Music Reviews

Gemma, All the Feels

The title track “As Ever” starts off with a restaurant-bar ambience of clinking glasses, the indistinguishable chatter from between-set lulls. It’s a few seconds at most, but it brought me to the immediacy of dimly-lit jazz clubs, an image of Douglass crooning into a series II microphone—nostalgia at its best.

The song itself then drops off into a percussive, electronically-filtered drum backdrop, with Douglass’ crisp, songbird voice putting sopranos to shame as she effortlessly hits the high notes (I’m referencing the lyrics, “Opposite of perfect to feel alive / Always in and out focus we had to try” in particular).

Full article originally published on ThrdCoast.

Still Parade, Concrete Vision

Kramer gradually hit the festival circuit throughout Europe, gaining a following outside his native foothold of Berlin. An EP, Fields, followed, and is now topped by his latest body of work, Concrete Vision, which marks the slight stylistic renaissance Kramer underwent over the last three years. Having previously recorded and produced tracks in fully-equipped, tricked-out studios, Kramer opted for a shift after being gifted a multi-track tape recorder from his father. It was a switch to a more organic, homegrown approach to his music, which still clings to those funky, vaguely hallucinogenic psych rhythms.

Full article originally published on ThrdCoast.

Faye Meana, Nothing’s the Same

Faye Meana is an up-and-coming, London-based songstress whose soulful croon simultaneously prompts heart pangs and a compulsive sashay to her R&B melodies. Earlier this year she released her four-track EP, Nothing's the Same, which stands as a poignant piece of work, diving into the inner turmoil and glints of hope that so often become entwined in relationships (particularly ones that were never able to find steady ground).

Full article originally published on ThrdCoast.

TV Heads, Devotional

The Los Angeles-based four-piece have said they live off a a steady diet of “post-punk riffs, raw vocals and electro textures,” and by adopting these elements they’ve created a new strain of sound—one that drudges up a certain deja vu of gritty rock n’ roll and surreal dips into neo-psychedelia. Their latest single, "Devotional," seems to splice together, or perhaps teeter between, those two styles. Stretching just over five minutes, the song feels like an odyssey, as spiraling guitar riffs build into static-trimmed crescendos with throbbing percussion. Rich notes splash across the melody like a vibrant hue of paint spattered across a gray canvas.

Full article originally published on ThrdCoast.

LKRK, Wait Too Long

There’s a certain fluidity to lyric-less music. It doesn’t have the structural mileposts of a bridge and hook, and so it lets the mind wander through its rhythms and beats without anticipating what new layer will be added next. It’s experimental and ever-evolving, and lets the sound speak for itself. Exhibit A: the new EP, Wait Too Long, crafted by Bushwick-based producer LRKR (aka Alex Erker).

Full article originally published on ThrdCoast.

Laser Background, Correct

Based in Philadelphia since about 2006, Molholt's seen the city's psych-pop renaissance flair and dissipate, as his focus switched from starting a band (The Armchairs) to striking out on his own. Laser Background revolves around the intersection of childhood and the psychedelic, a fitting choice for an artist whose concept of time is akin to Dali's The Persistence of Memory. His latest album, Correct, is a whirlwind of wind-chime synths and subtle reverb, freckled by some ambient distortion. Molholt enlisted the help of his friends and musical peers Carlos Hernandez and Julian Fader (of Ava Luna) for production, mixing, and some instrumental garnish. Their collaboration makes sense—both groups are known for their eclectic inspirations, which stretch outside the realm of music itself.

Full article originally posted on ThrdCoast.