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Resolutions by Moon and Aries

Viola Karmy
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Resolutions by Moon and Aries

It’s not every day that we find sophisticated music that conveys philosophical concepts through a lush, fused sound of pop, electronica, and waves of nostalgia too. But Moon and Aries always succeed in balancing this equation in such a seamless way! They go against gravity and fly high, taking us with them and allowing us to explore new galaxies made with their delicate artistic fabrics. This time, adventure is powered by their latest release, “Resolutions.”

Moon and Aries are an exceptional pair that manages to present us with their rich waves literally across the ocean. Moon is the Western Canada-based singer-songwriter Jordana Moon, and Aries is the Western Germany-based electronic synthesizer musician, songwriter, and producer Tom Aries. They’ve been carving their trademark since 2021, and so far, their splendid releases have included 23 songs. One concept album, “THE ARRIVAL,” one EP, “PARADISE,” and their actual album, “BREAK THE MATRIX.” And since we’re solid fans, you’ll find them all reviewed here. 

There’s an obvious disco vibe, yet it’s not the kind of song that just leads you to the dance floor; it rather takes you to a deep dimension where you can find the answers you’ve been searching for and dance a celebratory dance. Tom’s synth notes do their magic as always and urge you to move and be moved at the same time. And Jordana’s silky vocals harmonize with the beats to hypnotize the listener and make them discover new resolutions.

“Resolution” has a top-tier production that builds alluring soundscapes and well-thought-out textures. But next to its music, it has Moon and Aries’ signature: caring to speak to the conscious and subconscious through their profound lyricism and how they back it up well with the instrumentation.

Once more, the music of the dynamic duo Moon and Aries has us spellbound. The good news is that “Resolutions” is the first dazzling glimpse of a full concept album titled “Resolutions and Revolutions.” So stay tuned!



Love of Money by JASMINE IS

Norhan El Sebaie
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Love of Money by JASMINE IS

JASMINE IS released her 2nd single from her upcoming debut album: “HEAR.” The artist released her debut single: “Miss You When I’m Sleeping,” earlier this year as a teaser for her fans, followed by “Love of Money,” a pop song with electro elements and a dance vibe.

The song is cheerful, light mood, upbeat, and could easily fall under the “summer fun” category, yet it delivers a necessary message: ‘Money doesn’t buy happiness.’ Cliché? I know, but what’s different this time; is that it comes from experience, a personal encounter with someone Jasmine knew who was trying to fill an inner void by spending too much. It’s remarkable how real artists truly do find inspiration everywhere around them, even through observing someone else’s story and writing a song about it.

The British-based artist is releasing her debut album this May, produced by Philip Larsen, who worked remotely with Jasmine during the pandemic. We’re looking forward to this album since she describes it: “The songs on this album are like rooms in your house,” says JASMINE IS, “Some invite relaxation and reflection, others a pounding lap on the treadmill.”

 

Album: Annihilation Signals by Lee Switzer-Woolf

Moataz Gwaily
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Album: Annihilation Signals by Lee Switzer-Woolf

Lee Switzer-Woolf’s latest album release is a stunning display of conflicting imagery. Satellite-era synths meet warm acoustics, robotic beats meet delicate musical soundscapes, and abrasive atmospheres, wrapped around tentative and thoughtful lyrical ideas, all while remaining truly and utterly cohesive, uniform, and rewarding in sound and in personality. It’s an album that, at 43 minutes long, never once felt boring, and never stopped giving new ideas, until the last minute.

Lee Switzer-Woolf is a Reading-based singer and songwriter, who on his second full-length release embraces a direction that’s decidedly different from the one on his first. In a short time span, Lee follows the success of his mostly skeletal and serene folk debut of 2022’s ‘Scientific Automatic Palmistry’ with the similarly beautiful and serene ‘Annihilation Signals’, this time laced all around with tasteful electronica that highlights one of the album’s core visual themes, that being satellites and comets crashing back to earth, and the existential dread that provokes. The album also explores the parallels between the paranoias of previous decades and those of our current times. 

The album’s healthy, 13-song runtime is consistently brilliant, with elements forming the core listening experience including robotic, light, electronic beats, shimmery, arpeggiated electric rhythm guitars, fuzzed-out and harsh guitars, and Lee Switzer-Woolf’s intimate lyricisms and soulful deliveries. Starting with ‘The Falling Shrapnel Of a Satellite’, the song offers an amazing introduction to the sound of this record, with satellite-age synths and a jittering, start/stop beat that sounds robotic and stiff, but coupled with the humaneness and organic sound of Lee’s voice, the warmth of the overdriven rhythm guitar, and the thought-provoking lyrics, we get a result that’s finely balanced between tense anxiety and serene contemplation. ‘Yucutàn’ introduced another core sonic element of the album, and that is densely fuzzed guitars, bridging the gap between the programmed beats, and the warmly arpeggiated guitars. The timbres of ‘Yucatàn’ vary widely from light and nimble, to abrasive and hypnotic. ‘I Only Talk To God When I Think I’m Dying’ is a mid-album masterpiece. With a potent, melancholic composition, and poignant lyrics, this song introduces us to a color of Lee Switzer-Woolf that’s dark, depressed, and intimate. With its restrained arrangement of guitar and vocals, this piece is a standout. 

From the depressive serenity of ‘I Only Talk To God…’ to the bustling ‘Whistling Like the Bomb’, in a 1-2 move that displays the impressive range of Lee’s songwriting prowess. This song’s hypnotizing, repetitive percussion and the crisp, spoken word prose, along with a curious sounding composition, are wonderfully pit against abrasive choruses with densely fuzzed guitars and a boomier kick drum, building an atmosphere that summons Nick Cave’s poetic storytelling. ‘I Think I Might Be Whatever This Isn’t’, featuring the backing vocals of Kimberly Switzer-Woolf, Lee’s wife and bandmate, is a relatively conventional offering. With a slow tempo, the pounding, electronic beat, fuzzy guitar, and a lead guitar break that sounds rich and full, all work to build a massive wall of sound that’s as rewarding as it is hard-hitting. A clear highlight of the second half of the album is the haunting ‘Sugar-Stained Blood’. With its tense composition that brings up a sense of a stalking danger, the song’s hectic and busy beats induce a sense of motion that further highlights the song’s chase-like feeling. The wall of sound continues with thickly-fuzzed guitars that amplify the lyrics’ giving into what seems to be the corruption of mind and body. ‘Kathy In The Seventy’ features no fuzz, instead, 2 guitars and a piano arrangement lead the curious sound with delicacy and a melancholic gentleness. With more hypnotic, repetitive beats, and contemplative lyrics, telling a story from the past in a way that made me sense the spirit of The National in the air. 

There is no going around the fact that Lee Switzer-Woolf’s ‘Annihilation Signals’ is a sublime album. With its lush detailings, focused and coherent direction, terrific and heartfelt songwriting, and fantastic production, the album is an extremely rewarding one with multiple highlights that sound varied and equally exciting and beautiful. The lyrics are thoughtful and Lee’s voice is consistently warm and reassuring, no matter how melancholic or disconcerting the words he’s saying are, for a final product that’s sweet, gentle, colorful, and with a wide palette of musical and melodic bliss.

 

 



Clickbait Merchants by Ruud Voesten

Hamza Sharkas
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Clickbait Merchants by Ruud Voesten

All the way from Rotterdam, the Netherlands shines a bright star in the sky of experimental instrumental jazz…

…we approach the bright light, and we experience the intricate musical storytelling created by composer Ruud Voesten in his latest single “Clickbait Merchants”.

Not only does Ruud craft absolutely lovely and complex jazz melodies that are easily digestible but intricate in their nature…he also has a message to share with the world…and the message is something we’re living every day in our social media-infused present.

As the title of the track would imply…” Clickbait Merchants” is a story about how the media use catchy headlines and provocative language to grab our attention…or maybe to divert our attention from a more pressing matter? That’s a question that maybe you’ll be able to answer after listening to Ruud’s “Clickbait Merchants”.

Ruud doesn’t waste time…from the first second of the track he grabs our attention to the pressing matter…and he proceeds to have a silent conversation, instrumentally and through the jazz medium to talk to us about the media attempting to control the masses.

“Clickbait Merchants” is a masterpiece in its field…it’s fresh, enjoyable, technically mesmerizing, and has a significant story to share.

The jazz band nature of the “Clickbait Merchants” is actually one of the highest, both technically and musically…the saxophone is having a conversation with another saxophone…

…the piano fills the background with the mood and atmosphere…

…the upright bass is standing guard during all that’s happening…keeping track of time…

…the drums are adding energy, tension, and silence whenever it needs to…

Musically, “Clickbait Merchants” is brilliant….and I wish people would listen to it and dissect it to see the brilliance of Ruud’s composition.

Ruud, you’re amazing and we can’t wait to see what you have in store for your future releases…we’re sure you’ll continue to wow all audiences.

Cheers!

 


Album: Lost Men by Saeed Habibzadeh

Norhan El Sebaie
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Album: Lost Men by Saeed Habibzadeh

I believe classical musicians have become a rare breed; it’s become challenging to encounter a talented classical composer and musician who isn’t just following Bach’s rules or too busy breaking them Beethoven’s way. Saeed Habibzadeh managed to take all his passion and knowledge for classical music and interpret it in his way. He has a style of his own and a sound so authentic that you could spot it from hundreds of tracks. The Tehran-born artist decided to follow his passion, bringing him all the way to Switzerland.

Apart from being a highly skilled pianist, Habibzadeh is a music producer who worked with diverse genres like EDM, country, pop, jazz, and others. Not to mention, in 2021, he released an orchestral piece: “Capriccio the Heavenly Celebration.”  Resulting in a strong online presence, with over 2K subscribers on YouTube, where he communicates with his audience, and over 12K monthly listeners on Spotify.

He just released his debut film music album: “Lost Men.” His belief that “music comes from a divine source” drove him to create this magical thirteen-instrumental piece album, bringing the sound to life. It’s a soundtrack designed for a mafia-based story with lots of action, tension, love story, and drama. The sound almost literally comes to life as if you can watch the movie and experience its scenes and events just by closing your eyes and listening. The music is so vivid; it penetrates your soul; some tracks just spoke to me personally, and I could relate to them in more ways than one, like: “Opening Credits” and “Falling in Love.”

Habibzadeh has a modern take on the classical genre that fuses the past and the present perfectly, making it enjoyable for everyone. Saeed is a blast from the past for (the minority) who appreciate classical music and a beak of hope for the ones who prefer the more modern genres.

Album: Correct Picture Color by The Screaming Pope

Moataz Gwaily
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Album: Correct Picture Color by The Screaming Pope

On The Screaming Pope’s latest album release, the electronic music veteran with over 40 years of experience returns with a set of freshly curated pieces of organic and intricate electronics that ooze with personality, carrying the torch for a great style of music, while setting a sound of its own for its maker.

Based in Boston, Massachusetts, The Screaming Pope is the solo electronics project for producer and engineer George Bolton. Bolton has been writing and performing electronic music since 1979, in various formats, as a solo artist or in a band. What you gain from 40-plus years in the music industry is experience, and Bolton has amassed a massive amount of this, which is apparent in his rich, musical sampling, and his forward-thinking approach, creating music using loops, and some AI-generated vocals. 

George Bolton’s sound on his latest album, titled Correct Picture Color, can be summed up as earthy, percussive, and lush. Full of organic-sounding beats, woodwinds, and other airy atmospherics, the general air of those songs is that of a jungle clearing into a dazzling waterfall. Even if the actual concepts behind the sound might be way off from that description, still the Bonobo-meets-Amon-Tobin level of intricate earthiness on most of the songs in this album makes it an effortless and enjoyable listen from beginning to end. 

Accidental Mullet has a modern hip-hop stagger that isn’t at all accidental. Its hard-hitting beats and Massive Attack-inspired production, with experimental delays and delicate vocal deliveries, make this early piece a memorable one that will take a moment to fade away from the listener’s mind. Scrub-A-Dub is another short piece with experimental delays. This time incorporates a timeless reggae beat and a hefty sub bass that makes this piece a nostalgia train for the mid-90s. On The Wind is a puffy instrumental that’s defined by a sub-bass riff, natural atmospherics, strings, and pad sounds that make it grand and dramatic, if harmonically and melodically minimal.

Machines Making Machines Work For Me might be an exception. The song features Motorik synth samples and machine-guns beats in its hectic, looming arrangement. Not earthy, delightful nonetheless. The Latin pop vibes of Escondes are sensual. Sung en Español, Escondes is light and breezy. The presence of a synth sub-bass makes the song float above its pillowy low end, and the reverb-drenched vocals are sensational. Desert Heat’s pounding, tribal beats are dangerous and tribalistic, fitting the piece’s title.

Correct Picture Color is a collection of immaculately arranged and produced pieces of nostalgic electronics that sound delightfully vintage, yet timelessly rich and rewarding. The Screaming Pope is fully utilizing his impressive experience to craft soundscapes that are varied and different, yet never incohesive or confusing. Correct Picture Color is a sure win for lovers of this genre of sophisticated, sample-based electronica.



The Higher Road by Garland Kelley

Moataz Gwaily
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The Higher Road by Garland Kelley

Garland Kelly continues to add varied and rich music to his ever-growing catalog of tunes. This time around, his usual rock sound is stripped down into a simplistic acoustic ballad that features a fresh and distinctive verse-chorus duality, a nuanced sound, and a characterful voice and words.

Nashville-based Garland Kelly is a singer/songwriter whose sound is mostly about Nashville staples, rock, and blues. Garland’s latest single sees him changing his direction and veering a little off the beaten path. ‘The Higher Road” is a delicate acoustic waltz that Kelly wrote around the time he was 16, suffering the ups and downs of his life’s first heartbreak, and for a 16-year-old, the lush acoustic arrangement, sweet lyrics, and restrained, musical vocal melodies are clear indicators of Garland’s honed skill as a songwriter.

The prominent guitars are trebly and bright, compressed, and percussive, double-tracked into a rich mix of healthy-sounding acoustics. Intricately strummed, the lines are arpeggiated and playful, and are accompanied by an understated and present vocal delivery from Garland. The wistful and introspective verses, written in a minor key are bluesy and soulful, and the timely lift to the relative major in the choruses sees an entire shift in the mood of the piece. The warm and sweet vocal harmonies on the choruses are a tasteful addition that set the chorus apart. 

Garland Kelly just proved his proficiency in one more color of music, creating a piece of folk magic that’s at once introspective, serene, hopeful, and eloquent. The Higher Road is a beautiful piece of music that’s sure to propel Garland’s name as a songwriter to even higher places.

Album: Electronic Symphonic by Jay Roecker

Moataz Gwaily
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Album: Electronic Symphonic by Jay Roecker

Jay Roecker finally drops his long-anticipated album. Titled Electronic Symphonic, the album’s two main guises are effervescent, driving pieces of electro-pop a-la The Weeknd, or more experimental and quirky pieces of electronica that sound like little else that I’ve ever heard. Jay Roecker has a sound that he never shies from exploring and utilizing, to generally fruitful results. 

The Austin-based singer and songwriter Jay Roecker is a singer and songwriter whose infatuation with the vintage sound of the dazzling 80s, with quirky synths and gated reverb, helps him craft modern electro-pop that’s hip, relevant, and engaging. On his latest full-length release, Electronic Symphonic, Jay drops 10 songs and a couple of remixes that explore a plethora of styles and colors while remaining true to their core elements of bustling synths, and pure, electronic production, and the result is a cohesive, lengthy body of work that has a song for nearly everybody and every mood. 

Almost all songs on this release feature simplistic compositions and beats, and a production that’s injected with pure, unadulterated adrenaline. From the already-released Pour On Me, we move onwards to the relentless, driving A New Day For You. Carrying heavily from The Weeknd’s Blinding Lights, both A New Day For You and The Following Sus use hard-hitting, electronic beats, simple, repetitive vocal melodies, and fast tempos to create a momentum that never gives off until the last note. 

I Had a Dream is just as energetic, but the more melodic approach highlights Roecker’s individual singing abilities and showcases his style better than anything that preceded it. The emotive composition, pounding beats (listen to that kick drum), and Jay’s multi-faceted vocal delivery make for a very engaging piece of electro-pop. Electronic Symphonic, the title track, starts jittery and undecided, taking a moment to fully materialize. But when it does, the song becomes operatic and grand, full of panache and drama through its multiple sections despite its relatively short runtime. 

Thicker Than Blood and Chances Are are a one-two punch of laid-back balladry that get progressively easier and softer. The emotional chord progressions of Thicker Than Blood and the dramatic slow tempo make it an introspective and thoughtful piece of music. Chances Are is a delicate piano ballad that features momentous jazz chords and a contemplative, restrained vocal delivery from Roecker, which make it one of the album’s most unforgettable moments. The album then proceeds to end with a heartfelt, modern cover of Frank Sinatra’s essential classic, My Way. An extremely bold choice to not only cover Frank Sinatra, but also to spin a decidedly modern take on it, then proceed to end the album with the result. And I’m more than glad to announce that Roecker pretty much pulls it all off. Comparisons aside, there can be no denying that Roecker’s take on this timeless classic is tasteful and respectfully executed, staying true to the expansive drama of the original, Roecker’s vocals are also shining on the piece. 

Is it a bad thing that the album’s most memorable piece is a cover? Who can say. Electronic Symphonic is a healthy album full of neat ideas, crisply executed. Jay Roecker is a talented musician, just on the precipice of something truly great, and his latest album brings him ever closer to achieving his potential.

What if by lukx

Muhammad Al-Wasat
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What if by lukx

Musical duo Lukx and Dad released a new multi-language hip hop single titled “What if” on the 7th of April from Brussels, Belgium.

Lukx and Dad are a musical father and son collaboration from Belgium Swedish origins who release singles together on the first Friday of every month. Lukx writes the songs, while Dad composes, produces, and mixes the songs in their home studio in Brussels, Belgium.

There isn’t any point in explaining how the two artists got together, as it seems quite evident, but it’s an interesting dynamic where a father and son work together and support each other in their musical endeavors.

The pair seem to have great creative chemistry as can be heard in their latest release “What If” where the music and the writing blend perfectly together to create a coherent narrative and interesting soundscape.

Lukx delivers multiple styles of singing and rapping on “What If” without any one single style taking prominence, making his sound diverse and engaging throughout the song.

The music and production on “What If” by Lukx’s Dad are clean and funky. The song sounds professionally mixed and mastered, and the composition itself lends itself to the mellow and wondrous vibe of the songwriting.



Flow of Time by Distorise

Hamza Sharkas
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Flow of Time by Distorise

From within the darkest of places, you’ll find a light shining…

From within the dry forests, you’ll find a flower growing…

You’ll find life emerging where there’s no life…

That’s what Ukraine-based electronic music producer Distorise has been living through for the past period of time…and now, he releases “Flow Of Time”…he’s not a quitter, obviously.

Distorise is an electronic music producer focusing on crafting drum N bass, creating unique synth sounds from scratch, unique to each track he writes…so not only is Distorise a music producer, but also a sound designer…which for me is like being a painter, you create unique strokes of sound on the analog synth…maybe never to create it exactly in the same way ever again, it’s a creature…it feels like creating a living creature made from sound…

It’s absolutely creative and unique I’d say.

Distorise never stopped creating music for the last 10 years, even with the war going on in Ukraine, he did not stop…he even experienced the power grid going out, there was no electricity, but even that did not stop him….he ran his PC and his analog synth from huge power banks, the really big ones.

…so…with all of these struggles, from within the war, from within the darkness, Distorise literally rises from the ashes and releases “Flow Of Time”.

“Flow Of Time” is a very storytelling-based drum N bass track…I could almost see it as a soundtrack, it’s the kind of track that you’ll really experience if you close your eyes and let your mind soar wherever the music takes you.

Starting from the intro, which is subtle with the beat jumping in and taking us by our hands to boost us into the atmosphere…the beat with the bass synth sounds are absolutely awesome…they feel…melodic, I love how they lock in together.

The violins scattered in the track are perfect, both in how they sound and how they play…again, it’s one of the elements that made me feel the storytelling more clearly.

“Flow Of Time” is a 5 minutes 5 seconds track that absolutely nails your headphones to your head and will make you listen to it on a loop…you’ll find many nuances, many details, and many stories within this track.

Distorise, we wish you all the best and wish safety and comfort for your country.

You’re creating amazing storytelling drum N bass music that is absolutely unique, we will definitely be looking forward to more music from you.

Cheers!

 

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