2023 was another stellar year of new music reviews here at DaveCromwellWrites. As we come to the end of it, the annual Best Of is now presented for perusal. Each month's entries are covered, featuring the best of the best artists who put out compelling new recordings. Old favorites stand alongside brand new entries, all deserving of the in-depth analysis they received. What ties every one of these artists together is their own high level of recording acumen and overall creativity. With that said, dig in to the 2023 Best Of DaveCromwellWrites Features.
With springtime now beginning to bloom here in the northeastern region of America, the motivation to review returning artists by way of trusted labels and direct contact sources is strong. Compelling new releases from musicians working in favored genres provide the impetus for this months entries. What remains consistent since the very beginning of this all is a dedication to perceptive listening, followed by a life-long quest for literary excellence.
Back in 2020 a song from UK based gazey-psych-stoner rockers Excellent Skeleton showed up here in the DCW world and was given a deep review. That track (“Stop Waking The Sun”) now appears with six other cuts on their just released album “On Mercury Sea.” Having previously lauded their “unabashed sonic cataclysm” and “pure aural mayhem,” attention is now turned to these additional compositions.
Album opener “Moving Away” rises up slowing on distant synths and twangy guitar figures. Soft vocal chanting can be heard entering the mix as foreboding textures are soon met with full band instrumentation. As this doom-laden groove lumbers forward, male-female vocal harmonies emerge (and sometimes submerge) expounding on “sun,” “highway,” “roadway,” “sky” and “the night.” With those mysterious images to ponder, an elevated manic guitar solo steps into the center of it all. Repeating that vocal passage once more, the band stomps its way to fade-out conclusion.
Follow-up cut “Train Station” emerges out of an ornate, FX-enhanced guitar figure soon met by a quick -tempo percussive beat. Lead male vocals take the dominant storytelling role, however wisely incorporation softer female background voices for dreamier responses. It all comes together on the lines “when you shine, you shine like gold – upon the soul.” Closing out with the repeated phrase “perfect moment” elicits an almost The Cure-like feel in attitude, despite the harsher guitars.
Emerging out of finger-picked open note chords, 8 minute epic-length “Mosquito” soon morphs into a full-throttle raging stomper. Tandem sung male-female vocals serve up impassioned lyrics with precise monotone delivery. Chord change segments shift away from the frontal onslaught momentarily, before returning with psychedelic guitar solos over the main progression.
“No Escape From You” adds a romantic-gazer feel to the proceedings, while maintaining the now-expected pummeling undertow. The Kevin Shields/Belinda Butcher vocal style is in full use here, both on the lovely verse progression and resolving title line chorus. Album title track “On Mercury Sea” is a two minute, 45 second ambient dreamscape of keyboard swells and layered, strummed guitars. A spoken word segment is introduced in the final minute, reciting what might be a fever dream about life's universal mysteries.
Sixth cut “Key To The City” nimbly blends pitch-bended, gazey guitars with a heavier bass and drums rhythm section. Space is cleared out on the verses for rising-progression tandem delivered vocal renderings. There's a particularly appealing high harmony that attaches on the end of periodic voicings. At over seven minutes in length, there's ample room for extended explosive instrumental forays. As stated at the top of this review, close-out track “Stop Waking The Sun” has been fully reviewed on this site, here.
Back at the beginning of 2022Big Stir Records tipped this site off to the talented North Carolina singer-songwriter Chris Church. The album released at that time “Darling Please” received a full DCW track-by-track review. Chris now returns with a brand new album “Radio Transient” which once again gets a no-stone-unturned analysis right here. Produced and Engineered by Chris and his wife Lori Franklin, familiar names from the previously reviewed album are back. Drums were played by Nick Bertling who also provided recording assistance as well as the overall mastering. Lindsay Murray of the band Gretchen's Wheel once again contributed lovely harmony background vocals. For his part Chris wrote (with notated additions) all the songs, sang lead and background vocals, played guitars, bass guitar, synth, keys and percussion.
The album kicks off with the noise-pollution-assault inspired space fantasy “GCRT” (which is an abbreviation for Galactic Center Radio Transient) from whence the album title comes from. Bass guitar driven in that Joe Jackson “I'm The Man” style, vocal couplets of exasperated frustration give way to more cerebral plateaus of fantasy escape “detached in the physical plane.” Yes, it's a complaint song (totally relatable) where acknowledging “incoherent emissions are free” accurately point out “yes of course it's you, it isn't me!”
Initial single “Going 'Til We Go” fuses a pretty melody chorus with lyrics on the joys of marriage and how “shopping” might possibly be the wife's second favorite thing in life (hoping her husband is still the first). The hook is gorgeous “anything you want to tell me, anything you want to sell me, I'm gonna buy.” Harmonies on those lines are perfection and capture the spirit of 70's creatives like Dan Fogelberg and other artists of that genre.
Listen here:
A propulsive drum pattern and oblique bass guitar progession mark out dance floor conundrum “I Don't Wanna Dance With Me.” The surprising ambient middle section (repeated once more near the end) is a welcome reprieve from an otherwise forward driving groove, lyrically fixated on a reluctant dance partner. The pace slows somewhat on the power ballad “One More Chance To Get Over You” (which is a great title and theme). The lyrics are excellent, with tender thoughts like “sold me on the plan,” and insightful ruminations “waiting game inside my dreams.” Additional over-the-target lines “it's either breaking down or breaking through,” and “when you look me in the eyes I'll be so strong” drive home how much pretending we actually do in this life.
The self-confessed Lindsey Buckingham/The Fixx/Hall+Oates inspiration is on full display with “I Think I Think I Like You.” Equally important to the overall sound on this one is the much-heralded Danelectro 12-string guitar which apparently provides the bulk of chiming twang on the entire album. The sugary background vocals are particularly sweet here, employed in an appealing elongated mode. Quirky synth sounds are sprinkled throughout the Darryl Hall/Todd Rundgren80's inspired “Already In It.” Minor chords (or are they 7ths?) tend to punctuate section ending lines, underscoring that “blue eyed soul” of the previously mentioned Hall+Runt. The lush romantic male background vocal harmonies emphasize that point further. Extra points for rhyming “starting to fall” with “ever need a wherewithal” and “right on time” with “shift the paradigm.”
Nick Bertling's rapid-fire drumming, Chris' Danelectro chime and Lindsay Murray's honeyed background vocal sheen reinforce the lyric heavy “Over And Out.” Loosely themed on “gossip,” the repeated ending refrain “you know you could always just stop” is good advice all around. While synthesizer plays a large sonic role on breakup song “Gotta Go Gotta Ramble,” the bass-guitar and drums interplay driving everything along is even more impressive. Once again, soaring vocal harmonies on the title line chorus lift the mood above it's subject matter.
Bass and drums provide the focused underpinnings for the popular bpm-dance-beat “Far Too Late.” Synth twiddles, elevated background vocals and an extended guitar-noodle mid-to-outro section add needed weight to lyrics that “rattle 'round like bumper cars in your head.” Video game samples make their way onto album closing track “Flip” which includes the appropriately related phrase “ready player one.” Standout lyric “we all need someone that we CAN do without” (emphasis added) drives home the absurdity of things we think we “need” and can't (but in reality “can”) do without.
The album is out on CD in record stores worldwide and streaming everywhere on March 24, and is up for pre-order at www.bigstirrecords.com, the BSR Bandcamp page, and online retailers now.
A year ago this month Canadian “mod” indie rockers Star Collector received an initial DaveCromwellWrites review feature on their video single “Green Eyes” off of their 5th album “Game Day.” The band is now back with a recently released 6th full-length “Attack, Sustain, Decay . . . Repeat.” Twelve songs in all, the DCW microscope now digs down into this latest work for a track-by-track review.
Opening track and the album's first single “Feel It Comin' On” benefits from a lively video to accompany it. Bursting out of the box in full motion, power-pop guitar chords and snare-to-tom-roll-drumming thunders underneath memorable slide guitar riffs. Consistently thematic in style, video imagery colorfully displays the 4-point musical-reference meaning of the album's title. As singer/songwriter/frontman Vic lays the vocal lines, “It's all or nothing” becomes an immediate catchy bridge hook. There are elements of The Who-style full band punctuation on end-of-verse-lines “my time,” “what's mine” and “stone jive” - where, bass guitar, and power chords lock in for emphasis. On reaching the title line chorus, a smoother plateau is reached with somewhat softer vocals. Momentarily putting the slide down, lead guitarist Steve rips a killer solo, just after an amusing lyrical bridge that references “pie,” “cookie jars,” “pile” and “rile.”
Check out this super fun song and video here:
Next cut “Beat It To Death” doubles-down on that power-pop prescription, with slashing guitar chords and bass guitar/drums tandem accents. Sweet wah-wah pedal riffs add a momentary Clapton-esque feel to it all. “The Back Of Your Head” comes on initially with a quieter, unaffected vocal style paired against a single guitar only. With the band kicking in fully after a minute and a half, buzzing guitar chords and Keith Moon drum fills are the preferred modus operandi. The songtitle meaning ultimately becomes clear as a metaphor in being able to see what's coming behind you. “Halfway Home” comes wrapped in an easy cruise groove, musing on life's journey as one big circular adventure.
“Running Through The Rain” adds a rich sonic element of organ into the mix, enhancing background vocals and an emphatic chorus. Similarly, a big-time guitar riff stitching the verses together is only surpassed by the nimble-fingered guitar solo midway through. “Black And Baby Blue” builds around an acoustic guitar, soft brush drumming and intimate vocal reading. Dealing with confidence-turned-self-doubt issues, essential lyric “holds you down, without a sound, and what else can you do?” defines the mood.
“If We Can't Take A Joke” is propelled along over a buoyant bassline that runs like a snake through the entire track. Drawing it's title from a common expression, it's ultimately used as a summation for perceived unrequited efforts. “Crashin'” brings back that classic cowbell-on-percussion groove and crunchy chords/bass guitar tandem. Rhyming the title word with “fashion,” “passion,” “smashin'” and “trashin'” seems like the most sensible thing to do.
“Cross My Heart” is a gentle finger-picked acoustic guitar driven number engaging in clever wordplay about a serious matter. Namechecking two popular “Tonight's The Night” songs ( one referencing first love, the other devastating addiction) ending in eventual loss. “Broken Butterflies” rides a groovy secret-agent-man bassline under verses sung with deep-voice aplomb. Crunchy guitars return on a chorus that serves as something of a pep talk on the harsh realities of life.
“Nineteen Dream” comes on with an easy, gradual groove, saving the full-band bombast for emphasis on the weightier passages. Reflecting back on a life where “the years just fly away” but noting “still got some things to say.” Final cut “Don't Have To Fold” closes out the album with defiant conviction wrapped in a hard-charging rocker. Musing on the passage of time, it's title references a cardplayers “hand” in this game of life.
Dig into this whole album here, along with how to acquire it and the bands entire catalog:
Connect with Star Collector via their Social Media here: Facebook - Instagram
The frequently reviewed here vocalist Bryce Boudreau of the band Lunar Twin has collaborated with Italian recording artists Dead Miranda on a track off their latest album “Anima.” That records final track “The Valley Below” pairs Mr. Boudreau's voice with producing and recording artists Humbert Allison ( Vocals , Guitars , Bass and Synth) and Luigi Limongelli ( Programming and Effects , Drums). The results are an intriguing musical alliance that now receives a detailed review below.
A rising siren-like synth wave are the first audible tones before a deep-jungle percussive pattern commences. The mood is instantly dark and mysterious as the snap, crackle and popping beat slithers forward. Various textures make their way into the mix, like extended-note guitars and a variety of effects. Bryce begins his vocals in a hushed whisper, offering: “On the outside, in the night time ever wild in desert below.” The rhythmic pulse picks up with intensity, and repeated lyric “blood red moon” is separated by a strong guitar notation. A distant bubbling pulse commences underneath the more dominant bass+drums progression, adding one more ear-engaging level of sonic depth. The guitar figures become more frequent and intense, powering over top of the rhythms as vocal lines “Fly away/ I’m gonna fly away” and ultimately song title reference “In the valley below” bring the track to conclusion.
Listen to this killer track and find out how to acquire the entire album here:
Previous reviews of Bryce with his band Lunar Twin on this site can be found Here, Here, Here, Here and Here.
As the alarming year of 2020 comes to a conclusion, this annual year-end “Best Of” recap features an eclectic collection of musicians who've all earned inclusion. While live shows were still “a thing” in the first two months, the world took a sudden turn shortly after that. Recorded music became more important than ever, and this site continued with a steady flow of reviews on much of it.
Original writing on each artist placed emphasis on their respective creativity and craft. What follows is a chronological timeline of those individual singers or bands as they first appeared here over this past year.
It seems like so long ago, but 2020 started off with the ability to attend in-person live shows the way we always had, before this pandemic hit. Early January presented the opportunity to catch Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter Kira Metcalf in an intimate setting at NYC's Rockwood Music Hall. Additionally her single “Cheap Kind” received a deep dive analysis.
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Long-time e-friend Bill Dwyer came down from the more northern city of Boston to play New York's venerable nightclub The Bitter End on Sunday, January 5th. Filling that venue with a full set of his original music (capably backed by his electric band), his 'Americana' storytelling approach was enhanced by the more complex instrumentation.
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SINthetik Messiah is the working "band name" for the equally mysteriously named electro/industrial bass sound designer Bug Gigabyte. Based out of the bayous of Louisiana, he is the main composer, producer and engineer for all recordings under that moniker.
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The Carvels NYC play classic-era downtown NYC original roots rock and roll. Super fun song and video “Late Night Heart” received the DCW Feature treatment.
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Birmingham, UK based glam-rockers TREMENDOUS capped off the month of January with their unplugged version of single release "Like Dreamers Do." Since then their debut album “Relentless” has been released and can be acquired by checking out links via the bands social media.
A significant live show happening at the end of January serves as the opening salvo for February's DaveCromwellWrites extravaganza. An opportunity to catch one of our (newly re-energized) living legends (recovered from health issues) should never be missed, if at all possible. As far too many of our most influential musical heroes move on to the other side with unsettling frequency these days, a finite amount of chances remain to celebrate their work with them. Newer, still-emerging artists creating work that fascinates also found their way into that month's feature as well.
Goth/Glam-rock legend Peter Murphy returned to New York City for a week-long residency of make-up shows at the East Village venue Le Poisson Rouge. Playing an entire set of David Bowie music in the form of a Tribute show, the man and his excellent band delighted the audience with one classic Bowie song after the next.
Opening the show was New Orleans Drag Performance Art singer Vinsantos. Previous work includes touring with David J, who is also a founding member of Bauhaus.
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The seemingly boundless energy of Philadelphia-based creative force Tom Lugo re-emerged once more with the debut album from a collaborative project Cielo Oceano titled “The Space Has Always Reduced Me To Silence.” Partnering with like-minded guitarist and programmer Andres Lugo, astral atmospherics are blended together via keyboard and guitar textures while pulsing bass-lines and crisp piercing percussion provide sensory motion underneath.
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Puerto Rican gazey/dreampop ensemble Un.Real released a gorgeous, floating track ”Lovely one / Islands,” serving up mysterious places of wonder and reverential beauty.
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Heavy psych-n'-gaze-rock is well represented on a blistering track from Cardiff, Wales UK's Excellent Skeleton. At nearly 10 minutes in length, “Stop Waking The Sun” serves up epic proportions unleashed with unabashed sonic cataclysm.
The month of March introduced enough global fear of pandemics and economic turmoil to rival what were once considered too far-fetched to be true doomsday scenarios. It's as if the T-Veronica virus depicted in those outlandish Resident Evil movies were now with us all. With it came “social distancing” and the increasing concern to limit contact with others. As such, this month began focusing solely on musicians working in more self-quarantine surroundings.
Originating out of the Western Australian city of Perth, psych rockers Mystery Tapes released the digital single “Cold Habit.” Described by songwriter/producer/guitarist and vocalist Zack Yusof as an attempt at modernized blues/country-style lyrics enhanced through the sonic prism of today's pedal-board FX accompaniment, the track showed insight within their creative process.
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The mid-western US locale of Canton, Ohio serves as the home base for I Fight Fail, a three piece emo/hardcore-melodic-pop unit that released the single “All I Am.” Alternating instrumental spaciousness and fury is paired with lyrics focusing on the dream world.
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The Brighton, England independent music label Shore Dive Records is always good for a steady stream of intriguing new music. Specializing in limited edition releases, they provide a treasure trove of worthy material otherwise obscured by larger entities hammering away with oftentimes less creative (but more heavily financed) promotion. One such band that found it's way onto the DaveCromwellWrites landscape was the Russian collective COSme. While the announcement of Shore Dive reissuing the band's debut album came a month or so back (release number 34), the positive impression made on first (and repeated) listen(s) required deeper analysis.
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Canadian duo Paragon Cause released a single titled “Lost Cause” and DaveCromwellWrites lent an ear for analysis and words on the inner workings of this track.
Four new bands made their way into the April 2020 DaveCromwellWrites analytical universe, safely arriving via this modern day equivalent of a digital shield.
The continuing interactive relationship with niche label Shoredive Records and its steady pipeline of releases provided this site with London, England's Velveteen. Their EP “Bluest Sunshine” showed a clear affinity for the early 90's developmental years that brought us all those incredible albums from My Bloody Valentine, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Cocteau Twins, Boo Radleys and Swervedriver.
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With the release of their full-length album “Agitprop Alterna,” Peel Dream Magazine - the collective fronted by NYC musician Joe Stevens shared the single “Is It My Body” as an additional reference point to a sound that is both unique and appealingly familiar.
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A discovery to this site at this time was the Toronto based Canadian acid-punk / post-hardcore / progressive-screamo band Pilcrow. Their most recent recording to date, “Fever Dreams” served up five tracks of hyper-charged aggression that is equal parts meticulous and chaotic.
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It had been a little over four years since Austin, Texas rockers Ringo Deathstarr put out a new full-length album, however the release of their latest self-titled effort offered up 13 new songs. Having featured the band 10 times here on this site dating back to 2011 (with live shows attended as early as 2009, and most recently this past November) the opportunity to dig into these current tracks provided it's own unique adventure.
Six must review features wound up in the ever-evolving (mutating?) DaveCromwellWrites pantheon for the month of May. This chosen path of descriptive analysis and “writing about music” remains a repeated selective process on what (and who) to write about. Once those decisions have been made (a non-scientific juggling act of purposeful choices and random chance taking), the actual joy of putting words together in a satisfying manner flows rather quickly.
Having previously explored the separate creative work of Gardy Perez and Tom Lugo on their recent projects with Cielo Oceano and Un.Real, the duo returned to team up under the name MAYU with a new collaborative track “Theia.”
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With the release of their latest full length album “What We Started,” Canadian ethereal alternative/electro-pop duo Paragon Cause delivered 10 new songs (and first single “Lost Cause” radio edit) less than a year after their “Lies Between Us” EP. Once again enlisting the Production (and now co-songwriting) skills of Raveonettes mastermind Sune Rose Wagner, a veritable treasure-trove of new ideas came to fruition.
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The sheer sonic overload and multi-genre appropriation of 100 Gecs combine a level of computer and engineering skills with DJ and gaming savvy. Like-minded genre bending disrupter Dorian Electra joined the Gecs on a remix of "gec 2 Ü" setting new standards for computer and autotuned vocal, cyber-pop.
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Making sure to check out recommendations from trusted sources more often than not opens your ears to something new and interesting. Such was the case with dream-pop duo Drab City, who combine an intriguing mix of dub, hip-hop and jazzy vibes into their aforementioned dreamy vocal sound.
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With the release of their three-years-in-the-making first full-length album “Ghost Moon Ritual,” moody pacific coast duo Lunar Twin shared their electronic dream vision with the world. Over the course of that 3-year time period, Bryce Boudreau (vocalist/songwriter) and Chris Murphy (multi-instrumentalist/producer) crafted 13 songs in all, working from their respective locales of Hawaii and Salt Lake City.
New and innovative artists in their respective genres had the Cromwell periscope focused on their work in the month of June.
The balancing act of humorous lyrics with quality music is exactly what you get on Ian Lockwood's EP “Nasty.” The five tracks cover a variety of subject matter, with emphasis on the internet life we all now live.
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Shore Dive Records comes through once again, with their momentous 50th release rolling out the debut EP “Shades And Whispers” by Polish emo-dreampop band Waterville.
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Japanese trio mouse on the keys released their four song jazz piano EP “Arche.”
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SINthetik Messiah returned with a new release “Split Damage,” serving up two tracks exploring and reinventing that 90's trip-hop sound. Savvy PR Company New Dark Ages did their part in helping to spread the word about this release.
The one thing we can all count on is the need for creative types to continue making their art. Musicians who spend a lot of time writing and recording as part of their ongoing routine continue to focus on new songs and videos as their primary outlet. The joy of deep listen analysis and the words that flow from that once again featured in the month of July here at the DaveCromwellWrites global consortium.
Julian Kerins is a musical tour-de-force and frontman for his own sophisticated indie rock power trio. He is the complete package of songwriter, virtuoso guitarist and polyphonic vocalist with a 6 octave range. Accompanied by bandmates Michael Vetter on drums, and Michael Schuler on bass, a full 10 song album “To Solemn Maia” serves as the current full-length release.
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Internationally acclaimed extreme metal band Lamb Of God released their eighth studio album and first in five years, choosing to go with no title other than the bands name. Now two decades into their explorations of brutally aggressive rock, this Richmond, Virginia conceived quintet have taken their place alongside contemporaries like Metallica, Slayer and Pantera. An official video for the track “Gears” comes along with the album, serving to add a visual element to the lyrical and musically intense storytelling.
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Back in late April the electronic-music and fashion-forward duo Turbo Goth released a new song at the height of this world pandemic. Calling the track “Quarantine Dreams,” it was referred to it as “a groovy love song” created for interpretation and reflection on applying your dreams through positive actions going forward once this crisis is finally over. That original track received remix treatment by three creative entities, all given the Cromwell review.
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Darkwave artist Cat Hall (aka DISSONANCE) released a new single and visualizer clip for her song "Precipice." Described as a lament of personal struggle, her ability to transcend emotional pain and physical scars has ultimately produced this beautiful work of art.
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Documentary filmmaker Matthew Levin shared a new episode of his “Translove Airwaves” series titled “Krautwerk Umarmt Liverpool” in a limited run preview setting. The psychedelia motivated producer presented an immersive look into two German musical pioneers who have teamed up under the moniker “Krautwerk.”
August seems to always come with a slight twinge of melancholy that we've now entered the third and final real month of summer. Along with the pursuit of one more perfect beach day, a new batch of music releases from various corners of the globe were reviewed as well.
Blues-rockers New York Junk evoke the streets of NYC on their latest record “Dreaming,” released on Tarbeach Records. Recorded at Golden HIVE Studio in Prague, Czech Republic at the end of 2019, it was mixed and mastered in February 2020.
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Carrion is an Industrial Rock band from the northern forest lands of Norway, founded and fronted by lead member Adrian Kjøsnes (working under the moniker Hide Beliya`al) Single release "The Blood Ov Saints" was the first new material since last years full-length album “Iconoclasm.”
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After 10 years with the influential NYC noise-rockers A Place To Bury Strangers, bassist Dion Lunadon stepped out to pursue a full-time solo career. He released a new track “When Will I Hold You Again” as a duet with vocalist Kate Clover, dedicating it everyone whose been separated from loved ones as a result of this current worldwide pandemic.
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Sydney Australia's gazey, dreampop and psych-rock collective Trillion released a 5 track EP “Move To You,” and a debut video for the single “Soft.” Recording their individual parts separately as one might suspect during these harrowing times, the end result shows a determined creativity in spite of those challenges.
Mid-September 2020 had this site rolling out a number of compelling new releases that receive detailed reviews, along with an exclusive in-depth interview. With live shows still on hold, recorded works become even more paramount in the audio artists creative life. The opportunity to conduct direct a one-on-one interviews via phone and email still provided a formidable option for the music writer to gain insight into an artists latest project.
Jody Porter released a brand new album "Waterways" and offered up insightful answers to questions about this record, as well as his entire career so far.
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New York City's The Carvels recorded a new full-length album live in one of the city's better equipped music venues. “Live At The Cutting Room” serves at the band's debut long player, released on Die Laughing Records. Originally set to be recorded in front of a live audience during a show back in March, those plans came to a halt due to lockdown closures of the city's music venues. Creatively regrouping with a revised approach, the band got the nine track album recorded two months later at this legendary (now empty) venue.
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Indie rock/dreampop band Just Like Honey released their gorgeous full-length album “Into The Wild” on the now very familiar Shoredive Records.
A select collection of diverse and eclectic musical artists were hand-picked for feature review during the month of October. While the frequent and familiar rock styles of goth, dream-pop and gazey ambience were once again represented, so too was the work of an improvisational virtuoso. The essential commonality running through all of these works is a deep emotional commitment to their respective artistic styles.
Glamorous Italian singer and musician Elle Noir released a new EP “Like A Black Doll,” which emphasized poetic lyrics, strong music composition and exquisite piano.
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Trans-continental duo Sally Haze released their six-track second EP “Wet Dream,” serving up a refreshing blend of DIY dreamgaze (and more).
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New York-based progressive jazz guitarist and composer Oz Noy released his latest album “Snapdragon.” The full recording contains six original compositions, plus a cover of the Zombies’ “She’s Not There,” two Thelonious Monk pieces and the exhilarating track “Looni Tooni.”
A combination of innovative original instrumental music focusing on keyboards and guitar served as the primary entry point for the November Feature. A greater appreciation for musicians composing and recording more sophisticated works of art shared space with a quality pop song.
Keyboardist Brian Charette released his full-length album “Like The Sun” earlier this month. Featuring 13 mostly new original compositions, it was recorded during the first months of this years lock down. The instrumental tracks forge a new hybrid sound that combine electronic beats with the richness of traditional organ textures.
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Musician Afonso Dorido is a Portuguese artist who creates instrumental music under the name Homem em Catarse (which translates to “Man In Catharsis”). Earlier this year he released a 10 track album titled “sem palavras / cem palavras” (in English - “without words / hundred words”) that delves into a heady mix of dreamgaze, ambient, slowcore, classical and emotional musical styles.
Punky pop rockers GIFTSHOP released a brand new song and video homage to pink and pastel 80's era MTV video lore with their track “Stylish Junkie.” Recorded and shot with safety protocols in place, the slick and professional sounding track fits seamlessly along with it's accompanying video.
Dave Cromwell has been writing about music since the dawn of the internet age. In addition to the steady flow of features here on this site, he has been a regular contributor to The Deli Magazine (both Print and Web) since 2010. With numerous Print Issue cover features and weekly contributions on the Deli website, scores of artists have received the Cromwell point of view. Along with ongoing contributions to this site and The Deli Magazine, Dave has written for Dingus, My Social List, The Waster, Spin and Rolling Stone magazines.
