Conor Gains – Compass

Conor Gains – Compass

URL: https://www.conorgainsband.com/music/

A good record is a lot like a good movie. There are characters, an essential narrative, and enough depth in both to take the audience from the edge of their seats and place them right in the middle of the current scene. And from the depths of his soul, songwriter Conor Gains masterfully directs the story of his debut album, Compass, in a performance that would be worthy of an Academy Award in the film industry.

Our story begins as we shadow a set of footsteps on the track “I Know.” A rhythmic snapping starts. Is this some Philly soul revving up the engine? The band is tuning up, and the anticipation is getting ridiculous. Out of the foggy night; enter Conor’s voice. He’s searching, yearning for something different. To find the treasures where there has only been trash. The urban landscape in springtime, the feel good energy that comes with a new season, it’s all around us. Our intuition, like some sort of deity, is guiding us forward to where we need to be. It’s a fresh start.

The amplifiers start to warm up a little bit, and we step into a swanky blues club in “Walking Alone.” Tides of bittersweet melancholy start to wash us out to sea. In the isolation we find a place to think. The heavens open up and let us know we’re not alone. The irony is how alone we had to get just to discover this. Gains picks up the beat in “Dance Like It’s Your Birthday,” and suddenly it’s like we’re sitting piano-side to Stevie Wonder during the prime of his electrifying career. Horns get peppered in, and it’s starting to feel like a sunny summer day on Bourbon Street.

“Ordinary Love” takes us sailing away from the Crescent City and into a sultry love scene. Giving someone everything, receiving so much ecstasy in return. No matter the pain you’ve got to go through to get this feeling, it’s worth it every time, as Gains so intelligibly relates to us. We start to descend into the macrocosm of questions that this love poses in us in “I’ve Been Looking for Your Heart;” what will it take for us to get that happy ending we always have chased after. How will we conquer love together when we’re so completely different? The band omits a brooding moan that is shattered by guitar feedback and an explosive climax. In the traces of notation left, “In My Head” takes us deep within our singer’s psyche, and the twists and turns created by the thousands of synchronized sounds. Just when we’re in the grip of insanity, “Back to You” arrives to rescue us and bring us back to the forgiving land that we started our quest from. “Miracle” cranks up the heat on the amps once more to see just how much paint we’ve got left on the walls, stepping swiftly into your consciousness and leaving the debris of burnt and bashed guitars in its wake. “Darkness in the Light” and its spiritual sequel song “Mexico” draw the curtains closed on the record through a vivid black and white lens that stylishly slips back into the night like a character from a classic noir picture.

If Compass has but one flaw, it is that after its ten song collection comes to a fitting end, it leaves me desperate for much, much more output from its enigmatic leading man.

I-TUNES: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/compass/1359993944

Gary Williams 

Patiently Awaiting the Meteorite – Electrified

Patiently Awaiting the Meteorite – Electrified

YOU TUBE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NnxPu9gO2M

On the impending release of Patiently Awaiting the Meteorite’s flagship album Canyon Diablo, the unit has dropped their first single, “Electrified.”  The song is accompanied by an appropriately psychedelic and totally trippy video that showcases everything from last 60s style hallucinatory imagery to a funky 70s dance vibe dousing the musicians in warping, changing Technicolor.  It all lines up perfectly with the song itself because musically and vocally speaking it’s a call to arms to get bodies out of their seats and shaking madly with whatever dance that comes to the top of their heads first.  

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/patmband/

Brimming with pulsating, propelling bass licks, a locked-on percussive smack and numerous swirls of synthesized light, it’s no wonder as to why fans of the group have cited everything from Pink Floyd to Beck as a possible point of reference.  Sung vocalist, lyricist and multi-instrumentalist Dee and given light, shade and numerous other musical tricks by the production team of the Grand Brothers, “Electrified” is constantly shape-shifting and morphing into unusual rhythmic cadences, swaying tempo changes and bold vocals that emphasize equal measures of melody, soul and heart.  There’s a rhythm n’ blues touch to Dee’s booming pipes that convey his positive, almost 60s hippie movement themed lyrics with ultraviolet life.  It’s a glorious display of changing and constantly varying brushstrokes that take taut instrumentals but still manage to render them as “upbeat” and “lively” when all is said and done. 

YOU TUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNlPIPTOIjaVBIe8hWmaRwQ

The Grand Brothers have already made a huge splash in the music industry and so has front man Dee.  The Brothers co-wrote and co-produced BranVan3000’s surprise international hit single “Astounded” in addition to co-producing BV3000’s full-length record, Discosis.  This grand twosome has also sold over a million units of their music worldwide.  Dee has had a successful career and has been produced prior by the Grand Brothers on his second solo effort, Day by Day.  Together, this team-up obviously fits like a hand in a glove as the music production and mixing are in complete congruence with one another throughout the entire course of the “Electrified” single.  Every note and each individual quirk of sound mingles harmoniously and the song builds to a rousing chorus that delivers the vocal goods purely and powerfully.  Anybody that’s lived a life of sweat n’ swagger can jive with the working class funky swing that the music brings to the table here. 

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/PATMband

All in all, Canyon Diablo is already poised to be one of the finest albums of the year based on the strength of this track.  There’s absolutely no reason for fans of everything from funk to soul to rock to rhythm n’ blues and folks to not get on PATM’s bandwagon.  These cats cook up one of the most deliciously inventive musical brews currently going on today.      

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/patientlyawaitingthemeteorite/

   

Mike Saulman

Jiggley Jones – Not Your Typical Day Out

Jiggley Jones – Not our Typical day Out

URL: http://jiggleyjones.com/wordpress/

Warren Zevon was probably the most misunderstood songwriter of his time. Too grizzly and vulgar for the Top 40 crowd, far too indulgent for the punks and too unkempt and experimental for the folk scene, Zevon has spent a great deal of his career revered by the intellectual music “weirdos” and dismissed by a lot of mainstream critics during his prime and later audiences as a one hit wonder. But Zevon’s dare to be different was ironically the most academically “folk” thing about him, apart from his use of lyric-driven songs to create the macabre moods he became so legendary for.

In his tradition (but perhaps sans the devilishness), emerges Pennsylvania’s Jiggley Jones and his debut LP Not Your Typical Day Out, which is available now for streaming online. If you haven’t heard of Jiggley Jones, then you haven’t been following the indie music scene on the east coast lately. JJ, as a lot of his fans call him for short, has been building up quite the reputation with his live stage presence in the last decade, on the heels of a pair of extended plays and a couple of singles that exploded onto the indie charts in 2012 and 2014. Just in the past five years he has been nominated for a litany of prizes at the Artist Music Guild Heritage Awards, Independent Country Music Association Awards and the International Music and Entertainment Awards, winning “Songwriter of the Year” in 2013 following his debut EP No Spring Chicken. While all of his work leading up to this brilliant culmination in his sound has been quite stimulating and made for fun listens, personally I think that Jiggley Jones takes it to the next level on Not Your Typical Day Out.

My favorite part of Not Your Typical Day Out was probably its total lack of complacency, which is a big hazard I feel like we as music fans run into on a lot of newer, hipster-influenced singer/songwriter albums. JJ never comes off like a smug, holier than though artist whose judgmental leer burns even coming through headphones; instead, throughout every bright shining light and down in the dark dirge on Not Your Typical Day Out feels like an intimate fireside performance shared by a vintage troubadour sitting right by your side. The strain in his voice tells you that he’s got a lot of miles under his belt, and the longing of his guitar speaks to that universal thirst for life that exists in all of us regardless of age, race or gender. This vastly powerful appeal makes Jones’ rookie LP incredibly reachable to new fans while also satisfying and exciting longtime supporters with this new sampler of Jones’ future direction. Whether you’re new to his sound or have been following him since day one, Not Your Typical Day Out is a mandatory buy for diehard Americana and singer/songwriter enthusiasts, who haven’t had an ambitious record to get excited about in a long time. Check out Jones’ upcoming tour schedule and additional multimedia content at his official website and Facebook page.

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/JiggleyJones

Jennifer Hertzler

Monsieur JOB - Chow Chow eyyy Pow Pow

Monsieur JOB - Chow Chow eyyy Pow Pow 

YOU TUBE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-V8N0bTvmNw

Monsieur Jobs’ “Chow Chow eyyy Pow Pow” is an energetic single from a largely Columbian outfit joined by the vocal talents of No Mercy front man Martin Cintron. Springing from an idea first hatched by label executive Jose Fernando Holguin, Monsieur Job is a four member project featuring the talents of Stan Kolev, Leo Jaramillo, Toby Holguin, and Charlie Illera. Kolev and Holguin are the songwriting talents responsible for this particular confection and their inspired take on modern pop mixed in with vivid Latin strands makes for a release with rare physical presence mixed with understated melodic strengths in its edited for radio version. There’s a second version of the song, a remix helmed by Kolev, included with the release and provides an invigorating alternate take on the song demonstrating the band’s elastic artistic vision. “Chow Chow eyyy Pow Pow”, in the end, is more than just a glorified rhythm track with embellishments laid on top – it’s a bonafide song that’s malleable and alive. 

 

The percussion opening the radio edit and remix alike certainly emphasizes this. The radio edit, in particular, ends up bringing a small drumming army to bear on the listener’s attentions and there’s an appealing mix of live sounding percussion building the song alongside more digitized beats. There’s a nice, understated layered effect that the production and arranging achieves for the drumming in the radio edit imbuing the song with a strong sense of dynamics distinctly different and idiosyncratic compared to similar efforts from other bands and performers. There’s a number of dramatic shifts and small screen climatic moments in the radio edit before the performance reaches a satisfying conclusion. Martin Citron’s efforts make an enormous difference in the final product’s appeal and his forceful way of gliding through the verses, his harmony contributions to the song, and the balance he strikes working alongside the music makes this one of the most impressive outings he’s had in an already impressive career.

 

His presence manifests itself rather differently in the remix. Kolev reacts to his voice less as a singer, but more as another instrument in the mix akin to the pre-programmed percussion thumping away in the background. The percussion for the remix isn’t nearly as nuanced as what we hear from the radio edit, but it needs to be effective in a much different way and succeeds. One can easily envisioning or hear this song making a big impact on a crowded night club dance floor, but don’t mistake its excelling in that style for an absence of substance. The construction of the remix is every bit as impressive, in its own fashion, as what we’ve heard from the radio edit. Monsieur Jobs’ “Chow Chow eyyy Pow Pow” announces the arrival of a first class modern dance and pop act that cross cultural lines with undeniable flair and skill. It’s undoubtedly the first big step for a project that will blaze a trail for others to follow and entertain everyone who comes into contact with their music.

SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/album/3oatwzQROxAxNRvdDFh8xi

Wayne Toole

Mark Meisel

 

Mark Meisel 

URL: http://markmeisel.com/ 

Mark Meisel is a veteran musician and producer. He has toured with numerous national acts, and was a founding member and front man for Detroit's, Opie's Dream, throughout the 1990s. These days Mark has turned his attention to creating music for children that is also suitable for their parents and grand-parents. His latest CD Pick Up Your Toys - is a collection of songs that will both entertain and challenge children. Parents will be entertained too, and the tongue in cheek lyrical style will induce lots of laughs as children and their parents relate to the stories. Using the nom de plume "Zehti," Mark and his latest album will be embraced by the entire family.

Pick Up Your Toys - picks up where comedian and spoken word artists of the 70s left off. It should be evaluated with more than a keen ear to appreciate it. When you hear songs sung like this you should listen to the music too. Once you do that with this album you’re good to go. “Clap Clap Clap” starts and you don’t know what to think. But you have-to keep an open ear because the music demands it. This is fantastic in its own way and you can’t turn it off, you’ll want to hear what else is going on. It’s not that it’s even the best track, it’s just good enough to make it impossible not to be on board.

“Chew It Up” isn’t as good but if you like great guitar playing you still get something the young ones at the table might not even pick up on yet. It’s for the babies of the bunch, let’s put it that way. It would be perfect for playing to the toddlers. And since I mentioned that, it’s appropriate to follow with “The Walk Around” and it’s like part two, so it finishes what is really-just an okay experience in the former song. The guitar wins the prize on this for its smooth bluesy mood change that actually-manages to make the whole song. It’s one of the better moments to be assured.

“Dreams” is a little less inspiring, but it’s not the worst effort on the album. It’s a nice lullaby with some precision acoustic guitar playing but the story is more-or less forgettable. But it all depends on your cup of tea or coffee, glass of juice or milk, so to speak. It gets back on track for me with “At The Zoo” which lifts the spirits back up and makes you want to play it for everyone. I can also see why anyone would see these last two the other way around, but I already explained why. I’m with the bright side of things on this album, so I’ll stick with the latter, instead of the former.

“If You Hurry You Can Make It” is on the energetic side, and more fun for the family, but there’s a cool pop song under there too. Mark Meisel is good enough to balance all this and come out clean. “Pick Up Your Toys” being the title track probably lives up to its name as the best track on the album. But here’s also “Charlie Mae’s First Halloween” which is an indication by now that Charlie must be a family member or something. This is continued on “Charlie’s Driving The Car” before ending on a high note with “Hangin’ Out With Paw.” An overall good and well-produced album for the entire family.  

I-TUNES: https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/mark-meisel/id4106209

Mike Tabor

Al Gromer Khan

Al Gromer Khan 

 

BANDCAMP: https://algromerkhan.bandcamp.com/ 

Munich, Germany – August 30, 2017 – German-born but with a universal sound, Al Gromer Khan started his career as a sitar player and composer over four decades ago. Today he sits proudly on over 50 recordings, a handful of books, and his latest best-selling album release 2016’s Chakra Noir and the 2017 single release “After the Crash.” Chakra Noir is the latest representative work in his ambient meets new age repertoire. It joins a myriad of sound that Al Gromer Khan has created over the years from 1974’s Hesse Between Music to last year’s Chakra Noir. It is safe to say he has achieved all of that and then some.  
 

The hypnic sounds od Al Gromer Khan are not new to the new age community around the world, but new age isn’t a household genre either, so, it’s important to read up on it if you want to know where it’s been coming from all these years. If you meditate or do Yoga and these things, then this album is for you. It’s also for sitar lovers and anyone looking to delve into an existing world of music outside their usual box. I can recommend this as an introduction as well as to the new age fans. It had that impact on me and that is how I know it has crossover appeal for anyone open to extraordinarily used textures.

The disc begins with “A Simple World With Flowers” and the vocal whispers instantly take effect on the senses. He lets off a few sitar licks throughout this to make its presence known, but nothing too dazzling, just a few spots taken where it’s necessary. You get the point and feel that it will come to life elsewhere but you’re still left with the other effects the opening track has-to offer. It’s like a trip to the medicine man. And that sitar doesn’t take long to come to life, because the whole next number “Degrees Of Tenderness” is based around some very fine playing by this veteran of the instrument. After what is by far the most musically satisfying experience in the set, the rest comes fairly-easy to digest, without taking you through a sitar clinic or something. Instead it’s balanced out with the usual new age bells and whistles, keeping inflections of sitar by not smothering the tracks with it. “Chakra Noir” itself is another story altogether, with a serious approach to the medicinal aspects as the title suggests. It also suggests a nostalgic and stylish flair be added to the subject. It’s hard to describe from an outside perspective, but it’s no less interesting to experience. You just get the feeling it’s real. There’s twelve songs to soak up with a lot of substance between them, so take your pick from the awesome sitar of “A Summer Tale” to the frosty feel of “IM NU” with its delicate powers that almost put you in a trance. These are well-produced time pieces that hold up separately on their own or play together with the same impact on the mind, body, heart and soul. “The Train And The Crow” get you through another fine journey with plenty of great sitar featured before “Rose Of All My Days’ suits the picture with more flowers that lead to “The King’s Companion” and you’re left with all that “Into The Blue” does to you, like it or not.

ALLMUSIC: http://www.allmusic.com/artist/al-gromer-khan-mn0000607811

Mike Tabor

Hence The Noise

 

Hence The Noise 

URL: https://www.hencethenoise.com/ 

Hence The Noise is a NY based modern metal band which consists of Chandler Mogel on vocals, Rob Russo & Eddie Vandenko on guitars, and featuring Robbie Russo, who is a 13 yr old inspirational prodigy on drums. Rob Russo & Eddie Vandenko have a long history together. They have been collaborating in various bands in the NY club scene ever since they met at a mutual friend’s garage in Brooklyn NY in 1989. After a long hiatus from the music scene, they started writing music again and decided to put a band together. Minute With Me - is based around their support for our veterans.

If this release is about a minute, then it’s one long and very good minute. They waste no time getting started by getting the title track out of the way. The subject of war is always on the table and these times are no exception to that rule. Some belong making efforts to say something about it in music, and others don’t. It takes a true understanding for our vets and these guys don’t disgrace the topic. “Minute With Me” addresses it from the start and it’s almost somber but it makes the point loud and clear enough. Don’t get me wrong, it’s just not the most musically enticing opener.

“The Enemy” is much tougher, as is most of the rest of the disc. But is this about war or just battle of the sexes and socio-political matters? They actually-tackle both as if to land wherever you want in the meaning of a song. It’s a dual analogy but primarily about the obvious, it just has a tongue and cheek twist. It’s a fantastic song at the end of the day, and it gets the whole ball up and running. “Scars” is probably one of the highlights but ask me later, because a few of these tracks really have a growing appeal. But if I were to pick the sleeper it would be this track which changes in mood structure enough to stick.  
 

By now it’s clear that a great band is developing here, and the songs prove it with every note, even with the exception-of the opening track lacking a few bars of enjoyment. “Number In Line” shows off some fabulous guitar skills and it gets pretty in some parts. There’s a delicate texture to it that comes along with great timing, and it makes you want to continue listening to their style of metal songwriting. They even do a cover of “War” originally by Edwin Starr. And that is about as far from heavy metal as it gets, but they rock it with flying colors by adding some of their own attitude to it. They handle their R&B well on this.

My choice for favorites are “You And I” with its amazing lyrics that mention John Lennon and center around peace, not war. This song is brilliant and likely another sleeper, but to me it takes the proverbial cake with a softer side to the band. It’s an acoustic track with some string backing that rings of tracks like “Imagine” and “We Are The World” etc. A truly excellent anthem, if a quiet one. And the closing track “One Of Us” for it’s clear nod to Iron Maiden and others. It takes things out on a very high note. An honorable mention goes to the track “Hence The Noise” as well. Highly recommended, search it up.  

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/HenceTheNoise/

Mike Tabor