Erik Rabasca has a guitar and a few things he would like to get off his chest. Quite a few, actually. “Oh Domination!” starts with money and manufactured hatred, works through war and displacement, and finishes by wishing a thoroughly unpleasant afterlife on the people responsible. Nobody is getting a thank-you in the liner notes. The song itself is simple: acoustic guitar, voice and a chorus that keeps coming back to the same unhappy conclusion. Rabasca recorded the lead voc

A new single release from Streetcar Conductors recently dropped, and this is a song that definitely embodies this sort of cinematic pop-rock style, but with elements of progressive rock in its undertone and an overall massive amount of pop sensibility, giving us heavy-handed hooks, especially at that chorus. The chorus of this track bounces around in your brain for hours or even days after it has ended. This is an example of a track that has a message to send; it has a great

Recent release from Neil Rolnick represents a bit of a collection of works that the producer has put together, many of which revolve around sampling different songs and spoken word, and layering, tweaking, and sculpting the shape of them as they come through, giving the pieces a completely different atmosphere and life altogether. This was such a surprising and cool approach to creating something that is unbelievably inventive and engaging, and in such a way that you wouldn't

I'll admit I'm not always a big fan of live albums. I do like some of them, but usually it's a group I already know and admire. Having said that, when I came across the live record from Schanzer/Speach Duo, I was overtaken with a flood of mood and ambiance that gave me goosebumps. The duo dropped a collection of live performances, many of which include special guests, that capture something incredibly special. The album title is called Live in Brooklyn 1992-2002, and that alo

Somewhere in rock history, between the millionth breakup song and another bloke complaining about Hollywood, somebody needed to write one about the pissed-off dog downstairs. Aaron Dilorenzo obliged. “Down The Steps” comes from his connection with Lacey, an old bandmate’s Rottweiler who stayed kenneled below their practice space when visitors came around. He found something familiar in her isolation. There’s your song: a guy talking to a dog because they’ve apparently got som

A brand-new EP release from Steve's 9th Incarnation has a tendency to hit with some theatrical undertone and orchestrated backbone, as the whole thing has a sort of natural flow to it all, combining elements of Baroque pop, contemporary music, hints of jazz, and singer-songwriter, all rolled into this three-track record that feels like it's bursting with character. The EP is called PERSPLEXTIVES, and the songs serve as a wild testament to songwriter and multi-instrumentalist

For Nashville-based singer-songwriter and producer Arily Michele, the natural world provides more than a source of inspiration. Originally from Colorado, Michele frequently incorporates the state's geography, history, and folklore into her music, combining dream-pop and neo-psychedelia with an interest in gothic storytelling. A classically trained coloratura soprano who also works as a poet, she has developed an approach that connects personal experiences with broader social

If you are looking for something a little different but really sort of immersive and colorful, with hints of theatrics and a blending of genre approaches and styles, then I have just the thing for you. A release from renowned cellist Tina Guo and The String Revolution, an outstanding guitar trio, brings together some familiar phrases and melodies some of us might know. Especially fans of a little game called Plants vs. Zombies, which is most certainly popular and hit its heig