Singles/Video Reviews: March 2021

Text © Robert Barry Francos / FFanzeen, 2021
Images from the Internet

Singles/Video Reviews: March 2021

Note that these reviews are alphabetical, not listed in a “ratings” order.

 

Adrian Younge
“Revolutionize”
Jazz is Dead
Younge takes a few different styles and successfully mixes them together. The song starts a bit like The First Poets, arguably the first – and I believe best – political rap groups, with sharp lyrics over atonal music. This flows into a 1970s style rhythm and sound of bands like the O’Jays, but with a sharper tone and a jazzy piano thrown in (amusingly ironic considering the name of the label that put this out). The lyrics the first part are a bit drowned out by the noise in the mix, but the message still comes through, especially on a second listen. This is the right time for this strong imagery by musician, composer, producer, and ex-Law Professor Younge, considering what is going on across America with the re-rise of a culture of hate of the “Other.”.
Can be heard HERE 

 

Amiture
“Touch”
Dots Per Inch Records
I hear a lot of people being nostalgic for the British-pop music of the 1980s. Most of that, I don’t understand. It was all synthetic beats, nonsense lyrics, and downer messaging. A lot of the videos, though, were pretty interesting (Human League’s “Don’t You Want Me,” for example). If you are one of those, you are going to love Jack Whitescarver’s output as much as I did not. Yes, I found the video stunning and odd, but the music is such a throwback to the ‘80s that I almost immediately glossed over and wanted to go turn on a garage band (perhaps the Tryfles or the Outta Place?) or some Heartbreakers (JT, not TP) to cleanse my palate. Please, if the ‘80s were your thing, you’re probably going to love this, and you should give a listen. It comes from their debut album, The Beach.
Can be heard HERE 

 

Arms of Kismet
“Potter’s Field”
Wampus Multimedia
I have been listening to AoK for a few releases now and have always enjoyed them. So, why should this be any different? The ballad here is light and airy in tone, with an almost dreamlike rock of the cradle in the breeze. It has a ‘60s garage tone, without the farfisa, relying on a triple time waltz of schmaltz. It’s not as zoned out as some meditation music, due to its razor sharpness buzz, but I found it soothing and quite beautiful. There is a lot thrown in there, from harmonious and soaring choruses to the electronic sounding reading near the end (apparently, it is taken from the final comments of Louis XVI as he was to be executed). Definitely worth a listen if you like garage influences with a modern car in the structure.-
Can be heard HERE 

 

Ashley Monroe
“Drive”
Mountainrose Sparrow/Thirty Tigers
Off her fifth studio album, Rosegold, this single is a bit confusing to me. Hailing from Nashville, the video looks like it would be a nice country pop song, but the music itself is merely a modern, overproduced pop ballad. It brings nothing new to the table. Don’t get me wrong, Monroe has a good voice, as far as I can tell; I have no idea if it is autotuned, but this is the kind of sound (not that ridiculous T. Pain electronic tone) I find with a lot of modern recordings, which I try to avoid as much as possible. Being off her nearly half-dozenth full release, I am going to assume she has a following, and my opinion hopefully will not matter a hill of beans, but this is the kind of material that lead to why I stopped listening to country. If this is the style of material she is releasing, I don’t need to hear more, but wish her well.
Can be heard HERE 

 

Haunted Shed
“Umami Bomb”
Strolling Bones Records
Athens, GA, has always been a den of quirky musicians, from R.E.M. and Pylon to Love Tractor. Haunted Shed, led by Etienne de Rocher, certainly has an unusual, almost electronic psychedelic sound. In fact, they remind me of a more modernized version of bands that came off of the International Artists label in Texas, especially like Red Krayola’s The Parable of Arable Land: a lot of noisy sounds with electronic eccentricities and standard instruments as well, with a high studio magic. The video is as odd as the music, which is apparently about food, but the lyrics are extremely hard to make out. This isn’t casual composition you can necessarily dance to, but it is nicely subversive while still keeping some rhythmic elements to it. I must say, by the time the video ended, I was definitely getting into it all.
Can be heard HERE 

 

Manolo Redondo
“Try”
Violette Records
Redondo is from the Alps, but lives in Paris. Despite that he sings in perfect English for those who feel more comfortable. He has a casual, singer-songwriter style, with just a whiff of a pop feel (in this case a good thing). Written as an aftermath of road trips in places like Paris, Mexico and the Mojave Desert, his tunes are poetic soundtracks to movement and life, as well as, indicated by the title, trying your best. It has a sweet tone with an almost melancholy underbelly of hopefulness. This is from his EP, The Lost and Found.
Can be heard HERE 

 

Mason Lively
“Happy Home”
www.masonlively.com/
From the slide guitar in the opening musical phrase, there is no question that this is deep cowboy-boots-Stetson-hat country. At a slow ballad pace and a nice classic nasal twang, Lively keeps up the tradition of a 1980s stye before it gave way to a pop influence. Lively presents us with a marital (or at least co-habitation) break-up with a blues riff and soaring chorus to give us a tale of heartbreak. Like I said, classic country. Luckily, he’s got the chops for it. Personally, I kinda stop listening to country in the 1980s when it developed a pop fusion, but this harkening back makes me reminiscent for some good ol’ boys (and girls) sitting around with gee-tars, howling at the moon in love pangs. Don’t read this wrong, it is a powerful song that belies a sound that is both a throwback and with a new twist, with a bridge that echoes a bit like it came off a Jim Croce record. This is from his eponymous second album.
Can be heard HERE 

 

Megan Wyler
“The Calling”
Nowever Records
This is Megan Wyler’s first release in seven years, having started a family and focusing in on that. Her voice is superb in this liquid ballad about “a kind of dark exploration around the disorientation of loss and where that takes you,” she has said. There is a strong rhythm that flows though the song with her voice lilting over it, moving up and down the scale smoothly. The tone reminds me of the style of Claudine Longet (sans accent), with a slight whisper, but the song builds to a surprising and stirring climax with Matt Sweeney’s guitar swelling and a bit dissonant as a counterpoint to the sorrowful sound up till then. It’s a beautiful piece.
Can be heard HERE 

 

Sloping
“Raft”
Sound as Language
From the album Completed Songs, JJ Posway (Scooterbabe) presents a singer-songwriter introspective and moody ballad piece with acoustic guitar for melody and overdubs for harmony. I have listened to a couple of other songs off the album, and this the better one. Light and airy, with more than a hint of navel-gazing, Posway slides through the song on a field of gloss, like skating on a pond under the moonlight. The song is very listenable, with a twinkle in the eye. If I got it right, the song is about not wanting his partner to feel bad if he dies (unless I misheard the soft-spoken lyrics), but even with the slow pace, it is not moribund.
Can be heard HERE 

 

Tom Jones
“No Hole in My Head”
S-Curve Records/BMG
He may be getting’ up there (a couple of songs from his new album, Surrounded By Time, include “I’m Growing Old” and “Lazarus Man”), but even after all these years, Jones does not fail to both surprise and stretch as an artist to make himself relevant. Taking cues from his acting career (remember how great he was in 1996’s Mars Attacks!), the video sets him up to confront some authority figure as he rocks out while fronted by a sitar. The song and the video show defiance, anger, and positing that, well, Tom’s the man. I love the chorus of “There’s no hole in my head / Too bad!). It’s all about personhood and the willingness to stand up for yourself. Best Jones song I’ve heard in a while. The album also sounds interesting, which includes covers by Dylan (“One More Cup of Coffee”), Cat Stevens (“Popstar”) and the classic “Windmills of Your Mind.”
Can be heard HERE