Category: Music Reviews

Carol Rhyu’s independent project, White Blush, continues to grow and is well worth the listen this summer while you welcome warm winds and cool sheets. White Blush’s most recent EP, Loves Park, is one you’ll want to know sooner than later for its sheer simplicity and natural beauty. Rest and relaxation accompanies this EP.

Loves Park opens with “Wish,” featuring Rhyu’s signature airy voice and synthesizers. The ambient sounds are intensified by soft whispers and are untainted by harsh effects. Among the liveliest pieces are “Summer,” “Neptune,” and “Mysterieux.”  The quickest way to get my attention and my hidden dance secrets is with a light 80’s synthesizer, prevalent in “Summer.” I can easily imagine “Summer” playing at a swanky nightclub somewhere – not sure how the dancing would look, but I would try it.

“Neptune” exhibits a somewhat ominous sound with reverb guitar effects and rhythmic bass sounds that mimic drumbeats. Finally, “Mysterieux” ends the EP with Rhyu’s captivating synths. There was something familiar about “Mysterieux” when I listened to it, as if I had come across it on Stereomood months ago. It is always when I hear a song the second time that my ears naturally decide if they like it or not, and “Mysterieux” was accepted, its origin a literal mystery.

Loves Park will most likely be making an appearance on my playlist as I drive home from work during these summer afternoons. Loves Park radiates and encourages meditation and thoughtfulness essential for the long, hot summer to come.

Natasha Kozaily’s new pop project Gunakadeit (pronounced Goo-na’-ka-date) is named after a Tlingit legend about a sea monster that brought prosperity and good luck to a village in crisis.

Natasha was raised by a Lebanese father and a native Islander mother on the small island of Grand Cayman in the Caribbean.  She studied ethnomusicology in Wales and now lives in San Diego, California.

Her choice in moniker and worldly, nomadic upbringing are all insights into Natasha’s exotic, ethereal influences and sound, evident in Gunakadeit’s new single, “South”.

“South” begins with minimal instrumentation, primarily a tickling electric guitar sound playing behind Natasha’s piercing vocals building up to a catchy drum beat.

Her swooning, melodic voice sings of a lover that has grown cold towards her. She no longer knows what to say or do where she lives now – her dreams are escaping her, and the town is dead. There is nagging voice telling her to escape, and, of course, for Natasha that means moving away to a happier, warmer place.

As the song progresses into the chorus, it becomes more electronic-pop influenced, with layered drumbeats and vocals, up-tempo cymbals and a deep bass pulse.

Gunakadeit’s first single,“South” bodes well for Natasha Kozaily, as her voice leaves a sense of mystery and intrigue, enticing us to listen to her tell more of her stories.

On Facebook, Aloud describes themselves as a “nationally touring four piece rock n’ roll band with lots of hooks, lots of harmonies, lots of guitars, and lots heart. Dig it.”  Their passion for music really comes out in their lively vocals and upbeat sound. It’s Got to Be Now both enlivens and creates a carefree atmosphere for the listener, which inspires one to move along with the albums rhythmic beats and sing to the clear and melodic lyrics.

It’s Got to Be Now opens with “Back Here with Me Again,” a song that introduces the harmonious male and female vocals that provide an optimistic vibe. Oddly enough, the album includes songs like, “Don’t Let It Get You Down” and “A Little Bit Low,” which seem to instantly cheer up any listener.

“Don’t Let It Get You Down” follows with Aloud’s signature short, spunky guitar riffs that are almost surf-like, paired with clear, melodic vocals. “The Wicked Kind” maintains the energy with short, pulsing beats and high-pitched vocals that may induce rhythmic body convulsions or foot seizures.

The album takes a chill pill with “Such a Long Time,” a lovely little piece that includes a hint of the previously mentioned surf sound with echo guitar effects and multiple “La, la, la’s.”

“It’s Got To Be Now” exhibits more rhythmic guitar riffs and screaming vocals.  It’s Got to Be Now ends sweetly with “The Ballad of Emily Jane,” a nice cool-down to the albums optimistic verve.

Add Aloud’s newest album, It’s Got to Be Now, to your summer playlist! Representing Boston, Massachusetts, Aloud brings energy and high spirits to this rock and roll, pop composition that literally makes listeners want to sing aloud.

Thankfully, the official music video for “It’s Got to Be Now” displays lyrics in a retro and vibrant movement, so there should be no reason why one can’t sing along.

4/5

It’s finally here; Lykke Li’s third album, I Never Learn. Three years since her second album, Wounded Rhymes, and six years since her first, Youth Novels, Lykke Li has developed beautifully but has also remained true to the unique style that captured our ears from the beginning.

I Never Learn is an amalgamation of emotions; honesty, sadness, helplessness. Simple background instruments really intensify Li’s voice and lyrics. There are two versions of “No Rest For The Wicked,” each equally well put together. The piece creates a foundation of simple piano notes, somewhat optimistic but also melancholy in a way. In fact, the narrative is quite sad. The original video introduces a man on a train, remembering a past love, running through the meadow. It’s initially a little sappy, but the message is strong. The story is one of love, made obvious by the introductory nostalgia, preserving love in memory, and also preserving regret in memory. “No Rest For The Wicked” is about fighting for love and fighting internally.

The second version, featuring A$AP Rocky, gives a different perspective on the piece, as a plume of smoke dominates the video, which eventually reflects itself and fades. It’s psychedelically artistic. Of course, a lil rap never nobody.

A$AP Rocky sings just as smooth as Lykke Li, and, again, the simple piano beat only adds to his contribution.

Likewise, Lykke Li’s video for “Love Me Like I’m Not Made of Stone” is simple, yet brimming with emotion. The piece is composed of simple acoustics that, like “No Rest For The Wicked,” showcase Li’s unique voice. The video centers on Li as she kneels in in a dark setting. She exhibits hopelessness, as she seems to be pleading.

“Love Me Like I’m Not Made Of Stone” is followed by “Never Gonna Love Again” on the album, a track with a surprisingly more upbeat tone (if you don’t listen to the lyrics) than it’s predecessor.  Though the title and message does once again emphasize hopelessness and defeatism.

Lykke Li is simple; she doesn’t require synthesizers or voice distortion, and it is effective. Honesty and emotion comes out in this well developed album about love, regret, and growth.

4/5

Sean Lennon borrows the mid-sixties’ tribe-y feel from his father and blends it with dynamic instrumental and electronic elements on The GOASTT’s new album, Midnight Sun, released April 29^th via Chimera Music.

The GOASTT, or The Ghost of a Sabre Tooth Tiger as it is called in long form, is the creative love child of Sean Lennon and Charlotte Kemp Muhl. The band has been around since 2008 but has been making waves recently with their new album and live performances at South By Southwest.

Midnight Sun is a sultry, psychedelic journey, modernizing the experimental sound of the hippie-era while making social commentary on society, religion, love and other modern diseases of the mind and soul. The album is filled with unexpected melodies and strange chord progressions, taking the listener on a trip through time and space, led along by the crooning vocals of Lennon and Muhl.

Lennon’s voice is complimented by Muhl’s on such tracks as “Great Expectations” while songs like “Johannesburg” and “Devil You Know” rely more heavily on the ethereal sound of Muhl’s voice, lending the tracks a more dreamy quality.

Tracks like “Last Call,” “Devil You Know,” and “Golden Earring” move along with astonishing audio variety, alternating from slow, dreamy effects to epic crescendos and heavy guitar riffs. “Midnight Sun” has an almost White Stripes vibe, with a heavy bassline and upbeat drum tempo underneath Muhl and Lennon’s harmonies.

Like his father, Lennon is very much a story teller. “Poor Paul Getty” playfully tells of a young boy on the edge of adolescence who encounters a strange kidnapping. The story of a famous ancient Greek musician and poet is recounted in “Don’t Look Back Orpheus.” On “Xanadu,” we hear the tale of a headstrong young lady. We begin to wonder it’s connection to Lennon’s own life with such ironic lyrics as “she doesn’t want to lay in bed all day with you,” evoking memories of his parents lying in bed for weeks protesting for peace.

“Animals” and its accompanying video are the epitome of a wild trip. “Everywhere you go, you’re in the microscope” croons Lennon amid kaleidoscope visuals of Muhl and himself frolicking among a tribe of dancing hippies. “Animals have escaped the zoo, coming down fifth avenue,” Lennon warns, in what looks like a cult ritual, complete with naked women in rabbit masks, Egyptian and cult symbolism, and plenty (and I mean PLENTY) of psychedelics. The All-Seeing Eye is abounding, as are insanely trippy visuals that could take on a variety of interpretations. You really can’t watch it just once.

Rather than fight the Beatles vibe he has had hanging over his head the entirety of his musical career, Sean Lennon embraces it and takes the sound into the future. By blending classic psychedelic sounds from the Sgt. Pepper’s era with modern electronic effects and his own very unique guitar style, Lennon and his band, The GOASTT, create a roadmap for an adventure certainly worth taking with them.

London natives Amelia Rivas and Christian Pinchbeck collaborate to create their debut full-length album, Sky Swimming, out April 29. On Elephant’s Facebook, they describe the album as “a conclusion that songwriting and documentation should only be accomplished by the turn of night, and should never leave comfort and safety of the bedroom.” This musical theory surely comes through in this dreamy compilation. Elephant is fun and laid back, and Sky Swimming is the perfect playlist for girls’ night, nights on the town, or a little R&R.

Rivas creates a romantic atmosphere with ethereal vocals and vibes well with Pinchbeck’s equally airy keyboard sounds. The album opens with “Assembly,” an upbeat piece with background “ahh’s” and Pinchbecks spooky keyboards. The album takes on a beachy sound in “Ants” with distant surfer guitar riffs and Rivas singing, “Take me away to the shore,” the ideal vacation song.

Sky Swimming follows with Elephant’s newest single, “Elusive Youth.” The song honestly exudes youth; it’s upbeat and dance-worthy. However, Elephants isn’t your run-of-the-mill indie band. They are quite versatile in their ability to take it slow. Pinchbeck dominates with eerie keyboards in “Torn Tongues,” and Rivas sings, “Gargoyles and the gremlins; they scratch under my eyelids.” A wee ominous, but I like.

Sky Swimming is seductive and pleasurably unnerving at points and a beautiful start to what I believe will be a successful music career for Elephant. The album can lull you to sleep or awaken your inner youth. Every lyric and beat flows seamlessly together and entices the listener to sing along. The duo is simple, yet effective and can elicit an emotional response from listeners.

4/5

“Not folk enough for folk and not punk enough for punk.” These are the words we’ve seen used to describe Sledding With Tigers, who just released a new album at a name-your-own-price rate on their website. Despite finding themselves in genre limbo, the band’s latest offering, A Necessary Bummer, manages to capture the honesty that makes both punk and folk such appealing genres. The ten-track debut album is a declaration, an admission, a confession and an apology told through the eyes of lead singer and songwriter, Dan Faughnder. If you like Family of the Year, You Won’t or just an honest offering from some dudes in San Diego, then this one’s for you.

As melodic violin solos organically join with the band’s banjo-plucking compositions, Faughnder (un)apologetically lays his heart out for all to see. Whether they’re tackling physical insecurities, wrestling with seemingly unjustified sadness or pondering bleak loneliness, Sledding With Tigers always seems to approach each song from a place of honesty. Sometimes that honesty means admitting that they’re not being completely honest. It’s as complicated as melancholia. The band puts it best when they collectively announce that they “hate this feeling but [they] don’t hate that [they’re] feeling it.” So many feels. All the feels.

Despite it’s honest lyrics and serious subject matter, the acoustic-driven album doesn’t take itself too seriously. One look at the album’s track titles makes it clear that these guys are good for a laugh or two. From “The Devil and a California Burrito are Raging Inside Me,” (an irreverently funny nod to the band Brand New) all the way to “I Got The Blues Macaroni And Cheese” (Kraft, homie) the band captures the very essence of life. It’s funny, sad, hard and impossibly confusing at times.

Each folky track gets its share of Faughnder’s punkish vocals and the band’s honest lyrics. Tracks like “Oh, Right. Damn It.” make this album both admirable and endearing. By discussing the trivial things in life that seem to (for me, at least) evoke some of the heaviest, hardest emotions and thoughts, A Necessary Bummer asks the hardest questions and poses possible, hopeful answers. It’s hard not to take something away from this album. Whether that something is a solid laugh at the witty track titles, a few finger snapping and toe tapping moments or a reflective moment to consider “what the hell is okay,” one thing is certain… this album is certainly safer and probably better for you than actually sledding with tigers.

3.5/5

In case you were wondering – no, punk is not dead in Athens, Ga. In an almost satanic fury of screeching vocals and dark psych-rock comes Woodfangs, a local Athens band with a worldly sense of attitude. On their newest album, Future Vistas (out May 26 — keep your ears open), we take a journey through what feels like every genre. Even better? Woodfangs flawlessly molds their sound to each and every one to create an album that is entirely their own.

Seriously, let me prove to you that this foursome knows how to work through the history of music. On the album’s first track, “Demolish,” they start with a very ska selection of horns before vocalist John Woodfin Harry begins his ceremonial screaming and chanting. Then, all at once, the album’s title track shoots us into modern punk, reminding one of the Black Lips if they decided to whip out a Ouija board. By “Get Away,” we’re feeling old school Brit rock – it’s hard NOT to hear the Rolling Stones in this track. Through it all, Harry’s vocals give us a nostalgic blast to high school, when the only cool band we were into was Louis XIV. Though the group’s influences are undeniable, their individuality comes in the artful way they mix said inspirations.

However, Future Vistas takes an unexpected turn in the second half of the album. “I’m Just Dumb” incorporates a twang-y guitar and lyrics with a little more truth (“I think that I’ve got friends, but I’m all alone/I think that I feel good, but I’m just stoned”). “Karma Compass” is one of the album’s best tracks – I can’t resist its subdued sense of melancholy. Finally, the last track on Future Vistas, “Flying on the Wings of Angels,” makes you wonder if you entirely imagined the record’s chaotic first half. Maybe they were just good southern boys all along.

5/5