Industry without inspiration never leaves a lasting impact. Hard work and discipline often produce a reliable product but, without the spark of love behind its creation, posterity will take a dim view of its ultimate worth. Ten years ago, worldwide charting singer/songwriter, musician, and producer Stephen Wrench launched Musik and Film, LLC, henceforth referred to
Samuel Pratt
As a tribute to Phil Collins, superstar, recording artist Rocky Kramer has just released “Mama.†Just as with Rocky’s other covers, (Comfortably Numb by Pink Floyd, The Show Must Go On by Queen, and a host of others), he’s right on the money. Kramer originally from Norway, is a heavy metal master of disguises with
Black and white images of convulsions spurred forth by religious experiences. Over-saturated colors filter moving pictures of a rock n’ roll band in a similar fashion, presenting their new song to us as a dark bluesy hymn more than it is a pop-styled single. There are plenty of reasons you’re going to get lost
There are few music scenes in the American underground that are as iconic nor as recognizable as Seattle’s, and while the Emerald City has been falling short of the success that its west coast counterparts have been enjoying lately, it’s presenting audiences with quite the interesting new sound in Pretty Awkward’s “Misfits†this August. Not
While I had never heard of her music before picking up my copy of her new single “Hurt Me,†I knew there was something special about Taylor Colson’s brand of melodicism upon the first time I listened to this latest release. Affectionate in spirit but entirely jarring in its poetic construction, “Hurt Me†rues over
“You don’t wanna be caught unaware / You don’t wanna be lost where else / And you don’t wanna be blinded by the night / Letting the world steal your sight†croons a heavenly lead vocal from behind a whispering acoustic guitar in the opening lines of the single “Rapture†from Lavendine. The words here
Streaking in Tongues have been steadily building up quite the reputation in the American underground over the last few years, and if you give their latest LP Live from Lockdown a listen over the late summer season, I think you’re going to understand why. In thirteen of their best songs, Streaking in Tongues explore the depth of
Virgin albums are never easy to start nor finish, but when listening to the new record Through out These Years by Daniel Tortoledo, the entire process sounds rather simple and seamless. In songs like “You Can’t Have It All,†Daniel Tortoledo eases into his lyrics with a relaxed attitude that only grows stronger as he straddles the
The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus have seen a lot of changes in their time in the spotlight. From the different trends that have reshaped the pop-punk and post-hardcore they became known for to the constant chaos occupying the airwaves at 11 every night, 2020’s earth is hardly the same one this band tried to conquer when
King Falcon are fresh out of the studio with their debut single “Shake! Shake! Shake!†and its companion music video, but if you didn’t know their backstory, you’d probably think this song came off of their third or fourth album. The pair’s sound is uncomplicated and very intense from top to bottom, but melodicism is
There’s nothing quite like a buoyant pop beat on a hot summer day, and that’s exactly what you’ll get in Little Hurt’s new single “Alaska,†out everywhere quality indie rock is sold and streamed this July. A structural tribute to the old school that lacks any of the so-called “throwback†qualities that tend to prevent
Paul Mark and the Van Dorens’ Gravity is the third album in a trilogy that began with January’s Smartest Man in the Room. The second album Stowaways came out in April of that year and this album of eleven original compositions brings a curtain down on this extraordinary burst of creativity with imagination and tremendous dramatic value. Mark’s songwriting has
Los Angeles hard rock band Zero Theorem’s battle rages on in the enigmatic track “Swarmâ€Â. Capturing the buzzing and dystopian mood of Blade Runner and drilling the listener with a two-fold rhythm attack, “Swarm†quickly sets this five-piece blistering outfit apart on both the audio and visual playing fields. Hell bent on interpreting society’s shortcomings
“Two love struck dreamers / We were broke, but we had something / I was to blind to see the beauty in the nothing / Nothing to lose†croons a carefree Johnnie Mikel in the chorus of his new single and lyric video “Nothing to Lose.†Co-written with Blair Daly, Mikel doesn’t hesitate to put
One of popular music’s most positive songs, “I Can See Clearly Now†has been covered by several artists since the original No. 1 recording by Johnny Nash in 1972. The latest band to show the song some love and shower the listener with awesomeness is The Side Deal, comprised of founding members of Train, Sugar
If there’s one knock I have against Heartour’s new album R U In, it’s vocalist and songwriting Jason Young’s insistence on adding light post-production effects to his singing. His voice is more than capable of carrying the album’s ten songs without the questionable benefits of studio trickery. I understand his reasoning behind it, but it comes
Following a brief tribute to the people of Morocco and their esteemed royal family, the opening frames of the music video for Ilyah’s new single “Habibi†immediately transport us to the Hollywood hills, where the pop singer is spending a little time getting fitted for the clothes to fit his rock n’ roll image. The
Francine Honey has come a long way in the six years that have gone by since dropping her 2014 breakout LP, Re-Drawn. Another pair of albums came in the last two years – 2018’s powerful To Be Continued… and last year’s Take Me to the North Pole holiday record – but this spring, she’s offering what could be her most
Canadian pop artists are having an amazing spring right now, and you needn’t listen any further than the new sounds of Gianni Bodo’s latest single to understand why. While the American underground might have bested Bodo and his countrymen in the last couple of years with regards to the pop beat, songs like the single
“Einstein, Michael Jackson & Me: A Search For Soul in the Power Pits of Rock And Roll” is a powerful and brilliant ode to a behind the scenes look at the music industry and what goes into the making of a superstar, an idol, a legend. Author Howard Bloom having been one of the greatest
Sébastien Lacombe Releases Single A gentle beat born of a plodding percussive texture. The gliding ethereal glow of an acoustic guitar chasing after an electric lead in pursuit of our affections. An opulent lead vocal in the center of it all, whose very tone seems to tell us more about the narrative in this song
AV Super Sunshine has made his reputation over the years as a purveyor of five star rock pop recalling traditional rock on some of his earlier work yet percolating with modern components. Earlier work like “Time Bombâ€Â, “I Am Alienâ€Â, “Bass Faceâ€Â, and “Are You Happy?†established him as a major force working in concert
When we personalize our efforts to engage the world, the positive impact we create is powerful. Anyone can hold up a sign, march shoulder to shoulder with others in the name of a particular cause, or reel off a bevy of slogans and adages we believe illustrate solidarity with an issue. This observation does not
Philadelphia’s serenader and prolific recording artist, Hughie Mac, turns back time with is song choices, but keeps the energy high in the delightful Hughie Mac Sings Some Great Songs Pt. 3. There’s a reason these songs are timeless and Mac’s adoration for the songs that defined American music for the past 100 years is one
2020 is shaping up to be a fun year for pop fans around the globe, and if it’s indie grooves that turn you on the most, Rob Alexander’s Being Myself record is probably already on your shelf. Released in late 2019 to a boatload of applause from critics, Being Myself has since spawned three big singles, the latest coming
“Savanna,†the second song in the tracklist of Jonathan Emile’s new LP Spaces-in-Between, doesn’t get more than two seconds into its running time before it’s got us swinging our hips to its funky groove, but as is the case with the vast majority of its counterparts on the album, listeners will have to hear the
The music video for Andy Michaels’ sleeper hit single “Darling It Hurts†starts off a lot like most lyric-focused music videos do; a melody, a mighty verse before us, an some kindred imagery to convey a deeper narrative existing beyond the poetry Michaels is singing to us with such a passionate delivery. But, with that
Mark! Welcome. You have said that you will be putting out a new EP this year. Can you tell us the name of the first single you will be releasing? Hi! Thanks so much for having me. Yes! I’m super exited for my EP coming out in May. The first single, “Hand to Holdâ€Â, is
Surreal, at times postmodern, consistently visually provocative but not quite enigmatic in the way that so many of its stylistic counterparts on the mainstream side would be, the music video for Thomas Charlie Pedersen’s “Must Be The World,†lead single from his second solo record Daylight Saving Hours, is quite the captivating watch to say the
Slick but not overproduced with a heavy synthetic backdrop (an unfortunately common feature in modern pop music), the rhythmic beats adorning Morgan Mallory’s new single “Bullet†represent our first intoxicating glimpse into the track as well as the formidable backbone of every verse we’ll hear. Mallory straddles them with ease in this song, utilizing their