I became a fan of Joshua Radin when one of his tracks was featured on a particularly emotional episode of Scrubs that a lot of fans really connect with… More on that later. Anyway, Joshua is back with a new single – “This One’s For”, an acoustic number, his vocals are gorgeous on this, he …
Single Review: “Voices Of Jericho” – Survibers ft. Aniff Akinola
Survibers are back and they’ve deployed a true wordsmith in Aniff Akinola. He’s given a fantastic backdrop of slap bass which slips between that and a squelchy synth bass, over a chilled out hip hop beat with a synth pad playing some dark progressions. The vocals are ethereal, Katrina has switched gears here as she’s …
Single Review: “Shelter” – Marie Keane
This is a gorgeous ballad. Marie’s voice is accompanied by a cello, drums with brushes, a bass, and piano. This is from her album “Mná”, and is one of the slower paced tracks on there. It shows off her vulnerability vocal wise but also shows her versatility too. In fact the whole album is very …
Single Review: “Love Has Come” – SōMuch
SŌMuch are back and they’ve got an EP! This is one of the new tracks that hasn’t yet been heard. The sound is sophisticated, very polished – but what would you expect of a band mentored by Ralph Rolle of Chic? Let’s break it down. The back beat is laid back, the hats give the …
Single Review: “A Day Out With Memorial Device” SkinnyBoy Tunes
A Day Out with Memorial Device by SkinnyBoy Tunes I like it when songs reference other acts in their titles or lyrics. SkinnyBoy Tunes becomes a foley artist with this one, using the sounds of a train station and even recruits a Scot Rail announcer to speak over the top of some lovely chords and …
Single Review: “Snatch” – Good Health Good Wealth
Since I’ve never seen Snatch a lot of the references here are probably going over my head. However, this was one of the tracks that caught my ear in the full inbox. I love the way that the vocals are delivered in a Danny Dyer style, although I think you need to be sucking on …
Single Review: “A Place To Lie” – Art School Girlfriend
The intro is what draws you in on this one, it’s very big, synth-wise, promises epic things, and boy does it it deliver… I love the vocals on this, as well as the drums, they are fluid and really stand out amongst the overall track. When I first heard this I knew it would be …
Album Review: “Letters To George” – John Hollenbeck. Words: Sammy Stein
https://johnhollenbeck.bandcamp.com/album/letters-to-george John Hollenbeck is a genre-fluid composer/percussionist, renowned in both the jazz and new-music worlds. He gained widespread recognition as the driving force behind the unclassifiable Claudia Quintet, and the ambitious John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble, groups with roots in jazz, world music, and contemporary composition. He has earned six GRAMMY nominations and has worked …
Single Review: “Few And Far Between” – Calum Baird
The thing I like about Calum’s voice is that it’s… Honest. What do I mean about that? Well first of all, you can hear his Scottish accent coming through real true, there are no heirs and graces there. He’s a folk singer telling a story in his songs, and you have to have a believable …
Single Review: “Married By Elvis” – Begonia
The title of this song is what got my attention. That and the Bossa nova groove, this is a pretty sweet track, acoustic guitar over a latin groove, the claves haven’t gone unnoticed by the way, and Begonia’s vocals are gorgeous on this, very soulful and playful at the same time. This song is about …