Tag Archives: fresh

New Whip : The State Of Rap with Lane Allen

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I discovered Lane Allen via Instagram. It is a solid place to discover fascinating musicians. This includes artists who are new and are carving their niche in the world of Pop, Rap, Rock, or any genre you can imagine. So, after discovering Lane Allen via Instagram, I headed straight into his Spotify profile to listen to his tunes.

When I listen to hip hop, I pay heed to both the lyrics and the production quality. I see that Allen has put a great deal of finesse in his overall sound. I note the clean and slick bass and his emphasis on mid-tempo beats. The fashion he raps is original, with a sense of spontaneity and honesty. He is from Lexington Kentucky. The blend of local music culture coupled with his global music instinct is perfect. He has forged a distinct style that will gratify all rap music fans.

His popular single is New Whip with Steven Cannon. It is a frenzy salad of pure street attitude, slick verses, and pumping bass. These two artists are great together. It is a tune that will pump any crowd. Allen’s Instagram profile shows his day to day pursuits like recording, rapping, and even riding a helicopter. Lane is young, vibrant, talented, and he is heading for a life of a superstar.

He has released a few EPs and hopefully, we will get a taste of a full-length album.

I can feel the tidal wave of Pressures by Avid Light

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Pressures is the new album by Avid Light available now.

Avid Light releases an irresistible new album Pressures. 

They grew up playing together in their church. And now they have a new album out. Pressures was released late October. Their sound is wrapped in beautiful melodies and anthemic harmonies. It is alternative rock in the style of bands like Muse, Coldplay, The 1975, Switchfoot, and Radiohead. In their quieter moments, their atmospheric sounds is comparable to Sigur Ros.

Pressures opens with Fear with sweeping chords and the tidal waves of sounds in the chorus part. Singer Chase Castleberry has awesome pipes especially when he hits the high notes with intensity and also sing in heartbreaking nuance. Fade Away is a potential radio hit as it is great to sing to. I found myself singing along and even though belting is not my strong point, it is really fun to do it with this song. I noticed tal-pressures-album-cover-hi-res-1024x1024that the guitars have luminous sound courtesy of Tanner Terhune. Strong Enough to Last is another fave ballad. I like the robust drums of Colton Baum. Journey has that soft intro that sounds like church bells but the beats catch you by surprise. It’s really awesome. It’s a nice track move your body to. And yes once again Castleberry steals the show with his amazing singing. I don’t know how they make it, but every song is catchy. I think you can play their record everywhere and get a positive response from people. Like they would say ” hey I just listen one time and I already memorize the melody.”

Walls has an operatic rock quality. It is due to that melodic line from the guitar that repeats all throughout the song. 110 has a warm cello and strings. The song is wrapped around the acoustic guitar. The poignant subject is further enhanced by the melody that reminds me of the sky lightening after the rain. This is the band’s masterpiece in my opinion. Ethereal instrumental sounds gather in Dream of Fire. Like wading a pond steeped in flowers under the noon sun, this song shines brightly with each listen. Rise and Fall is typical mainstream rock. Not really my favourite but I am sure it will appeal to people who are into complex rock melodies.

I like this band. Next assignment is to listen to their Christmas album!

Download Pressures via iTunes.

 

Storm EP by Dominion: A taster of what’s to come.

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Dominion storm ep album cover-side

Dominion are:

* Doi Porras- Vox . Lyrics
* Michael Ramos- Guitars
* Luis Murillo – Bass
* Dave Jurgens: Drums
* Ollie Palma – Keyboards

Influences: The Cure, Sisters of Mercy, The Mission UK, The Cult, FIelds of the Nephilim,David bowie, 80s post punk , Peter Murphy

Only a week before Halloween and I have here a copy of Storm by Dominion. The 3-song EP rocks until the end and leaves a great impression of what’s to come from this band musically. Their music has all the elements that genre aficionados are looking for. And on top of that there is this live energy that’s very unique with the band.

I got a copy of Storm the single around February 14, 2013. I posted an entry :

Storm is embellished with dark melodies and haunting keyboards courtesy of Ollie Palma. Lead vocalist Doi Porras reminds me of the unholy matrimony between Robert Smith of The Cure and Wayne Hussey of The Mission. The drums, bass and guitars are aggressive but sophisticated. Yes that’s Goth beauty for you-along with the term haunting.

Two years later, here comes the EP containing three songs. Usually, other bands could not wait to release a full-length album but they are taking  a less impulsive route. For whatever reasons I will find out when I get to do an interview with the band soon.

The EP starts with the title track. This goes straight into the guts as I already heard this two years ago. I know the three-note keyboard line of Ollie Palma in the midst of the portentous guitar sound. And then there’s that beat and powerful vocals. Mandirigma follows which is interesting because it is in Tagalog. The native language of Doi Porras. I love the keyboards because they remind me of those used by bands like Tiamat and The Mission. From the death rock snarl to an almost operatic highs, Doi Porras proves that he has the pipes that can give their UK counterparts a run of their money.

The Last Time closes the EP with that familiar guitar sound characteristic of the genre. This song will spoil Goth fans. And though Storm is short, This recording shows us what Dominion is capable of achieving in years to come. It is also worth to mention that I love the work of bassist Luis Murillo and drummer Dave Jurgens in this recording.

As Halloween is drawing near, I recommend Storm to all music enthusiasts out there who would like to support Filipino talents abroad. This is a perfect taster of what’s to come from this LA based band.

Visit the band’s website to download the EP: WWW.DOMINIONDOMINATION.COM

The Imposter by Joel Sarakula is a beautiful tribute to 60s Pop

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JS The Imposter Cover - Small

The Imposter marks the evolution of our musical hero Joel Sarakula into the realm of r&b, psychedelia and 60’s pop inspired themes. His melodies come out smoothly. As if he has thought of them for a long time before recording them. I say this because it sounds like each note in The Imposter falls into place. For the opening track They Can’t Catch Me up to the closing Another Place Another Time, the wizard of retroville keeps getting better with each album release.

The Imposter reminds me of Cream and Velvet Underground mixed with that smooth Quiet Storm crooning. Each song oozes with sexiness and warmth. This album is meant to live forever on vinyl. And all you vinyl collectors out there, watch out for that format when it comes out in the market.

While his last album The Golden Age is akin to afternoon sun striking the surface of a platinum table, The Imposter reminds me of pearls falling on silk sheets. There’s that natural elegance especially on songs like When Summer Ends, Northern Soul, Coralie and Young Man’s Game. Chelsea Gun is my personal favourite as it features that beautiful harpsichord sound. But hey I love all of the tracks here. There’s never a dull moment. And after the sultry Another World Another Time has ended, I feel like the album should have been longer. This is a natural feeling you get when all songs are fantastic!

Children of the Higher Light sounds like a potential single. It has that infectious beat and very catchy chorus. European Skies is another track that would appeal to the hipster crowd. With its swooning atmosphere(in an almost disco beat) and 70s breezy melody, this is getting into me as faster than you can say ear worm!JS Espionage Promo

His live shows are very much in demand in Europe especially in Germany where he has fervent followers. I am not surprise, as we are in general give priority to beautiful melodies and sleek production techniques. Although this  is just a personal opinion, but we can’t deny that there is a good reason why he is getting a huge amount of followers out there.

It baffles me how he gets everything together this way. He did mention during our last interview that he is coming up with something r&B and chill out inspired but still this comes as a surprise. The Imposter is 5 out of 5 starts. Yes it is perfect and I swear I am going to take this album everywhere I go!

November 6 is the official release of The Imposter.

Update:

After two days of listening to this album, I have a new favorite. It’s the sixth track in the album called Happy Alone. Perhaps it’s the melody, or the instruments…or maybe it’s his Burt Bacharach-like vocals. It’s really beautiful. It has the same poignant beauty as his single Matchstick Girl (from The Golden Age). The song starts with the piano and guitar. Then the verse starts and I close my eyes. When it reaches the chorus, it definitely one of the most beautiful songs of this decade. He also has a knack for adding horn sections and vocal harmonies.It’s pure and free from the cynicism of many songs today. I am sure that when I listen to this twenty years from now, I will still wear that pleasant smile. There are songs that are meant to endure the test of time and this has got to be it!

Pledgemusic with the March Violets: Mortality Tour and Album

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One of the influential bands in the darkwave genre, the March Violets have an album coming out. And this is possible because of your help. There are many things coming up from this beautiful band. There’s the Mortality tour(which happens to be the name of the upcoming album) and also goodies that they are giving out when you make your pledge.

October is a good month for this type of music. The Goth in me loves it. And I am sure the children of darkness out there are going to like the new album, Mortality. Here’s the message from the band:

The ‘Mortality Tour and Album’ is the new Pledge from the March Violets. Throughout October pledgers get to experience a month of touring around the East Coast, with Backstage Action, Road Movie high jinx and other Purple nonsense. The Violets will be playing classic tracks live, then recording them in November in Chicago. With exclusive daily footage and a virtual Access Pass pledgers will be able to participate in the highs and lows of the entire Tour and Studio Saga. The involvement continues right up to Xmas, with an Advent Calendar with interesting Violet goodies behind each door, culminating in the Album download on Xmas day! 
Physical ‘exclusives’, that will be shipped after Xmas, include a Double CD, a Vinyl LP and a double DVD with a full concert, a road movie, and footage from the entire life of the band, right back to the early Eighties. It’s a new way of touring that DOES come to your home town, social media at its rocking best. Support the Violets, Pledge Purple! Many Thanks.

The link is here: http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/mortality

Snake Dance is one track that introduced me to their music.