Creating a balance between the light and the darkness is essential to making any record work no matter the genre, but in the case of the new extended play Equinox from Aquarius, I think it’s all the more critical to producing as enjoyable a final product as possible. Although there’s an argument …
Read More »EP Review: Stefan Kristinkov “Clarinet Vibe”
Stefan Kristinkov’s Clarinet Vibe is a glittering example of instrumental excellence. This excellent musician and composer surrounds himself with comparable talents on this five track EP and serves listeners thoroughly accessible fare despite his considerable skills. He’s well versed in classical, post-modernism, Eastern European minimalism, and jazz so there’s little he …
Read More »EP Review: “Dark Stars & Velvet Skies” Burn the Ballroom
With a gently rollicking beat and guitars that flank the lead vocal leaving only the most melodic points of interest in the song at the forefront of the master mix, it would be accurate to say that the new single and music video “Still” by Burn the Ballroom has pop appeal. There’s …
Read More »EP Review: Bloomfield Machine “Units of Uncertainty”
Electronic music without vocals has become the classical music of our time. Musicians are favoring keyboards and drum machines over violins and cellos, but the end result is the same. They are able to invoke emotion and create a moment without language. Bloomfield Machine’s new 4-track EP, “Units of Uncertainty,” …
Read More »Album Review: The Rhythm Bullies “The Dysnomia EP”
New rock acts of every ilk, at one point, primarily emerged from three different areas of the United States. They came out of New York City and its surrounding environs, Southern California, or an assortment of points throughout the Midwest. There are exceptions, of course, and some era specific – …
Read More »EP Review: WRYT “WRYT”
Washington D.C. continues to produce innovating and genre-defying artists. New to the scene is WRYT and its self-titled debut EP. The moniker of singer and songwriter Mychael Wright, WRYT mixes blazing, socially conscious lyrics and waves of guitar and percussion. Rock, pop or contemporary – these songs push the envelope and share …
Read More »EP Review: Sprockets “Self-Made”
From the anthemic title track to the gut punch “Romantic As Hell” track, Sprockets’ EP Self Made is reflection of self-determination and self-awareness. The art, of course, comes in when the listener gets to break into that fiery space in their soul, and use just as much elbow grease to …
Read More »EP Review: Bloom’s Taxonomy – “Bitter Lake”
From those first few ominous moments that we come in contact with in the track “Spominiks” forward, there’s scarcely a moment in the new EP from Bloom’s Taxonomy, Bitter Lake, that doesn’t qualify as chilling in some way, shape or form. Neon-colored grooves attack us in a slow-churning style in “Balconies.” …
Read More »Being Dead – Fame Money Death by Drive By
Few releases in my recent memory begin in such a memorable way as Being Dead opens their EP collection Fame Money Death by Drive By. “Red Drive” opens the studio release in such a way you may find yourself wondering if you are listening to a Dead Can Dance release by …
Read More »Album Review: Slaves – Revision EP
On January 18th, Californian post-hardcore band, Slaves released an EP full of their acoustic renditions of some songs from their 3 studio albums, plus 2 new songs. On January 24th, the band announced that singer Jonny Craig will be leaving the band due to him wanting to focus on his …
Read More »Caroline Ferrante Releases Beyond EP
Although Caroline’s songs oftentimes get categorized as folk music, the tracks collected for her Beyond EP encompasses so much more than that broad generalization may suggest. These songs incorporate good, old fashioned gospel sounds, as well as traditional, old school worship elements. The project begins with “River Flow,” which is a choir-ly, …
Read More »EP Review: Hollywood Undead – Psalms EP
Hollywood Undead entered into the nu-metal world in 2008, quite late to the game. They have since toured with acts like Skrillex, created 5 albums over the course of 10 years together, and recently performed at Reading & Leeds Festival. Mentioning Skrillex is actually relevant for this review, as …
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