rock
Timothy Bailey & the Humans by Timothy Bailey & the Humans 1 Great Man Singing - I'm thinking chivalrous with touch of the strange, of Elvis Costello, but at all times, mellow and soft-ly-spoken (yet dramatic,) this is a poetic, sometimes esoteric album. If you choose to engage with it, I think its apologetic yet honest and secure on melodic, different Weird Animal. Yours Truly is kind of a sad, gently moving piece *explicit word thrown in,* with a hint of bitterness or regret that the speaker really doesn't let affect them. A hint of a hidden self- a side of the self that isn't directly talked about in the songs. Ellington Bridge has a nice solo - my favorite and kind of the bridge of the album - the calm, easy yet determined moment. Killer From the Mountain picks up the tempo, and with hints of devilish fiddle, sings about stormy weather. Thinking of the Decembrists. Garden Below Garden Above - trumpets and the fiddle play together in an Arabic melody that sounds a little like the experience of beginning to be prostrate in the desert. rock Drook Life In Estates A smooth, well mastered, soothing rock album. Lots of reverb in the guitar - think Kings of Leon or War on Drugs. Percussion think Jimmy Eat World. Pretty, airy soprano vocals. This was one of my favorites on the shortlist. Habitual Pressure correlates personal doubts about relationships with the habitual pressure that we are accustomed to placing upon ourselves. (Under The Pressure, War on Drugs, is an AMAZING song.) She, which was this band's original name, is a little bit harder rock and paints the picture of a girl who is back on the scene, still unsure of herself but self-reliant. The song kind of challenges someone to object to imperfection. The subject is prickly like a cactus - vulnerable but defensive. Space Boyfriend is a long, slow atmospheric but really dynamic song. I love the gentle melody of the guitar that plays along with the singer, sometimes soothing, brightening and adding heft. Dummy ventures into electronic noise, kinda garbage-techno stuff. According to an interview with George Wethington, RVA Mag, this is the new direction of the band. But for the title track, Life in Estates, the band turns back to a softer rock with great lyrics and a beautiful, inspiring mode. Boredom in the suburbs is kind of channeled into freedom and escape. Dumb Waiter Gauche Gists Prog Rock! I know this is a well-played band on lots of playbills in the Richmond scene. This instrumental album is unhurried and cool, and periodically, from the funky, quirky tracks that are titled in tribute to the great mundane occurrences of daily life in the city, unexpected voices arise. There is somewhat a traceable story here in the buildup of sound. At all times, tenuous and strange is the world as sung by these guitar pedals and this saxophone. Their instrumental voices alternate with head-banging rock segments that make the world seem a little frantic and off-balance. I am thinking of other odd titles that float around in my head like this soupy stuff -- Galactic "The Moil." I used to be pretty into the Disco Biscuits and STS9. There's a touch of ska-punk, which gives this spacey-jam music the super-edgy feel like the New Noise Magazine suggests - it's "fresh but poised to eat itself." Eavesdropping gets pretty heavy with a very sludgy bass balanced by some flutey, reedy sax sounds. This choked struggle continues on the next track, Acceptance Speech. Descending the Same Broken Ladder, a little desperate and broken. Digging a Hole Under a Bodega, this album leaves us with a beautiful discord of split-open chords, melody reflecting back and forth down a rabbit hole and a reassuring bass to get low and jam to. Big buildup to this track, and then a great fadeout. Erin & The Wildfire Touchy Feely You will recognize these upbeat, danceable soul/rock songs from the local radio station. Revival and excitement. Hard to pick a favorite song here. Lots and lots of content on a prolific album that surprised me a little bit by starting out with an 80's, Legwarmers party-sounding song, Ray of Sunshine. I thought it was cool that Matthew E White produced this album, and I think the first song has a similar feel to his last release in the inspiring and soulful, extremely retro style, slow buildups and a cool, cool hand. This one makes me think of Phil Collins - happy rock that is very polished and neat on the surface, very, very upbeat. Wake Up continues this retro theme with a little bit more groove and noir accent. Its disco dance in the heat of the night. Next, Rich, has the kind of 80's working girl thing going on, with the world-wise girl making investments in her lover. What takes it out of the 80's? She's watering plants like a good millenial. She is taking "calculated-risks," which sounds like a distinctly this-side-of-the-millennium elocution. Little Me lets in a little bit of soul and R&B, even some hyper soul. I like the way this song builds. This is feminine and strong. Then, timely, Shape, takes us to the 21's century. Here are just a few of the wonderful lines that come one after another in this memorable, fun and brave song. Beauty shines from your soul. You're allowed to take up space. Only matters how you feel. Dont worry about being polite. I dont need your permission to be real. Dont try to compare yourself to anyone else. No one will love you like yourself. By your heart you are defined. Then I Changed comes next, and the feel is a little bit of a change from the last -- into self-reflection and where the lyrics kind of let go here and the music really speaks up. The song still has the soul and blues a little bit. Yours Anymore blends the blues with the tempo coming back. I am starting to think of the favorite blues, soul rockers, Lake Street Dive. This singer adds some decoration to her voice here. There is a little syncopation at the end. The refrain has a retro-angelic quality. Sleep so Easy Whatever you Like one of my favorites! These two songs settle into a groove with lots of ups and downs, but this one really builds its strength, and the singers voice seems pretty boundless- it only grows in strength with the music. Sweet Thing finishes on a soft note. There's a soft soul feel to this 2nd half of the album- I am seeing silk column dresses and feather boas, Diana Ross and Destiny's Child. A great counterpart to K Bay and maybe a new take on reviving favorite sounds from the 80's and 90's? festival fun rock Piranharama Omniscient Cloud Cover Dog walkability- very high rating for this album. Water You Thinking into Golden Blues is a combination that helped me climb a hill. folk/alt country Mackenzie Roark Rollin’ High, Feelin’ Low This was another one of my favorites from the short list. I love the bold strong voice of this artist, who taps into folk musical tradition, so I'd say she sounds like a young girl trying on her dad's shoes, except the songwriting is just so smart and well done, these provoking pronouncements really come across with a lot of clarity, and I like the music! Really this lady sounds like she stands firmly on her own feet. Roark sounds like she tried on Loretta Lynn's Little Red Shoes!!!!!! Track one is one of the most awesome songs I have heard in forever! Has an Eagles intro, a Rolling Stones Dead Flowers turn. Outlaw song! Sweet Thing has some nice mandolin and has me thinking of Sam Bush because of the way it mixes the traditional instruments with mild-mannered, jazz-infused rock buildups. Drunk Again, even though the artist talks about drinking herself, this one is about someone else disappointing her. Sweet, lingering, soft music at the "honky-tonk" - this singer seeks solace and comfort but learns that the person giving it -- you have to deal with the tomorrow, with the fact that he just isn't very nice. Rollin' High Feelin' Low - this is one of my favorite songs on the album! Smart, well-written and beautiful, this is the wisdom of a young woman who is moving into a new phase of her life with realism and a kinda-country, swingy-blues optimism. Wasting Away- More bitter, a little more of the outlaw/outcast theme. Lots of mandolin again, the instrumentals sharpen her words. With her honesty and frankness - she disparages the person who is caught up in destructive habits, blaming others and wasting away. Flowers in the Rain Swamp Bait Town - troubador folk/americana Cassidy Snider & The Wranglers A Good Heartbreak Self-proclaimed troubadour musician who plays traditional folk/Americana music infused with Cajun and Appalachian flavors! A husky voice full of wisdom and humbleness, Cassidy Snider faces the end of harvest time and the future with honesty, no fear and determination to preserve and honor the past. In her own life, but also in her music - as she and her band present traditional Celtic ballads, that shine with the simplicity of their style -- a haunting lesson learned from a tale or legend told, and polka dance hall drinking songs that take the artist to the distant, cold North of Cincinnati where she challenged the dancers to drink to fall. And more vulnerable honest tunes that sing of a wandering artist, dedicated to the craft, and dedicated to the past, unwilling to move on or change from that time, who chooses to quietly move in on the street of her parents, to keep her faith in her music and watch the Autumn leaves fall. She doesn't rule out falling in love again, but her songs, though they aren't walls, in celebrating strength or sacrifice, can be a little severe. I really like this album! I think it would be fun to hear these songs, which truly sound as though they have been written from the road, performed live. I want to shout out to one of the shining nominees from last year's Newlin Prize, Jewell Booker. One of my favorites from her album was "Who's gonna tell him." A clear, bold feminine voice is a comfort and guiding light for me and so worthy of recognition! rap Monday Night & Heather Grey Soon You’ll Understand SICK! Highly musical rap artist collaboration. I love the sparse piano on this album. It's a very easy listen and the raps are so entrancing. How to stay out of trouble growing up tough in a tough neighborhood and still be successful, while establishing trust with a loved one. Soon You'll Understand is constantly a challenge - to understand what the artist is saying and try to get on their level. "Genesis? We some menaces that play on beats," Track 03 starts out a little bit ... me too? or something but so entrancing, as I said, it's easy to roll along and just listen to this music. And having childhood sports heroes, great moments, I can relate to needing to witness triumph (Gronkowski did it!,) and it's sad to hear about the violence that I think comes across on the album as something the artist grew up with when he was playing outside as a kid, a shaping influence. Maybe not to the same degree, but honestly, I can relate too, because you better believe I was taught to be careful of a dangerous world as a kid. Love u to death is one not to miss and it's heartfelt and cool. Love is this artist's dedication. It guides him through the other stuff. The first three tracks build up a ridiculous head of steam with amazing lyrical messing around - leadup to this one, and then the piano builds, the gospel chorus raises up, as love and dedication, soon you'll understand, this is how the artist lives life, how he goes from one day to the next. And it's kind of revealed here who the artist raps for- the one who gives him a reason to get up and do the d*** thing every day. Yet it's all wrapped up in the complexities of friendship and violence that both the speaker and their counterpart have to bear through and be vigilant of. Very romantic the way he places the strength he has claimed on his other half too. The 2nd half of the album is more musical and tells me that the atmosphere these artists created is substantial, soothing and well-written. It's inspiring! Check out the artist's new album "GOOD COMPANY!"
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Here, on Deau Eyes' sophomore album, venture into indie D.J., country western, R&B places: These poetic pieces are each neatly begun and ended but without rhyme, but I think with the way the endings reflect the beginnings, the songs express a desire to be in control of the self -- a stoic thoughtfulness. Recording a decision: saying "no," to an open-ended journey, exploring memories through emotion that lead to that decision, and the transformation to lessons learned and wisdom. All of these experiences are alive at once in each song. I think Deau Eyes is very plugged into a world of pro-femininity, female-pop that takes some inspiration from R&B. And I have to say, I'm noticing the bedroom pop genre is alive and well here in Richmond, where yet another talented recording artist is hard at work in their... closet! Awesome! 2. Moscow in the Spring- From the artist's website, we have "a dreamy pop number haloed in the hazy glow of starry synths and tinkling sleigh bells." Meant to sound like "an Icelandic airport." Feminine, not as hard-rock enflamed as her previous release, with lots of digital soundscapes, softer revelations, immediately sounds breathy and alluring, like Purity Ring, but a with a little more Brandi Carlisle-folk, a little more richness to the melodies than dream pop, but at her vocal heights, she does surrender to the dazed elegance, the delicate dissolution of a lilting, expiring melody. Images of dreams, sudden transitions, and by looking at the album cover, I'm a little dazed as we flash from memory to memory without much guidance. Rhythms surge steadily like a calm seashore or what the world must look like from the eyes of a bird. "I won't drop my life to get on the first flight." With the decisive ending to this song we are reminded that through it all, as we can see by the cover, the artist's eyes are firmly focused on the future. 3. When- Tamber of vocals much deeper at first, I notice there is great range in the tone of Thibodeau's voice. The song is set to indie/ western soft bass/guitar on a loop. It's hard to place it in a genre because it is changing forms with rapidity. There's an open and close: when to someday, but in between the question and answer, the music follows a winding, unrestrained path. A snapshot, a moment. I think this album is about transformation, but you are the camera and what is changing is the way you see the world. 4. Haven't You Had Quite Enough- political - Sinking further into the western theme in the introduction of this song, there a pause on an audio segment, a serious exchange between two people, and after that, the song wakes up to a very free, vocal-driven track with an upbeat, bright and rich sound. Think Cheryl Crow adding bongos -- I hear birds and the jungle. 5. Make Some Time - Back to the textures of track 2, an R&B track from this artist! But with modern twists - like the boomp boomp i hear in AJR!s "Bang," or with the way her vocals, when she repeats her lines with breathy exhalations actually slip into the trance-like sounds you hear in the earlier songs. Connecting this to Dirty Projectors for the indie R&B blend and loving it! 7. Safer Love- Beachy, artificial into. I love this song because it's like through all the confusion, a refrain emerges that offers enough of a way to make sense of relationship trials, by naming something they both wanted more - that is enough, and that is the balm. R+B plus some rock decorations. While Deau Eyes doesn't embody the sass and boldness of my favorite, "Autonomy," yet on this album, there's sass and boldness in this blend of music. 8. Another One Comes Around - Just when I was missing the sass, here the traces of Western flair come out in a big way, when Thibodeau transforms her voice into the best of female pop country. And the music in the background is easy and basic, like they've been playing all night. Like they are taking Nashville. When, in reality, this sound comes from.. nowhere? And in it, there's the faintest edge of guitar distortion, or the faintest heavy-handedness to the repetition of one line that puts listeners in a trance again. These moments are like little burn marks on a very familiar recording - little glitter-ice singes. 9. ENDS - songwriter acoustic track, sincere and simple. Nice to hear! I like this song. 10. Legacies- Makes sense that the title track would come at the end, but its a very dramatic ending that doesn't feel resolved but rather brave, new and different. Independence and femininity combine in a voice here that pushes boundaries with musical expression. To borrow a phrase from RVA Mag writer and Gay RVA editor, Drew Necci, "we need this album right now," and why? Because it's self-assured, self-aware and unafraid! Creative in the wake of a challenge! UNDYING NO BS BRASS BAND
I have been looking for this band to release an album! I'm going to think about the way it's put together like I would a collage - it feels modern, and i can engage with it on the level of pep music for a football game, or for it's innovation in the lyrics or particular blend of so many flavors - from jazz with rock flavor to new-jazz/modern indie-pop solos on like bad news track 6, but then again, it's also so retro because of the voices of the instruments and the jazz places the intstrumentals take us. For other bands on the radar doing what this band does, I'd recommend D.C.'s New Groovement? 2. Applause- fanfare track! takes you to a drumline, music is about empowerment and strength, 3. Undying- title track, more experimental - strong bass brass! 4. Vibrate Higher - soul, smooth jazz-style ranging melody still. this group seems to be focused on the energy of their band, jazzy, blue trumpet solos are backed by this really strong tuba bass line. then a turn back to the cans and rhythm from applause, blending it with jazz. Live for today, you can fly, spread your wings 5. Money is sign of Poverty - a little bit 50's swing - the big band sound - listen to the polished trumpets - they sound clean and yet they do retain a little bit of the rough and tough of a marching band style aggression. This theme comes back, and then, tuba intro - this instrument contributes so much energy to this album. Then, the trumpet gets down low and talks to the tuba while the percussionists do a scatter. Bring everyone back for another drumline, and at the end - a "tarantella" aka amazing saxophone dance break - to me the tension in this song is between big bands and more aggressive marching band pep music or, conversely, restraint and more expressive, aggression. The title of the song is provocative and a little bit in your face. 6. Bad News- I think we are still in a very retro place but some very modern instrument sounds will be incorporated. A striking trombone solo intro with a touch of saxophone. bring in the baritone and you have a building sound that is very modern and indie-rock-sounding. swing and jazz then sweeps you away with the flash of cymbals -- back to a red-carpet ballroom in the 50's. this is a song full of dramatic range and a wandering theme, the big band polish that alternates with the frank 'plaint of the lone trombone, but then moves on to an alto sax solo that cries above the whole pronouncement with that modern, haunted, independent tone. a complicated song with several themes wound together. i love it! 7. 2 the day- Shoutout to living in RVA, to living easy and maybe rebelling against the easy living. this group is full of an energy that says elevate yourself, those around you, with an attitude that is tough and demanding. Push the boundaries with positivity and don't settle for living easy. 8. Tiger Bomb - rap chorus then rock refrain backed by the brass. this is a fun song about the struggles, strength and pride of the band's creativity and success, maybe? instead of a rock guitar solo we get a trumpet backed by singing tuba that activates my imagination like a synthesizer (almost!!) and powerful drums it all feels a little bit like Sweet Child o Mine, Evanescence or something on the level of that drama- with a distinctively metal-rock flatness to it. 9. to jazz again, on That's a Wrap. It's soul but kind of flattened. Is that jazz? A little bit less climbing whole and complete than gospel and more experimental and focused on the small movements and moments. This song is right on that edge, and it's just beautiful. and truly takes you home! JUSTIN GOLDEN HARD TIMES AND A WOMAN Newlin Prize writer has it right calling this a blues roots album. I think its cinematic with all the varied textures of this music that doesn't ever take its self too seriously. Well-balanced and lovely! 1. Can't get right- Blues blues blues - there's reverb, there's harmonica, there're effortless vocals that don't get too dark. From the first notes I'm taken to a very happy rich place - it's Tennessee Jed in the strained voice of the guitar; it's music of the likes of James McMurtry for its Americana feel or Paul Simon for the gentle simplicity of the blues. 2. Ain't Just Luck- love the color of this guitar - reminds me of the pace and tone of Bob Dylan's most recent albums. This song has so many great steady voices to it, and when they run together, there's a little bit of a muddy quality at times. "I got caught in the river/ stood tall on the other side." This is the voice of blues that are not wasting time on regret and rather celebrating resilience. Imagery is a little bit like a fable or archetypal, making it a very traditional blues- carrying a dead bird over your shoulder to ward off bad things. 3. Lightning When She Smiles- rounds layered together, bright and sunny with the organ. a gospel fragment humbled down to just one repeating phrase and becoming like a meditation. I really like these blues riffs. This is just a beautiful song that is craveable- like the artist's smile. 4. The Gator - a little bit darker, the vocals are distorted in a way that feels like sunbaked or blind in the sun. back to the sound of track one and up-tempo a little bit. 5. Must Be Honey- victory love song, with organ and kind of the exit music feel. very sweet and mellow! 6. Moon Far Away- another love song, very traditional and distinctive. gators, hot sun and the blues land us somewhere Cajun or maybe just rural Virginian, with banjo and fiddle in a soft atmosphere, the sparse piano notes like bugs making ripples on still water, and the whole scene lit by the gentle glow of Golden's voice. I really like the end of the song because the intrusion of an unfamiliar sound that manifests itself earlier in the song for just long enough to make you scratch your head... this song throws in a little genre mashup with, honestly, movies. Production value is great on this whole track. Butcher Brown Presents Triple Trey featuring Tennishu and R4ND4ZZO BIGB4ND "The album was originally written and produced by the band's MC and multi-instrumentalist Tennishu as a hip hop album, but has since evolved into Butcher Brown's own eclectic ode to big band jazz, " From the band's statement above, partake in some garage hip hop mixed with the smoothest of jazz combos; this music makes me feel like anything is possible. I love the energy -- cinematic at times and then becoming a little more potent and expressive -- at all times, the jazz feels a little retro. The flow of Tennishu's lyrics is a haze through which we hear the smooth backdrop of jazz. I like the overall kind of muffled vocal production and the mixtape-style percussion. 4. Lawd Why- I love this song! It feels like such a unique voice - the music elevates these lyrics because it is so dramatic, but it takes me to a new and unfamiliar place. I feel like Foxy Cleopatra but in a modern, hip-hop time. 5. explicit, but cool the way the swinging saxophones sometimes sound like traffic zooming past you with the doppler effect. This is an urban sound, and it's not so intimidating but introspective and focused, driven on and by the pace of urbanity. 6/7/8. 777 - Mixtape percussion, music feeling a little more jazz, a little less like straight-out-of-a-Bond-film. Divided into movements, paying attention to atmosphere 9. Breevin' - explicit - another favorite though! Hype song- you know nothing hypes me up like ... smooth jazz! (Reminds me of Pineapple Express or something. Red was such a memorable character!) The bottom line: this music is easy to listen to and energetic. 10. Cusian- slow buildup, rap about staying dedicated to the squad (Triple Trey,) to making music, to the shows 11. 12. Outtro- almost gets as peppy and rough as No Bs's mellower stuff ;) here at the end, where the band departs from this album with a little extra pizazz. Last night
I bitched To my mom That I've Gained weight I always Bitch To my mom That I've Gained weight "Remember me 35lbs ago?" "You Were crazy" "That was me Pre-meds, I was fine!" "Stay on Your meds Don't eat That donut Have A salad, Try Harder" 50 pounds On Ability (Zombified) Lost 65 (No meds) Went *crazy* (Meds again) Gain 35 (Hate myself) I do This thing To purge My drive To eat I have Eeeeverything I might want But tomorrow I'm buckling D O W N And losing it. But inevitably, In the morning I'll want a croissant. |
AuthorWe are Kieran and Michelle, two 32-year-old William & Mary grads living in Virginia. Archives
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