Category: Single Review

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Rialto, CA-based soul outfit Brainstory will be releasing their Leon Michels-produced sophomore album Sounds Good on Friday through renowned purveyors of soul, Big Crown Records.

The album will feature:

  • “Gift of Life,” a lush, old-school, Quiet Storm-like, show-topping ballad built around a shimmering and vibey arrangement featuring fluttering, ethereal flute paired with Kevin Martin’s emotive, falsetto croon and some incredibly catch hooks. While the song see the band pulling from classic soul, psych soul and dub in a way that sounds like it could been released sometime between 1968-1974, “Gift of Life,” manages to feel remarkably modern. 
  • “Listen,” a classic, two-step inducing groove-driven song with shimmering analog synths, an overdrive-fueled guitar solo paired with some dreamy falsetto melodies and harmonies that sounds — to me, at least — as though it could have been been a Mandrill or Isley Brothers B side. The song sees the band’s Kevin Martin encouraging the listener to spend some time enjoying the present moment, because life’s all too short and remarkably fleeting
  • “Peach Optimo,” a slow-burning and summery bit of psych soul anchored around a strutting and wobbling bass line, glistening keys, some funky drum rhythm patterns and an expressive guitar solo paired with some retro-futuristic synths. Seemingly channelling JOVM mainstays Mildlife and L’Eclair, sees the trio diving into the banality and simple pleasures of teenaged suburban life — full of the nostalgia of cul-de-sac hangs and bullshit sessions with the homies.

Sounds Good‘s fifth and latest single “XFaded” is a strutting, hook-driven and funky psych soul jam anchored around an arrangement featuring skittering boom bap, a sinuous bass line and squiggling bursts of guitar. According to the trio, the song’s sound was partially inspired by what theft thought a modern day George Clinton/Parliament funk jam would sound like — and by small town life, where getting fucked up is an unofficial/official pastime because there isn’t much else to really do. The slick Leon Michels production paired with the band’s razor sharp yet seemingly effortless performance ironically contrasts the notion of getting sloppy and fucked up but reveals the easy-going chemistry between the trio and producer.

The trio are about to embark on a run of headlining Stateside dates and a couple of stops on the global festival circuit, before joining Lady Wray in May for a run of UK and European Union dates. Tour dates are below.

BRAINSTORY TOUR DATES

Apr 18 Lodge Room – Los Angeles, CA **SOLD OUT

Apl 19 The Independent- San Francisco, CA

Apr 20 Moe’s Alley – Santa Cruz, CA

Apr 21 Pappy & Harriets – Pioneertown, CA 

Apr 22 Valley Bar – Phoenix, AZ

Apr 23 Love Buzz – El Paso, TX 

Apr 25 Tandem – San Antonio, TX 

Apr 26 Psych Fest – Austin, TX

Apr 27 Norman Music Festival – Norman, OK

Apr 29 Sister Bar – Albuquerque, NM 

May 01 Larimer Lounge – Denver, CO 

May 02 The Atrium – Fort Collins, CO 

May 03 DLC – Salt Lake City, UT 

May 04 Neurolux – Boise, ID 

May 07 High DIve – Seattle, WA 

May 08 Mississippi Studios – Portland, OR

May 14 Bird, Rotterdam, Netherlands +

May 15 Bitterzoet, Amsterdam, Netherland +

May 16 Knust – Hamburg, Germany +

May 17 Franz Mhelhose – Enfurt, Germany +

May 18 Lido – Berlin, Germany +

May 20 La Maroquinerie – Paris, France +

May 23 Belgrave Music Hall – Leeds, UK +

May 24 Lost Horizon – Bristol, UK +

May 26 Cross The Tracks Festival – Brockwell Park, UK

May 27 Jazz Cafe – London, UK +

May 28 The Blues Kitchen – Manchester, UK +

May 29 St. Luke’s – Glasgow, Scotland +

Jun 08 The Rockaway Hotel – Rockaway, NY +

Jul 08 FEQ Festival D’ete De Quebec – Quebec, Canada

+ notes dates with Lady Wray

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Austin-based trio Boss Battle specialize in a sludgy and dirty alt rock/grunge-meets pop sound anchored around precise beats, stomach-dropping synth bass lines, walls of analog synth, scorching guitar and dual male/female vocals. While being heavy enough to thrash along with, the Austin-based outfit’s work has always been catchy and melodic enough to sing along to — presumably with a beer raised in the air.

So far, through the release of a handful of singles and EPs, Boss Battle has been compared to The Jesus Lizard, Pixies, The Dead Weather, Deftones and Failure among a list of others. Building upon a growing profile locally and elsewhere, the band will be releasing a handful of singles over the course of the next year.

The band’s latest single “Burned Alive” is a sludgy and soulful dirge, anchored around scorching riffs, whirring electronics, thunderous drumming and enormous, sing-along worthy hook and choruses within an expansive yet grunge-inspired song structure. The song’s arrangement serves as lush yet anthemic bed for remarkably melodic, powerhouse vocals.

“‘Burned Alive’ might be the simplest yet most melodic song we’ve written,” the band’s Chico Jones says. “All the parts landed quickly. The arrangement was straight forward. I remember Ben suggesting that we kill any intro and start cold with the lyrics and music. Bang! you’re in the middle of it! I also remember recording the vocal lines into my phone almost immediately after we wrote the guitar and drums. I am proud of the melodies. Definite singalong feels.”

“The lyrics took a while though—and several rewrites as well,” Jones continues. “But I like where we landed with the words … The vibe is sort of this Flowers for Algernon perspective but only the worst parts. Abandon all hope… And Erin really nails that emotion at the end— so good. I also can tell that the band geek in me is giving a shoutout to influences that use a lot of space in their riffs . It’s as if the beginning is just an excuse for that drop at the end— but in reality you have to hammer everyone for a bit before you take them for a slow ride.Oh yeah I’m also not really playing chords — why are there so many strings on this thing?”

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Formed back in 1995, Stockholm-based duo Club 8 — Karolina Komstedt (vocals) and electronic music producer, artist and Labrador Records founder and label boss Johan Angergård — initially began as a recording project, before expanding into a full-fledged touring band.

Throughout their nearly three decade history, the Swedish pop outfit has a long-held reputation for being sonically restless and notoriously difficult to pigeonhole. Their full-length debut, 1995’s Nouvelle saw the duo tackling Bossa nova. 1998’s The Friend I Once Had saw the duo exploring electronic pop and electronic dance music. The Swedish outfit’s next three albums — 2001’s self-titled, 2002’s Spring Came, Rain Fell and 2003’s Strangely Beautiful — saw the duo dabbling with old-school-inspired soul.

2017-2018 may have arguably been one of the more prolific and busiest periods of Angergård’s lengthy career: With his solo recording project The Legends, he released Nightshift. Djustin, the Labrador Records founder and label boss’ collaboration with Rose Suau released their full-length debut, Voyagers. He closed that period out with Club 8’s 10th album, 2018’s Golden Island, which featured “The Hospital,” one of the most industrial/goth-leaning tracks the pair have ever released.

Over the past year, the Swedish duo have released a batch of singles, including their latest, the recently released “Sucker.” Anchored around incredibly catchy hooks, shimmering, reverb-soaked guitars and a relentless motorik groove serving as a lush bed for Komstedt’s ethereal croon, “Sucker” sees the Stockholm-based outfit dabbling in dance floor friendly, hook-driven 80s New Wave nostalgia.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: AC Grüns Shares Woozy and Hypnotic “Cosmic WiFi (Radio Free Babble On Mix)”

AC Grüns is a Pacific Northwest-based electronic music artist and producer, who has quickly established a unique sound that’s simultaneously ethereal and immersive and sees him blending house, techno and downtempo paired with crisp beats and deep bass.

His latest single, the sparse and minimalist “Cosmic WiFi (Radio Free Babble On Mix)” is a woozy and hypnotic track anchored around looping and arpeggiated bursts of analog synths and twinkling keys paired with skittering beats. Sonically seeming to channel The Chemical Brothers‘ “Star Guitar” and Kraftwerk, is a mind-bending yet accessible bit of playful experimentation with a cosmic sheen.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Atlanta’s Burger Daddy Shares Vibey and Brooding “basketball”

Burger Daddy is the recording project of a mysterious and emerging Atlanta-based musician, who says that he “loves to write from the heart.” Instead of going for a particular sound, the Atlanta-based artist just sees whatever comes out whenever he sits down to write.

His debut single “basketball” is a brooding bit of post punk-inspired pop anchored around glistening synths, skittering and off-kilter percussion serving as an uneasy yet lush bed for the Atlanta-based artist’s expressive and yearning delivery. While sonically channeling the likes of Billy Idol and Daughn Gibson, “basketball” reveals a songwriter, who can craft a vibey and sultry song with some remarkably catchy hooks.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Lyric Video: Tokyosongbird Shares Broodingly Cinematic “On Falling”

Back in the day, Tokoyosongbird creative mastermind Justin Lewis was signed to the Beastie Boys‘ label Grand Royal Records, released records globally and toured the global festival circuit with his nine member backing orchestra. Grand Royal Records eventually closed up shop, and Lewis withdrew into the studio.

Last year, Lewis had an epiphanous realization that he was neurodiverse. “It was kinda crazy as I’d been searching for years and just never finishing anything – I thought it was my artistic temperament – and then you learn there’s this thing that means your brain works differently – well shiiit,” Lewis says.

“As I got my head around this I wrote this song ‘Let Your Songbird Sing’ (the project’s next single) that was about being completely yourself, and like nothing I’ve ever written before, and a new project was born,” Lewis continues. “I needed a producer to give the sound a scale and an edge, and to properly kick my butt if I became in danger of shelving another album I almost made. Dave Sanderson was the perfect fit.

“I put my first single ‘After the Storm’ out last year on the spur of the moment, it was finished, I got a bit giddy and in about three hours I’d made a video and launched it. I remember getting several messages going ‘What are you doing? This wasn’t the plan — haha, it felt great though! – Tokyosongbird was born and a decade of paralysis at an end”.

Lewis’ latest Tokyosongbird single “On Falling” is a breathtakingly gorgeous yet eerie and brooding bit of Portishead and Tales of Us-era Goldfrapp-like trip hop that seamlessly blends acoustic and electronic sounds: Lewis’ achingly plaintive falsetto ethereally floats over an uneasy seeming arrangement of twinkling, arpeggiated keys, supple bass lines and atmospheric synths.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Boston’s Arrows of Athena Share Anthemic “Reckless Heart”

Boston-based indie duo Arrows of Athena — Jac-Lyn Gibbons (vocals) and Scott Lerner (guitar, bass, synths and drum programming) — can trace their origins back to their childhood: They started the project, when the pair of friends decided to make music after being apart for 15 years.

Gibbons and Lerner’s rekindled chemistry was instant, and the first batch of songs the pair recorded just after the pandemic would eventually shape their full-length debut, The Ghost Archives, which is slated for an April 26, 2024 release through Belhaven Records.

The Ghost Archives‘ first single “Reckless Heart” is a remarkably radio and arena rock friendly anthem built around classic grunge song structures — quieter verse, loud hook, loud chorus, quieter verse, repeat — that quickly establishes the Boston outfit’s sound, a slick and sleek synthesis of Sisters of Mercy-like post-punk, 80s arena metal and synth pop serving as a lush and dynamic bed for Gibson’s effortlessly soulful, self-assured delivery.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Solid Spark Shares Slickly Produced and Euphoric Banger “Dream”

Solid Spark is a rising electronic music producer and DJ, who has caught the attention of the global electronic scene with a sound that seamlessly blends contemporary pop sound with golden age EDM nostalgia. For the rising electronic music producer and DJ, the result is material that’s dance floor friendly but packs a deep emotional and energetic resonance.

“Dream,” Solid Spark’s latest single is a slick, club friendly banger anchored around glistening synths, a sultry and yearning vocal sample, skittering beats and euphoria-inducing hooks and drops that reveals a producer with an uncannily sophisticated sense of soulful craftsmanship.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Kenon Chen Returns with Slick and Anthemic “Driving Sunday (Route 1 Remix)”

Kenon Chen is a prolific extra pop singer/songwriter, who over the course of last year released four albums — Electric Winter, The Tide: Wave I, Electric Spring, Electric Summer and Electric Fall. 

Chen released the Electric Seasons Remixed album earlier this year. Last week, I wrote about the  Get Ready-era New Order-meets-St. Lucia-like “Safer In Your Arms (Lunar New Year Edit),” a slickly produced, hook-driven bop featuring skittering beats, strummed guitar and glistening synths serving as a lush and cinematic bed for Chen’s achingly plaintive falsetto.

Continuing upon a prolific run, Chen also released a standalone single “Driving Sunday (Route 1 Remix),” a lounge friendly, club banger anchored around glistening synth oscillations and skittering beats paired with a relentlessly infectious motorik groove serving as a lush, satiny bed for Chen’s dreamy and yearning falsetto. The result is a song that — to my ears, at least — seems to channel a slick, hook-driven synthesis of 80s New Wave, Giorgio Moroder, Tour de France-era Kraftwerk.