Indie Music Reviews

The Left Ready – Ghost

published on August 6, 2015

The Left Ready – Ghost

With the no nonsense statement of “We play rock music,” threaded into the band’s Facebook bio, The Left Ready are a power trio that do away with all the extras and just get down to meat n’ potatoes melodic hard rock. Originally the band performed as the Mike Murray Trio under the guidance of vocalist/guitarist Mike Murray but they soon decided the music that they were making was much more of a band effort than a solo deal. The band’s EP debut Ghost is crammed to the nines with hard guitar meat, tough rhythms and a vocal element that stretches up to the rafters. This is the kind of rock they used to make in the 70s with just the right amount of modern melodies and production present to give it a wide appeal.

Rachel London - “Runnin’” single review

published on August 5, 2015

Rachel London - “Runnin’” single review

URL: https://rachellondonmusic.com/

The bright flourish opening Rachel London’s “Runnin’” heralds a sweeping, swirling dance confection guaranteed to rouse the spirit and move the feet. Miami based London’s new single benefits from Mike Gonsolin’s impressive production that achieves an appealing density of sound while still clearly delineating each element in the mix. The atmosphere does a lot to approximate a strongly complementary lyric about desire. The hard-hitting bottom end gives shape to the track and a steady foundation for London’s vocal. Her singing talents are unquestionable. London’s percussive phrasing and sharp emotive edge help accentuate her power and the production smartly keys in on her as the song’s heart and soul. Gonsolin’s choices as producer are, in part, responsible for the success of this song, but London has to be present and accounted for to pull things off. She does so in a memorably and spectacularly theatrical manner.

Midev's Big Apple Pop

published on August 3, 2015

New York is full of life. One of the many reasons it’s the city that never sleeps. One guy that can attest to that is pop artist Midev. His latest single “How Do You Love Me” is unlike most we’ve heard in the past. It takes the blame for being a jerk in a relationship. 99% of people in this world would not take the blame when things go bad, but that’s where Midev differs. This song is an upbeat pop song about a guy who has wronged a girl, and he’s left wondering what the title implies. It has a great modern feel to it. In “Where’s Everybody At” he slows things down a bit. The track starts out slow but quickly builds up. However, it is more on the calm side than the other. However, this one has more of a universal feeling. If you’re a fan of Bruno Mars and Jason Derulo should check Midev out today. (https://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/Midev1)

AB Clyde and the Kitty Litters - Muscle Beach

published on July 29, 2015

AB Clyde and the Kitty Litters - Muscle Beach

URL: https://www.abclyde.com/press/

California comedy rock troupe AB Clyde and the Kitty Litters take a page off of everyone from Weird Al to Harry Nilsson to the Calypso sounds of Jimmy Buffett on their second full-length album Muscle Beach. It’s a refreshing breezy groove with hysterical lyrics, smoothly rockin’ arrangements and great production. Kicking off with “Bulldozin’ Bad Memories,” an opener that relates ridding the mind of a bad relationship memory with bulldozing a garden filled with vegetables not only has a sly, smirk across its face but an irresistible blend of tropical acoustic guitars, sultry female harmonies and Clyde’s rock solid lead vocals adding a serious touch to the tongue-in-cheek proceedings.

Landon Williams - "Tonight" single review

published on July 22, 2015

Landon Williams - “Tonight” single review

https://landonwilliamsmusic.com/

While Landon Williams’ brief musical career has been marked with distinction, little will prepare those familiar with his music for the surprise of “Tonight”. The Colorado native channels a host of influences for this superb quasi-homage to smooth, more groove-oriented r&b. The blues influences in the track are pronounced - anyone interested and possessing the needed musical identification will hear it immediately in the low-key restraint, moody guitar motif, and familiar progression. It isn’t a hollow triumph or one of style over substance. Instead, the track’s highly stylized texture helps push it from the realm of the merely memorable up to the level of impressive achievement.

Angelina Crowley's Way with Sound

published on July 20, 2015

Angelina Crowley is an indie artist who has a way with sound. “Uptown Techno” isn’t picking up where Bruno Mars and Co. left off with “Uptown Funk” because it’s paving its own way. With no words it manages to create this landscape that explores the depths of sound - sounds that’d be found in a video game. In “High Road, Low Road” she finds her voice and it’s soft. She needs to learn how to take control of her natural instrument and let it shine a bit more. Rolling into “Melt with U” Crowley seems to combine the first two. Taking the upbeat tempo of the first and vocalizing. Last up, “Where Has the Magic Gone” takes a turn. From the title, one would think it’d be light and airy, instead it was kind of sombre. In the end Angelina Crowley is an artist who creates sounds, but needs to really learn how to control her voice to make it stand out in a crowd. (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4saNQMtWMt8ldjLxh9f8BA/videos)

Giovanni Pops the Latin Way

published on July 20, 2015

Giovanni is a Latin pop artist from California that always puts his best foot forward. “Come Into My Arms” gets the party started right away. One part Enrique Iglesias with a dash of Michael Jackson, this song really puts you in the mood to not only dance, but sing along as well. With “Down Low” he does the same thing. Only this time the Latin artist really heads more towards the pop route than the last. Don’t be mistaken, both could do some damage on the Billboard charts, but this one feels more ‘90s pop than the other - which was more modern in a way. It was like Max Martin wrote it for Backstreet Boys and it resurfaced with Giovanni at the helm. Lastly, “Silence” takes us on a more laid back ride. The beat still makes you move, but the lyrics are delivered in a more subdued way than the others. If you’re a fan of pop music that has a Latin twist, check out California’s Giovanni today. (https://www.jango.com/music/Giovanni+Latin+Artist?l=0)

R'Guele' De'Marius Brings Miami to Chicago

published on July 20, 2015

R’Guele’ De’Marius may be from the Windy City - but he sounds like he’s straight from the beaches of Miami with his hot sounds. You never know what you’re going to get when you hit play, and that was the case with “Let’s Do It Again (Tonight).” Instead of a hip hop track or something R&B, it was a song you’d find in the middle of a dance club. The same can be said of “Walk With It.” It has this light feel that makes it perfect for the summer weather. While it has it in the title, “Club Hopping” sounds more like a song you may not hear so much at a club, but at a pool party for fun. His buddy Chatline Champ comes in on “Doing Everything I Can” and together they created this entertaining song that had these fine piano and rap elements to it. We get back to where we started with “Hat, Tie & Tuxedo.” In a way it also sounds like a song you’d work out to in the mid-90s. If you’re a fan of dancing and shaking around the club, check out R’Guele’ De’Marius’ music today. (https://soundcloud.com/rguele_demarius)