As a well known actor for 25 years on TV, film, and Broadway (receiving praise for the role King George in Hamilton) Jon Patrick Walker has leapt in the music scene of songwriting and singing after the release of his first album The Guilty Party . Soon after Walker released his second album People Going Somewhere. Now, the multi-talented artist is thrilled at the release of You & I, his latest EP. The EP is composed of six tracks, including the title track “You and I.” The first track “Your Open Hand,” is an innocent love song. Jon is joined by actress and his wife, Hope Davis. Their voices blend perfectly together and the lyrics are touching as Hope and Jon sing to each other “Your open hand- and in your open heart, a brand new start.”
“I Can’t Not Do the Robot (When I’m Dancing With You)” is drastically different from “Your Open Hand,” as the song pays homage to early rock and is a funky bop. “I can’t not do the robot when I’m with you!,” Jon enthusiastically shouts. Some tracks take a somber more reflective note like “I Won’t Sit Around & Cry.” Singing on the love that he wishes he had, Jon realizes that while he waits- he won’t be sulking in the meantime. “I want a real love…I want to feel love- but I won’t sit around and cry,” laments Walker. My favorite line is “Say it’s not the destination, it’s the journey no matter how lonely I am.” The folky song will have you feeling wishy washy but a little lifted as you listen to Jon patiently wait, with no tears in the meantime.
My favorite track is “You and I.” This jazzy title track has a little bit of everything; Jon’s soft airy vocals, love infused lyrics, the feeling of a live jazz band in a coffee shop, and even some whistling. “Raise the flag, just so long as it is black- I’ll make it green for earth, blue for sky, red for love- for you and I,” Walker sings on “You and I,” as his beautiful use of imagery shows not only his knack for writing but also for creativity. The EP holds a variety of folk, alternative, and jazz and has something for all music lovers alike.
You & I is available now. Keep up with Jon Patrick Walker here.
Toronto based musician Cherry Blaster is excited to announce her latest single “Demo Reel.” Cherry Blaster discovered her unique sound by accident. Spending years trying to write music for guitar, she discovered the magic of synthesized sound and re-kindled her love for the keyboard. Now, her latest single “Demo Reel,” is a perfect display of the sound she’s created for herself. The song begins with eerie electronic beats and sounds of a funky keyboard. As the beat never remains in the same place for long, Cherry Blaster shows off her talents with her melodic vocals. “I do what you want me to, just want you to want me too,” pleads Cherry Blaster on “Demo Reel”, which is more than just a display of the artist’s instrumental growth. “Demo Reel” also shows off Cherry Blaster’s personal inspirations.
The artist puts it beautifully saying:
I’ve never been particularly good at taking initiative in social situations, and this has often allowed me to retreat behind walls of self-protection. “Demo Reel” paints a picture of what I initially feel from this vantage point: the earnest desire to be accepted that comes before the envy that then morphs into a fortifying yet toxic cynicism (the age old “If they don’t need me, I don’t need them” attitude). I think most of us have gone through this, especially in our youth, so I wanted to ensconce the honesty and vulnerability of the lyrics in a vibrant, mercurial sonic palette that evokes the innocence of our school days.
Take a listen at Cherry Blaster’s eccentric and enticing latest single here.
The Brooklyn based rock band Language, just released their latest EP Plymouth via Good Eye Records. The rock band consists of Omar Afzaal (guitar), Charles Sloan (bass) and Wes Black (drums). After self-released EP’s, Plymouth is the product of their signing with Good Eye Records. Plymouth has five tracks, including the title track “Plymouth.” The album encompasses all things rock and kicks off with the track “Where To.” With no vocals and only lasting at 1:21, “Where To,” holds up to its name. It really serves as an introduction to the band’s sound which include notes of bass, guitar, and a steady drums. “Game Piece” shows off the band’s vocal talents, far-reaching as they are. The band’s vocals remain gritty and angsty with true rock feel. “Fingers small, in a father’s hands,” Language sings on “Game Piece.” The song has a punk-rock feel and definitely is something to jam out to.
“Plymouth” remains creepy at first, with a distant sound of buildup to the drop of the beat. The song soon changes pace halfway with calming vocals– “Landed on a new rock, kinda like the old one.” I believe that the “rock” is in reference to Language’s new album, their signing with Good Eye Records, and coming full circle as a band and artists. Plymouth remains the band’s “new rock.”
Brooklyn based indie duo Pollens, just dropped their latest track “$$$_PSA.” The duo consists of Jeff Aaron Bryant and Elizabeth “Emay” May. Right off the bat, the name of the track of grabs your attention. Listening to the track invited me in even more. The track starts off with the sassy chanting of the duo “Affluent men in their 30’s they’re all asking, ‘Is it better to get the credit for all of the things I know?” The title of the track immediately makes sense almost as “Affluence, PSA!” The track is adorably snarky with talks of affluence, sophistication, and intelligence. Combined with the pop-indie beat, the duo really feed off each other. The ingenious lyrics really shine through on “$$$_PSA.”
Pollens lyrics are purely intentional as they want their music to be “simple and immediate.” Jeff of Pollens says on the creativity “with a tiny band, we’re totally free to explore sparse, dumb, over committed ideas without a lot of risk or investment.”
Brooklyn based TOMI has been busy prepping for the release of her EP What Kind of Love, out today. The EP features the title track “What Kind of Love,” and “Every Morning I Feel Like Running Away Here.” On “What Kind of Love,” TOMI speaks on the kind of love that you crave and need. “What kind of love takes its under its wings, what kind of love ties you up in its arms and won’t do you any harm- what kind of love?” ponders TOMI. The song has an 80’s dance feel to it, and the music video is visually aesthetic. “What Kind of Love,” really shows TOMI off as an artist in terms of her voice, style, and creativity. “Every Morning I Feel Like Running Away” tells another story. Looking for an escape and breaking out of the comfort zone, TOMI sings “Even out in the open I want to sail away.”
TOMI shares her personal inspiration for What Kind of Love, explaining:
We all experience different versions of love, even in just one person. There is kind love, destructive love, boring love, obsessive love, drunk love, the list is endless. I spent this past Thanksgiving in Las Vegas, and it was a beautiful trip aside from a panic attack: ‘Every now and then I feel you coming up behind me.’ A lot had changed for me in a short period of time. I had been in a relationship for three years with someone who couldn’t quite figure out how to love me. It made me wonder if something was wrong with me. When we broke up, I felt a weight lift, and then as I fell in love with my current partner, I felt the weight pour back over me, even stronger this time.
Deafman Glance is 28-year-old Ryley Walker‘s latest album, out May 18th via Dead Oceans. The album consists of nine tracks, each one a little different from the next. “22 Days,” the second track on the album is perhaps one of my favorite tracks. “22 Days” has a slow jazz instrumental intro for at least a two minutes, rendering the song tranquil, yet engaging. What sounds like a purely instrumental track at first, “22 Days” has help with Ryley’s vocals. “But I gave myself 22 days to come up with a master plan,” Walker sings. “And people can be so plain, with the power to re-arrange,” remains my favorite line. What seems like a tale of despair at first, the piece is soon picked up and flips gears to upbeat jazz, rock, and then slows back down again. “Can’t Ask Why” is yet another beautiful track on Deafman Glance. Like “22 Days,” the instrumental lasts for a while, except instead of jazz we hear wind chimes. In fact, the wind chimes are incorporated throughout the song. “I can’t sleep at night,” Ryley sings ironically, as if the chimes are the things will put him to sleep. “Telluride Speed” sounds like the beginning of a fairy tale with light sounds of a flute. Like a fairy tale Ryley sings “I threw a a rock at your window.” The track is sweet, innocent, and makes you feel at home.
Perhaps my favorite thing about Deafman Glance is the variety of sounds and instruments that Walker incorporates into each song. Inspired by the sounds of the city, Walker says:
And it’s more Chicago-y sounding. Chicago sounds like a train constantly coming towards you but never arriving. That’s the sound I hear, all the time, ringing in my ears. Everybody here’s always hustling. Everybody who talks to you on the street’s always got something they’re coming at you with. It’s the sound of strangers dodging one another. And landlords knocking on doors to get rent that people don’t have. But it’s eerily quiet at night. This record is the sound of walking home late at night through Chicago in the middle of winter and being half-creeped out, scared someone’s going to punch you in the back of the head, and half in the most tranquil state you’ve been in all day, enjoying the quiet and this faint wind, and buses going by on all-night routes. That’s the sound to tune in to. That’s the sound of Chicago to me.
Deafman Glance is out now. Keep up with Ryley Walker here.
Chicago’s own Hidden Hospitals is excited to share the release of their new album Liars, which is officially out today. “Razor Blades” is the first track to kick off the album, and shows off Hidden Hospital’s pop-punk flare. “I want it all but everything won’t fit,” proclaims the band. The track remains angsty with lines like “rush to the razor blades” and “haunted crosses” highlighted among others. The title track “Liars” is very ethereal, more reminiscent of outer space. “Liars have lips who call out love,” the upbeat electronic pop track sings. “Liars” remains upbeat and funky, but with a sad lyrical message.
My personal favorite track is “Better Off”. On this post-apocalyptic track, Hidden Hospitals touches on the aftermath of a relationship and the toxic environment one can get caught up in. “I didn’t know what we had started, I couldn’t see the pieces then- pull us close found us toxic/how misleading it had been,” the band shares on a painful but truthful experience with listeners.
On the album, vocalist Dave Raymond says: “Sound is language, and our fluency and vocabulary 2018 is vast. Why not use it? I can make a guitar do anything, we can make a drum kit say or control anything, and that’s interesting to me. It’s the feeling of “kid in the garage with their amp turned all the way up.” I’m forever chasing that, and LIARS is the most recent expression of what got me there.”
With the news of their second album DARE which will release July 13th, The Hunna is excited to share their latest single “NY to LA.” The alternative rock track tells the story of infatuation that may have an expiration date. “From New York to LA I don’t wanna forget girl the way this feels tonight, but we’re running out of time.” To me the song felt vaguely reminiscent of the best boy band rock day- think All-American Rejects, and Boys Like Girls. The Hunna had me in my feelings as they put down a fresh twist to an old sound, the sound I grew up with (20 something’s you know what I’m talking about.) “NY to LA” is definitely a song worth jamming to whether you’re alone or hanging out with friends on a summer night, the track has something for every one.
Budding pop star Syrena has just released her latest song “Diamonds In My Head”. The 20 year old NYC native is woman of many talents including belly dancing, fire eating, and snake charming. Her most recent talent includes her cunning knack for music. Her latest “Diamonds In My Head” is a pop song with a style all its own. While the beat is what captures you, Syrena’s captivating vocals ranging high and low, are what will keep you listening. The writing is inspiring as well as Syrena sings on empowerment and ambition. “I’ve got diamonds in my head, you see- Imma to do what I want….I’ve got diamonds in my voice, in my soul.” The most powerful lyric for me is “Love is great, love is kind, but it’s just not on my mind.” Syrena is focused on her goals on “Diamonds In My Head”. “Power and confidence are big themes in my music. Maybe it comes from being a New Yorker, or maybe it comes from performing live since I was three…if you doubt yourself, this city will eat you alive,” says the pop artist. Maybe it does come from performance, or maybe Syrena just has “it.” Either way, after listening to “Diamonds In My Head,” I felt more inspired,and focused. And to me, that’s music worth listening to.
