Archive for the ‘Review’ Category

THE LICKERISH QUARTET return with THREESOME VOL. 2

Posted: December 30, 2020 by Soda in Alternative, New Release, Review, The Lickerish Quartet
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The Lickerish Quartet have done it again with their next EP installation. Full of sugar, spice and everything RAD. This EP takes off where Vol. 1 left us but with even crazier and more colorful arrangements. Soaring vocals, music for days and uber tight songwriting once again grace this release. So refreshing yet so familiar as these veteran masterminds come back together to bring the Universe these bright and beautiful sounds. A very much needed medication!

PREORDER HERE: https://shop.bandwear.com/collections/the-lickerish-quartet-shop

Watch the wild and fun video for lead single “Snollygoster Goon”:

Anthrophobia – Altered States EP review

Posted: November 11, 2020 by Soda in Altered States, Anthrophobia, EP, Review
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“Similar to social anxiety or social phobia, anthropophobia is the fear of people. Unlike social anxiety, however, which often relates to feeling uncomfortable in crowds or a group context, anthropophobia symptoms can occur when the patient is in the presence of a single person.”

And now that you know the definition of Anthrophobia, can we change it to “absolute badassery”? Man! This new EP, Altered States hits so hard on each track and every single note. Certainly played with conviction, these guys have delivered a great package that’s a bit aggro, a bit punk and a whole lot of shit-kicking rock. These PA vets know exactly how to grab you by the ear and then by the throat. Singer Frank Phobia goes for the final blow with each syllable and the band is so no nonsense that you can’t help but bang thru the EP 3 or 4 times in one sitting. Lead single “Ghosts” is 1:57 of pure fast driving bliss. Anthrophobia is nailing a sound that is sorely missed without sounding dated or desperate.

*For enthusiasts of Corrosion Of Conformity, Clutch and old school White Zombie*

https://anthrophobia.bandcamp.com/music

Order the limited edition vinyl at their Bandcamp page which also features the EP Grind plus bonus tracks!

Black Sugar Transmission – The Flowering album review

Posted: June 3, 2020 by Soda in Andee Blacksugar, Black Sugar Transmission, Indie, NYC, Review, The Flowering
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THE FLOWERING

Part two in the Black Sugar Transmission trilogy of 2020 continues this week with, The Flowering. Like any other great trilogy you cannot wait for the counterparts to arrive, I’m waist deep…and not disappointed. When an artist dares to release three records in a year you wonder how a blueprint may be laid out for such an endeavor. In the case of The Flowering (successor to Wandering Into the Bullseye) it’s not necessarily a step up, but more like a dynamic dart to the left. Which is wonderful. An intriguing thing I’ve always felt about Andee’s music is that it’s very familiar yet completely fresh at the same time. As The Flowering blooms, it is at times jarring like a classic NIN record (“Death Is Breathing”) and at others like a soundtrack to an 80’s movie drenched in neon (“Through the Torture”). Savory and decadent, it does its share of glamage to your ears but also has real proper indie rock street cred. This is just another trophy in the glitter lined sonic case in the Black Sugar Transmission world. I will await this quicksand to fully engulf me when part three arrives but for now I’m fully content clinging to the branches of The Flowering to stay afloat. Check out lead single and video “This Is Crazy Town” just below.

Katie Toupin – Magnetic Moves album review

Posted: September 18, 2019 by Soda in Alternative, Indie, Katie Toupin, Magnetic Moves, Review
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Katie Toupic - Magnetic Moves

Jeepers! I AM SO HAPPY that this record was put on my radar! (Directly by the artist herself, mind you). If I were to put into words, quite literally, a vibe that I get from this wonderful piece of work…it would be (now picture this)…playing 16-bit video games in a 1950’s style ice cream shop at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. Pretty F’ing rad, no? Now imagine that vibe translated to an album of songs and you get Magnetic Moves, the debut full length LP from Katie Toupin (former Houndmouth).

Title track and lead single is a fuzzy little dancey number that could have been plucked from the late 80’s or early 90’s in all it’s disc drive glory (accompanied by an equally nostalgic video). “Here’s my heart, my dignity too. Take it slowly like, most men do.” And you better listen boys AND girls (to this, and the rest of the record).

Although the album gives you a fun starting line as a launch pad there is a lot to offer here that digs a bit deeper. “Moves” is romantic, honest and at times even gospel and so well crafted in both lyric and arrangement. It’s the slow dance that is “Someone To You” and the yearning beauty of “The Hills Are Calling” that can get you really wrapped up in this record. And then there are songs on here like, “In Your Dreams”, a fun bopper you can put on while you clean the house. Katie’s got ya covered here.

Magnetic Moves is a record that is commercially and structurally sound without losing any of it’s indie street cred. And that is a huge nod to Toupin for penning such a wonderful record as that is certainly a fine line to tred. So, don’t sleep on this one gang!

KATIE TOUPIN

(For enthusiasts of Amy Correia, Metric and Amy Winehouse)

Blindside – GRAVEDIGGER single review

Posted: July 10, 2019 by Soda in Blindside, Gravedigger, New Release, Review, Single
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“I’m not here to tell you about a dying world, I’m here to tell you that you’re not dead yet…”

Blindside - Gravedigger

THANK GOD FOR BLINDSIDE. They have returned with new single, “Gravedigger.” Precise and urgent and full of power and soul. Plain and simple.

Almost exactly 8 years ago Blindside left us with their 2011 record, With Shivering Hearts We Wait.  If this new single is a sign of what’s to come, well, it could not come fast enough. Maybe I am biased as I absolutely love this band, but let’s face the facts here. We want to be moved and shaken and feel, it’s long overdue. Where is that passion? It’s right here. For what so many others lack, this quartet from Sweden are desperately trying to pick up the slack for. Blindside is that type of band, continuing to wear their heart(s) on a tattered and dirty sleeve that has survived storm after storm. – The band had done some teasing on social media late June and announced the new single on the 24th. After a brief delay it went live early July accompanied by a lyric video (see below). Waking from their slumber Blindside has let out a scream that must be heard. As perfect and tightly woven as “Gravedigger” is, the rawness that the band possess is still honored, and every shattered piece is spit shined. Have they outdone themselves? Quite possibly, but it is hard to say with just one song. That being said, the band always sounds fresh and well rested on every record and better and better. No need for unnecessary bells and whistles on “Gravedigger”, it stands firmly on it’s own with no disguise. – LISTEN AND TELL YOUR FRIENDS.

A time capsule kinda evening with Lisa Loeb

Posted: April 5, 2017 by Soda in Lisa Loeb, Live Shows, Review
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Less than a week ago I had the pleasure of seeing Lisa Loeb perform again. I’d seen her only once, and it was 20 or so years ago in NYC when I was kid. I remember being so happy after watching her play and being able to be a part of that time when she was really at a peek and I myself was just learning how to be a singer and a songwriter and really absorbing the moment. Now, so many years later and having seen her again was a similar experience but different at the same time. I realized her influence even more.

Promptly taking the stage at 8pm, Lisa and her guitar looked more petite than usual in the Boulton Center on Long Island. Moments into the performance you knew that you were truly in on something special. The room was full of people that were very eager. It was obvious this woman’s work had come to be adored.

Lisa Loeb Live @ The Boulton Center, Long Island 03.30.17

Lisa Loeb live @ The Boulton Center, Long Island 03.30.17 (Photo by Soda)

 

Lisa played and sang and regaled us with a number of stories that spanned the course from her time just starting out up until that very moment. I mean, who wouldn’t want to hear stories of someone coming up in the early to mid-nineties in NYC. Sign me way up! This particular performance was full of those stories and just about equal to the songs given like precious little gifts, and, I was one of the lucky people there for the unwrapping, (thanks Blacktop Records). Hits like “Truthfully” and of course “Stay” were delivered so delicately with connections to the stories that went along with them. Lisa told us about how “Stay” of course changed her life. She was at number one without a record deal, we learned how that happened thanks to the film Reality Bites. It all sounded so magical. We were also treated to songs like “The Disappointing Pancake,” a tune true to it’s title. If you didn’t know, Lisa has also become successful in writing songs for kids, she also has an amazing foundation called Camp Lisa in which all proceeds from that recording of the same name goes to help children who can’t afford a summer camp experience to have one.

Myself and Lisa Loeb, Boulton Center 03/30/17

Myself and Lisa Loeb, Boulton Center 03.30.17

We could sit and listen all night long. It was intimate and personal. She has the charm to make you feel like you’re the only one in the room. Throughout the performance Lisa may have forgotten some words and had to poke around a few chords as well as a very nimble guitar intro in which she was very happy to have learned because it was “the guitar AND bass part rolled into one”. Those happy little mistakes made only for a better show, one in which a successful songwriter, an actor, an author and more…can just seem so, human. Tales of her friends and her children made you feel like you’d have known Lisa your whole life, and…that is a true gift. I certainly hope I don’t have to wait a bunch of years to see the one and only Lisa Loeb perform again as some shows you want to just get lost in. Thanks Lisa!

Check out the latest Lisa Loeb album, Feel What U Feel, out now.

Lisa Loeb - Feel What U Feel