Shades of Neon (Synth Seduction Mix) - E.T. Man (Synth Pop) E.T. Man brings the lush with swirling new single “Shades of Neon (Synth Seduction Mix)". Since they are in the title, let’s start with those fuzzy synths, which blanket the track in analog fuzz that have a distinctly 80s feel. The chord progression is driving, accompanied by crisp drums and thudding kick that makes this midtempo quite groovy. Abandoning the prominence of the washed out guitar that lead the original mix of the track, this mix elevates the record into anthemic territory—it’s quite a big track—leaving room for E.T. Man’s reedy baritone lead vocal to fill the space with more 80s nostalgia. This is a “turn off the lights and let the song wash over you” kind of track, destined for all those chill vibe playlists.
Sheena-Rae - Politician
Politician - Sheena-Rae (R&B) Sheena-Rae isn’t falling for your BS in her latest track, “Politician”, a super-fresh and incredibly catchy R&B/pop hybrid about a love that finds deception so easy and natural they might as well have a political career. The conceit of the track is clever and makes for great Top 40 material, with the overall feel of the record giving us a little bit of early Ariana Grande (“The Way”) with that Fifth Harmony UK pop feel. The mood is set immediately with the plucky synth strings, eventually accompanied by a knocking hiphop kick with some tuned percussion earcandy. The instrumental remains minimal, however, to let Sheena-Rae’s strong and sassy leads carry the song. It’s one you’ll definitely want to sing along to. Total bop.
Best Lyric: “You played with my heart, you thought you were being real damn smart.”
Bad Bubble - Queen Balloon
Queen Balloon - Bad Bubble (Dream Pop) Bad Bubble soothes with their latest single, the dreamy ballad “Queen Balloon.” It’s a provocative number, just as Bad Bubble intends, as they have a fierce devotion to using actual instruments and mixing on an old school mixing board, with no interest in creating repetitive, empty modern day concoctions. Backed by crisp drums and a hypnotic and dizzying piano line, Bad Bubble uses a tight delay-like distortion to bring a unique quality to his voice that creates an almost robotic feel. That’s not to say that the vocals aren’t strong—the effect doesn’t take away from the fact that Bad Bubble is singing his heart out. It’s a number with a lot of drive, stepping up from lilting ballad to anthem when the electric guitar kicks in to turn things up a notch. All in all, though, the track is as unique as it is fulfilling—listening to it gives the feeling of being electrically charged.
Oddsmokee - The Good, the Bad and the Oddy (LP)
The Good, The Bad and the Oddy (LP) - Oddsmokee (Hiphop) Today’s LP review comes from hiphop artist “Oddsmokee” who, with an “Old Town Road” kinda vibe, brings a hiphop/country hybrid soundscape to the forefront on “The Good, The Bad and the Oddy”. The album is an 8-track exploration of substance abuse, coping mechanisms and mindfulness, which we dig into below.
Born in Thousand Oaks California, raised primarily in NY’s 518, Oddsmokee does it all—writing, performing, designing, directing and more, he is truly a 360 degree artist. From his Spotify bio, we see Oddsmokee began making music in 2019 “as a way to escape a dark road of criminal charges through drug dealing, as well as to help overcome addiction.” On “The Good, the Bad and the Oddy” specifically, the focus is on the “downsides, dangers and pitfalls that come with substance abuse” and its poor utility as a coping mechanism for emotional or mental distress.
By utilizing rap and autotuned vocals over 808s and trap percussion, this exploration is certainly grounded in hiphop, however a notable country infusion through guitar loops gives the entire project its unique identity. The production is perfection, each mix crisp and clean and lathered in professional gloss. While the sound is consistent, each track has a unique identity, with some even veering into ballad territory (which were some of our favorites). We were often reminded of later Timbaland works—post the Justin Timberlake collabs.
Vocally, Oddsmokee has a real grit to his performance, chewing on his rhymes throughout. The resonant baritone and reedy qualities remind us of the sound of a Lil’ Wayne, while the passion in the performance and underlying fire give us Eminem vibes, yet all packaged in a youthful and modern delivery. Slipping back and forth between rapping and singing, the latter is leaned the more Oddsmokee becomes introspective and emotional, which feels correct.
We specifically want to highlight the sequencing of the album, as each track seems to discover yet another new insight into substance abuse and Oddsmokee’s specific struggles as it moves along. As such, the album progresses like an enlightening in progress—the listener stands beside Oddsmokee during his mindfulness journey, unpacking issues in real time as if each song is another step in the therapeutic process. This is best exemplified by analyzing bookends “11:15”, which sets the status quo of a life of sex and drugs, and “Overdosaa” where 8 tracks in Oddsmokee is connecting the destructive behavior to issues with his youth and upbringing and the need to fill an emptiness. When listening sequentially, one might miss how far we’ve travelled over these tracks, but taking a step back, you realize just how deep the album gets, one step at a time.
Our favorite tracks are the more introspective ones. “Dommy Ps” is extremely catchy, reminding us of 00s Timbaland productions, and feels the most radio friendly of the bunch. The introspective analysis touched on there is further developed in other standout “Snow Dayy”, on which Oldsmokee connects his perceptions of the world to his internal struggles and coping mechanisms. It’s followed by our absolute favorite, album closer “Overdosaa”, where Oldsmokee does the most internal analysis in connecting what the drugs are numbing him from.
With a signature sound and great production, we were happy to join Oddsmokee on the beginning of his journey of self-exploration, and look forward to more breakthroughs in works to come.
Emily Nicole Green - Thief
Thief - Emily Nicole Green (Pop/Country) Emily Nicole Green stuns with new record “Thief” which is more than a breakup ballad, it’s a musical gut punch. We don’t say this lightly—this is an Adele worthy track. Or a Gaga “Joanne” era ballad. Emphatic and rousing, Emily’s vocals are as engaging as they are passionate and strong, leading the understated production of keys, live drums and heartstring pulling descending cello sweeps. Emily’s vocals definitely have that country influence, not necessarily a twang but there are moments in her vibrato and her articulation that give us a little Dolly, or maybe some Reba. And because the lyrics are so god damn powerful, we had to choose two below. You can tell it’s a personal track—it’s in the words, it’s in the performance. And for that, we can confidently say Emily stands toe to toe with the artists referenced herein. A stand out track.
Best Lyric: “You didn’t break me, only I can do that.” / “Guess you could be a good man who wasn’t good to me.”
Clare Easdown - Scopolamine
Scopolamine - Clare Easdown (Pop) It’s a four hit streak on the blog today with returning artist Clare Easdown, who delivers another impactful track with latest “Scopolamine”. Following the avant garde turn of the previous single, Clare returns to a more traditional format with this ballad, while still maintaining the elevated poetic lyrics that rise above the standard pop fare that we’ve come to expect from Clare. Despite the more classic structure, Clare continues to surprise with her musical choices, giving surprising moments of close harmonies at just the right point to cut the core on the more painful words, specifically “brutally”. Add the cavernous verb and the steady, yet understated beat of the drum, and we can clearly envision this one as the “last song” at the school dance.
Best Lyric: “I’m brutally in love with you.”
Global Hypersynth - Live Your Life
Live Your Life - Global Hypersynth (Disco) Get ready to spin around the dancefloor with Global Hypersynth’s latest record, “Live Your Life.” From the Gloria Estefan level percussion arrangement to the sweeping strings, soft pads and earworm guitar riff, you’ve got a classic sounding dancefloor cut with this one. The female vocalist soars, upping the ante to athemtic levels in the outro as she swings around the rafters in a big brassy belt, just after setting a “call and response” dynamic in the chorus that will be a huge payoff when performing this track for live audiences. Our favorite part, however, is the bridge, which has a nice injection of “Jacksonese”—clear references from the famous musical family that add greater dimension to the arrangement. Grab a cocktail, grab your friends, get to the center of the dancefloor and go off.
Carson Ferris - 1999
1999 - Carson Ferris (Pop) Carson Ferris is back on the blog , this time with a track sure to appeal not only to the modern audience, but also old heads like us. In “1999” Carson wishes he were born to experience this author’s generation of music—the TRL era of boy bands, Britney and more. The instrumental certainly takes its cues from the era, with an instrumental that certainly feels like one of Britney’s early tracks. And just in case you weren’t getting the point, the lyrics are laden with references like “Baby One More Time”, “Oops” and “Bye Bye Bye”. But more than nostalgia bait, the song is fire, and certainly could’ve stood alongside its references on the Top 40 charts of the time. Listening to Carson, we recall how Justin Bieber launched onto the scene oh so many years ago, and we can’t help but wonder if Carson will be next.
Best Lyric: “Old souls find each other, we just can’t explain it.”
Vessna Scheff - BUTTER
BUTTER - Vessna Scheff (Dream Pop) Vessna Scheff slathers on some rich decadence with latest track, “BUTTER.” Dreamy and hypnotic, Vessna hopes to be smooth like butter when she approaches the one that’s caught her eye. The track glistens, with twinkling rhodes backing a punchy dance drumkit that bakes in some house inspirations. The vocals are as smooth as the title suggests, a lilting multi-layered production that wraps you up like a blanket. Warm, soft and cozy, there’s a Janet-like quality to the performance, while the tonality at times gives us a bit of Alicia Keys and a bit of Goapele (“Milk & Honey” came to mind). It’s a vibe.
Best Lyric: “Got me awkward and new around you.”
My Life Story - I'm A God
I’m A God - My Life Story (Synth Pop) Get ready to be transported back to 80s synth pop with My Life Story’s latest single, “I’m A God.” As soon as the track starts with those plucky synth arpeggios and guitar solo, you know to prepare yourself for some time travel. The vocal leads seal the deal, with the entrance of a resonant baritone reminiscent of the vocals of that era, both in tone and delivery. At first blush, Duran Duran comes to mind. The track itself is super catchy and very sing-along-able, with My Life Story using the framing of being a god as a way to deliver descriptors about them—what kind of god they are—that tell you a lot about the artist’s point of view and values. And as the song fades out—a quality lost to the streaming era—you immediately feel as if it’s time to open the cassette tape deck and flip to the B side.
Best Lyric: “I am the right, the right between your eyes.”
Ben Freeman - Baby Mine
Baby Mine - Ben Freeman (Pop) Ben Freeman returns to the blog with latest track, “Baby Mine,” a soaring anthemic and driving midtempo. Ben continues to display his musicality in form, structure and build, with a series of additions, diversions and layers throughout the track that make “Baby Mine” an impressive production that could stand shoulder to shoulder with today’s Top 40. If we’re dipping back into our reference database, the record reminds us a bit of Jessie J’s “Thunder” in it’s burning intensity and tension that make the listener feel on a knife’s edge throughout. The twinkling rhodes and synths add some retro feels as well, with a complex modern percussion that keeps the track in the here and now. Finally, Ben’s vocals are powerful and dynamic, an intimate and vulnerable first verse soon scrapped for a punchy belt that ascends all the way through those final closing vocal chants that elevate the final chorus.
Best Lyric: “Darling, all I ever dream of is crossing your sea to see you reaching back to me.”
Sage Suede - Dirty Blonde (LP)
Dirty Blonde (LP) - Sage Suede (EDM) Sensitive readers beware, because like Sage Suede, we’re not going to mince words on this. On the “Dirty Blonde” LP, Sage is down to fuck, and there’s absolutely no innuendo to it. So if you’re up for an (audial) orgy, dig in below.
Sage’s press release is a blunt as their album. According to Sage, they wrote the album as a journey through space and time and “personally connected with hot women around the world to get their attention for duets.” The goal was to make the listener think about fashion, romance and gender. For us, however, what it made us think about is getting railed on a gas station bathroom floor by demonic clowns. You read that right.
We can best define the genre of “Dirty Blonde” as avant garde/abstract EDM—because we’re not sure ‘acid trip’ is a genre. The instrumentation throughout is structured fairly traditionally, with steady BPMs, percussion loops and heavy pads, sticking mostly to EDM but occasionally incorporating some modern hiphop trends. But in addition to a few interesting instrumental punches, it’s the vocals that make the album other worldy. First, it’s heavily layered with both male and female vocals on top of each other, and then on top of that some robotic layers and demonic distortions, and that is a consistent production for all of the tracks. This is a homegrown effect, Sage having edited the vocals to intentionally sound crazy (note, “The Best Revenge” has over 30 vocal layers). Those layers are often disjointed, creating an interesting delay effect, that abandons clarity for the feelings they are meant to invoke in the listener. Adding to the abstract, Sage also regularly syncopates or abandons the rhythm of the instrumental altogether, at times veering more into spoken word than lyrical verse. The result is a sound that feels like a demonic possession delivering an incantation. It’s certainly not like anything we’ve ever heard before. It’s some final act of Requiem for a Dream shit.
Other than developing a truly original sound, we also commend Sage Suede for making each track entirely unique, despite the carrythrough of their one of a kind vocal production. By sticking to the unconventional choice of production, it would be very easy to fall into the trap of each song sounding too similar, but Sage Suede avoids that completely and delivers 13 tracks each with entirely their own identity.
As for the lyrical content itself, it’s probably the most explicit record we’ve ever heard. It’s not just about sex, it’s about dirty sex. Grimey and at times bordering on grotesque. On “Corn Chip Thot” specifically, the use of churros and crisco as sexual imagery might be overwhelming for some listeners. But we are fairly confident Sage Suede has fully intended on shock value and they have certainly achieved that. This album would make your grandmother spontaneously combust.
Our favorite track is “The Best Revenge”, a demented disco number that alternates the vocal layering to allow the male and female vocals to each come to the forefront and take some time in the spotlight. “Broment” is also a bop, sticking to a more conventional lyrical structure. It feels like the warped cousin of the Ying Yang Twinz’s “Whisper Song”, and the synth key lead is very catchy. We also want to draw attention to “Work From Hoe”, on which Sage tells the chick banging on his door for dick she should calm down and he’ll be back tomorrow. The eastern influences on the instrumental remind us of Timbaland’s ventures into that sound around the time of “Indian Flute” and Truth Hurts’ “Addicted”. We think these tracks are the best entry point.
All in all, we are pretty amazed by the originality of this record, we have truly never heard anything like it. And so if your sex dungeon or Eyes Wide Shut party needs a soundtrack—we think ”Dirty Blonde” is a sure bet.
LandoLyrical - PATEK
PATEK - LandoLyrical (Rap) LandoLyrical and Twelveprimetime bring a low key rap groove about their focus and drive with latest record “PATEK”. It’s an understated production with some heavily verbed keys and crisp percussion giving the impression of a cavernous space, which helps to give an ominous feeling to the track. That space is made to center the vocals which dominate the production, as the distinct flows of LandoLyrical and Twelveprimetime push through the verb to tell the the listeners that they are solely focused on the hustle. There’s a Fugees vibe to the pairing, with effective yet restrained earcandy from a few vocal callouts, octave drop layering and small little touches that, together with the production, make sure the focus is never away from the vocals and the lyrics. All in all, the message is clear—these two are on the rise and you best step out the way.
Best Lyric: “We the new aliens’.”
Echezona - It's Your World
It’s Your World - Echezona (Hiphop) Long after Mary J wanted to share her world, Echezona arrives with his afrobeat groove to ask his love interest to share more of herself in “It’s Your World.” We could hear this track being in Drake’s repertoire for sure, with Echezona displaying not only his strength as a vocalist, but his grounded rap flow. There’s an intimacy to his performance, making the listener feel that Echezona is speaking directly to them, rather than simply performing a track. Add to that all the little inflections he sprinkles throughout his performance, and you have a very engaging listen from someone who feels like they are sitting right in the pocket. The instrumentation is sparse, allowing Echezona’s talent to be the star of the track, with the occasional distorted flute sound that reminds us a bit of Bieber’s “Sorry” from a few years back. And just like that track, “It’s Your World” is a bop.
Best Lyric: “Do you ever think you love too hard? Do you ever think you’re hard to love?“
Myra Monoka - Drive
Drive - Myra Monoka (Pop/R&B) Myra Monoka is bringing that understated low key groove with latest track “Drive.” Myra beckons you come along with her on a euphoric escapade with a seductive rasp that reminds us modern day Miley. The song seems to defy genre—it’s certainly pop, with some sprinkling of 80s retro sounds, but at its heart we think of it much more of an R&B funk groove, a combo we definitely like. Just as seductive as her lead vocals, which have real gravity to them, Myra’s backing vocals—a lush choral wall that fills the space—are quite heavenly and give a tension and depth to the track. All in all, “Drive” is one one of those tracks you put on repeat.
Best Lyric: “The neighbors’ gonna hear when I come around.”
Shanti Chapman - Joy Comes in the Morning
Joy Comes in the Morning - Shanti Chapman (R&B) We’ve got a classic R&B/gospel hybrid here with Shanti Chapman’s “Joy Comes in the Morning”, a rousing ballad that feels just as fitting on retro R&B radio as it would belted by the gospel choir during Sunday service. The production is lush, with glistening rhodes sparkling in the background, a tight percussion arrangement and some heavenly backing choral vocals. But the star of this track is Shanti’s flawless vocal performance, a resonant baritone with strength, range and passion (and oh that belted adlib!!!). He also gives the song a unique sound in putting his voice in a prominent short verb/tight delay that helps to distinguish this track from its colleagues.
Best Lyric: “The clouds do pass in the morning. The sun will shine at the dawning of the day.”