Words In The Earth

When I hear a track like Sorry, by New York City newcomer Pepe Dadon, my instant reaction is to be filled with both relief and refreshment. Although it can be argued that production and flows have become too similar in the last few years, I personally find that the main cause of homogeny in modern hip-hop comes from the lyrical content. The same tiresome lines about the vast quantities of sex one's having, drugs one's taking, or money one's earning made sense during the glitzy bling era of rap. But now, when the production styles tend to be drawn from very deep atmospheric soundscapes, this over-the-top braggadocio often comes across as lazy lyricism. Sorry, however, is a wonderfully emotive tale of overcoming hardship, offering apologies to those who might have suffered along the way while finding solace in success. There is never an ounce of arrogance coming out of this track, in fact there is a lot of humility on show, and even when it does delve into those more typical ...

Hybrid Blues are one of those groups whose name perfectly describes their sound in a way that's both direct and slightly obscure too. Their music is certainly blues at it's heart, but this isn't raw, stripped back blues, it's a wonderous conglomeration of electric blues, folk, funk and soul. It's definitely a hybrid with many other styles, but in the name they leave those things deliberately unspecified. On their latest single Lifelife, Hybrid Blues bring all this together into a fabulously catchy, laid-back tune that is also soaked in the honesty and emotion that only the blues can provide. As I've mentioned before , I was brought up on this type of blues, so hearing a band that reminds me of the artists so imbedded in my memory, like The Bluesbreakers, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Kenny Wayne Shepherd, fills my heart with a unique affection. Hailing from New Zealand, Hybrid Blues have members with experience living and performing across the globe, and with this expe...

There's often a trap which metal musicians fall into, particularly in the more technical styles of heaviness, where virtuosity and musical ability become the overbearing focus and the music loses it's creativity and personality. I've seen it in numerous bands and solo artists whose ability should, on paper, produce fantastic heavy metal. However, in my opinion technicality in metal is always better when it is used as an integral part of the excitement, energy and passion of the music. Luckily, I don't see Immortal Tax Evader falling into this trap. The US artist has, on his latest single Astrofetishist, produced a whirlwind of wild shredding guitars, thumping drums and roaring vocals that sit somewhere between James Hetfield and Cronos of Venom. It's all wrapped up in a tune which is remarkably catchy and never diminished by the flashy guitar playing, and together it all builds into something that verges on the psychedelic. There's a lot to get your teeth stuck ...

Indie Soull is back again, although in truth he never really went away. The prolific singer-songwriter has been using his time in lockdown well, continuing his creative streak on the new EP Once Upon A Time In New York City. Consisting of three full tracks which I will cover here, along with a number of instrumentals, the EP explores the themes of isolation and emptiness that many of us will be able to relate to during this crisis. Once Upon A Time kicks the EP off in a reflective mood as Indie Soull recounts a life-changing relationship found in New York City, and the love that brings not just for the person but also the city. Unsurprisingly considering the theme, it's quite reminiscent of Simon & Garfunkel in it's style. The track starts off rather gently, the acoustic guitar softly strumming chords behind Indie Soull's ethereal vocals, and the piano breezily running melody lines throughout. As the song goes on and the hook filled chorus enters, the playing becomes su...

The Columbus, Ohio based rapper and producer Telamonia has up until recently been known as Insxmnia and since 2018 has released a number of forward-thinking and somewhat eclectic tracks. But with a new moniker presumably comes an artistic refreshment, and with the huge wave of invention that is still spreading through trap, there is plenty of space for Telamonia to find this regeneration. The completely self-produced new track Salt In My Eyes sees Telamonia exploring some of the deepest and darkest chasms of the psychedelic trap sound, and it makes for a fascinating and wonderfully unsettling listen. Whilst it seems that some inspiration has come from the wealth of newer artists playing with the more hazy and psychedelic cloud rap sounds such as Playboi Carti, Trippie Red and Travis Scott, there is also an intricacy to the production that is reminiscent of innovative producers like Clams Casino and Flying Lotus. There's even elements that remind me of the twisted sounds of Tyler, T...

Combining synthetic and organic sounds together can be a difficult creative task, particularly when the music isn't obviously intended as either radio friendly pop or wild experimentalism. Getting that balance of intriguing, nuanced sounds with a cohesive and palatable soundscape can sometimes evade even the most talented artists. In the late 90s and early 2000s musicians like Squarepusher and Max Tundra became masters of this skill, and although Irish musician Limnetic Villains doesn't have the same overtly electroacoustic sound as either of those, their sound definitely manages to bridge a gap between the electronic and the elemental. Producing an instrumental indie infused style of electro dance on latest album Multiple Divisions, Limnetic Villains manages to place both the synthetic and organic sounds together into a perfect equilibrium where it becomes hard to completely define one from the other. Limnetic Villains is a one-person project, and despite the variable nature o...

The Portland, Oregon duo Lore City are one of those groups who really sit in a unique musical place. Their use of ambient, drone and shoegaze elements, as well as a repetitive slow-building compositional style, gives their sound distinction from the atmospheric indie acts they might instinctively be compared to such as Oh Wonder, London Grammar or Beach House. They twist this sound into something utterly distinct, showing the significant and authentic influence of bands like Swans, Mogwai and Cocteau Twins. Separateness is the opening track from their 2020 album Alchemical Task, and sets the tone superbly for the entire album; it's joyously minimalist, entrancing and ethereal. If you were to imagine a collaboration between Grimes, Chelsea Wolfe, Emma Ruth Rundle, Tim Hecker and Brian Eno you might find something in your mind that resembles Separateness. At over eight and a half minutes long it's beautifully hypnotic, stretching out subtle melodies and trembling harmonies into a...

Sometimes when writing a review you really want to know lots of information about the artists behind it: their background, musical history, other projects etc. It's interesting because it puts the music into a context which often changes your viewpoint, and whilst it might not reveal anything completely new to you about the music, it will often bring out different areas of focus. Sometimes though it's quite refreshing to listen to a song with very little information about the artists involved, and such is the case with C4: Choice Cold Cuts Complete. A.L.I.P.A. is the opening track and first single from C4 Compilation, a record which sees Blanko Basnet, Beauty World, Dille Two Step, Manifinessetiny, Gappa Mighty, Tommy Rau, JLa and LiLa come together in various combinations. These may not all be names you're familiar with, and other than North Carolina alt-pop group Blanko Basnet there isn't a huge amount of information about them available. In a way though that doesn...

It's fair to say that youth is something that's rarely held back pop musicians in the past, but it's often accompanied by an element of antipathy from those who fear overly controlled pop music and doubt that younger artists can genuinely be pushing pop music forward without significant assistance and manufacturing. The likes of Kate Bush, Taylor Swift and most recently Billie Eilish have been some of the biggest exceptions, and with the latter's global dominance on the back of genuinely forward thinking music there has been a refreshing new narrative. At just 17 years old, Irish singer-songwriter Mel Maryns is looking to follow in their footsteps, but rather than futuristic pop she takes on a old-school rock sensibility and combines it with a modern energy. Having begun her career busking on the streets of Dublin and Cork, her single Ghost In Town describes the isolation, frustration and contemplation of performing for a transient audience. It's an intriguing tune ...