Propelled forward by a steady, demure drum groove and rounded out by silky-smooth bass licks and vibrant keys, the various elements of "Set Your Spirit Free" weave a light-as-air, jazz-style tapestry in which every individual thread feels like lead line unto itself, while remaining inherently laced to the others in service of the greater whole.
"Hymn to Virgil" mines elements from almost as many musical idioms as its source material did characters from classical myth. It evokes a cavernous yet dense atmosphere thick as an arboreal mist and heavy as six feet of soil, and from that fertile sonic ground springs something that sounds like indie folk gone dark pop gone movie score.
On "Reincarnated," past and present, characters and archetypes, author and invention all blend together from verse to verse and scene to scene, shifting into each other with the logic of a dream.
"Josh Tillman and the Accidental Dose" is at it's core a classic-sounding chunk of tuneful, piano-and-guitar-driven melodicism, underscored by a colorful and ever-present orchestral accompaniment. The phrase "Beatlesque" immediately spills out to describe this particular union of elements, though "Accidental Dose" owes much, if not more, to later additions in that particular musical idiom the Fab Four helped to define. Tillman's soulful vocal is more Joe Cocker than McCartney, and song's almost playful arrangement recalls something that could be found on Nilsson Schmilsson as much as it does, say, "I Am The Walrus."
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Joey Wit’s ROSE GOLD arrives like a shot in the arm for the indie/alt rock rock scene, blending introspection with the kind of kinetic energy that’s destined to leave a mark. If you are a fan of Silversun Pickups, The Stone Roses, or Oasis, this album is for you.
From "Yellow" to "Viva La Vida" through to more recent chart toppers like "My Universe," Coldplay singles have been a near constant presence in the records of popular music. It's difficult, then, to imagine that chain finally breaking - and deliberately, at that. Nevertheless, lead singer Chris Martin alleges that the band's latest release, "ALL MY LOVE," is not only to be the final single to accompany their recent Moon Music LP, but also the last proper single of Coldplay's career.
Though frontman Robert Smith might protest easy categorization, The Cure are without a doubt one of the seminal gothic rock bands of all time. Pop-twinged and radio friendly hits like "Friday I'm in Love" or "Just Like Heaven" exist alongside the kind of haunting, angst-filled odes like "One Hundred Years" or "Lullaby" that helped define the goth rock phenomenon. "Alone," the legendary band's first new release in well over a decade and the lead single from their upcoming album Songs of a Lost World, sees the band return to that latter sort of peak brooding form after a considerable hiatus.
Up-and-coming indie quartet Nicotine Dolls take their name from an epithet the band's members coined to describe a particular breed of anti-social partygoer who would rather retreat to outdoor solitude for a quick drag than endure a crowd, so it's a bit ironic that the band is perhaps best known in the public eye for similarly shunning the limelight.
Earlier this week, Vancouver-based Indie darlings Peach Pit dropped their new track "Magpie" in advance of its eagerly anticipated, similarly titled parent album. Magpie's October 25th release will be the band's most recent since 2022's From 2 to 3, with this titular single being their first musical offering since that album's "Vicky." "Magpie" sees Peach Pit - who have previously characterized their music as "chewed bubblegum pop" - coloring their trademark aesthetics with layers of rich harmonic fuzz. No pun intended.
Tantalizingly groovy, tastefully multi-cultural and, ultimately evoking a sense of effortless calm - not stillness, but utter calm - "Peaceful Place" is the type of song where the mere act of listening refreshes in the same way a deep breath of fresh air does.
