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Sharing Perils by Stephen Foster

Hazem Mahani
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Sharing Perils by Stephen Foster

American songwriter Stephen Foster embarks on a new sonic journey on his latest record “Sharing Perils” released on the 31st of January, 2022. Stephen managed to create a unique sound experience led mainly by acoustic guitar and cinematic “nearly visible” effects and melodies that I enjoyed digging deep into it.

The 30 seconds intro “Chimes” opens the record leading us softly to the opening song “Después de la Inundación“, a beautiful mix of melodies and sounds that would make a perfect soundtrack from western guitar tone to the dreamy piano and mood-elevating brass. It has a cinematic structure and dynamics keeping you hooked like any proper well-written movie. Inspired by the movie Wonderful Life comes the dreamy “George Bailey’s Honeymoon“, an acoustic-led fluid melody with a simple catchy vocal melody and a remarkable bass line. Things get a little darker in “The Passing Shadow”, “We Finally Rest” and “In the Sea” with their slow pace and touching melodies that show how easily Stephen Foster uses his music to express different moods and feelings with his great acoustic sense. The instrumental “Sadie’s Gift” brings back the cinematic vibes with its smooth progression, big sound, and intense build-up. Steering into a brighter and more energetic sound comes “Desolate Cities”, it has a smooth flow with neatly layered colorful melodies and vocal harmonies. “Olam” borrows a lot from “Después de la Inundación” and “Sadie’s Gift” keeping their fluid epic melodies alive and filled with energy. Foster takes us back to his emotional acoustic-led sound which is my favorite, using the right notes and melodies mixing acoustic guitar chords and arpeggios with piano, and some clean electric guitar touch on “The Light” gave it more depth and made its sound more alive. While using the same approach on “Anyone, Anymore” but with no electric guitar made it darker and more touching, maybe that’s why it’s my favorite off the record. “Slumbertime Waltz” and “Chimes (Outro)” gave the record a sweet chilling ending summing up Stephen Foster’s style and moods into some visible melodies.

“Sharing Perils” is a chilling soothing trip by Stephen Foster, its swings between a cinematic and kinda upbeat mood and a slow dark one and Foster is doing both with lots of sense and a keen eye on details. From my humble POV, the record needed more dynamics or various moods but, that’s 100% the artist’s creative choice. Totally recommended for acoustic-driven, soothing music lovers. Looking forward to more from Stephen Foster, cheers! 

 

Arethusa by Herald K

Viola Karmy
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Arethusa by Herald K

One of the endearing things about stories is that you hear them each time differently, imagining it with the teller’s eyes. In his latest single, “Arethusa,” Herald K managed to narrate the nymph’s Greek myth in his own spectacular way.

If like me, you enjoy myths, literature, music, and what they all represent and reflect, then without a doubt, you’ll be immersed in the beauty of Herald K’s “Arethusa.” It’s a well-crafted song, where each element is well placed and contributes to making it a hunting song with chilly, peaceful vibes, carrying the myth’s atmosphere, and topping your favorite playlist.

According to the ancient Greek myth, Arethusa is a Naiad-nymph of a sacred spring in the Greek colony of Syracuse on the island of Ortygia near Sicily. She was loved by the river-god Alpheus, from whom she had fled. She prayed to the goddess Artemis for help and was transformed into a spring. The myth has a resemblance to Apollo and Daphne’s, in which the Naiad-nymph Daphne is transformed into a laurel tree to escape Apollo’s pursuit.

The myth is about temptation, chasing, running away, and having to make a huge transformation. If I were to imagine how this would be conveyed to sound, it would be loud, angry, frustrated, confused, and melancholic. Nonetheless, the Vienna-based Norwegian singer/songwriter, Herald K, along with other stellar musicians, managed to portray the tale in the most serene, cozy manner with a distinctive Folk sound.

The song starts with some gentle chords, and it is driven by a soothing Nyckelharpa played by Stephan Steiner. This wonderful string instrument sets the mood, and its solo is passionate and feels as if you’re seeing the nymph transforming. Herald K’s raw, melodic vocals made me want to learn all about Greek myths all over again with his soulful storytelling. He knows how to deliver the lyrics in a mystic, captivating way. The backing female silky vocals of Jessica Slavik and Lina Louise added charm and profundity to the single.

“Arethusa” is a song you listen to with your eyes closed and let it take you to witness the story on the banks of the Greek island with a tranquil composition in the background. It’s the first single from the upcoming album, “Mythologies,” and I absolutely cannot wait to see what it holds!

Caruso – Is Like So by Alan Caruso

Viola Karmy
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Caruso – Is Like So by Alan Caruso

Don’t you love having a friend you can turn to when you’re having an existential crisis, only to find out that his case is worse than yours, so you just keep each other company and exchange big questions and doubts? But what happens at the darkest time of night when you’re all by yourself and it’s you vs. your thoughts? Well.. you don’t need more questions in your head. I’ll answer this one for you; Alan Caruso has made a trusting, comforting friend simulation in the shape of music. His EP, “Caruso – Is Like So…”, will sit with you in the dark, think with you, wonder with you, and even give you some answers and optimism.

“Caruso – Is Like So…” is a three-track EP that lasts less than ten minutes, but its impact lasts much longer than that. Once you hear it, you’ll find yourself playing it over and over again till your head cools down from all the mess it has made, and the floating question marks start falling one by one.

The EP isn’t made to be a big hit that entices you with its sound and gets you addicted. It’s rather stripped back with a peculiar feel. Nonetheless, the fusion of Rock, Folk, and Americana with acoustic guitars and organs flowing smoothly alongside the vocals with the minimal arrangement is more than sufficient. You might find it a little odd compared to everyday music, but it gets you hooked in its own unique way since the lyrical themes can connect with you in a deep manner, speaking through the most intricate thoughts that your mind is immersed in.

I have to admit that this EP can be a little triggering. It has the ability to rub salt into your wounds while still not causing you much pain, for it will try to point out the medicine as it points out the disease. And as it has gloomy vibes, it will add playful, hopeful rays to lighten the mood.

It will start getting into your head with “Do I Serve A Purpose?” And as Caruso describes it, and I’m totally on board, “that’s the million-dollar question.” I doubt that there’s a single person on Earth who hasn’t asked themselves that question and hasn’t felt worthless at some point. The lyrics entice you by narrating different scenarios of people doubting themselves, making you see yourself in them, feel their agony, but also feel delighted that it’s not just you with this burden. The storytelling attitude in the mellow vocals makes you more compassionate than harsh on yourself and lures you to see how this story ends. With the delicate musical composition, sprinkling optimism, which is given by the end, with the lyrics taking an endearing detour.

“Getting Clean” speaks about another dilemma in life that people suffer from when they lose hope, stop searching for answers, and try to find an escape. The easiest and bumpiest route is an addiction; using and drinking to get your head wiped. Brilliantly, the song indicates another toxic solution, which is drowning yourself in something that’s as bad as chemical addiction, a mindset that you need to detox from.

Just when you think that EP can’t press harder on your grandest, darkest fears, it hits you with the big finale. “Michelangelo’s David.” complements the big question in the first track with an even bigger question, as they come as a duo to hunt you down at night. “I wonder if anyone will remember me!” After wondering if you’ve got a purpose, you have got to follow this query by wondering what you are leaving behind. Will your name be remembered? Or will you be just another person who lived and died? The lyrics conjure up this thought if it exists, or plant it if it’s not, then swing you between memorable lives like Michelangelo, Beethoven, and Dostoevsky, highlighting some aspects of their lives that you might haven’t noticed. What a way to wrap up this profound, one-of-a-kind philosophical set!

This EP was recorded during the pandemic’s lockdown, so what I see from here is that an intelligent, sincere, and talented artist in his own quirky way got locked up, and he unleashed his trapped notion to keep him company, willing or unwilling, and luckily, he decided to keep us company with his work of art.

 

Album: Emergence by Claire Bigley

Mariam ElKhatib
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Album: Emergence by Claire Bigley

Musicians that effectively combine their own lives and experiences into their art are a very rare breed indeed! Claire Bigley happens to be one of them. It’s impossible to choose a favorite song because every song depicts a distinct stage of life. Our sentiments begin to pervade our entire being as soon as we become aware of what is going on around us, even if just for a few fleeting seconds. 

Fear and delight are intertwined with love and sorrow throughout “Emergence.” As you progress through the album, you’ll notice the strong connection between you and her vibrant feelings. You will resonate with the vivid emotions seeping through each track. 

There are echoes of beautiful ambient piano throughout each track. One example of this is the tune “Quieting Tremors,” in which the piano creates a resonantly peaceful ambiance and invites the listener in. The song “Solitude” is a heartfelt musical portrayal of solitude; every note of the song tugs at your heartstrings, even if there isn’t a single word to accompany it, and takes you on an entrancing journey inside your most introspective and intimate thoughts. On the other hand, the song “Awaken the Depths” urges the listener to relax into a state of bliss. The chirping of birds in the background transports you back to the natural world and the lushness of its surroundings. The fourth song is “Becoming.” It pushes the listener to reflect on the realizations they have achieved as they begin to feel more at peace and their bodies begin to relax. By the time the track is through, fragments will start to coalesce and form. 

In every one of her songs, Claire Bigley can be heard playing the piano or keyboard. She had her training in the classical style, but these days she plays with a more improv-based approach. She then takes a moment for herself to be still, sits down at the piano, and enables what she is feeling to be expressed through her fingertips. Chopin and Debussy are two of her primary musical inspirations. 

The album as a whole has a shockingly evident influence of impressionist music, which can be heard throughout. Claire’s goal, very similar to that of the impressionists, is to seize a fleeting moment, to encapsulate a feeling so that it may be conveyed through a medium. This album is presented as a layered mix of ambient compositions with the intention of bringing about something otherworldly and purely atmospheric.

Into The Sky by Clay Joule

Akram Soliman
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Into The Sky by Clay Joule

“Into The Sky” is the latest single from “Clay Joule” and it is honestly one of the most ambient and atmospheric compositions I have ever heard. It’s an instrumental laid back track that will leave you wondering what just happened after it has finished. 

The Spanish guitar played by Mr Enzo Moccia is the only instrument that feels at the forefront of the track. With typical flamenco vibes, it opens the song with a nice refrain that sets off a melancholic vibe. It feels like a movie soundtrack moment where the main character is making some sort of revelation or discovery that he’s overthinking about. 

Behind this guitar are moments of sweet lo-fi percussion that strike at the right moment and then leaves the spotlight on the guitar and clarinet. The vocals performed by Jenny and Clay are purely ethereal chants that feel like they are setting the foundation for the guitar and clarinet and I found that very interesting as usually vocals are put in the forefront, unlike the vibes this track has. 

The clarinet played by Mr Tom Ferrara was one of the elements I liked the most about this but I wish it had a bigger role in the arrangement. Overall, this track feels very experimental and ambient and for some reason, I feel like it’s taken out of a longer composition or a full-length movie/game soundtrack that has a mix of Arabian and flamenco vibes. While no Instrument takes the lead over the others, every element can be beautifully heard after multiple listens as some details are not as clear as the others. 

I recommend it for Spanish guitar lovers or movie soundtrack lovers in particular and I still wish to hear it in a live setting or maybe see a music video to get more emotional context from it.

I’ve Got A Secret by Karen Harding

Mariam ElKhatib
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I’ve Got A Secret by Karen Harding

After the release of her previous six singles, Karen Harding will release the first single and title track from her new EP, ‘I’ve Got A Secret,’ on Friday, July 8, 2022. This tune will also serve as the first single from her future EP. Karen has always had a strong interest in music, and she started taking piano lessons when she was 6 years old and singing courses when she was 14 years old. The music that you hear today was influenced by a variety of solo, duet, and band performances that took place in cafés and pubs located in the north-eastern suburbs of Melbourne. 

“I Got A Secret” is a beautiful ballad with a mellow melody. The song is quite emotional. The lyrics are sincere and authentic, conveying the sentiments of fragility and vulnerability the performer is experiencing. By effectively communicating a variety of emotions throughout the song, Harding delivers a moving and genuine experience.

The melancholy music comprises solemn cello, heartfelt vocals, and elegant yet straightforward guitar chords. In it, soulful vocals by Karen Harding repeat the phrase “Will you stay?” They fully immerse the listener in the performer’s narrative, as her emotions permeate each syllable.

Pillow Talkin’ by Ashley Taylor

Moataz Gwaily
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Pillow Talkin’ by Ashley Taylor

If New York is the home of Jazz, then LA is the undisputed home of R&B.

Ohio-born Ashley Taylor brings us a stunning new single, ‘Pillow Talkin’’. Inspired by uprooting her life from her hometown to study music at the University of Southern California, it certainly shows maturity, at least musical and rhythmic.

With a sleepy Soul guitar riff, roomy & boomy drums playing non-conventional shuffles, it’s a song that doesn’t necessarily follow the beaten path, but rather chooses to do its own thing and go where it needs to go, and that place is where good R&B music goes.

The featured verse of STC Dano is heartfelt and fresh, the harmonies are well-orchestrated and rich without overpowering the arrangement. The mix is very balanced, with just enough doubling on the vocals and reverb on the instruments.

A simply enjoyable and simple R&B number that’ll be a blast to any fans of the genre. Might have benefited from being a little longer, though, with maybe a more nuanced chorus section, but that’s my personal take, in its current form, it lacks nothing.

CCC by OH.Tae

Moataz Gwaily
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CCC by OH.Tae

OH. Tae is what would happen when Arlo Parks meets Drake somewhere in the middle. San Antonio, TX gives us OH. Tae, who gives us this hot R&B single. 

Based on a tapestry of angelic choir vocals and trebly hi-hat-led beats. With a direct and heartfelt one-take vocal delivery. And with a bunch of mood-setting atmospheric effects, it’s a gorgeous song with impeccable moods and airy atmospheres, and stunning singing.

Perhaps for me, I’d have appreciated a little more variation within the song, a discernible chorus, a hot hook, or an intelligent bridge to break the monotony, as this song struggles to remain interesting or entertaining to me, personally, with its current lack of elements. 

So to conclude, you may need more than gorgeous vocals and an impeccable atmosphere to create an engaging and fulfilling piece of music, and this song falls in this exact trap. I’d be looking forward to OH.Tae’s coming releases in hope that she’ll eventually reach upwards and unlock all the potential she obviously has.

Bringing Back the 90s by LdashD

Moataz Gwaily
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Bringing Back the 90s by LdashD

Naming an album can be as tricky of a task as you want it to be. It can be simply named after a word or a phrase that the artist feels suitable, it can be something that offers an insight into the music, it can be the title of a significant song on the release, or it can be a statement that describes the general musical direction(s)… and many many other possibilities. Here it happens to be all the above.

Coming from London, LdashD is an experimental/electronic music producer and DJ who’s been active since the 90s. This release of his, titled ‘Bringing Back the 90s’, aims to do exactly that, musically and atmospherically. 4 songs long, it’s not a demanding listen, in fact, it’s groovy and quick-paced and well-produced enough to make it easy and packed with fun.

Starting back-to-back with ‘Watcha Know’ & ‘Straight Outta Magazine’, basically the same song with different arrangements. ‘Watcha know’ is thick and jungle-y in vibes. Packed with distorted guitar riffs and heavily compressed drums and 90s disco vocals and samples. A little too long, heavy-handed and with underwhelming vocals, it might be the most challenging song here to enjoy. The same, though, can’t be said about ‘Straight Outta Magazine’. Less than half the length of the preceding song, the vocals are still heavily processed and synthetic and are sub-par on one or two occasions but are largely allowed to shine more freely. With an infectious groove and jangly, satisfying guitars, it’s a very enjoyable song.

‘Things Change’ is a perfect marriage between the recent teens and the nineties. Fast, energetic, full of manic samples, youthful calls… and Indian folk chanting. It’s a song that will get the blood rushing to your veins and really get you hyped up. Saving the title track for the last spot. ‘Bringin’ back the 90s’ is very similar in harmony to ‘Things Change’, the same manic energy, but more space for vocals and chants and a more twisty and trebly drumline that’s very groovy and enjoyable.

This EP easily won my heart. Manic, fast, professional, joyful, and groovy. Ultimately, LdashD achieves stunning success in bringing back the 90s. 

High Ground Mixtape by Mr Sunshine

Sarah Elzanaty
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High Ground Mixtape by Mr Sunshine

This year we have a talented artist from Lisbon who has risen up with a new release, Samuel Henley going by the name “Mr. Sunshine,” starting to put his hip-hop music out there in 2021. His new release is “High Ground Mixtape” which has collaborated with the talented artists “Bronze Nazareth, Roxiie Reese, Micwise, cpt.6_7, Nekro G, Elisa Gobbi,” adding awesome vocals to the music.

The music that he creates has different and mixed vibes for each part of the mixtape, every part has its own unique element to it that shows a great deal of work that got Samual had produced for us eventually to blow us off with the style of hip-hop, R&B and soul music his mix.

The “High Ground Mixtape” started with a piece called “In the sky” with a soft jazzed sax playing and the lush breathtaking voice that was sung by Roxiie Reese with soulful music that eases you for the next piece, “Take it Away” Micwise went in with rapping all the way while cpt.6_7 was taking over with the bass playing, they both went hard-on with their own style. Then comes a soothing piano playing with Elisa Gobbi’s vocals paving the way for Nekro G to come in with dope rap in this piece called “Paved the Way.” “Exile” is pure rap from Nekro G hailing on this one with his awesomeness that perfectly fits the music Mr. Sunshine created for the meaning of this piece that caught my ear. Lastly, a calm piece “State of Mind” closes up this mixtape with a piece of melodious music going through Elisa’s heavenly angelic voice. 

“High Ground Mixtape” is the kind of music that you can just listen to over a cup of tea and work on your screenplay within a coffee shop. It’s the kind of music that gives you the motivation to get through work. I can’t recommend this music more!

 

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