rescuing musical virtue in distress.
Pop? Rock? Alt? Indie? Call it what you will (genres are so 90's anyway) but there are elements of all of those woven into this track, which is a neat trick if you can do it, and The Undecideds can! It is infectiously pop, grooves with a slightly harder rock edge, jangles with indie-pop sweetness... Continue Reading →
I have already established that Deep C Divers are one of the lucky few bands to have found their way to the place where pop and rock music meet and merge perfectly, when writing about previous songs My Luv and Smile For Better Days. Their latest single, Buried Treasure, is also the product of such... Continue Reading →
Usually found fronting the band from which he takes his name (Bromide not Simon,) The Waiting Room is the first sonic nibble of a debut solo album to follow. And what a tasty morsel it is too. Lyrically it speaks of twists of fate, of things that didn't happen for one reason or another and,... Continue Reading →
Anyone associated with bands called Pladdohg, Plastic Paddy and more latterly, CaliCeltic, is certainly making no bones love for the Celtic heritage. Patrick Noel Russ is that man, his ancestors may or may not originate in that part of the world (Editor's Note: not!) but it doesn't matter as this time out it is his... Continue Reading →
With an ep title, and indeed an artists name, which conjures such immediate and iconic imagery, you could be forgiven for thinking that the music found on this latest 5-track offering falls easily into a country or Americana corner. There are certainly elements of that to be found within the music but that is only... Continue Reading →
Radio Drive are all about the perfect blend of grunt, groove and grace. Yes, I am a big fan of alliteration, but those words are chosen for more than their rhythm and rhyme, it is a phrase that is perfect to describe the sonic forces that main man Kevin Guillickson conjures and controls on this... Continue Reading →
Blurring the lines between 80's sonic nostalgia and futuristic pop-rock, Rocky Gibraltar covers a lot of ground, yet does so in a very unfussy and uncluttered way. It takes a touch of New Romantic sheen, pop smarts, ambient electronica, blends them seamlessly together and then throws in some sassy rock grooves to power everything along.... Continue Reading →
Having already had the chance to experience Light Me Up under my pen earlier in the year, a full album from Ratinoff was something I have been looking forward to. That initial sonic meeting alerted me to his ability to take everything good about pop - addictiveness, groove, fun - and everything great about rock... Continue Reading →
Using music to change the world seems like a lofty goal but it is one that Pandu Hutomo takes one stage further on this latest album. To be honest, it is something that he does on every release but let's just focus on this one for now. Rather than trying to change the world that... Continue Reading →
Splitstep's latest release, Never Notice, dances delicately across any number of genres, stepping lightly on everything from upbeat acoustica, understated pop-rock, funky grooves and breezy brass, the latter courtesy of Westword Music Award-winning Guerrilla Fanfare Brass Band. And in a world where you seem to trip over singer-songwriters everywhere you go, Splitstep offers something more... Continue Reading →
Dead Sea Sirens represent not only everything innovative and exciting about making music in the modern age but also a perfect example of creativity and problem-solving in the face of lockdown restrictions and enforced isolation in the time of the pandemic. I guess the fact that the band is made up of people from all... Continue Reading →
Hitting the sweet spot between rock's rabble-rousing aggression and alt-pop accessibility and addiction, Light Me Up is instantly contagious. Even the most hard-hearted cynic or entrenched musical tribal follower would be hard pushed not to fall for its raucous charms immediately. Some songs achieve anthemic status through clever media and marketing, though record company drive... Continue Reading →
It is safe to say that Arda & The Stolen Moon make pop music. It is also safe to say that it is the sort of pop music which is all too rare these days. In fact, it is pop music that is so busy just being itself and having fun that it probably doesn't... Continue Reading →
Reunions aren't always intentional, sometimes such opportunities just seem to present themselves and the people involved end up wondering why they parted ways in the first place. Whilst Don Miggs was working in the studio with Candlebox he found himself needing a drummer for the session and called up his old MiGGs bandmate Jason Gianni.... Continue Reading →
I've said it many times before. There is a sweet spot between pop and rock music that manages to combine the best of both genres. Find your way to that magical crossroads and you will find that your music is imbued with the infectiousness of the mainstream and the weight and swagger of rocks sonic... Continue Reading →
The great thing about Whole Damn Mess is that whilst they employ the sonic weapons of a rock band, what they create is so loaded with a pop sensibility, so wonderfully melodic, so addictive and infectious that they seem to create a genre all of their own. Pop-rock doesn't seem the right term, perhaps selling... Continue Reading →
Built from futuristic pop smarts surfing over rock waves, Nu Eyes takes a look back at the places and people you used to know with the fresh perspective which is only gained from leaving a place, either physically or mentally. As Matty Marz says, you gotta move on, and having done so it is easy... Continue Reading →
If pop music is built on infectious melodies and sonic addictiveness and rock music on solid structures and more deft musical choices, then there must be a sweet spot in the middle, a well-spring that gushes forth music with all these qualities. Well, there is, but it is hard to get to and it takes... Continue Reading →
The awesomely named Crime Spree in Candyland (and yes, that is now their full and official title as far as I'm concerned) is a band that perfectly embraces modern times. They understand that it is worth looking to the past for inspiration whilst striding confidently forward to embrace their own musical possibilities and sonic potential.... Continue Reading →
The message behind this musically lush new track from Love Letters From Space is not a new one but it does seem to have taken on added poignancy in recent years. The idea of the connectivity of (anti)social media as being some sort of technological saviour was long been known to be a myth, ironically,... Continue Reading →
Although the world occasionally moves forward through leaps of faith and lateral thinking, generally it advances through more gradual and accomodating steps. And this is certainly true of music. Forget all of those jarring fusions of conflicting genres, which those looking to create the next fad and fashion try to sell us as the first... Continue Reading →
I know that it might seem like a lazy reference point, but there is something Beatle-esque about So Sad. With only a few changes, mainly to reflect the production capabilities and tone of the times, you might even think that this is a lost track from the recording sessions which resulted in Revolver or Rubber... Continue Reading →
This latest album from The Fairchilds is full of contradictions. A largely rock-based album with a social conscience! Mainstream sounds but with mass appeal to the more discerning and underground listener too! Music which grooves but still has something to say! Guitar music as funky, pop-poised and danceable as the best artists that those genres... Continue Reading →
There is a sweet spot between pop and rock which eludes many who try to unlock its powers. It's sort of like alchemy, the quest to turn rock into something more infectious and addictive or to imbue pop with more weight and drive. Most fail to get the sonically charged, chemical reaction just right, ending... Continue Reading →
You can always tell when a band has honed its craft, you know, really put the hours, the months, the years in, and the blend of deft songwriting and warm waves of vocal harmonies, the energy and the infectiousness which greets you here, speaks to this in no uncertain terms. So it comes as no... Continue Reading →
If you think that artists get set in their ways the further down the musical path they travel, then you have obviously never spent much time in Nelson King’s musical kingdom. It might seem logical that having found a sound that fits, a style which suits, a core audience, that you should keep ploughing away... Continue Reading →
There is an odd belief that anything which sits comfortably in the mainstream, anything which is earmarked for commercial success is somehow not as good as the more underground artist, artists presumably more earnest and creative. Odd Saints prove that there is a sweet spot between the two worlds and Blame The Young is all... Continue Reading →
This latest release from Joemayk is a further reminder of his ability to blend wonderfully accessible, pop-aware sounds with more mature, more cleverly wrought and more readily memorable music. The irony of most pop music today is that although it is designed to be easy to connect with and memorable, it encourages you to join... Continue Reading →
Drop the virtual needle onto the digital groove of a new Phil Cooper album and you do so with a few expectations already in mind. Clever lyrics. A supple groove. Infectious melodies. Easy accessibility. And all of those clever tricks and sonic smarts which seem to keep the Cooper-verse a unique and wonderful place. What... Continue Reading →
The first single from this Australian pop-rock duo perfectly captures the modern world, especially the one experienced by those of us caught up in its rat race. We find ourselves only half-committing to jobs which hold no interest for us whilst our mind wanders towards more interesting and often more fantastical places. Aided and abetted... Continue Reading →
