Magdalia - Tunnel Vision

Tunnel Vision - Magdalia (Pop) Magdalia’s newest track is an excellent example of maturity in both lyric composition and vocal delivery. The vocals are incredibly strong, and delivered thoughtfully and dramatically with a luscious alto that drives the track. The lyrics are truly brilliant, which made it difficult to pick our favorite (below) and Magdalia’s delivery signals that they are deeply personal and specific, which always makes for the best music. She’s a great storyteller, and her vocal stylings give us a real Fiona Apple vibe which we didn’t realize how much we’d missed until hearing Tunnel Vision. But while the vocals are a standout, the mixing and production are also top notch. Super sharp, super catchy and lyrics you will definitely want to learn.

Best Lyric: “I been talking to a mirror image in a text message drought.”

Occurrence - Slow Violence (LP)

Slow Violence (EP) - Occurrence (Alternative Pop) Slow Violence by Occurrence is an opus.  With 22 tracks, including instrumental interludes, this 72 minute journey is an invitation to the depths of pain, regret and longing following what appears to be the end of a significant relationship.  Or relationships, considering Occurrence is a 3-member team, reunited for this pandemic-produced project after two years.

According to the band, this double album boasts songs inspired by Rob Nixon’s concept of “slow violence” describing the unseen violence that the West perpetrates against the developing world. The band takes that concept as an apt metaphor for how the trio’s personal lives are the products of the slow violence of their collective pasts.  The band also put together an accompanying dance-theater piece to Slow Violence which we think is incredibly fitting.  So let’s dig in.

The double album is best viewed as a cohesive high-concept project and we’d even say ASMR experience, rather than a collection of songs.  As such, there are numerous tracks that serve as bridges into other songs, including a few purely instrumental interludes, which showcases extraordinary artistry.  The sounds and concepts explored are deeply emotional, abstract and eclectic.  The instrumentation is extremely varied, giving an epic and cinematic feel to the entire project.  The closest parallel we can draw is maybe a Bjork album. As a whole, Slow Violence feels incredibly unique and relistens are sure to uncover more and more hidden gems throughout as we feel the work is far too complex for a single listen.  There is much to discover within.

So fortunately the album is so incredibly well crafted that it beckons those repeat listenings.  Every song is chock full of ear candy, impressively mixed and mastered by Kiri Stensby and Jessica Thompson, respectively, from the buzzy 80s synths to the sound effects to the intimate peaks behind the curtain with small bits of dialogue we assume are pulled from the recording sessions—very Janet in that way (and that way only).  We assume earbuds and stereos do not do the album justice—this was made for a surround sound theater.

For us, the standout tracks—and by that we mean not only engaging but also easily extracted from the overall work for playlist or radio placement—are You’re Not A Miracle and The Remote Past Tense.  The first is incredibly catchy, sing-along-able, and more traditionally structured compared to the rest of the tracks.  We could easily envision this as a pop record—very Robyn-esque.  The latter’s lyrics really made our ears stand up, hitting the hardest, and is the best example of the incredible lyric athleticism displayed throughout Slow Violence.  The Future, Pt 1 is also quite a gem, and primed for a million dance remixes.

The best examples of the abstract elements of the project are clearly the hard hitting intro Blossom Forth—driving in a way that reminded us of Rolling In The Deep—and the deeply personal November 30, 2014, where the band turns an extremely personal letter into a sonic experience.  I Fucked the World to Get You is a poem set to music, and we think would work just as well as a spoken word piece.

When listening, we could clearly envision many of the tracks being attractive to film and TV licensing.  Fresh, forward, high concept and BIG, we assume that Occurrence is completely exhausted by leaving it all on the table, emotionally and professionally, with Slow Violence. This was two years in the making, and that effort shows.

V of 40M - Martin Luther

Martin Luther - V OF 40M (Rap) The instrumentation of V of 40M’s new track, Martin Luther, is giving us a real 00s Eminem vibe, maybe even with a touch of Lil Kim’s La Bella Mafia album. While the percussion is expectedly hard hitting and top notch, paired perfectly with powerful bass and sub riffs, we think the driving force of Martin Luther’s sound is the string loop, which adds real weight and conflict to the track. V of 40M’s flow is patient and methodical, building with each verse in both speed of the flow and the artist’s emotional connection to the lyrics. V really chews each word, layered with distorted vocals containing a husky/smokey quality that is really great on the ears. In sum, Martin Luther is brooding, haunting, dangerous and undoubtedly replayable.

Best Lyric: “I’m punching anytime the wind blows.”

Ilan Bell - Anna

Anna - Ilan Bell (Pop) There’s a 90s alt rock/pop vibe to Ilan Bell’s new track, Anna, that transports us back to the days when “Sunny Came Home,” “Where Have All The Cowboys Gone” and “One Headlight” were on the charts. Ilan sings a bittersweet goodbye to an old lover who is still kicking around in their memories, doing so with a soft, layered vocal that perfectly meets the melancholy, regretful mood of the track. It is baked so beautifully into the mix that it’s almost just another instrument in the orchestra. But there are two specific touches that really hit in this song we want to touch on. First, the little vinyl scratch is just great earcandy and gives a welcomed cut into the lushness of the rest of the instrumentation. Second, and more importantly, we LOVE the way the chorus picks up everytime Ilan sings “my mind.” That moment, and Anna overall, is a real pull on the heartstrings that we hope you’ll enjoy as much as we did.

Best Lyric: “Losing your apartment keys, no fireworks on New Years Eve.”

Grichu - Ma Ma

Ma Ma - Grichu (EDM) Grichu’s infectious dance track, Ma Ma, is sure to be a winner at outdoor dance parties this summer. The song just exudes sunshine, ocean breeze and cold drinks, so we think it’s one all of you summer party DJs should gravitate toward. With an eclectic instrumention, the song is extremely Euro in it’s soundscape, reminding us of some of the quirky dancefloor tracks of yesteryear. Though kick forward, the song is defined by its whimsical horns, which inject a whole lot of fun, making this dance track a real standout among recent releases. It’s also noticeably an all ages affair, approachable by any demo, and comfortably at home on any party playlist.

Jay Roecker - Pour On Me (Remixed)

Pour On Me (Remixed) - Jay Roecker (Synth Pop) Jay Roecker’s Pour On Me gets the remix treatment on this new EP, which houses the original track along with Lenny Fontana, Valimoor and Klubjumpers remixes. The original track gives serious 80s vibes, but in the way Robyn infused her music with retro when she returned to the mainstream. The kick keeps us modern, with a delightfully crispy snare driving the song forward, while the synths provide a great counterpoint to the vocal production. Valimoor and Klubjumpers remove some of the 80s vibes for a more modern club-friendly endeavor in their remixes, of which we specifically enjoyed Klubjumpers’ introduction of a bouncy synth bass lead. Lenny Fontana, however, leans on the retro by subbing out some of the 80s synths for a 90s house aesthetic. But whatever your preferred flavor of Pour On Me, it’s certain to get you dancing.

Best Lyric: “We were perfection until the world crashed itself on me.”

Lyra Star - Scars

Scars - Lyra Star (Pop) Lyra Star’s new track, Scars, is a mystical affair, conjuring images of the night sky, fireflies and the aurora borealis. Lyra’s voice is like a flickering light in a dark cavern, intoxicating and seductive, drawing the listener deeper into the cave, which houses an all enveloping chorus that feels like the sonic equivalent of a light show. The vocal layering is delicious, shining through a somber, muted production to allow Lyra to be front and center in the track. We recommend this one as a “turn off all the lights and lay on the floor" kind of track, and we bet it’d be one hell of an aural experience in surround sound.

Best Lyric: “Let’s turn these wounds into stars.”

Chris Liverman - Destiny

Destiny - Chris Liverman (Pop) Destiny is a showcase of one hell of a voice. I mean, let’s be real, that’s what this track all comes down to—the strength, power and beauty of Chris Liverman’s lead vocals. In certain moments, we hear a bit of Sam Smith with respect to the tonality, and could definitely cast Chris in a broadway production off the strength of his pipes and his passionate delivery of his lyrics. The song itself is a sweeping ballad, comprising a timeless production of classic instrumentation, which by the end becomes quite anthemic when it finally takes us to church. This is a “sing like your neighbors can’t hear you” in the shower kind of track.

Best Lyric: “I leave behind all of me.”

Zenodro - Trainwreck

Trainwreck - Zenodro (Rap) Zenodro must be a fan of the Neptunes, cuz we are feeling the Pharrell of it all on their new track Trainwreck. The flow is tight, weaving through a deceptively simple instrumental production lead by a Nintendo-esque synth pluck. But we say deceptive because there are some really special percussion switchups that took us by surprise and, no lie, made us dance in our seats. The lyrics are thoughtful and clever, and the flow itself makes us think of some early Black Eyed Peas/Will I Am tracks—could Zenodro get Fergie on a remix? We’d LIVE for that. We certify this one as a multi-purpose bop—gym playlist, house party playlist, pregame playlist, commute playlist, everyday playlist—wherever you need to wind your hips and groove, that’s where you put this song.

Best Lyric: “Even if you don’t got the mind of an elephant, know that you goin to remember it.”

Spalk - Forgot On Monday

Forgot On Monday - Spalk (House/Dance) Spalk delivers a kick-forward club jam with Forgot On Monday, where the tight percussion production slices through a myriad of complex synth leads and fills. The track takes its time to get get to where it’s going, and rarely stays in the same place for long—making its varied synth lead counterpoint duets our favorite parts of the track. The complexity of those arrangements really play well with the simplicity of the vocal line. In addition, some FX vocal lines are used to great effect in the instrumentation as well, which helps paint the dizzy, nebulous late night dance club that the song conjures. We think you’ll be hearing this one just about the time you check your watch to realize you had originally wanted to be home in bed hours ago.

JASMINE IS - Love of Money

Love of Money - JASMINE IS (Pop) JASMINE IS visits a basic lesson about wealth in her new track Love of Money—money does not make you happy. The always timely reminder is delivered through a pop/dance vibe with that funk/disco influence that is currently bleeding through most of pop radio. Driven mostly by its dance piano chords, the track reminds us of a retro-Kylie Minogue track in the best way. We definitely hear JASMINE IS’s new track bumping at an outdoor tea dance or happy hour. Don’t forget about this one for your summer jam playlist.

Best Lyric: “You gotta know what’s worth dying for and what’s not.”

Proklaim - SOMEBODY

SOMEBODY - Proklaim (Rap) And for our second track this week from Proklaim, we’ve got SOMEBODY—where Proklaim continues his messaging of self encouragement to manifest his dreams that began in the other track we’ve had the pleasure of listening to, Valley (see our prior review). Taking a bit more of a retro vibe with the production this time—and boy do we love those warped bells—the message remains consistent, adding that to excel one must go above the norm, and make your haters your motivators, as they say. While bravado is certainly not a rarity in this genre, what we like about Proklaim is that his confidence is a quiet one of self assurance rooted in security and, as we can hear, certainly justified.

Best Lyric: “Monumental. Mind your mental.”

Proklaim - Valley

Valley - Proklaim (Rap) It’s a double feature this week as we get two tracks from hiphop artist Proklaim, and we start with the chill vibes of Proklaim. First off, we appreciate an artist who’s as good a rapper as they are a singer, as Valley features not only a pristine flow from the artist but also buttery layered vocals. Add onto that, he’s also his own hype man, encouraging himself with callouts throughout his rhymes, which is not only nice earcandy, but pairs perfectly with the message of the song. In Valley, Proklaim is indeed hyping himself up, telling himself to push harder, keep going and not fall into the pitfalls that other talented people might that get them off the path or stop them from seizing opportunity. At the same time, he criticizes others in the game for not having a cause or heart—two things Proklaim clearly does not lack.

Best Lyric: “You know the devil wanna take blessings.”

DJ Platinum Vibes - Me Myself and I

Me Myself and I - DJ Platinum Vibes (Pop) With Me Myself and I, DJ Platinum Vibes serves a modern dance anthem made for Top 40 radio. The track has everything you want from a song in this genre—a hard hitting kick, crisp snaps, those glorious house keys and plenty of ear candy. The record also has real movement that ebbs and flows to avoid becoming stagnant or predictable, never afraid to slow down and allow our lead vocalist to be front and center before ramping right back up again. Lead vocals are crisp and clear, and we love the partnership with the featured rapper, whose echoed call outs bouncing in the background throughout the vocal lines keeps the two artists intertwined. And when we say the song is very dance friendly, we mean it in two ways—it’s a hyper-modern EDM dance track for sure, but the melodic line feels almost samba/merengue inspired. This is one you spin your partner on the floor with.

Best Lyric: “I just want the love that will stick around.”

BABY X DADDY - Bubbles

BUBBLES - BABY X DADDY (EDM) We feel like this song is a post 2AM one, a staple of an after the club, dark sex dungeon. It’s raw, uninhibited and in your face, which we love. The vibes are very “I Wanna F"*ck You Like An Animal” with a lead bass synth that reminds us of “The Whisper Song.” With inherent devilishness throughout, the demon-esque octave drop double vocal matched with the touches of lead guitar really elevate the track into the pulsing, carnal gem that it is. Excuse our vulgarity, but this song goes on your “I met someone on an app and they are coming over to have anonymous sex” playlist. If you should be into such a thing.

Best Lyric: “I want to know if you want to f*ck my mind.”

Dice Martin - Old School Baby

Old School Baby - Dice Martin (R&B) This song is F L Y. Sonically, it seems to sit somewhere in 2000s R&B as a candlelit, hip grinding bedroom jam that used to fill the R&B charts of yesteryear. Dice’s vocals are smooth as hell, silky and sexy, backed by some beautiful, restrained, harmonies. The timbre and tone of his voice reminds us a lot of 112, which is perfect for a song like this, and his references to the 2000s are specifically appreciated by us old heads. It’s got a real knock to it with a hard hitting kick drum, while an intimate slinky guitar seductively snakes through the entire track. Needless to say, you’ll want to invite Dice into your bedroom. This goes on your sex playlist.

Best Lyric: “Got that good on an mp3.”