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Player 1 (Radio Edit) by The Magic Epic

Moataz Gwaily
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Player 1 (Radio Edit) by The Magic Epic

With a name like The Magic Epic, I went in expecting exactly what I found, which is something dreamy, vaporous, grand, and chillingly sweet. 

The Magic Epic is the moniker of Toby Juan, a multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, and composer whose sound is quite fresh. Using formulas that have been with us for decades, but with a few neat spins, and with a heartfelt approach, he manages to create something that’s new and exciting, and while it doesn’t sit on the cutting edge of technology, it still manages to be effortlessly stirring and soulful. 

The first thing you’ll notice about the sound of the Brighton-based Toby Juan is his heart, which he pours out on each line he delivers, sounding quite provocative and moving in the process. The soundscapes, courtesy of Andy Brook on production duty, are expansive and vividly colorful, leaning heavily on disco beats of the early 00s and a synth/euro pop sound that’s been a massive hit in the 90s, and this fusion of timelines creates something that somehow sounds fresh and brand new. 

On Player 1, Toby manages to channel his spirituality through his inspired vocal delivery and his rich lyrical lines, adding massive value to his colorful pop sound. The singing about fighting for what one believes is the right thing, and eventually saving the world is very inspiring and invigorating, and is a beautiful fit for the musical soundscapes. 

Player 1 is warm, loving, and oozing with charisma. Toby Juan’s a ferocious singer who pours his whole heart out for the listeners, and coupled with the song’s airy soundscapes makes for a wholesome listening experience whose effects are hard to forget. 

Bergamo by Spence Paull

Moataz Gwaily
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Bergamo by Spence Paull

Spence Paull drops a new single that’s as easy to love as it is nicely put together as it is filled with delicious musical intricacies that show on full display as an artist who is in total control of their sound and craft.

Bergamo is the title of the Vancouver-based pop artist Spence Paul’s latest single. A song spurred on by an intense love story that started and stayed online for 6 months, before it took Spence all the way from Canada to Italy, where the song was born. The sweet lyrics describe a beautiful relationship in which the 2 parties are the missing puzzle pieces in each other’s lives.

“You can cook and I can clean, and you can reach the shelves that are just too high for me”, and “Cut your keys and write you lyrics, bet my dog would like you better. Ain’t no storm that we can’t weather, I’d go with you when and whenever,” says Spence to her partner, expressing how much she found in her something that she’s been looking for. Spence Paull’s voice is a commanding tenor that’s deep and rich, making anything she says sound grand and dramatic, but that’s not to downplay the nuances of her performances on Bergamo, which feature challenging melodic jumps and register changes that highlight how much of a capable singer she is.

The production on Bergamo is crisp and delightful, perfectly poppy, and the composition is also easy on the ears while incorporating a few unexpected chords that add lush coloration, which was essential to making the single stand out as it turned out to be.

Bergamo is a beautifully written, sung, and produced ode to a romance that spans half the world round. Completed by Spence Paull’s memorable vocal timbre and performance for a final result that deserves a place in romantic pop heaven.

 

Joy (In My Own Time) by DAMIEN

Viola Karmy
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Joy (In My Own Time) by DAMIEN

Sometimes some of us find ourselves forced to mingle with the crowd, or else we’re classified as outsiders. But who said that one couldn’t be happy on their own? Why does society put peer pressure on individuals, making them anxious? DAMIEN uses his relevant experience in crafting “Joy (In My Own Time)” to tell others that they can embrace their own company, have hope, and not be submitted to the default format of joy.

“Joy (In My Own Time)” is an electronic moving track fused with another musical influence, weaved through a balanced light and dark rhythmic canvas, and drawn from DAMIEN’s own experience of pursuing self-affirmation and self-love and fighting inner demons and outer demons of society’s sick limitations.

The Ipswich darkwave musician and producer DAMIEN made this single in collaboration with the Redcliffe social enterprise “Tribe Clubhouse”, who are presently raising funds to buy a community van that can be used to collect isolated and fringe dwelling individuals and physically transport them to a place of connection and belonging. This illustrates the entire notion of the track and how DAMIEN has a message to spread and support.

The fresh number starts with a light yet fussy intro, which gives the exact mood of the song as a whole right from the start. The chorus immediately draws one in and hypnotizes them once the vocals enter, making them want to sing along. The vocal line exudes a proud, self-assured attitude, which splendidly captures the notion.

The nuances here and there and the layered sensitivities produce a captivating, contagious, yet mystic atmosphere. The cheery beat and fervent drumming convey an optimistic feel and help to lift the listeners’ own spirits. Then to add even more spice, the bassline offers intense, heavy melodies to arouse strong emotions. The overall sound and performance portray the story of someone being in the depths of despair, accepting it, and then rising to the peak of hope and felicity.

Enjoy the distinct listening experience of this one-of-a-kind artist’s genuine work of art!



Don’t Quite Belong by Chantal Jüppner

Moataz Gwaily
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Don’t Quite Belong by Chantal Jüppner

This gorgeous new single from Chantal Jüppner will take you right back to the late 60s, the golden age of indie folk, with its sincere and stripped back acoustic only (almost) arrangement, and its sudden and abrupt eruption into a short-lived but effective percussive jingle.

Chantal Jüppner is a Berlin-based independent artist whose arrangements are simple and whose up-front lyricisms are confrontational and relatable. Don’t Quite Belong, her latest offering is one more contemplative gem for her to add to her resume. A song for anyone who ever felt anxious and not belonging where they were, Don’t Quite Belong is warm and close, with Chantal’s dry vocals sitting right there at the center of the skeletal mix, accompanied only by her delicate and embracing acoustic guitar playing, and the occasional percussive keyboard melody. The simplicity of the arrangement gets suddenly toppled in the last third of the song, with her guitar playing becoming more rhythmically driving, with the introduction of horns, a drum part of a very particular nature, clanking, clumsy, and full of personality, along with an army of Chantal Jüppner, singing haunting harmonies that quite quickly escalate to a soul tearing crescendo, before everything’s fades away into a silent coda to the song. 

Don’t Quite Belong is art folk at its most beautiful. A song that’s quirky and special and with an unforgettable climax, it’s a piece that shows an artist that’s clearly comfortable with her voice, her songwriting, and with her sound. I loved Don’t Quite Belong and can’t wait for more from Chantal Jüppner. 

 

 

All I’m Missing by Cassidy Dickens

Akram Soliman
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All I’m Missing by Cassidy Dickens

The latest single by Cassidy Dickens is entitled “All I’m Missing” and it is a personal and heartfelt track filled to the brim with roots nostalgia.

The song begins with a soft and somewhat dark chord progression, which matches greatly with its emotional vocals of Cassidy. Her voice has many different qualities making the vocal line breathy and youthful, while still carrying the emotional weight of the song with adequate darkness for it.

The verse builds into the pre-chorus and chorus in a very well-thought and well-timed way, which serves to prove how great of a songwriter Cassidy is, and how the concept of singer-songwriter tracks will always have more balance and transitions that flow into each other than tracks have more than one composer and don’t aim to be as personal as this track.

The simplicity of the instrumentation is what gives this track its charm and sincere emotional delivery. The guitars and their backing strings here give this track an extra sense of fragility which works well with Cassidy’s amazing vocal work.

In conclusion, this is a track whose vocal work is composed of storytelling, and instrumentation that is simple and easy to follow. It’s safe to say that it brings back the good old days of the singer-songwriter genre that everyone loves.

Nobody’s by Nobody’s Wolf Child

Youssef Harraz
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Nobody’s by Nobody’s Wolf Child

Nobody’s Wolf Child, the UK-based singer/songwriter, is back with a mesmerizing new single titled “Nobody’s,” accompanied by a visually stunning music video that showcases her impressive performance. Having debuted in 2022, she has already released five singles, making “Nobody’s” her sixth offering so far. Nobody’s Wolf Child has quickly gained momentum in the music industry, amassing over half a million combined plays and boasting more than 8,000 monthly listeners on Spotify.

“Nobody’s” delves deep into the struggle for self-discovery and the courage to break free from societal expectations to embrace one’s true identity. Mixed with Nobody’s Wolf Child’s powerful, flawless, and charming voice, the song brings an empowering message to listeners, while remaining true to her wolf persona, which is associated with strength, independence, and primal instincts.

The song was produced by Matthew Parisi, who did a fantastic job of highlighting Nobody’s Wolf Child’s vocal abilities. The song’s soundscape is a feast for the ears, featuring ambient synth, resonating acoustic guitar arpeggios, dynamic drum lines, airy strings, and backing vocals that all blend together seamlessly giving the listener a whole experience.

“Nobody’s” is a beautifully written and produced song that is an excellent addition to Nobody’s Wolf Child’s growing discography. With an EP on the horizon and more singles to come, Nobody’s Wolf Child is definitely an artist to keep an eye on.



I’m Doing Better by Marion Hall

Nadine Elwan
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I’m Doing Better by Marion Hall

Artist Marion Hall based in Various, Jamaica, released a heartwarming and uplifting song called ‘I’m doing better’ on the 16th of March. A mix of R&B and Gospel, this song is going to change your mood and give you a strong push to move forward. In collaboration with 3 times Grammy-winning creatives Gramps Morgan and Shannon Sanders, this song has an outstanding level of sound and production. 

The overall sound of the song is whimsical, happy, and real in many aspects. There are gospel sounds and hardcore bar spittin’, all packaged in a light and fluffy undertone while also encompassing some really strong and feminine energy.  The musical arrangement is dynamic, rich, and full of funk. You’ve got a high pitch xylophone sound effect, with a pop music happiness energy, and lots of positive and hopeful messages through the beat. You’ve got a song talking about getting over obstacles and the power of Jesus.  You’ve got a hard drum set and a hard bassline that is prominent and gives it a bouncy sound.  You’ve also got some church vocals backing the song elevating its sound. There are also what seems to be some saxophones or trumpets creating a fun and healing kind of melody. Marion’s vocals are strong, confident, and empowering, as she should be. Add the song to your playlist for some really good vibes that will add strength to your heart and soul. 



Action by Kurst

Nadine Elwan
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Action by Kurst

Rapper Kurst based in Toronto, Canada is amazing with his skill set, active imagination, and witty wordplay with his new song ‘ Action’, which will really inspire you with his creativity and unique sense of storytelling. Released on the 17th of March, this song is a hip hop and rap genre and is part of many of his specialty storytelling techniques which call for themes. Kurst loves focusing on a particular theme and using references like movies to illustrate and paint us a picture of what he feels, and his vision of the chosen idea. 

A moving mosaic, this song talks about drive and achievement Kurst talks about his hunger for achieving success in this song and does it in such a brilliant manner. In under three minutes, he was able to make a song with 37 movie references to explain his thoughts and feelings. If this isn’t real talent we don’t know what is. It takes a lot of artistry and attention to detail to be able to create such intricate pieces of music. The overall sound of the song is cool, and laidback with a lot of hard-hitting emotional feelings. You’re going to love how slow yet spicy the song is with his greatly confident and smooth bar-spitting skills. The musical arrangement is light and kind of nostalgic to a peaceful and lyrical rap style that is missing in most of the international rap scene these days. You’ve got chill hip-hop, almost lo-fi soundscape, with an abundance of synth sounds. You’ve got a slow and catchy melody made up of what seems to be a  flute sound effect on loop, mixed with some special muffled cymbals, a very light drum set, and snares. You’ve also got some magical sound effects that give off some stoner session vibes that tone down the ‘action’ in a sense. The lyrics are amazing with all these movie references and straight-up confidence in Kurst’s rap skills, and it’s definitely top on the hip-hop list. 



Caught in a Lie by xGCA

Hamza Sharkas
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Caught in a Lie by xGCA

The term music producer has been getting thrown around a bit too much in the past couple of years…we hear that this is a music producer and that is a music producer…and then you listen to their music…and maybe you’re someone who likes music, listening to songs and really can’t get through his day without being always engulfed in a playlist…

…and then you listen to a song that you can’t really put your hands on a melody or a composition of some kind, it’s just a bunch of elements put together…that’s it.

…so what? A producer is someone who puts elements together and makes a song. What instrument does he play? The computer? Does he even play an instrument?

So today, let me take you on the road…and fly through “Caught in a Lie”, the latest single from xGCA…which is an actual multi-instrumentalist, doing recording, mixing, and mastering, has his hands in every stage of the creative process…he’s putting all his mind, heart and soul in every second you listen to, every beat you move to and every word you react to.

The guy is giving it 500%…and guess what, it’s obvious in his music.

xGCA comes all the way from New York, USA and he’s been putting his mark on the world, with audiences and professionals alike.

He’s been playing the cello, trumpet, piano, and guitar from a young age.

The level of dedication xGCA has is phenomenal, each of these instruments presents its own set of challenges…and for him to overcome all of these challenges, means hours and hours every day of smart training.

This is reflected in xGCA’s character as a composer/producer in his songs…the level of polish is of the highest order…the layering of sounds is rich…and the performance is top-notch.

Getting to his latest single “Caught in a Lie”…let’s check out what kind of experience he’s sharing with us by taking a leap into the song and checking it out…

“Caught in a Lie” has elements from several genres…pop, electronic, and fusion…it’s doing whatever it takes to create a remarkable song. It’s that simple.

xGCA is influenced by so many amazing elements in his life and career…and he managed to put his own mark and get his vision out into the world by making an absolute beast of a hybrid song with many artistic elements that are also easy to enjoy by different audiences…

The song delves into the theme of betrayal and deception, drawing inspiration from India’s seductive rhythms and sounds, mainly the percussive elements, the tabla, and the sarod… xGCA is speaking out of a real-life experience…that’s why it hits hard.

The song starts with a catchy strumming intro…and will keep popping up here and there…

Vocals come in right away smoothly…

The beat and percussion are a hybrid of the east and west…

Indian percussion and electronic drums…

The guitars sound amazing and the flair they add to the mix is what is exactly needed…

The synth and pad sounds are complete, rich, and balanced…

The vocal melody will stick with you for some time, just a heads up…

When the song breaks into the more relaxed bridge, it’s comforting and when it rises back into the cello solo (yes, there’s a cello solo in the song) it’s just a waterfall of emotions till the song reaches the end…

I believe that xGCA has made a very complex formula come to life, let me tell you why…

He made a song that will hugely appeal to casual listeners…and will also appeal to the more seasoned musicians… due to the amount of polish this song has, it will definitely be noticed by professionals too…

…and after all of this already difficult formula…the musician in him says “let’s do a cello solo”…

…and he does.

Above all, xGCA made a song that everyone will love…and that he loves too.

That’s why it’s only a matter of time till we have xGCA headlining major tours and events, and we wish him all the luck in the world.


Album Review: Crossing the Bridge by Living Pictures

Muhammad Al-Wasat
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Album Review: Crossing the Bridge by Living Pictures

Electronic music duo Living Pictures released their first soundtrack album “Crossing the Bridge” on the 24th of March from Portland, United States.

Living Pictures is a music project consisting of the musical production duo of Reif Larsen and Andrew Perreault. Reif Larsen is the composer of the tracks for “Crossing the Bridge” while Andrew Perreault helped with the development of the compositional ideas by adding his own layers of interpretation.

“Crossing the Bridge” is a new atmospheric nine-track album by Living Pictures, and it features tons of complex sound design and layered melodic and harmonic ideas. The general vibe from the start of the album is dreamy and tense, with reverberating synths, heavy electronic drums, and droning bass lines. 

Casual listeners may get something out of “Crossing the Bridge”, be it the moody and contemplative atmosphere, or the swaying energy, but I would argue that it must be hard to listen to “Crossing the Bridge” casually. The music throughout the album really calls for quiet contemplation and introspection, and more active listeners will definitely enjoy the deep level of layered detail that is put into this work.

The album takes a journey through different emotions; some tense, some dense, and some feel like you’re floating above the ground. The composition really reflects the introspective nature of Living Pictures, and their compositional mastery has provided music with an incredible emotional range through an evolving but consistent overall sound.

Some of the albums is absolutely cinematic and vividly visual due to th nature of the sound, quite fitting for Living Pictures, the project’s name. Even more so, the melodic ideas themselves are so expressive, that it was even difficult to notice that the entire album was instrumental. The music itself spoke to me with its inherent emotion in a way that was not only lyrical but much more profound than lyrics.

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