Acclaimed artist Allman Brown captures intimate love and all its facets in his sophomore album Darling, It’ll Be Alright. Brown has created an album that is so smooth and captivating in both vocals and lyrics that you find yourself easily slipping into a constant loop of his music for hours.
The album opens up with the effortless soft pop of “Home,” a heartfelt track that is as catchy as it is uplifting. The title track, along with “Dust & Heat” and “Bury My Heart” have a similar positivity to them that feels genuine and sounds like summertime. On the flip side, songs like “Crazy Love” and “Shapes in the Sun” delve deeper into the sultrier aspects of Brown’s music. It is reminiscent of fellow British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran’s many hits in the unique vocal melodies and edgy, sharp guitar riffs.
Brown also delves into more somber ballads with “Hurting,” “Waiting for Something to Believe In,” and “Lonely Hearts, Los Angeles.” In particular, “Lonely Hearts, Los Angeles” stands out as a track that discusses the solitude of being in a big city, but still manages to be romantic in its depiction of something as gloomy as being alone – a difficult feat. Another standout was the final track, “Natasha,” which is a perfect example of Brown’s ability to emphasize the details of a loving relationship as well as highlight the beautiful simplicity of the song itself:
I bought you a Neil Young CD, You made me try different food, Showed me that being angry is not the same as being strong, My darling, my darling one, This is you love song.
Much like how Brown comes across in his music, Darling, It’ll Be Alright wears its heart on its sleeve. It is deeply romantic, heartbreaking, optimistic, and incredibly honest. To put it simply, this is what passionate music sounds like.
Be sure to check out the album, and keep up with Allman Brown here.
Goosebumps. The immediate sensation one gets when listening to the intro to Judah and the Lion‘s new album Pep Talks. The aptly named Pep Talks gives the listener a metaphorical punch in the mouth with numerous vocal buildups, booming horns, and a steady building guitar. This is the band’s third album, and it does not disappoint from start to finish.
Big band feels with heartfelt lyrics is how this listener likes to describe Pep Talks. 17 tracks long, Pep Talks boasts features from Kacey Musgraves and Jon Bellion, but the majority of the focus is on Judah and the Lion’s ability to captivate audiences with their pop-alternative style. The constant presence of the variety of strings, and the pounding of drums, just make you want to move. Even as I write this at my desk, my head is consistently bobbing, and my feet are thumping with every single beat. Emotionally stirring, Pep Talks is raw in every sense of the word, putting on display every single talent that Judah and the Lion possesses.
The release of Pep Talks signals the announcement of a worldwide tour from Judah and the Lion. With festival stomps throughout, the band will be touring from May until November. Without a doubt, the songs on this album will be triumphs live, all of them have a live feel even when you are streaming them through a computer. I for one cannot wait to witness Pep Talks live, and I can only hope that Judah and the Lion incorporate the intro track “Pep Talk” into the performance. It gets me amped just thinking about it.
You can keep up with Judah and the Lion on their socials and their website judahandthelion.com.
Dead Girls Corp. recently released an album. So what’s it like? Read on and you shall discover.
The album starts with Dead Girl, the feel of the track is very much 90s metal. It has nice droning chugging guitars and potent vocals. I also like the industrial feeling you get on this one.
From The Bottom is next, this has a gorgeous old school industrial start and feel, I must admit the feel of the music is nothing new but it’s amazing just by being what it is. This track has a lot of power behind it both vocally and musically, some very nice potent and energetic drumming here.
X’s No O’s again has that classic industrial start, the music is very packed full of sound which can sometimes detract from each angle of the music but this is not a bad thing. Again this track is nothing different from the previous two tracks in any way, but the music is one you find yourself moving to.
Alleys Of Death is by far the most melodic of all the tracks so far with great placement of each part of the music, it doesn’t feel as slightly too full as the previous three tracks do. This has a cock rock feeling to the track vocally and also the way that the guitars screech.
Ask For It is really a track that has very prominent vocals and guitars, they just seem to dual with each other yet compliment each other at the time. Though at points when both are full on they tend to drown each other out somewhat which is a shame as it detracts from the feel of the song.
Flesh For Fantasy again has a cock rock feel but this time it’s melodic and very sexy, almost orgasmic industrial metal. On this track the vocals sound like a sensual but aggressive David Coverdale. I like the music on this one, the backbeat is good but the guitars seem to tell part of the story which is quite clever.
Can’t Change does what some of the other tracks on this album don’t, it harmonizes the clutter of the music. It’s full on sound but with etiquette and emotion, I do love the slight echo on the vocals here as it adds a slight excitability to the feel of the music.
Promise Me is a track that is something different to other tracks on this album, this has more a late 90’s nu metal feel yet with a more slightly classic guitar sound. It’s almost a homage to the greats of that era like Stabbing Westward as it has that slight feel to it.
VDay comes next and to me as the album is winding down then so is the music, VDay is a lot more mellow than the other tracks but yet it does slightly peak at points. It has them chugging guitars again but yet there is something about this track, so far from what I have heard VDay is my favourite so far. It’s heavy, melodic, light and a true belter of a track.
Just The Same does similar to VDay, it winds down from the other tracks. Again this track is lighter, it’s less cluttered than some of the other tracks and I must admit this one is very harmonic. It just seems to fit well together, for the first time here you can hear the bass perfectly. Liking this track a lot.
Dynamite is again quite light compared to the beginning tracks, David Coverdale esq vocals make a return here. The music ebbs and gets a bit more heavier than VDay and Just The Same but then it calms down again, I think it’s perfect for the setting lyrically here.
And last but not least we have Worth, oh the bass here is very sexy. Only issue here is at points the music becomes cluttered again which kind of spoils what is a very catchy track, it’s just a little bit too much I feel.
Overall I feel this is not a bad album but there are quite a few tracks where the music is just too full and it becomes very cluttered which detracts from the actual talent of Dead Girls Corp. As the album comes to a close the music mellows and shows the true expertise of each of the musicians, vocals are amazing but they do get overpowered by the music sometimes.
If you like decent industrial then this album is for you, it’s nothing new but it does keep alive a genre that we don’t tend to see much of these days.
Atlanta-based foul/soul collective Rising Appalachians – comprised of Leah Song, Chloe Smith, Biko Casini, and David Brown – releases their new twelve track album Leylines today, and we’re overjoyed with the sonic adventure it leads its listeners on. From the first, caressing lines of “I Believe in Being Ready”, the album feels alive. The vocal layers are absolutely exquisite, and we’re blown away to see the ferocity with which said vocals lead the album as a whole. Working with talents such as Ani Difranco (“Speak Out”), Trevor Hall (“Shed Your Grace”), and Maurice Turner (“Indigo Dance”), Rising Appalachians has found a way to bring in distinctive traits from each act and meld it into a sound all its own.
“Make Magic” and “Sassafras” are two of our personal favorites on the release, and their contrasting sounds are the perfect display of how robust the talent found in this four piece truly is. Take the album for a spin below, and let us know what tickles your fancy!
From the very first slow chords of “Little Miss Raincloud”, you can tell that The Brookses have concocted something undeniably alluring with their debut EP Lucky Charm. An Atlanta-based father/daughter country/Americana duo, there is a certain magnetism about them that you can find in each of the twelve tracks on their new release. While songs like “Over Again”, “Evening Star”, and “Victrola” have some pep to their step, there is an overarching feeling of melancholy that encases the entire album.
But that’s the true beauty of it all. Meg and James Brooks have found a way to weave heavy lyrics into gorgeous backdrops, electrifying the project with instrumental layers and a feeling of coming home. It’s almost as though this album could only have been made in this serene and balanced way by a family band, and we’re thrilled to hear the release in its entirety as it was meant to be experienced.
Tracked live in one room at Standard Electric Recording Company with producer Damon Moon (Blair Crimmins, Big Brutus, Sydney Eloise & the Palms), Lucky Charm is an absolute masterpiece. Hold this one in your pocket for a while. If you aren’t drawn in already, you will be.
Old Friends – the new album from spoony bard – is out now, and it has everything an experimental music lover could ever want. With Kid Cudi-esque melodies and Earl Sweatshirt flow, spoony bard is the alter-ego of musician David Nord. Rap, funk, electronic, and a multitude of other genres and sounds can be discovered in Old Friends, perfectly displaying spoony bard’s range and influences.
With references to Game of Thrones, food, and pro skateboarders, the opening track “ego trippin par 99” hits hard, setting the tone for the rest of the album. The following tracks have their own unique feel, no two being similar in sound or scope. If I had to make any artistic comparison, it would have to be if you took Gorillaz and threw in Kid Cudi as their frontman. Dash in some more traditional funk and 90’s rap and you get spoony bard, an artist not afraid to push boundaries, both sonically and lyrically.
Old Friends is out now on all major platforms. Keep up with spoony bard on his socials. Bandcamp | Facebook | Twitter
Denver-based rock trio The Yawpers – comprised of Nate Cook, Jesse Parmet, and Alex Koshak – released their new full-length Human Question on Friday, and we’ve been binging it like crazy. From the first, harsh chords of “Child of Mercy”, straight through the vintage edge of “Dancing on My Knees”, through to the end of the lighter feeling title track, The Yawpers have injected their quintessential oldies sound into each track, making it easier to transition from classic indie and rock into modern lyrical choices that seem to stem from the same origin.
While some of the songs are truly 60’d-infused kaleidoscopes (“Human Question”), it’s with songs like “Man As Ghost” and “Forgiveness Through Pain” that the Americana folk feel comes blazing at us full force. Our personal favorite is “Reason to Believe”, packed to the brim with soul.
What’s your favorite? Be sure to let us know on Facebook!
Cleveland-based rock outfit Heart Attack Man – comprised of Eric Egan (Vocals/Guitar), Adam Paduch (Drums), Tyler Sickels (Guitar), and Seamus Groman (Bass) – released their new 11-track full-length Fake Blood on Friday, and we have honestly been head bobbing to it all weekend. Though the names of the tracks (i.e. “Fake Blood”, “Blood Blister”, “Rats in a Bucket”) are hardly kosher for the holiday weekend – and might give your Aunt Susie her very own heart attack – the songs are entertaining. Intricately woven lyrics and hard bass lines make the album a concrete favorite, loaded with energy smothered in oughts punk influence that will keep you coming back for more.
Personal favorite tracks include “Moths in a Lampshade”, “Sugar Coated”, and “The Choking Game”, an obvious nod to a horrible pastime of the last decade. (And if you listen to the lyrics of “Sugar Coated”, please keep in mind revenge is not our game here.)
Get a taste for the album in its entirety below, and then let us know what you think over on the Facebook page!
Indiana-based self-proclaimed “psychedelic Motown” act Diane Coffee released their full-length Internet Arms today, and we’re swooning. From the very first, glittering notes of “Not Ready To Go”, we’re drawn in, carrying us through the slightly quicker tempo of “Like A Child Does” and into the slowdown of instrumental intro “The Look”. The fourth track remains at that slow pace, landing us in a neon trance while “Stuck In Your Saturday Night”.
It’s at this point that we recognize not only Diane Coffee’s palpable influence from The King of Pop, but there is a tad bit of Chromeo peeking through that seems to amplify the lyrics. While “Simulation” is one of our favorite tracks on the album, the title track definitely takes a more disco-like approach to its soundscape. “War” is another quick, swirling instrumental, leading into “Doubt”, which seems to be the most modern, intricate track of the bunch so far and a perfect staple for your latest playlist.
“Work It” is a new anthem for those reaching for their dreams, perfectly displaying the vocal range and attitude of this act. And while “Good Luck” slows it all down again, it is with “Lights Off” that we go deeper sonically, swapping the 80s synth for a more modern, dance hall beat. “Turn On” is a short instrumental, and sounds like you’re turning on a pretty complicated machine or robot. Though we agree with the inclusion of this quick transition, we think it’s better placed elsewhere – perhaps at the very beginning of the album -, as it then leads into the very slow, gorgeous “Company Man”. Once again, this track could easily have been placed in any one of our favorite 80’s movies, and therefore is the perfect way to round out such a wonderfully influenced and lyrically nuanced album.
