Home Blog Page 307

Romance is Bad by Gracie Jean

Hazem Mahani
-
0
Romance is Bad by Gracie Jean

Mixing her storytelling talents and real-life events with her angelic voice, Australian folk singer/songwriter Gracie Jean’s debut record “Romance is Bad” is coming out on the 16th of September 2022 and it’s the mellow sweet music journey you’ve been looking for.

“Romance is Bad” opens with the bright open sound of “I Don’t Wanna Sing The Blues Anymore”, where Gracie Jean shows her total control over her angelic voice as she smoothly steers the vocal melody along the music breathing life into every note. “Little Mountain Home” is an emotional heartfelt tune with dark vibes, especially at the verse, it progresses slowly and steadily slipping into some dreamy hopeful tunes and then softly swinging between both moods depending mainly on Gracie’s voice and lyrics. “Weight of The World” builds up on the dark emotional mood of its predecessor, determining that the bassline with the ambient background melody played a major role in maintaining the mood and framed the vocals pushing it to the very front. “My First Love” used the same formula replacing bass with escalating strings that helped make the sound bigger. The raw acoustic guitar, colorful slide guitar melody, smooth percussions, and laidback vocal melody of “Whatever Goes” produced an uplifting mood the record needed at this point. Building on the dreamy uplifting mood comes “Overcome” and “Forgettable” with floating melodies and open sound that transfers a lot of emotions projected by Gracie’s sweet vocal delivery, and the well-written and arranged guitars and piano conversation. The title track “Romance is Bad” and “Endings” ended the record on a high note taking us into a more alternative direction with some strong The Cranberries vibes that I believe fit Gracie’s sound and were a fresh change in the record’s semi-steady sound, I guess they needed to go higher into the middle of the record or its first half. 

“Romance is Bad” is the best introduction to Gracie Jean’s vocal abilities and songwriting talent. It has a lot of beautiful fluid uninterrupted melodies, I believe that the record needed more dynamic sound and some hooks to keep things interesting, but Gracie’s voice managed to keep me hooked from the beginning till the very end. Good luck Gracie, looking forward to more, cheers!

New Piece by Pariz

Norhan El Sebaie
-
0
New Piece by Pariz

The up-and-coming artist and producer, Pariz just dropped his fourth single this year “New Piece”; an energetic, deep house track with a fun vibe that can set any party on fire. After the success of his previous singles this year with “Bad Idea” featuring Jaime Deraz which reached over 21K streams on Spotify and was played on the radio in Sweden. Along with “Someone to Forget” and “Demon” which has over 30K streams placing his music on high streaming, popular playlists on Spotify. 

The 23-year-old artist isn’t afraid of taking risks and enjoys experimenting with different genres and moods while keeping his signature and overall imprint on his tracks. “New Piece” was born during a family trip to New York, where he went to seek inspiration and treat his writer’s block. It only took him one day and he got inspired by the city’s distinctive and contagious aura leading to this trendy, hip, and fresh sound with an uplifting beat.  A must-have on your party playlist!

This Time by Virginia Marcs

Akram Soliman
-
0
This Time by Virginia Marcs

The latest single from Indie-Pop artist Virginia Marcs is entitled This Time and it showcases a wide range of abilities that the singer has impeccable control of. The verses have a vocal line that Virginia sings with so much vulnerability and fragility in her storytelling style that transcends her feelings to the listener. The transitions from chest register to the flail and airy head voice were a double shocker for me as it shows the elite vocal ability as well as emotional delivery. Transitions like these take years and years to master, and it seems like Virginia’s classical training granted her this agility and ease to her voice that reminds me of the likes of Florence Welsh and Elena Tonra of the band Daughter. The song’s chorus is both empowering and heart-shattering. Its lyrics give you the impression of a person getting over a traumatic experience they went through and deciding to take no more toxicity in their life. The brief chorus of the song only plays twice, adding to that storytelling vibe without making the song feel repetitive. Its lyrics demarcate that moment of epiphany for the song’s main character as Virginia sighs: 

“I’ve been carved out and shaped, held down and draped across your finish line

A consolation prize, but not this time, not this time”

 The biggest shocker for me was the outro section which is just a repetition of the phrase “This time” with thicker and more powerful-sounding yells in Virginia’s head-y mix registers. I cannot really tell how many tricks she has up her sleeve at this point. Backing her natural pipes is a gloomy guitar chord progression and some folk-like added percussion sounds that work beautifully well with the song’s heavy and depressing lyrical context. If you’re looking for a song to relate to on your tough days and make you feel empowered and not alone in your dark times, then This Time will definitely be it.

Let You Go by 5ON5

Moataz Gwaily
-
0
Let You Go by 5ON5

The Berlin-based rock/pop outfit 5ON5 returns to us with another single. 5ON5 has been consistently leaving an impression on me with their releases, with this being the third single I get the pleasure of listening to and the second one to review, I’m very glad to say that the crispy quirkiness and solid quality are not a one-off.

With personal words that are easily relatable for anyone who has gone through a rough breakup, sung by 3 different members of the group, to each their own verse, the song feels communal and seemingly full of dialogue. The composition and arrangement are bizarrely catchy (yay!). Based on a simple progression that’s twisted, processed, and has every drop of potential squeezed out. The song starts out with altered, alien vocals on top of chill, trap beats, which morph upwards into something livelier for the first verse. It’s not until Yumin’s second verse that the song starts to bloom. As the beat gets quicker and dancier, before letting it rip in the outro with a frenetic, spazzing synth melody.

5ON5 continues to pump out a single which keeps getting characterized by a bunch of distinct adjectives. Strange, bold, somewhat viscous, lush, alien… and that’s just a preview. Their songs are quirky gems loaded with originality, and this man here is a fan. 

Cut & Dirty Harry Klein

Moataz Gwaily
-
0
Cut & Dirty Harry Klein

It’s not as widespread as it should be. Intelligent Dance Music might exist as its own distinct sound and color, but it’s mainly used to describe the intelligence of the computers of the production gadgets the performers use to elicit as much bass as possible from the speakers, rarely do we find IDM that’s actually introspective, smart, and instead of eliciting bass, it elicits thinking and provokes imagery or situations

Harry Klein is an Australian musician and producer who played in the Sydney-based Jazztronica outfit F00l. their disbandment has enticed Klein to further explore his musical identity and develop his sound. The outcome is bangers like Cut & Dirty. A Jazzy, dancy IDM number that tells the hypothetical story of a drug deal during a rave. Diving deep into rave culture, why it exists, and the close relationship between it and recreational drugs, all while enveloped in a neat aura of expertly crafted electronica. The samples used are pristine. The production is immaculate and the ideas are very neat. The general topic is also a unique one that certainly raises unique and profound questions, things not readily found in electronic music. Mind you, what this song has in terms of originality in lyrical themes and musical choices is paid for by a not-really-danceable sound, you would generally prefer to listen to it while thinking about what it has to say than to dance to in a dance music festival. It would work really well in a rave, but that can get a little weird.

Harry Klein is a talented and inventive producer, who chooses to speak about serious topics than just spurt out meaningless dance anthems, and for this choice, even if it is only this one song, we raise our hats to him.

Say Less by Poshbwoy

Viola Karmy
-
0
Say Less by Poshbwoy

We’ve all lived through a tough period when COVID-19 took over and missed out on our lives. It’s not the safest time right now either, but we’re coping and trying to refresh and make a strong comeback. Poshbwoy’s “Say Less” is surely saying more about bouncing back to a successful setting through his dope beats.

Emerging from London, Poshbwoy, the hip-hop artist, along with Ikon Studios (DJ Ironik) is presenting a say-less-dance-more single with an energetic and encouraging dose. “Say Less” has a vivid enough vibe to wipe out any negative ones in your day.

Kicking strong with the jumpy, dynamic beats. The entire atmosphere entices you to shake your body and shake out any bad vibes and jump into a good mood. Poshbwoy’s vocals are as vibrant as the rhythm, and his melodic timbre smoothly aligns with the soft melody.

The song fits nicely at parties where you rave it up, on car rides, and at solo room parties, as it’s an obvious celebration of life, achievements, and blessings. The lyrics are full of confidence, hope, dreams, and gratitude.

The talented rapper, Poshbwoy, has already drawn attention to himself through his previous singles, such as “All Mine.” But now it’s “Say Less” turn to get you hooked and craving for more.

Drive by BlissBliss

Norhan El Sebaie
-
0
Drive by BlissBliss

After years of experience in the music industry and its wide aspects, Renee Garcia and Lang Bliss come together to remind us how sophisticated and well-curated music sounds. The duo has remarkable accomplishments and has performed with distinguished artists like Amy Grant, Michael McDonald, and Michael W. Smith, among others. Their previous releases received recognition and created a buzz with songs like “No Apology” reaching #15 on the Billboard Dance Chart in 2018 and their cover for “What’s going on” hitting #1 on 2 charts in 2021. The duo’s style is highly influenced by a wide range of artists like John Mayer, Sting, Joni Mitchell, Steely Dan, and Swing Out Sister.

 This year the Nashville duo is releasing their latest project “Horizon”, a seven-track album due this fall after being recorded back in 2019 yet was never published due to the pandemic. “Drive” is their first single released from the upcoming album; a very sophisticated pop song with a swing vibe, skilled guitar lines, and a strong melody. The track is the perfect mix of catchy pop tunes, rock elements and a jazz/blues feel, it shifts between different moods and themes smoothly, keeping you intrigued throughout it all. The song starts with a keyboard sound effect progression paving the way for the guitar line to keep you attentive to the smooth vocals by Renee who sings the background vocals as well as the lead. Lang on the other hand is the programmer, producer, drummer as well as vocalist in this track. The song was mixed by a London-based engineer Sefi Carmel, who has a different mixing approach than the other mixing engineers based in the US. His approach and details gave them the flavor needed for their track. Every time you listen to the song you will unlock one of its many layers and sounds. We can’t wait for the album’s release and the music video for “Drive” that’ll be out on the 16th of this month. 

Persian by Dareios

Sarah Elzanaty
-
0
Persian by Dareios

A journey that came out of the mind of a songwriter and rapper “Dareios”, who creates catchy beats in each of his tracks. He aspired at a young age which got him to where he is now; making his own music that speaks his mind. The St. Louis-based artist released his latest single “Persian” earlier this year on the 14th of February 2022, which was written and produced by Dareios himself.

The music in this track is unique and catchy which can cultivate in the listener’s ears with the deep and relaxing tones that he adds to it. “Persian” has awesome lyrics in which he talks about Persians by describing their beautiful black hair and referring to themselves as Osiris.


“Persian” is the kind of track you can listen to while chilling in your car. ​​The sleek production mixes ambient electro sounds with a modern hip-hop flair. Dareios has released an official music video a few weeks ago that will get you a bit nostalgic with the quality and the colors of how it’s made.

 

BREAK THE MATRIX (Episode One) by Moon and Aries

Ahmed El Tahan
-
0
BREAK THE MATRIX (Episode One) by Moon and Aries

A cross-continental and non-fictional collaboration between German composer and producer Tom Aries and Canadian writer and singer Jordana Moon on a new album “BREAK THE MATRIX (Episode One)”.

Through their Moon and Aries label, we find passion, innovation, and creativity that bring complex, beautiful music and philosophical themes at levels that stimulate awareness and ideas.

The captivating melodies of Aries and Moon’s crystal vocals combine to create a musical trilogy that takes you for 10 minutes and 34 seconds into a sensory realm charged with fluctuating emotions between nostalgia and futurism.

“Closer and Closer” is the album’s first journey in which powerful grooves and emotional vocals unite in a layered synth in which pure, contemporary electronic beats mingle with poetic lyrics, blurring the spaces between earth and sky in a fun and unique way. Then we’ll have an immersive introduction that will keep us looking forward to more.

“The In-Between” is the second journey with a dynamic rhythm from the 80s, in which the piano keys lead us to areas where we feel strange and strange but wonderful and attractive, during this journey we can touch the emotion in Moon’s voice.

Your final journey is announced by the voice of Aries as he dives into the depths of the ’80s scene, “Losing Control” begins with a catchy hook and then swims into ethereal layers as melody, rhythm, and sound melt, for a decent closing of this fun collaboration.

This album is like a fantasy world whose music excitingly reaches the feelings, so its name “BREAK THE MATRIX (Episode One)” seems to add a lot to its content or vice versa, if you are looking for animated and introspective albums you will love the new Moon and Aries album.

Summer Days by Kongress

Ahmed El Tahan
-
0
Summer Days by Kongress

Once again, the American band Kongress from Brooklyn, New York, returns to us with a new artistic discovery in sound, which is their new single, “Summer Days”, which they released last August.

This band was founded in 1975 but discontinued, and since 2020 has been active again with its only remaining member, Otto von Ruggins.

“Summer Days” which was written in 1967, Kongress has brought it back to life, but with a new voice after discovering its lyrics and adding some modern electronic touches, which he created on the iPad earlier this year.

“I came across the lyrics recently and after playing old music, I realized she needed some new music for the day,” Kongress says of his miracle.

This song is inspired by the concept of the famous mermaid parade (in caps) at Coney Island in Brooklyn. Its video is among the best shots Ruggins himself has taken of the parade marches over 30 years.

The new spirit is driven by New Wave rock and electronic explosions, this experimental artist whose music hears every element doing its job to perfection, knows how to navigate this psychedelic space to convey the feeling of summer, guitars move gently with the psychedelic synthesis in slow motion complemented by melancholy vocals.

The complex melody and simple rhythm of “Summer Days” take us to dimensions that we can’t easily grasp, but involuntarily attract us with its charm anyway. This confirms that Ruggins’ wealth of experience weighs in on everything he wants to create.

Kongress is undoubtedly a group far ahead of their time, and we’ve been trying to absorb their talents since the ’70s. They deserve your attention because they will influence the trajectory of your imagination.

 

1...306307308...385Page 307 of 385

Sistra.me is powered by Naqada Music Management. Technology by Digitology.