 |
The uplifting flamenco guitar on "Spanish Incidence" floats seamlessly
over a hard-chopped drum beat. PurpleSkunk beautifully fuses organic and electronic
elements for a booty-shaking masterpiece. It's somewhat reminiscent of the Neptunes-produced "Like
I Love You" on Justin Timberlake's debut, only without the dramatic teenybopper's
singing. |
 |
| |
This Joggers track
makes me think of the laws of entropy: all things devolve into chaos unless energy
is added. The song is full of crazy, disjointed elements held together with raw power.
It reminds me of seeing math-rock bands in the '90s, and hearing this track on Download.com
Music the first time made me feel like I stepped into a tear in the fabric of space/time. |
 |
| |
With expertly plucked acoustic strings and a mumbling vocal style, Valery's
Kin have
perfectly encapsulated the mixture of childlike wonder and dreadful foreboding
2004 produced. Flutes, drums, and multitracked layers of ambient noise lend an
overtly pagan sensibility to the proceedings, while biting lyrics keep their
antifolk edge razor-sharp. |
 |
 |
Texas spawns plenty of skilled guitarists, soulful vocalists, and sharp songwriters,
but Ian
Moore's new record, Luminaria, offers ample proof
he's all of the above. "New Day" is epic, soulful, anthemic, rich,
and moving. |
 |
 |
Proving that a home-recording artist can reach the same epic heights as some of rock's
most treasured icons, Gordon
Lee Weaver creates over-the-top, '70s prog-rock
that belies a deeper intellectual core, sounding like Queen with a PhD. |
|
| |
Between the thick grooves, dirty guitar riffs, and golden honey-rasp of his attention-grabbing
voice, Ellis
Hooks stakes his claim in classic '70s southern soul territory,
picking up where so many Stax/Volt greats left off. His music's such an immediate
thrill, the songwriting so well grounded, he just might prove himself the next
Wilson Pickett—big words, yes, but well deserved. |
 |
|
