nathan k. | methodist girls

You won’t get to third base with these songs unless you’ve lived life, not unafraid, but unafraid to live.

 
A few hours ago my friend Nathan emailed to me gifts. Gifts of new music are always welcome around here (Thanks Mr. K). And as I ride eastward from Chicago aboard a bustling Amtrak train towards East Lansing Nathan’s latest release Methodist Girls is the perfect traveling companion.

Methodist Girls opens with Sloppy Love. For me this doleful beauty elicits a poignant depiction of our human hearts. How emotions get jostled from lover to lover. Eventually we grow jaded, lovelorn and even cynical. But we plod on hoping and searching for love, and at times we find it no matter how fleeting or lopsided. Continue reading “nathan k. | methodist girls”

I Was There: The Shelter, Detroit, Michigan | Kitten


 
It’s official, I got a girl crush. Kitten is the band. Chloe Chaidez is the object of my affection. I got it bad ya’ll. Yeah, I know and I am just as surprised too. Let’s get this straight. I am not some floosy easily enamored by a demi-rock Pop-goddess with the stage presence of a modern day Madge Ciccone (but with prettier and softer edges than M. Sorry Ms. Material Girl). At first brush Kitten is Madonna, Taylor Dane and Cyndi Lauper-ish, but with extra sprinkles and sweeter glitter. Yet, her sound isn’t as simplistic as it seems. There exists depths of influence and elements with deep roots from the late 60’s and 70’s. A heavy dose of the bands stemming from the British Invasion. Along with a spattering of divergent elements as well. I musn’t forget her supporting cast. Guitarist Andy Miller and bassist Chris Vogel bring the goods and then some. Kitten is purely hard candy-Pop with an independent spirit. It’s at times a funkier, more often than not a post-punkier scope and orchestration. She’s like a jawbreaker or an all-day Day-Glo sucker. Kitten’s self-titled debut album is an alt sort of Pop too, which doesn’t don primary colors. No, hers is an ultraviolet and star splashed fluorescent patina. Yes, I have a genuine and unapologetic girl crush indeed. Continue reading “I Was There: The Shelter, Detroit, Michigan | Kitten”

cloud boat | model of you | our sunday best

A cathedral of sound where within a soul can finally know rest.

Cloud Boat is a duo of two (Sam Ricketts & Tom Clarke), but they bring together the pieces of countless souls. Tom Clarke has a voice chiseled from the light just reaching us after light years of travel. His is a voice alive with dead things. It is the relic of hope and fear, it is a sweet drop of sound which enters our collective ears and ignites the spark of life. A sound particle on which the first steps of resilience are built Continue reading “cloud boat | model of you | our sunday best”

the other guys | blow my mind | official video

An Original but better. Mind blown.

 
Instant classic Hip Hop duo The Other Guys sync up with Von Pea and Donwill of Tanya Morgan for the offical video of their latest single, Blow My Mind. The track is one of 13 from their upcoming HiPNOTT Records debut album titled Seeds of Ambition. Production credit by The Other Guys. Blow My Mind has Isaiah verbally sparing with Von Pea and Donwill over mellow fellow beats, making the track sound effortless and giving listeners a glimpse of what’s to come on the forthcoming album. Continue reading “the other guys | blow my mind | official video”

jessy lanza | you and me | hyperbub 10.2 | 2nd 10th anniversary compilation


 
Jessy Lanza gives good head over heels music. Her crystalline and skittish beats, within seconds the bass drops all rubbery and buoyant. Then, at last her dreamy vocals kick in all sexy ala Janet Jackson-esque and it’s giving me goosebumps on my frontal cortex. Dip me in this all day every day. Continue reading “jessy lanza | you and me | hyperbub 10.2 | 2nd 10th anniversary compilation”

ps i love you | for those who stay | remix ep


 
PS I Love You are a couple of guys (Paul Saulnier and Benjamin Nelson) from Ontario, Canada who have a tendency of wearing their northern hearts on their northern sleeves. And for lots of reasons, it is a good and noble thing to do. Why? Well, for starters as listeners we get the end results of their lived lives. How they interpret the seconds, hours and days of their existence. It’s all there, the piteous lows and the dizzying highs. An artist’s thoughts dipped into the ink; the blood, sweat and tears written into musical journal entries. Continue reading “ps i love you | for those who stay | remix ep”

fractures | fractures ep | won’t win | official video


 
Fractures (Mark Zito) delivers a sure hit with his latest Won’t Win.. The lead single, from the upcoming Fractures EP release, ebbs with tension which feels like a slight constriction about one’s heart. Surely, there is trouble in the kingdom of love. And as I watched the vid I noticed a lot of the frames are back-lit wit red (passion), green (jealousy) and blue (peace and tranquility). The subtext can be easily read as the color spectrum representation of human relationships. No? And get this, the Fractures EP drops July 4th, the day in the U.S where the literal fireworks fly. Is this all some sort of mad coincidence? No matter. Continue reading “fractures | fractures ep | won’t win | official video”

phox | phox

An incredible debut album. Your ears and heart have no chance.

 
Wiscinsonites have reason to puff out their collective chests. Why? Well fellow brothers (and sister Monica Martin) in arms PHOX just released their beautiful self-titled debut album and it is an ode to joy. And if you heard, and fell head over heels with PHOX’s previous Confetti EP, expect more of the same here. No, not really expect more and more is exactly what their beautifully well structured album delivers. Continue reading “phox | phox”

space flakes | stage the stage | official video


 
Space Flakes have been laying low for a long minute, and now I know what they’ve been up to. I suspect in their public absence they have been busy gathering new material. A bit of star dust here and a little magic there. Musicians are alchemists of sorts, turning sound into pure gold.

The production duo comprised of Sjaak Kassies and Mark Stahli are masters at crafting dynamic and propulsive music. Music which understands you more than you understand it. Their latest, Stage The Stage is a perfect example of what they do best. So, let the music play. Peace. Continue reading “space flakes | stage the stage | official video”