Category: singer/songwriters

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Beginning his music career as a part-time musician in various underground bands in and around the San Francisco Bay Area, the insanely prolific multi-instrumentalist Ty Segall started his solo career back in 2008 with the release of the Horn The Unicorn through Wizard Mountain — and was later re-released by HBSP-2X on vinyl. After befriending Thee Oh Sees frontman and creative mastermind, and co-founder of Castle Face Records, John Dwyer, Segall signed to the renowned, garage rock label, which released his self-titled debut, also in 2008. Since then, Segall has released albums through Memphis, TN-based label Goner Records, frequent collaborations with renowned indie artist Mikal Cronin and for being a member of a number of bands including Fuzz, Broken Bat and GØGGS, and as a former member of The Traditional Fools, Epsilons, Party Fowl, Sic Alps, and The Perverts.

Now, as I mentioned in a post earlier today, as a native New Yorker, who has been covering music for over a decade, I’ve seen countless venues come and go — and soon as a well-regarded or beloved venue closes, another one pops up a few months later in another part of town; however, as both a passionate music fan and journalist, there are a handful of venues that hold a special part of your heart. And for me, Death By Audio held a very special place in my heart. Unlike most venues I’ve seen and covered shows in, there was always a  palpable sense of anything going and happening and in fact, I saw some of the most memorable shows I’ve ever seen; shows that transformed how I saw and wore about live music. Much like Metz, Segall has a connection to Death by Audio as he got his NYC area start at the now defunct DIY venue.

And as I mentioned in a post earlier today, as the venue was closing up shop back in 2014, its owners and bookers curated what turned out to be an epic final month featuring a number of currently renowned acts, who had gotten their start or had some kind of connection to the South Williamsburg, Brooklyn venue including A Place to Bury Strangers, Thee Oh Sees, Protomartyr, Ty Segall, Future Islands, Lightning Bolt, Metz and many others. What people most likely didn’t know was that the venue recorded the last month of shows at the venue and the end result is the compilation Start Your Own Fucking Show Space, which features highlights of the past month in chronological order, slated for release next week through Famous Class Records — and the compilation is meant not as bittersweet nostalgia but as a forceful call to go out and do something fucking awesome, like start a show space and have your friends and others play there.

The second and latest single off the compilation features Ty Segall and his backing band playing a somewhat bittersweet yet forceful and sludgy live version of “Wave Goodbye,” a song that structurally and sonically sounds as though it owes a debt to 90s alt rock as it consists of alternating, rousing and thunderous, power chord-based hooks and a quiet second around the verse. And as soon as you hear it, it should make you want to raise your beers up high and shout along — or mosh the fuck out.

 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Growing up in New South Wales’ Blue Mountains to a family of teachers and educations, Julia Jacklin originally thought she would follow a similar path as a social worker; however, the young Jacklin chanced upon a documentary about Britney Spears  while on a family vacation that changed the course of her life. As Jacklin mentions in press notes “By the time Britney was 12, she’d achieved a lot. I remember thinking ‘Shit what I have done with my life? I haven’t achieved anything.’ So I was like ‘Mum, as soon as we get home from this holiday, I need to get singing lessons.”

As the story goes, classical singing lessons were the only kind a young Jacklin could take in the area, but she took to it; however, by the time she was in her teens the lack of her own personal expression and she quickly joined a high school band, in which she spent time singing Avril Lavigne and Evanescence covers. And as you can imagine, she was quickly hooked — and recognized that music was something she should consider.

Recognizing you have to take a creative path and figuring out which path it should be often comes about in a series of epiphanies and serendipitous events. Jacklin’s second major epiphany came after she had finished high school. While traveling through South America, she ran into high school friend and future collaborator Liz Hughes. Bonding over a love of indie, Appalachian folk trio Mountain Man, the duo started a band together, initially with Jacklin singing the songs that Hughes wrote. “I would just sing,” Jacklin explained in press notes. “But as I got my confidence I started playing guitar and writing songs. I wouldn’t be doing music now if it wasn’t for Liz or that band. I never knew it was something I could do.”

Recorded in New Zealand’s Sitting Room Studios with Ben Edwards, best known for his work with Marlon Williams, Aldous Harding and Nadia Reid, Jacklin’s forthcoming full-length debut Don’t Let The Kids Win is indebted to the influence of Fiona Apple, Anna Calvi while drawing heavily from folk, alt-country and classic country as you’ll hear on the album’s first single “Leadlight,” a single I recently stumbled on while writing about another single. And if you can imagine it, I stopped what I was doing at my cluttered desk and was immediately moved by the ancient ache in this young singer/songwriter’s voice  — an ache of lost and squandered chances, terrible decisions, lost loves and longing that manages to be both a bittersweet lament that has its narrator seemingly saying “how did I fuck that all up — again?” and the wisp of a smile over the fact that life is often embittering, messy and enchanting. Such wisdom in someone so young — the singer/songwriter is only 25 — is a rarity and with a voice that hints at Patsy Cline and others, I think we’ll be hearing quite a bit from Jacklin.

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Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: The Girl Power Visuals for Gothic Tropic’s “Stronger”

Perhaps best known as a touring and session guitarist for Charli XCX and BØRNS, Los Angeles, CA-based guitarist and vocalist Cecilia Della Peruti is also the creative mastermind behind up-and-coming act Gothic Tropic, a band whose New Wave-leaning sound is indebted to the likes of the Go-Gos The B52s and others as angular and punchy guitar chords are paired with a propulsive rhythm section, Peruti’s sultry vocals and an infectious hook as you’ll hear on their latest single “Stronger.”

Interestingly, the recently released music video cuts between footage of Peruti and her backing band performing the song in a studio and splices it with footage of a series of badass, confident women doing their thing, which naturally will instill the fact that the song is a modern feminist anthem about inner strength and resolve, determination and empowerment. You go, girl, indeed.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Lower East Side-born and based singer/songwriter Emily King is a Grammy-nominated artist, who has received a growing national and international profile for a sound that’s deeply indebted to pop, soul and electro pop; in fact, King has toured and opened for the likes of Maroon 5, John Legend, Emeli Sande, Alicia Keys, Aloe Blacc, Sara Bareilles and others.

“Focus,” the latest single off her recently released The Switch, Deluxe Edition pairs King’s effortlessly soulful vocals and achingly honest lyrics, based around a troubled relationship with a stuttering guitar line and bass line, atmospheric electronics, layered harmonies  and an incredibly infectious hook to craft a breezy and radio friendly tune that reminds me quite a bit of Roisin Muphy‘s incredibly dexterous and earnest pop.

King is in the middle of an American tour that includes two dates with the acclaimed Alabama Shakes. Check out tour dates below.

Tour Dates

7/18 – Detroit, MI – The Shelter
7/19 – Chicago, IL – Civic Opera House w/ Alabama Shakes
7/20 – Chicago, IL – Aragon Ballroom w/ Alabama Shakes
7/21 – Minneapolis, MN – Cedar Cultural Center
7/23 – Chicago, IL – Thalia Hall
7/25 – Austin, TX – The Parish
7/26 – Houston, TX – Studio @ Warehouse Live
7/27 – Dallas, TX – Trees
7/29 – Phoenix, AZ – The Crescent
7/30 – Las Vegas, NV – Sayer’s Club
8/1 – San Diego, CA – House of Blues
8/2 – Los Angeles, CA – El Rey
8/3 – San Francisco, CA – The Chapel
8/5 – Portland, OR – Doug Fir
8/6 – Seattle, WA – Tractor
Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Best known as Goldroom, Josh
Legg is a prolific, Boston, MA-born, Los Angeles, CA-based singer/songwriter, electro pop artist and producer, who has taken the blogosphere by storm with the release of two EPs, 2011’s Angeles, 2013’s Embrace and a series of singles  — all of which have been influenced by Daft Punk, Phoenix, Alan Braxe, LCD Soundsystem and others.

September 23 will mark the release of Legg’s long-awaited full-length effort, West of the West, an album title inspired by Teddy Roosevelt, who popularly referred to California as “West of the West” during his presidency. And as Legg explains in press notes “It’s always resonated with me because it feels like a destination past the Wild West – an oasis where anything is possible. To me, West of the West is also the Pacific Ocean, where so much of my life and inspiration lies.” But more importantly as Legg explains further in press notes, the album and its material is centered around honest songwriting. “I was aching to write something more simple and earnest, devoid of cynicism,” Legg says.

West of the West‘s first single “Silhouette” sounds as though it were inspired by Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories and 80s synth pop and R&B as a sinuous and sensual bass line is paired with atmospheric electronics, shimmering, cascading, arpeggio synth stabs, an anthemic hook and Legg’s plaintive and aching crooning to craft a dance floor and radio-friendly jam that manages to be both breezy and sexy.

Over the fall, Goldroom will be on a co-headlining 30+ date tour North American tour with Autograf that includes a NYC area stop at Terminal 5 in October. Check out the tour dates below.

Goldroom’s and Autograf’s National Tour Dates:
09/30
10/01
10/04
10/05
10/06
10/07
10/08
10/12
10/13
10/14
10/15
10/16
10/19
10/20
10/21
10/22
10/25
10/26
10/27
10/28
10/31
11/02
11/03
11/04
11/05
11/09
11/10
11/11
11/12
 Nashville, TN
Atlanta, GA
Portland, ME
Boston, MA
Philadelphia, PA
New York, NY
Washington, DC
Montreal, QC
Toronto, ON
Columbus, OH
Detroit, MI
Chicago, IL
Madison, WI
Omaha, NE
Denver, CO
Boulder, CO
Kansas City, MO
St. Louis, MO
Oklahoma City, OK
Austin, TX
Albuquerque, NM
San Diego, CA
Los Angeles, CA
San Francisco, CA
Arcata, CA
Eugene, OR
Portland, OR
Vancouver, BC
Seattle, WA		 Basement East
Aisle 5
Port City Music Hall
Royale
The Theatre of Living Arts
Terminal 5
A.I.
Fairmount Theatre
Mod Club
Park Street Saloon
Majestic Theatre
Concord
Liquid
Slowdown
Cervantes
Boulder Theatre
Riot Room
Firebird
OKC Farmers Market
Vulcan
El Rey
Observatory North Park
The Novo
The Fox
Arcata Theatre
HiFi Music Hall
Wonder Ballroom
Imperial
Neptune
Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: The Gorgeously Cinematic and Symbolic Video for Joseph’s “White Flag”

Now, as you may remember “White Flag” is the first single off the trio’s forthcoming full-length debut I’m Alone, No You’re Not, which is slated for an August 26, 2016 release. And as you’ll hear the song pairs an ambient and gently undulating production consisting of swirling and ambient electronics, handclap-led percussion and folky guitar chords, a rousingly cathartic and anthemic hook and the Closner Sisters’ gorgeous vocals in a song that sonically reminds me of Pearl and the Beard and Lucius, complete with the same earnest urgency. While lyrically, the song possesses a powerfully positive message — that despite what everyone around you may tell you about your dreams and desires that you should never give up if it’s what you desperately feel that it’s what you must be doing.

The recently released music video for the song is a gorgeously cinematic video that features the Closner sisters in what appears to be the Oregon woods, building a bonfire to set a white flag on fire — and as a result the video manages to be both literal and symbolic.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Perhaps best known as the co-founder of Department of Eagles, multi-instrumentalist Fred Nicolaus’ solo, side project Golden Suits quickly won attention with the release of a self-titled full-length album that thematically focused around a breakup and an obsession with a collection of short stories by John Cheever. And as a result, Nicolaus developed a reputation for crafting contemplative, folk-leaning indie rock; however, with the release of “Is It Wrong” the multi-instrumentalist reveals a subtle change of sonic and songwriting approach as the song manages to sound like a breezy and mischievous version of The National covering the likes of Tom Petty and Paul McCartney.

 

 

 

 

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: The Quietly Post Apocalyptic Visuals for Tuskha’s “First Date”

“First Date,” Moore’s first Tuskha single pairs his aching and tender vocals with gently undulating synths, skittering drum programming and twinkling keys in a song that captures both a sense of melancholy and hope, while reminding the listener that not only are both necessary, that both inform each other in rather profound ways –in some way the song feels as though it’s mourning over the end of a relationship while being grateful that it had happened. Sonically speaking, the song manages to effortlessly mesh the intimacy and earnestness of a singer/songwriter confessional, slickly produced electro pop and jazz; and interestingly, it’s also a song that gains slightly different interpretations with increased plays.

As the video’s director Elise Tyler explains in press notes “When I heard ‘First Date,’ I was struck by how sweetly melancholy it was- hopeful but somewhat reserved. I wanted the imagery to possess the same qualities, a balance between simplicity and depth. We filmed at the nearly-abandoned Hickory Hollow Mall in Nashville, which was once a bustling spot like any other mall in America. It is still open, but what remains is a strange coming together of no-name stores and a food court with three Salvadorian restaurants. Dustin Lane did a fantastic job building on quiet moments and allowing the performance to shine through. We shot on 35mm and I couldn’t be happier with the finished product.” And as a result, the video possesses an eerie, post apocalyptic feel.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Check out Allen Stone Performing a Soulful and Aching Cover of Goyte’s Mega-hit “Somebody That I Used To Know”

With the release of his latest album Radius, Seattle, WA-based soul singer/songwriter Allen Stone has firmly cemented a burgeoning reputation for crafting uncompromising music that defies pop music conventions — and as a result, not only has the Seattle-based singer/songwriter received attention across the blogosphere, he’s recently been invited to play at Stevie Wonder’s British Summer Time show next week, which will most likely add to a growing international profile. And to celebrate a set of European shows and his addition to the Stevie Wonder show, Stone and his backing band released a video performing a slow-burning, Quiet Storm-soul cover of Goyte’s mega-hit “Somebody That I Used to Know” at Bear Creek Studio that actually possesses a deeper sense of the confusion, heartache, guilt, accusations and bitterness within the song than the original in mind; in fact, when Stone sings the line “you didn’t have to stoop so low,” I guarantee that you’ll feel punched the gut.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

If you’ve been frequenting this site over its six year history, you’ve likely made yourself familiar with New York-based singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and long-term JOVM mainstay artist Rene Lopez. And over the years, Lopez has uncompromisingly refused to be pigeonholed into one particular genre. Over the years, Lopez has managed to mesh salsa, boogaloo, old-school hip-hop, meringue and electronica into one cohesive whole on E.L.S.; salsa and 7os Brazilian music on his most deeply personal effort Paint the Moon Gold; and slinkily seductive synth-based R&B and funk, inspired by Prince, The Gap Band, Rick James, Chic and others on Love Has No Mercy and its subsequent releases.

Now, much like The Raveonettes and several others, Lopez has spent the past year on a single of the month series that he’s dubbed the Jam of the Month. The last and latest single of the series “Who Stole Your Heart” is a swaggering 80s freestyle and hip-hop inspired track that pairs Lopez’s silky smooth vocals with big wobbling, tweeter and woofer rocking 808s and layers of cascading synths to craft a dance floor ready party jam that sounds as though it drew from Herbie Hancock “Rockit” and others.

 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

 

Comprised of four singer/songwriters Adrian Olsen, Alexandra Spalding, James Mason and JL Hodges, along with multi-instrumentalist Charlie Glenn, the Richmond, VA-based quintet Avers first caught national attention with the release of their 2014 debut effort, Empty Light, an effort that had them opening for Foo Fighters and J.  Roddy Walston and The Business, along with an appearance at last year’s SXSW that was praised by a number of major outlets including Esquire and The Daily Beast. Building upon the buzz they’ve received, the Virginia-based quintet’s anticipated sophomore effort Omega/Whatever was written,  recorded and self-produced at their unofficial headquarters Montrose Recording — and the album, which is slated for a July 29, 2016 release through Egghunt Records reportedly focuses on struggling through life in the modern world; in fact, the material covers divorce, how technology influences our lives, changing societal norms, corrupt politicians and more. And interestingly enough, the material also manages to continue the creative process that the band established for the sessions that comprised their debut effort — each songwriter brought in sketches and ideas with the entire group then pitching in to flesh out the idea into a song and quickly recording the material that same day, whenever possible. As you can hear on the album’s 90s alt rock-channeling single “Insects,” the result is a song that feels at times hushed and improvised and rousingly anthemic wall of sound-channeling song that captures a sense of powerlessness over the things you can’t control — while saying “Well, that’s life sometimes. Get on with it.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Perhaps best known as the keyboardist and guitarist of Twin Cabins, Los Angeles, CA-based multi-instrumentalist Drew Straus’s solo recording project Onsen recently released his full-length debut Earthquake Weather through Cosmic Dreamer Music. Straus’ solo project and debut effort was inspired by a major career change in which he went went from international police to music, a re-examination of sexuality and a relocation to another city — and as a result, the material captures an artist and a life in transition.

Straus’ latest single “My Own Advice” pairs shimmering and angular guitar chords, propulsive drumming and shimmering and ethereally atmospheric synths ad Straus’ plaintive falsetto in a song that Straus explains to the folks at Culture Collide is about “the end of first love. Written to myself from the perspective of the one I lost.” And as a result, the song possess a wistful “if I had known now what I had known then” vibe while the narrator also recognizes that the experience, despite the heartache, taught him something profound that he’ll take it on to his next relationship.

 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Video: The Wistful and Gorgeous Visuals for Charlotte Cardin’s “Faufile”

Cardin’s latest single “Faufile,” which translates into English as “to slip or sneak away” features Cardin’s gorgeous and aching vocals paired with the singer/songwriter accompanied by a sparse yet eerie piano accompaniment, and the single will further cement the French Canadian singer/songwriter’s growing reputation for crafting hauntingly eerie pop that owes a debt to jazz. And hot on the heels of the release of “Faufile,” comes the wistful music video, which features a brooding and seemingly heartbroken on the rooftops and streets of what appears to be Montreal after a devastating breakup.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Certainly, if you’ve been frequenting this site over the past couple of months you may know that with the release of his debut single “Color Decay,” Westman Islands, Iceland-based singer/songwriter Júniús Meyvant quickly received attention across Iceland, Scandinavia and elsewhere for an old-school soul, funk, pop-inspired sound; in fact, the single was a breakout single that hit number 1 on the Icelandic charts, and as a result of the single’s success, Meyvant wound up dominating that year’s Icelandic Music Awards with nominations for Best Newcomer and Best Male Singer, which he also wound up winning — all of which naturally led to greater attention both across Scandinavia and the European Union, including airplay on Radio X, BBC Radio London, Amazing Radio and the song being chosen by KEXP’s Program Director Kevin Cole as his Song of The Year.

Last month, I wrote about “Neon Experience,”the first single off the Icelandic singer/songwriter’s highly-anticipated full-length debut Floating Harmonies, a single that I think further cements the Icelandic singer/songwriter’s reputation for a sound that possesses elements of old-school soul, pop and funk in mid-tempo arrangement comprised of warm and soulful horn line, a gorgeous and dramatic string arrangement, twinkling keys, a sinuous bass line paired with an infectiously anthemic hook and a slow-burning sultry bridge. All of which are perfect for the silky falsetto. Also you have to add an uplifting and resilient message that could push even the most jaded and cynical through the doldrums in a song that sonically reminded me of the Daptone Records roster — while subtly nodding at the work of Simply Red and Chet Faker.

Floating Harmonies‘ second and latest single “Mighty Backbone” pairs a similar arrangement of horns, strings, guitar and bass with complex polyrhythm. And although the breezy song sounds as though it could have been written and recorded in 1963 as it possesses a careful and deliberate attention to craft — but with a subtly modern production sheen. Ironically, despite the fact that song feels remarkably upbeat, lyrically the song is actually quite bittersweet as the song’s narrator seems to be seeking something that he  may not be able to ever truly achieve.

 

 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

 

Up-and-coming Quebec-born vocalist Charlotte Cardin initially received attention as a model, who once worked for renowned Elite Model Management before deciding to commit to music full-time when she signed with Montreal indie label Cult Nation. Now, if you’ve been frequenting this site over the past year, you may recall that I wrote about “Big Boy,” the first single off Cardin’s recently released debut EP, Big Boy. Interestingly, that single revealed that Cardin specialized in meshing contemporary electronic production with jazz, pop and soul vocal stylings reminiscent of Amy Winehouse and Melanie De BIasio; in fact, that single also revealed that Cardin’s effortlessly soulful vocals possesses a profound ache.

The EP’s latest single “Faufile,” which translates into English as “to slip or sneak away” features Cardin’s gorgeous and aching vocals paired with the singer/songwriter accompanied by a sparse yet eerie piano accompaniment, and the single will further cement the French Canadian singer/songwriter’s growing reputation for crafting hauntingly eerie pop that owes a debt to jazz.