MUSIC REVIEWS

Though sharp and occasionally verging on atonal territory, the distortion element in Random Parade’s “Cynic” is as crucial a contributor to the narrative in The Sad Charade as any of the lyrics here are – if not more so when it really matters. Layer upon layer of gritty synthesizers and guitars are …

Swirling around us in a haze of a synthetic melody, the fragments of a beautiful harmony suddenly come together to make something quite quaking in the opening bars of “Battlefields,” the lead single and first song in Twin Flames’ new album Omen. Sung to us in multiple languages against a backdrop …

Quaint and simple with us in “29th St Rag,” furious in his melding of tense melodic ribbonry in “Traveling Man” and alive with gentle decadence in “After the Goldrush,” Matt Smith isn’t afraid to explore every corner of his skillset in the new album Parlor, one of eight new records he’s releasing …

Bluegrass’ cultural presence isn’t isolated to Appalachia, nor is its influence nearly as insular as it was just a century ago. In 2020, bluegrass is seeing a revitalization alongside an Americana revival critics have been more than enamored with in recent years, and the biggest reason why just might have …

“A Girl Too Far” is the new track from Spain’s Red Eye. Guest vocalist, England’s Dennis Demille conveys the audacious and brilliant words over James Bond-inspired music. Though revered for often releasing songs rooted in raw social, emotional and political issues, Trevor Perfect, the man behind Red Eye, sends a …

Punk Goes The Velvet is the new five-track EP from London’s Jupiter In Velvet. Featuring a bevy of songs ready for rotation, the psychedelic and punk laden tracks are sweltering in power vocals and driving guitar riffs. Not to mention the swarming drums, Punk Goes The Velvet is one nod …

The rousing strut of “Fooled Around and Fell in Love.” The chiming guitars of “Maggie May.” The thrust of the piano in “Maybe I’m Amazed.” The chugging riff in “Ask the Lonely.” These are some of the most recognizable classic pop/rock tunes of the last century, and yet when they’re …

Amping up the energy and spinning the grooves like a whip about to crack, “Are You Ready” is the new single from Seattle’s Justin Murta. The popular MC and DJ, who’s presence in Asia grows by the hour, enlists the help of Charlie Barrale and Ovylarock for his latest, hooky …

The name Tash Hagz might sound like a gunfighter from the west, but it’s really just a twist on symbolism for the performance name of Mike Shields. The symbols that annoy are sometimes the symbols people enjoy and the same in reverse, so if you get it then you’ll like …

Making a debut album is harder than making any other record, mostly because the task of establishing yourself within a well-known scene or genre can seem next to impossible in this modern, post-millennial era. Even with this being the case, there’s swagger to the performance we get from aspiring rockstar …