Tag: Big Data

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Palo Duro Returns with a Propulsive and Off-Kilter Track

Earlier this month, I wrote about Palo Duro, the solo recording project of  Austin, TX-based singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Michael J. Winningham, who may be best known for a his time as the frontman of indie rock act Gold Beach; however, from the hook-laden, synth-based single “Darken the Glow,” off the project’s forthcoming album Ryou Cannon, Winningham’s latest project is a decided change in sonic direction, as the track managed to be reminiscent of Big Data and others — while possessing a careful attention to craft. Interestingly, Ryou Cannon’s latest single “True Fade” reveals Winningham to be a musical chameleon, who can adapt to any particular style or genre at will as the track features a looping guitar line, propulsive percussion, an angular yet motorik-like groove, shimmering electronics and dreamy yet off-kilter vocal accents  — and while possessing an art school experimentalist sheen, the song also has an infectious, soaring hook. 

New Audio by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Introducing the Breezy and Funky, Synth Pop of Austin’s Palo Duro

Michael J. Winningham is an Austin, TX-based singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, who may be best known for a stint fronting indie rock act Gold Beach; however, his solo recording project Palo Duro is a radical sonic departure from his previous work with Winningham specializing in breezy, propulsive, funky, hook-laden synth pop reminiscent of Big Data and others, as you’ll hear on “Darken the Glow,” the latest single off his forthcoming album Ryou Cannon. But what sets Winningham apart from a crowded field of competitors is an deliberate and careful attention to craft paired with the swaggering self-assuredness of an old pro, who can make it look way too easy. 

Edited by Cameron J. Smith, the recently released video for “Darken the Glow,” is a wild melange of Japanese television ads in which the album cover is quickly superimposed, and the result is an aesthetic that possesses the surreal logic of a fever dream while being a wildly mischievous take on commercialism and music as a prepackaged product to be marketed, bought and sold. 

Video by William Ruben Helms

Comprised of Griffith Synder (vocals), Charles Kern (guitar, programming) and multi-instrumentalist Julia Mendiolea, the Denver, CO-bassed indie electro pop/dream pop trio Inner Oceans formed back in 2013 over a mutual desire by each of the band’s three members to create music that’s personal while embodying a spiritual mystery and elegance that’s just out of touch. And with the release of their early singles “8 Cousins” and “Everything’s Alright,” the Denver-based trio received both national and international attention as both singles landed on several high-profile Spotify playlists, and have opened for the likes Tennis, Wild Nothing, Hundred Waters, Big Data, Moses Sumney, On an On, Holy Fuck and Shigeto among others. And of course, since the release of those singles, the trio have received quite a bit of attention from major media outlets and the blogosphere alike including Westword, who named the trio 2014’s “Best New Band,” Idolator and No Fear Of Pop and others.

Earlier this summer, the duo released two singles “Wild” and “Apparition,” which revealed that the trio has increasingly moved towards an aesthetic that’s difficult to pigeonhole or tie down. Interestingly, the trio’s latest single “Call Through The Wire” is a slow-burning bit of synth pop in which Snyder’s plaintive and tender falsetto floats over atmospheric and shimmering synths and a simple yet propulsive rhythm — and in some way, the song nods at Quiet Storm-era R&B and Tame Impala‘s psych-leaning pop.

The recently released music video employs a fairly simple concept –the trio’s frontman Synder singing the song in front of a psychedelic background and in some way, it nods at Michael Jackson‘s “Rock With You.”

 

 

 

 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

 

With the release of their first two tracks “Margarita” and “Dark ‘N’ Stormy,” the mysterious production and electronic music artist duo The Modern Strangers quickly emerged into the blogosphere. Building on the buzz the mysterious electronic music duo have received, the duo recently released their latest single “Vanilla,” a densely layered, slickly produced track that features handclap and cowbell-led percussion, enormous boom bap beats, a sinuous and ridiculously funky bass line, angular, Nile Rodgers-like guitar and a rousingly anthemic hook comprised of buzzing power chords, swirling electronics paired with falsetto vocals in an arena rock-friendly bit of electro pop that’s reminiscent of Big Data and The Crystal Method among others.

 

 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Initially begun as the solo recording project of Los Angeles-based multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Jake Hays, Maudlin Strangers over the last year has expanded to a quartet featuring Hays, along with Jeff Lehrer (keys, guitar), Kenneth Benson (bass) and Richie McPherson (drums) for live shows.

If you’ve been frequenting JOVM over the better part of the past year, you may recall that I wrote about Hays’ single “Stay Young” off his EP Overdose, and similarly to Big Data, Hays’ sound doesn’t have the prototypical lo-fi sound you’d expect from most bedroom-based indie rock producers; in fact, “Stay Young” revealed a slick and densely layered production style that buzzed with an anxious urgency in a song that was reminiscent to MGMT’s Oracular Spectacular – but much darker. And as a result, Hays has seen his profile rise nationally as he’s tour with Bad Suns over the winter, and is currently touring with Cold War Kids. (You can check out the remaining tour dates below.)

Hays’ latest single “Sunny Day Rain” will further cement his reputation for a slickly produced sound comprised of cascading synths, sinuous bass lines, four-on-the-floor drums and sensually cooed vocals and anthemic hooks to create a sound that’s shimmering enough to be dance-floor ready — and yet under the surface there’s something murkier and ominous.

Tour Dates

1/10/15 – Fitzgerald’s Downstairs – Houston, TX #
11/11/15 – The Sidewinder – Austin, TX #
11/12/15 – Dada – Dallas, TX #
11/15/15 – Pub Rock – Phoenix, AZ #  With Strange Names #

Supporting Cold War Kids *