reality and dreaming collide. Within the track as well are references to serpents as well, perhaps alluding to a forbidden fruit concept as well in such a simple, yet complex track. If you are wanting to listen to a band that has classical influences mixed with some new age thinking, The Unlearning Curve from Post Death Soundtrack should be next on your musical playlist.

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Hot Rumours Fuels The Soul With Run To Me

9 Mar

 

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Hot Rumours presents their sound with unlimited effortlessness. Fueling the song’s sound, Run to Me, it carries the undertones of rock and roll, angst, and the spirit of authentic feelings. Hailing from Frankie Siragusa, most known for working with members of acclaimed groups such as The Decemberists, Reggie Watts, and REM, Hot Rumours brings the vocalist Aaron Ficchi’s sound into a genre of sophistication and the epitome of brilliant music making. Within the track, Run To Me, it carries deep metaphors as well with lyrics such as “everytime you wake up to someone else, you drive yourself alone”. While Run To Me gives us a glimpse into their debut EP, listeners will be thrilled to know that a West Coast exclusive tour will be in the works for summer, simply spreading the sound of Hot Rumours to ears filled with anticipation.

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Music Palace – Rival Sons, Adam Sullivan and the Trees

28 Feb

I must proclaim that I am a little late to the game with both Rival Sons and Adam Sullivan and the Trees. I first heard about both bands back in 2014, and, well, there they sat on my list of bands to write about for around two years. Since then, though, both bands have continued their drive to the top of their respective genres, creating excellent music that, if you have not heard of yet, you should have (and you will now).

 

Rival Sons

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Hard Rock is tough to come by these days. And, no, I’m not talking about the loud, “hard rock” proto-punk sound that occasionally serves as a substitute to traditional hard rock. I’m talking about Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Blue Cheer 1960s/1970s hard rock that took blues music and shaped it into a driving sound that rocked the socks off of my parent’s generation. Lucky for listeners today, Rival Sons is doing just that. Much in the vein of modern bands like The Sheepdogs and Gary Clark Jr., Rival Sons is creating old-style rock n’ roll music with a keen blues sound, driving percussion, and raspy vocals. This is not going unnoticed. The Californian band, which formed back in 2009,  was handpicked to be the main support for the entire Black Sabbath farewell world tour. That’s a high compliment from one of the originators of the genre.

Released in 2014, on the 4th studio album from the band – Great Western Valkyrie – “Open My Eyes” was a large reason why the album reached #1 on the US Heat charts as well as charting in several European countries. Hit play on that track and tell me it does not sound like you just lightly placed the needle down on an LP. The crashing percussion and satiating riff – purveyed by Mike Miley and Scott Holiday respectively – are jaw-dropping. Lead vocalist Jay Buchanan belts the vocals from the first note, calling forth comparisons to Paul Rodgers and Lou Gramm. Dave Beste provides a solid bass guitar to round out the quartet. The song even features a Bad Compary-esque acoustic interlude. This is a tremendous release from an up-and-coming band, and I cannot wait to hear more from them.

Adam Sullivan and the Trees

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After years as a solo artist, Adam Sullivan needed some more roots to shape his music career, so he recruited some NYC trees and started making music with them. The result? Adam Sullivan and the Trees, a four-piece Indie/Folk/Pop outfit whose music relies on catchy melodies, dulcet rhythms, and, according to the Facebook page, halal food and whiskey. The band, which consists of Adam Sullivan (keys, vocals), Mason Ingram (drums), Rob Ritchie (guitars), and Zack Lober (bass), formed in 2013 and since then released a self-titled LP (2014) and Live and Acoustic album (2015).

“Cool Kids” – the live version – is off of the band’s most recent 2015 release. It is a ditty in every traditional sense. The band describes its genre as happy/sad music, and this song encompasses that genre perfectly. Ostensibly, it is a melodic acoustic track with pleasant vocals and cheery instrumentation; the lyrics, though, are about trying to fit in with the cool kids and are, well, sad; however, the lyrics fit perfectly with the track and in that are successful.

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Bitter’s Kiss Paints Heartfelt Melodies

2 Feb

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Bitter’s Kiss Self Titled Album brings out the inner hearty angst that anyone has post breakup, build up of heartache, and unrequited love. Chloe Baker’s voice paints a heartfelt picture through the tracks and the soft strums of the guitar and accompanying piano carries the 90s acoustic sound the album has overall.  Baker’s vocals sound reminiscent of Allison Kraus, and have a soft ethereal quality to them.  Her newest single, “No One Will” was shot in Cork, Ireland and delivers a reflective tone and artistic reflection throughout the video. For only having released other songs since 2015, its not too surprising that Baker has made herself known within a short amount of time. Overall, the album delivers almost a growth of emotions, ranging from heartache to sometimes a melancholic stream of consciousness. With Baker’s reflective songwriting and continued growth as a songwriter, listeners should take note of Bitter’s Kiss anthems.

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Top 10 Songs of 2015 – #7: “Get It” by Matt & Kim

19 Dec

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Matt & Kim are a deliciously weird due from Brooklyn, NY whose eccentricity is a story in and of itself; however, like all eccentric music groups, if the music doesn’t hold up, then the band won’t last. Since 2006, however, this duo has created nothing but genre-bending, effervescent music that has not changed with the release of their latest album in 2015, New Glow. We go way back to the beginning of the year for the #7 song on the countdown, “Get It,” the first single released off the new album. Those of you who have stared at a television this past year might recognize this one from the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line commercials.

If anything, this song is deliciously Matt & Kim, engaging listeners in the same zeal as songs like “Daylight” and “Let’s Go.” Matt & Kim creates such unique Indie/Dance music that it is tough to compare them with any other band; just when you start thinking they sound like somebody in the business, the band modifies its sound; for this specific song they implemented some odd synth noises that mixed with percussion spark immediate movement in the listeners; it’s inevitable; you might as well succumb to it. It’s tough to describe what the “drop” of the song is; it almost sounds like a breathless frog – and, yes, that does sound negative, but it’s pretty darn cool. The song is driven by synth sounds just like that one, and these breakdowns make the song desirable. The song, which is about partying (in case you couldn’t guess), models a party; it is driven by constant dance beats and repetition of lines like “we don’t want to go home.” One desires to be part of the crowds displayed in the music video, which is wild.

If I had to summarize this review and quickly describe why I think it deserves a spot on the top songs of the year list, I would only need one word: fun. There are not many songs that can be described as simply fun, and Matt & Kim encompass that idea in almost all of their songs, but, on their 2015 album, especially “Get It.”

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