Wreckless Strangers’ “You Just Hurt” is the third single from their impending album release When the Sun and a Blue Star Collide and arguably the best yet. The six piece band’s memorable foray into outright electric blues jettisons anything country in favor of a gritty yet joyful expression of well-loved style. It is unquestionably retro in the sense
Month: April 2022
Lamenting in one verse, optimistic in the next, Morten Nygaard comes across as a man as conflicted as he is certain of his own mortality in the new single “Trespassing,” and though a lot of his longtime listeners are already aware of his multidimensionality as a songwriter, this is by far the most accessible of
There’s no denying the stranglehold that the Covid-19 pandemic had on the world for the last two and a half years, but the way it bodied the souls and minds of those with high-functioning anxiety (and similar quirks) is indescribable. Introverts already dreaded leaving their homes and now there was a literal killer on the
The Americana element has been everywhere in pop music over the past year, to the point where a lot of critics have deemed its use a bit too predictable for the artists who have been adopting its key aesthetics. That said, when a player like Brooke Josephson decides to take her music in a different
Equal parts blues swing and old-fashioned country melodicism, the hook-powered “Chillin’ with Me” keeps one foot on either side of the artistic borderline but ultimately feels like a bright piece of Americana. It’s not the only such hybrid you’re going to hear in the new album A Señorita, A Sweet Tea and A Few Good Songs by
The minimalist movement has its hook in everything from pop music to jazz, country, and even hip-hop at the moment, and while you might assume that it’s having a big influence over the singer/songwriters emerging from the underground at the moment, you could also argue that cut and dry concepts have always been a part
Relaxed as a lazy afternoon spent under the summer sun, a whisper of an instrumental melody introduces us to the warmth of “There Will Be Light,” the closing track in Alex Krawczyk’s new album Le Olam. As the song begins to unfold, it quickly becomes obvious that this relatively simple ballad is bound to unleash a
Evolving from a gentle harmony that only gets stronger as we listen on, Larry Jay’s “Saving Lives” doesn’t immediately feel like a larger-than-life piece, but after its stirring intro, it quickly becomes obvious we’re not listening to a stock country song here. The ascending melodies pick up steam as the beat engages with Jay’s lead
“Owe It All” from New York City’s Ella Blicker is the song we all need now. It’s calm, cool and collected. Blicker caresses the listener’s ears with a finely-woven melody. Her wistful and reflective tones are the perfect balance to the murkier and grayscale music bed. “Owe It All” has a catchy chorus, and Blicker
Slow-churning emotional unrest in “How Did You Get in My Heart.” A bucolic sunset imagined in sonic terms for “What a Lovely Day.” Purist romance of the most virginal variety in the single-worthy “When We’re Together.” These three original songs would have been enough to get some positive feedback out of this critic for Bettman