Waiting The Sunshine - Alex Manari (Tropical House) Alex Manari takes us back to the summer beaches with latest record, “Waiting The Sunshine.” It’s a plucky pop production that reminds us of Madonna’s “Celebration”, with a touch of “Superbass”. The instrumental sparkles as the bass and kick drive the song forward like a freight train. From the lyrics to the sound of seagulls cawing in the background to the bright and shiny synths, the track just screams summertime—we can almost smell the coconut scents of suntan lotion as we listen. As referenced above, there’s a definite “when Madonna does house” vibe to the track, particularly in the tonality of the female vocals. Catchy, tropical and very dance-able, be sure to bask in the light of Alex Manari’s “Waiting For Sunshine”.
Kully Bath - Rain Falls Inside
Rain Falls Inside - Kully Bath (Pop) Kully Bath delivers a stirring, timeless ballad with her latest record “Rain Falls Inside”. Kully’s vocals balance intimacy, vulnerability and maturity, swirling in a miasma of reverb as keys and choral walls provide a foundation in the backing. The percussion is very crisp, which leads to a spacious and yet textured production. The lyrics conjure environmental imagery as Kully paints crystal clear images with her words. The sound itself is classic in every way, from the structure to chord progressions to the construction of the melody. Both soothing and brooding, Kully Bath’s “Rain Falls Inside” makes for a great listen on a chilly fall afternoon.
Best Lyric: “The brutal winds of change are cold.”
X.O.Anne - Boyfriend Collection
Boyfriend Collection - X.O.Anne (Hip-Hop) I’m not sure if we’ve ever heard a song like this from the woman’s point of view, and we are here for it. Like “Mamno No. 5” and “Freek-A-Leek” before it, X.O.Anne’s latest track “Boyfriend Collection” is a saucy banger with Anne running through her little black book of boys and letting us know what she keeps each one around for. This recitation comes over a knocking hiphop beat reminding us of Lorde’s “Royals”, as a slippery 808 weaves around a crisp trap percussion production. Anne’s got the animated vocal performance on lock in a very early NIkki Minaj way, also giving us thoughts of M.I.A. With clever lyrics, a stellar performance and a catchy call out hook playing in the back, it all makes for one catchy little bop.
Best Lyric: “My boyfriend collection is very expensive.”
Edie Yvonne - Queen Bee
Queen Bee - Edie Yvonne (Pop) Edie Yvonne delivers quite the eclectic track with “Queen Bee”, a genre defying pop record which while boasting a hyper modern and fresh production, feels like it could belong on the Top 40 of yesterday. First off, it has a real funky vibe, turned up several notches when the guitar returns in the back half of the song, as Edie’s slinky vocals slide through the dense production. There’s certainly a “plugged in” feeling to the track, more than just the guitar, as the production on Edie’s vocals feels almost electrified. Despite the turn to fall weather over here on the US East Coast, this track feels like a summer roadtrip anthem to us—top down, cruising down the highway on a bright sunny day.
Best Lyric: “Queen Bee don’t you see what you started.”
Jamcie - Slow it Down
Slow it Down - Jamcie (Rap/Dance) What do you get when hip-hop meets retro 90s house? You get Jamcie’s “Slow it Down”, a solo project from the gifted rapper most known today for his part in renowned rap trio ‘FREE’MINDS’. There’s a real 90s house flare to the track, conveyed by the sung R&B/pop hook hanging in the back with some verby synths, while the expected drumkit of the genre drives the track forward. Jamcie’s resonant and reedy baritone bars slice through the lush production, creating a well balanced and multi-textured track that just feels good on the ears. Both moody and dancey, the track would feel right at home on a dark, underground afterparty’s dance floor.
Best Lyric: “I’m tangled a mess from the stress and grief.”
Grace & Moji - Tipping Point
Tipping Point - Grace & Moji (Folk/Pop) Folky and anthemic, Grace & Moji’s latest track, “Tipping Point” is quite a haunting love story. It’s equal billing here with our male and female vocals, handing off the baton between them seamlessly throughout the track, from the airy verses that linger in the air to the big, punchy chorus that soars over the plains. The track has incredible range, from close and intimate to rousing and anthemic, but throughout all it glistens as it creates an ethereal aural soundscape. All in all, Grace & Moji deliver a heartfelt ballad with “Tipping Point” that pulls at the heartstrings and stays with you long after it concludes.
Best Lyric: “And we kiss, something’s amiss. It’s strangely palpable.“
A-Zal - Movie Script
Movie Script - A-Zal (Pop Funk) A-Zal brings the feel good funk with latest track “Movie Script.” A classic subject matter—being smitten and anticipating the impending romance—A-Zal delivers a bass guitar driven bop with a timeless feel, despite its incorporation of those delightfully 80s, splashy “Superfreak” synths. It’s a dancey affair, and would be perfectly at home on retro Top 40 radio. The boy band feeling vocals are crisp and clear, and bake perfectly into what is best described as an electric pop production. Not to mention, it’s incredibly catchy—the melody has been bouncing around our heads ever since we listened to the record. Take this one straight to the dance floor.
Best Lyric: “Look at the way I’m holding up the moonlight.“
Cheryl Holland - Get up 2 get down
Get up 2 get down - Cheryl Holland (Pop) In “Get up 2 get down”, Cheryl Holland serves as motivational speaker as she pleads to her audience to dust themselves off, pick back up and get to moving on. She does so in a driving dance bop reminiscent of the early 00s—you could definitely hear Cher doing this in her “Believe” era. Initially accompanied by what we can only describe as an electric chipmunk, Cheryl quickly storms into the track with a strong, mature vocal, drenched in a cavernous reverb that lets the track take up a lot of room. Overall, the record is made for the dance floor, or on that playlist that you turn on when you need to remind yourself that better days are always just ahead.
Best Lyric: “Kick them out of your house, burn it to the ground.”
Nadine Randle - Waterfalls
Waterfalls - Nadine Randle (Pop) Nadine Randle belts about new beginnings and returning to self in her driving ballad, “Waterfalls.” Beginning with a haunting piano, the track quickly builds into a driving and anthemic number, reminiscent of some of Jessie J’s power ballads—think “Thunder.” Nadine’s vocals are strong and powerful, and the track rightfully centers her instrument. Far from the use of the word in the iconic TLC song, here Nadine uses the imagery of a waterfall to capture the overwhelming feeling of when you remember who you are and it all comes back to you. Not just a sing-along in the shower cut, the track also begs for a bevy of dance remixes.
Best Lyric: “Feels like I lost who I was, finally I got myself back.”
Monochrome Midnight Traveller - Reality Spaces (EP)
Reality Spaces (EP) - Monochrome Midnight Traveller (Dark Synth Pop) Monochrome Midnight Traveller’s trippy 2-track debut EP, “Reality Spaces”, delivers a hypnotic and haunting vibe that leaves you feeling heavy in the chest. With “Reality”, we get a minimalist production—a dampened kick, thrumming bass and hypnotic synth lead—with minimal female vocals that hang in the air. Male vocals dominate “Spaces” as the production becomes increasingly lush and complex with spacious synth walls filling the room as the vocals cast a menacing spell with a slightly more dense lyrical content before suddenly cutting off to push the audience off a cliff. Dark, edgy and entrancing, “Reality Spaces” is a perfect example of populating a soundscape that takes listeners on a journey.
Dominique Ilie - Safe
Safe - Dominique Ilie (R&B) Dominique Ilie is serving us some much needed classic R&B vibes with latest single, “Safe.” Beginning with a dreamy guitar, it quickly gives way to a punchy, crisp, industrial feeling percussion, while also making room for a stellar vocal performance by Dominique. This artist is a crooner, a resonant baritone to start before easily slipping and sliding up and down those scales with expert precision. Ginuwine, Usher and Chris Brown are conjured by his honey dipped vocals that carry an otherwise minimalist percussion. All in all, with a low key vibe and buttery leads, “Safe” is quite the groove.
Best Lyric: “You make me feel safe, don’t throw my love away.”
Segana - Mercy
Mercy - Segana (Pop) Segana is back on the blog with another 80s-inspired jam, “Mercy.” Unlike “Fever Dreams”, which we reviewed back in March, “Mercy” abandons the “Thriller” subject matter and gives us a retro pop banger the likes of “Footloose” and “Time Warp.” With the splashy keys and tight percussion you’d expect from a throwback inspired cut like this, we’ve got a chorus based on a classic call and response that will surely make this one a crowd pleaser in concert. But more than the production, the track resurrects that peppy, positive vibe exuberance that seems to have given way to the more modern broody, heartache laden, melancholy of today’s pop music. All in all, “Mercy” is a straight up retro party jam that could get every friend and family member up on the dance floor.
Best Lyric: “I can see you through the lines on the wall. You got me countin all my knives just to feel it some more.”
Eleegal - La Buena
La Buena - Eleegal (Latin Pop) It’s an international affair with Eleegal’s latest track, “La Buena”—a latin pop midtempo with an afrobeat flare from a Nigerian based in Poland. What this globally influenced artist has been able to concoct is an infectious and sultry groove, that with all of its restraint makes for quite the hip winder. The track feels like a tango, with Eleegal setting his eyes on a girl at the club. But unlike most songs on this topic, “La Buena” has a hypnotic quality, passionate and quite spicy but always on simmer, never boiling over. That tension makes for a great listen and easy track to put on repeat. With an impeccable production and beautiful vocal layering, “La Buena” belongs on your, shall we say, “intimate” playlist.
Firebird Union - Higher Ground
Higher Ground - Firebird Union (Synth Pop/Funk) With “Higher Ground”, Firebird Union delivers an 80s electro funk groove that we defy you not to dance to. The record is sparkling with glorious 80s instrumentation, from the synth keys and effects, tight delayed vocals and gated snare. It has great build, slowly adding new instrumentation as the track progresses, which helps hold the listener’s interest. Our favorite moments are that grungy guitar driven chorus, a nice switch-up and bona fide earworm, as well as the call and response between the distorted male lead and female backings in the bridge and outro. Dancey and catchy, “Higher Ground” belongs on your retro vibes playlist.
Marlene Larsen - Galore (LP)
Galore (EP) - Marlene Larsen (Alt Rock / Pop) Marlene returns to our blog with her debut 5-track EP “Galore”, an impeccably produced, heartfelt project which crafts a signature sound for the artist while boasting stellar poetic lyricism. Before we go track-by-track, we start with some overall impressions of the project.
It is clear that the album is personal and borne of pain. French singer Marlene Larsen seems to dwell in either the darkness or limbo, opening her heart to pour out the reasons why she finds herself there. With that comes a soft rock, alternative 90s sound that mixes the best of that generation’s emo and grunge styles. Marlene’s sound centers on a warbly, grunge guitar and her soundscapes often remind us of Smashing Pumpkins at times, and at others Sheryl Crow, with Marlene able to straddle the balance of creating a signature sound while also making each song have a unique identity.
Marlene’s voice is both intimate and powerful. Often layered beautifully to create melodious earworms, when solo, Marlene’s voice is passionate and emotive, and often sits very close to the listener. In her tonality and delivery, we often get moments of Fiona Apple, while a few songs evoke Gwen Stefani.
But as strong as the instrument is, even stronger are the words delivered by it. Marlene is one of the best songwriter’s we’ve met this year. Her lyrics are incredibly memorable, as Marlene uses her catchy melodies to carry extremely detailed and specific imagery to paint crystal clear landscapes.
We had the privilege of already reviewing Marlene’s prior singles, “Galore” and “I said i’m fine”. We said the former was a stomping mid-tempo primed for TV licensing, using a timeless sound to touch on current hot topics like gender conformity, with her feminine vocals and grungy guitar paralleling the song’s messaging with the play between feminine and masculine energies. As to the latter, we complimented the numerous switchups, lush vocal layering, richness and theatricality, calling Marlene one to watch.
Now having heard the remaining three tracks, we confidently stand by our opinions. In EP opener “Birthday”, we get a little bit of a current era Taylor Swift vibe, very “Anti Hero” in its sound. In “Birthday”, Marlene uses the idea of her birthday as a reemergence day—the start of a new chapter. Reading like a powerful diary entry, Marlene celebrates burned bridges and the loss of dead weight by wishing herself happy birthday.
“Careful” really surprised us, taking us into a delicate and intimate ballad with striking lyrics, in the vein of Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For?”. The song is yearning incarnate, with a heartstring pulling delivery that somehow manages to be both innocent and mature. Marlene is clearly a woman wise beyond her years—an old soul.
“Public Apology” closes the album by abandoning expected form, with the track split into two distinct sections, each feeling very much like the curtain call and encore.
A striking introduction, Marlene Larsen’s debut effort announces her arrival by kicking down the door. And now she has all of our undivided attention.
Emily Manuel - Live Forever (LP)
Live Forever (EP) - Emily Manuel (Folk Pop) We’ve got some impressive musicality on the blog today with Emily Manuel’s 5-track EP “Live Forever”, a dark and sumptuous project bursting at the seams with some serious talent. Poetic lyrics, complex and creative arrangements and a burning intensity, “Live Forever” captivates. Let’s dig in.
Based in Denver, Colorado, Emily focuses on the bittersweet, inviting listeners to join a visceral experience. Today, Emily plays rooftops, tavernas, open fields, theaters and wine cellars, and after listening to this EP, we think sold out concerts across the country are not too far away.
Emily’s sound centers on piano and strings, with features from the occasional horn, percussion and guitar in ways that help give each song its unique identity among the sonically cohesive set. Her classical and jazz training are evident within seconds of listening to the EP, as Emily incorporates impressively composed choral vocals, surprising dissonance and increasing musical complexity.
There is a weight and maturity to the project, with a fair amount of darkness. It showcases maturity and mastery of composition and form. It’s also fitting that a project called “Live Forever” has such a timeless sound. If we had to place it among peers, we’d put it in the late 90s/early 00s singer-songwriter era in the realm of Fiona Apple, but far more folk/blues imbued.
The album kicks off with title track, “Live Forever”, beginning with a miasma of strings that help set a foreboding tone. As is also evident throughout, Emily enjoys playing with dissonance, especially where you least expect it. She likes to touch it briefly before going back to what the ear expects. The song conjures images of dangerous waters, choppy waves and a threatening undertow. We were also impressed with the wall of vocal harmonies, a choral styling that will resurface throughout.
Album closer, “Arms of Mine”, is our favorite, possibly because we think of all the tracks it lends itself best to single treatment, sync licensing and playlisting. With the waves crashing behind the sound of a soulful guitar and rich, weighty lead vocal, you can almost hear the beach bonfire as Emily tells her tale to a late night audience.
Between these bookends we get “So Long,” a piano driven number that sounds like an experimentation in build. Emily starts us off with a piano driven number, only to add more and more instrumentation and complexity (including an absolutely stunning cello line), until we’ve got a full band taking us home. “Scrawl” strikes us with its texture. Scratchy violins claw at the sparkling piano all while a soothing horn introduces warmth. “When This Is Over” gives us a Spanish guitar flare with what we think is Emily’s strongest vocal performance on the project. Emotive and passionate, she uses different aspects of her instrument throughout to display her versatility. And THAT LOW NOTE. We skipped back to make sure we heard that correctly. That came from a fire in her chest.
The passion is evident when listening to this project, as Emily serves a tour de force of artistry. With its timeless sound, rich instrumentation and haunting beauty, we think “Live Forever” will stand the test of time.