MUSIC REVIEWS

Michigan native Elysia Marie has long since relocated to Chicago pursuing musical success, but she’s a citizen of the world. There’s nothing regional about her music despite Elysia Marie’s deep and highly visible involvement in the Windy City’s musical scene. Her latest single “Strong and Beautiful” is just one color …

Central Illinois’ Frames calls their music “power pop” and their new single “Peach Pit” bears that out. It’s a compelling mix of stylized guitar, a strong backbeat, a steady yet understated rhythm section attack, and personal lyrics. The latter quality of the new single is one of its chief selling …

To say that it’s not very often that an indie single enjoys the buzz that Sarah Diamond & The Soul Miners “Doin Whatcha Doin” is receiving today might be the understatement of the year, but that isn’t stopping country music buffs from singing the burgeoning songwriter’s praises this year.. Influenced …

Lisa Marie Claire has a poet’s soul. The singer/songwriter takes her cues from the tradition established by such artistic luminaries as Joni Mitchell, but it misses the point to stop there. She does what any talented artist, musical or otherwise, sets out to do – use their influences as a …

Ashville, North Carolina’s Tan Universe is a trio self-described as “surfedelic garage-punk”. It may sound silly until you hear their music. Their new single “Lil Cowgirl” lives up to its billing. Listeners may strain, however, to hear the surf in Tan Universe’s music. Daniel O’Grady, however, has an unshakable vision …

From its first moments, Pete Price’s new debut record The Department of the Interior enters the room like a gust of fresh air. Ripe, crisp rock instrumentals greet listeners with a rush of energy as “Diamonds in the Sky” opens with guitar work that feels comparable to a lightning bolt. …

Xoe Miles’ new single “Where Do We Go?” is the latest work from the alt-pop singer/songwriter and her self-taught talents are in full bloom. Miles’ commitment to writing her own material reflects her undimmed passion for creative expression. It has expanded to producing and engineering her work as well. “Where …

In their haunting new single “Bearing Swords,” darkly melodic outfit Cedars experiments with the limits of melodicism in a way that brings to mind some of the gods of synth-rock crossover music, and yet the metallic fitting that comes into play roughly halfway through the track winds up being the …

Although it’s rather bruising beside the softer melodic tones in the song, the percussive thrust behind Ventruss’ epic metallic dirge in the new single “Relinquished” is almost a necessary evil – were it not packing as much of a punch as it is in this instance, the thunderous ascent of …

Like getting smacked in the face with the body of a bass guitar, the first couple of moments in which we experience Northern Gloom’s new single “Around the Face” live up to the title of the track and then some. INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/_northerngloom_/?hl=en What they don’t completely reveal to the audience …