Review: Yelawolf's "Trial By Fire" Album

The southern rapper's third release starts with a dirty and cold hole in the wall. Presenting another showcase of background entertainment. When the host of the event notices Yelawolf in the building and graciously hands over the microphone to the 37-year-old, giving him the opportunity to a formal introduction, in regards to the intro track and for the titular concept of the record in its entirety. 

The album becomes more dooming going into "Shadows", a song about growing up with a moral compass that through series of unfortunate events, becomes lopsided, morphing into an uneven bubble of sin surrounding him. While simultaneously fueling up on unapologetic anarchy. Featuring Joshuah Hedley, a relatively fresh face to indie folk and country, Hedley captivates the chorus with a grand and bold vibrato giving a bone-chilling guest spot that equalizes points alongside Yelawolf's inner confessional memoir style. One that creates descriptively terrifying wordplay, but refrains in his subtle and undoubtedly potent storytelling without going for a one-two punch of shock and horror. Even more effective, is Yelawolf eerily calm presence, making the track more delightfully grim.  (If your aching to continue a trifecta of dark-toned intense rap, listen to the ending limbs of the record; the frightfully intense, "Sabrina" and the melancholic "Violin")

Thereafter, a solid flashback with "Get Mine" gives a fierce and talented taste of Yelawolf's range as a rapper. Flexing his early love of Beastie Boy-style east coast hip-hop. The track, more or less, jumps out with energy, even though it features a guest spot from Kid Rock that only provides a less than memorable chorus. Giving the type of retro rap exterior, a missed opportunity for Rock to dust off his aggressive flow came and went.

After a lukewarm coming of age without a father figure cut "Son of A Gun", a track that is aesthetically sound, seems to contain a slick and strangely too upbeat vibe sonically for such a serious subject. Alongside it, the emotional ballad dedicated to the people who never doubted his musical climb in "Ride Or Die", does allow Wolf to open up, but the production value and shimmering undertone beat just seems like an EP insert that seeped in a full-length record.

Its an obvious contrast to the roomy live instrumentations breathing life as much as Wolf's charming swag in tracks like "Daylight", a track that grooves, rocks, bangs, and provides a bittersweet meaning of his freedom and knowingly wasted intoxicated lifestyle.

Even if the chorus gets repetitive, "Do For Love" is a better version of "Son of A Gun". Yelawolf gives a harsh reality check on the abandonment of his father and the heartbreaking sacrifice his mother endured, asking the audience and presumingly himself, 'What Would You Do For Love?"

Ultimatly, no other track has Yelawolf, real name Michael Wayne Atha, encapsulating his true complimentary element than "Punk" a swinging hip-hop/southern rock hybrid providing a stronger flare thanks to guest drummer and fellow hip-hop lover Travis Barker. "Punk" oozes vitality and charisma, even when the breakdowns featuring Juicy J gives the listener some time for space to enjoy some brief chill-hop, the Three Six Mafia member's spot is plentiful and neat, but as soon as Barker rounds up and returns the song into the steam train it should be, that is when this fourth and final single from the album really hits all cylinders.   

The deeper Trial By Fire dives in the better it gets, tracks like "Row Your Boat" with its fantastic blend of live guitar riffing integrated into a creamy beat creates a cool, calm, and sheer entertaining addition.

Thankfully, more then half of Yelawolf's third major release is not only just palatable, Trial By Fire is one of the most underrated releases of 2017, even though the record is under Shady Records, Yelawolf and Co. will unrightfully stay in the background of the hip-hop zeitgeist. Which seems like a bad thing at first, but will most likely bloom into a cultural and nostalgic, universal appreciation several years from now. 

B

Stream/Download "Trial By Fire" on iTunes

PROS:

• Great use of under the radar guest appearances by Joshuah Hedley and Bones Owens. As well as unusual guest spots by Country artists Lee Brice and Wynonna Judd who fit well with the overall tone and subject matter.
• Yelawolf's effortless range. From intensity to thoughtfulness, to sincerity to horrifically descriptive.

CONS:

• Distracting/unneeded guest spots by Kid Rock and Juicy J who offer little to their respected appearances even though the selected tracks are still overall favorable.
• "Son of a Gun" and "Ride Or Die" underproduced sore thumbs inside a mostly live instrumental setting.

PICKS OF THE HERD:

Shadows

Get Mine

Daylight

Punk

Row Your Boat

Sabrina

Review: Rob $tone's "Don't Wait for It" Album

The San Diego rapper's debut album opens up with a surprisingly pleasant sample of upbeat blues rock integrated inside a seemingly passionate slam poetry-esque commentary by Rob $tone, aka Jaylen Robinson, about the reality of young black America only to abandon any referring context after the fact.

Going into Little Piggy, a combination of chill-hop with nursery rhyme choruses in an almost comedic way, one might assume this fifteen-track debut album might contain a few hidden gems, but the pickings are unbelievably slim, ultimately providing a majority of holes and flaws inside this album deeming it unfortunate.

Stones' very first full-length sounds like two mixtapes put together. According to his Instagram, Stone has been through a lot of ups and downs ever since his 2015 debut single “Chill Bill” with the best merits of that track being the creative and eerie whistling melody created by the producer of the track.

After the critical success, Stone has seemingly had difficulty forming this album into existence by his record company stating on his Instagram that his mixtape was even banned at one point.
But inside the nitty-gritty of the record, most topics inside are all similar in reason.

The undeserved egotistical showmanship, which can be pulled effectively if Stones' lyrical approach was more expressive and clever. But with most, every song having a stole your girl cliche with no other alternative indications of separating himself from dozens of contemporary artists and artists before him, a manifestation of the same trap and “drank” consuming intangible immature frustration the dilutes so much modern hip-hop into a typecasting funnel.

Where the debut single from 2015, “Chill Bill” was lyrically the same, containing a universal beat that dares to have a fun aspect to it. But Stone seemed to drop anything that made his debut single attractive only to throw out poorly produced and badly marketed debut.  Giving the 22-year-old the benefit of the doubt, fortunately, he does have years and years to improve his intellectual presence in hip-hop, not to become a rapper like Birdman that consists of over 25 years of music consisting of no evolution.

Hope is not lost for Stone if he continues in his sophomore full-length and takes a more deserved time to cut fat off and tweak any shortcomings, because for this album, it seems like his record company wanted him to release new music as soon as possible before his “Chill Bill” peaking popularity started to tumble over and the end result is simply too difficult to digest.

Stream/Download "Don't Wait for It" on iTunes

Get To Know The Lone Wolf: Zacari's Soundcloud Singles

The self-proclaimed ‘lone wolf’ raised in Bakersfield, CA, now resides in Los Angeles. The unofficial new secret weapon from Top Dawg Entertainment. The singer/songwriter/saxophonist young blood has definitely shown his worth by creeping in on quite a few guest vocals on TDE alumni Isaiah Rashad and Ab-Soul. But still, Zacari’s claim to notoriety only rose intensively last April when Hip-Hop powerhouse, Kendrick Lamar, dropped his anticipated fourth studio album, “DAMN.” which had a vibrantly lush slowburner called “Love" featuring Zacari. The Kendrick track is currently nearly 10 million shy of hitting the billion hit mark on Spotify alone. So now as the after effect, a gigantic rush of attention became bestowed on the singer. Now with a debut studio album currently at works as of this posting, currently titled “New Moon”, let's look at some of his other works:

Cuffin’ Season pt.1

“It’s all cool/you undo/your hairdo/when it’s just me and it’s just you”
Zacari is an impactful force on Soundcloud. This progressive time signature and jazzy track has an intense saxophone by Zacari himself, and having over a solid 200k hits.

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2 O’Clock in the Moanin’

“Lock the door and dim the lights/cause it’s two o’clock in the morning/tell me what you like and we can do it/see with your hands and not your eyes”
The Organ/Synth Chill-Hop track bleeds loose and saturated soul with a colorfully mean electric guitar thanks to the help of producers Josh J. and DrewsThatDude, the chorus shows the first true flame of the singer-songwriter's deserving new limelight.

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I Should Be Dreaming

The heavily live instrumentation track, “I Should Be Dreaming” is a deep cut shred of shine from Zacari’s pure musicianship, blowing the reed off as a vibing saxophonist in the song’s smooth jazz/hip-hop hybrid tone. 

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Foggy Windows

The booming bassline in “Foggy Windows” is his biggest solo effort to date, sitting nicely ons soundcloud with 600k hits, and don't worry, if you use Apple music or spotify, dont freight, the bouncing track are available there as well. 

Watch out for this artist in the not so far future. The self-proclaimed ‘lone wolf’ raised in Bakersfield, CA, now resides in Los Angeles. Since then, became the unofficial new secret weapon from Top Dawg Entertainment. With commercially success for hits under their belt with Kendrick Lamar and R&B indie-hitter SZA, Zacari is in very good hands and I can’t hardly wait to hear more music on a longer playing setting full-length release. 

Review: Charlotte Bash's "Princess Game"

Lush and shiny flare in the collection of her music's bubbling 90s' Pop that in fact also contains an EDM firecracker of tracks. By borrowing live instrumentation, Princess Game's sincere blend of classical music appreciation shows. 

Universally appealing and unique, all at once, the indie style of dance-pop music jams from Bash, a professional classical singing background, tracks like the waves in "Impossible Dream", the slow burning, operatic tone shows her best factor, artistically and with great talent, by incorporating more piano work, even though some tracks on the record, needs more balanced adjustment with its quality of production, and seems sometimes suffocating, with the natural live instrumentation.  

More solid, band oriented tracks like the closing track, "Back Again" do stand out more then some of the techno side of the flow in the album’s flavor. The track "Down" featuring a cooling men's choir while Bash simultaneously and effortlessly rocks her immediate and powerful vocal range with a killer drum beat behind it: 
"Money makes the world go 'round/ Money's gonna break us down/  Everybody wants to claim us down/ But we took it too far/ I think we're going down/  "down, down, down, I think we are going down" 

Even if the verses seem to repeat itself, the upfront and riding piano makes up for one of the best highlights in the album. 

With a lively quest spot by Anye Elite, an alternative mix of songwriting, even in the likes of Madonna, with "Love In The Real World", which dominates the synth hitting cut. 

Charlotte Bash was raised in Indiana and is now residing in Los Angeles. In college, she became a classically trained soprano singer. But when she digs in her personal music, Charlotte Bash stirs in a mix blend of Elle Goulding, especially in the album's opening track "Leave" with its undeniably catchy, Ace Of Base style and chord progression.  Only more modern and toned down with its "Phantom of the Opera' mask in the record's deep switch between dance-pop and operatic, piano driven theatricals. Displaying various bittersweet themed songs:
“If you cut me I won't bleed/ I won't cry won't let you see/Gonna give you count to three/You better leave/ Take back your promises and leave/ All of those lies you said to me/I'm gonna give you count to three“.

Tracks like “Siren”, about signaling something lost, while warning from fear and wishful thinking. While a pulsing heartbeat in the likes of “Summertime Sadness” takes over the energetic track. But, at the same time, chilled hand plucked string accompaniment, truly brings the track back to a grounded stable layout. 

If you miss Lady Gaga (circa 2009), then Charlotte bash's debut is your itching fix, without a doubt. Charlotte Bash relishes in bright art pop, and it works. 

“If you cut me I won't bleed/ I won't cry won't let you see/Gonna give you count to three/You better leave/ Take back your promises and leave/ All of those lies you said to me/I'm gonna give you count to three“
 
"Money makes the world go 'round/ Money's gonna break us down/  Everybody wants to claim us down/ But we took it too far/ I think we're going down/  "down, down, down, I think we are going down" 

SZA - CTRL (Album Review)

Having such a naturally elegant voice,  the alt-r&b protege darling SZA, born Solána Imani Rowe, bursts with personality. 

The 26 year old doesn't start the album with a traditional r&b template, but with dreamy minimalist instrumentation made up of a light guitar running solo while SZA delivers dominate vibes with her subdued yet powerful vocals confessing how relationships sometimes rot by pain, passion, and equal backstabbing on the majestic intro track, "Supermodel".

After that comes the cool bass of “Love Galore", that shakes the record and gives it a pulse inside its trap beat as SZA continues to breathe out a soothing chorus' “Love... 'long as we got." Even if the verses fall flat with the transfixed production, the surprisingly fitting guest spot from Travis Scott regrettably still doesn't add enough to the table lyrically, among other more stand-out tracks. But not everything is completely modern, SZA dips her toes in old school west coast style g-funk with fellow Top Dawg artist, Kendrick Lamar as well on the provocative, “Doves In The Wind”.     

The fourteen track major label debut balances out evenly with the carefree freewill of young life with tracks mentioned, "Love Galore" and "Doves in the wind" which comes alongside rappers who are included to play devil's advocate for SZA's inner struggle with liberation, blind denial, and search for unconditional affection that revolves in her subconscious psychological door, best example being the ending end of the record, with the most experimentally involved track, “Pretty Little Birds”. The track’s otherworldly and spacious instrumentation includes an added bonus by Isaiah Rashad.  

Aching for more pop encrusted sound, the middle section of CTRL contains the hit-making quality that SZA most definitely deserves creating, with tracks like “Drew Barrymore” with its purely lucid trance, the Jersey singer unravels the core of the bold self-discovery of the album, as well as the lavished dance-pop sugary track, “Prom”, SZA may not have the most amplified voice, but her clever songwriting thrives to leave a concrete impression on the listener with undoubtedly layered melodies.

All though there are some forgettable cuts on CTRL, the overall presentation and irreversible solid songwriting, melodically and artistically, impresses wholeheartedly.  Given listeners a much needed exploration to the style of music with its content-filled and mature introspective of modern R&B.

DOPE HIGHLIGHTS: Supermodel, Love Galore, Doves In The Wind, Drew Barrymore, Prom, Pretty Little Birds, 20 Something

B+

B-Siders Vol.II - The Best Tracks of 2017 You Haven’t Heard Yet

Washed Out - Get Lost

When you first enter a party and you realize your early. You see a few people hovering over in corners, couches,and beer kegs. The beginning of Get Lost, is that scenario. The piano is hammering down on its root note freely until the drums lead the keys into a supersonic disco craving rhythm. All while back noise chatter increases the psychedelic influenced-tranced atmosphere. A new album from the Georgia born producer has yet to be announced.

Thundercat - Show You The Way

I already did a retrospective of the Los Angeles geeked out funkmaster, Thundercat a few months back in support of his recent thirty-three track record, Drunk. This sweet and smooth extra polished soul/r&b track turns down his Zappa-esque quirkiness and settles for a rich and swimmingly warm single, that includes the legendary voices of Kenny Loggins and Michael McDonald that gives the song extra kudos. Thundercat’s Drunk is out now. 

Link: https://www.dopecausewesaid.com/dope-features/thundercat-pick-of-the-herds-a-brief-introduction-of-the-la-artist-and-his-best-musical-highlights?rq=thundercat

Chicano Batman - Freedom Is Free

When you first hear of a rock band under the name Chicano Batman your initial reaction meant be something in the likes of confusion or cleverly humorous. Maybe the L.A group's name is overall amusing, but the airey and subtle passion of Eduardo Arenas, the band's lead singer and bass player, is nothing shear of pure loving protest with a subject matter that simple explains thoughtfully, that freedom is free. A great indie rock jam that resembles everything great with west coast alternative and tropicalia style rock.

DYLYN - Secret

The Toronto up-in-coming has a lot to look for and a lot to live up too. With a name that is similar to another musical artist, she wants the masses to think of another face when they hear the name DYLYN. She just started spreading her pop-tastic magic with other singles like the bouncy, “Mimosa”, this melancholic slow burner that tells a hearted tale about discovering a father's betrayal. This guitar complemented track shows off DYLYN’s trap inspired superstar quality while the young artist asks, ‘Is momma gonna love you now?”  

Kendrick Lamar (featuring Zacari) - Love

Ok, I know what you might be thinking. Kung-Fu Kenny? The most well-known rapper in recent years? Well, yes. Even though his first single, “Humble” is hitting radio airwaves across the nation, this left turn of a usually Lamar track reveals that he in fact is a human being that needs the power of love to keep any drop of sanity. To categorize the retro synth sampled track alongside rap songs about “love’ (like the forefather of thugs need love too anthems, LL Cool J’s “I Need Love”) gives the undeniably refreshing tack a disservice. Kendrick’s “Love”, is a realistic depiction of trust, fear, doubt, and happiness, all shuffled in one attracting hook by newly unknown R&B singer, Zacari Pacaldo, who deserves to be on this list on his own merits alone, with his cloudy delivering chorus that gives a run for our money.

Kylie Odetta - Stress

Discovering artists like the 19 year old soul of Kylie Odetta always reminds me how much music is out there that doesn't breakthrough. With a mature songwriting style to the likes of Amy Winehouse and Norah Jones combined with the energy and likeness of Tori Kelly and Taylor Swift. Odetta is a perfect middle ground of catchy pop with classic jazz and neo-soul instrumentations.  

Winston Surfshirt - Be About You

It's usually a good sign when a band’s very first offering is a good one. First starting off as a solo act by lead vocalist Winston Surfshirt, he very quickly started recruiting local musicians and now has a six-piece live band that backs up his alternative hip-hop artistry. The Australian act has only two singles out since January 2017 and now has head started their first national tour. Hopefully this slick R&B/nu-disco track isn’t the best offering they will ever have. But it is a fantastic first impression.  

Dirty Projectors - Work Together

This ever-morphing indie act doesn’t stay in one stylistic frame. From the synth-dance tunes of Stillness Is The Move, to the more grounded and underrated Swing Lo Megellan. Now the group has forever shifted into a solo venture that may be an interesting and forever endeavor. With a recent split of bandmates and longtime couple David Longstreth and Amber Coffman, Longstreth buried his mental state into his music, abandoning the group aspect and poured all his heartbroken pain in his new record simply titled, Dirty Projectors, that hits the nail with the hammer in its statement of starting over. The song is sporadic, fat in layers, and lyrically bittersweet in lovelorn. 

Forever - Falling

To avert to a simpler jam. This canadian born blossom has already given us a self-titled EP the year before. Now her 2017 offering is a chillhop calming dance number that rides the easy going loop that, similar to the aforementioned Winston Surfshirt track, resembles a nice blend of chill-wave and nu-disco indie-pop.

Relaen - Mediantenpetting 

This neo-jazz/hip-hop band from Germany is as talented one can get. The magical coolness of vocalist and keyboardist Olivia Wendlandt, in front of the rest of the perfectly tight bass and drum funkadelic tone, natural embraces its fantastical, sci-fi, and experimental groove. With a debut album under their belt to ensure an itch for more of the young german band’s high quality outfit.
Learn more about Relaen here: https://www.dopecausewesaid.com/dope-features/an-
introduction-to-relan-a-refined-mix-of-neo-soul-and-hip-hop?rq=relaen

Spotify Playlist: 

https://open.spotify.com/embed/user/audifact/playlist/16lOm6yRqv4qlND66suMqd

Review: "Undertow" EP by Kylie Odetta

Some artist try to invent new borders. To reinvent the wheel and make a public statement addressing, "this sound is the new thing!"

Taylor Swift is the most recent global status phenom in recent years. But will her sound still be deemed classic and will it ever be deemed dated in the not so distant future?

Well, mostly everything becomes uncool sooner or later. The sixties were covered in hippie aroma, the seventies was a big monopolized disco bender, the eighties was overly flamboyant and ridiculously majestic, and the nineties were anti-pop until around '96, when it rebelled on the initial rebellion and ended up churning out sweet bubblegum jams from groups like Aqua and Spice Girls. In those late 90s', a sleeper hit rose up by the London based funk rock group Jamiroquai's "Virtual Insanity" that embellished in late 70s' funkadelic, creating a new and more importantly, young fan base. In the case of Kylie Odetta, her jazz/soul influenced songbird nobility might of been difficult to breakthrough with the high demand club bangers and over-tuned pop anthems that usually take over the Top 40 charts. But now in 2017, the independent stream of value is only getting more accessible. Discovering an audience that's been accidentally hiding all this time. 

Opening track,"Sunny Day" does a good job describing the vibe with the songs title. Reminiscent of Sheryl Crow's "I Want To Soak Up The Sun" with its pretty and positive charm. Meanwhile. a rich jazz smoothie with happy organs accompany the 19 year old. Odetta is not simple taking about 'Sunshine, lollipops and rainbows" but confessing her lust for live and to always try to seize the day. The following track, ""You Don't Love Me"  is a sad love song about blind fools and the relationship lenses we often times accept. Rivaling a Tori Kelly radio hit, but with more adult lyrical undertones. The delicious guitar licks that layer the soundscapes, creates a fine mood as Odetta sings her melancholy soliloquy: "you're not saying what you mean. what do you mean? what do you mean? you don't love me. you don't love me anymore." A pure display of emotional power delivered with seamless delicacy. 

Even the third titular track, Undertow, gives an equal amount of emotional strength that only adds to the highlight. The easy and slick neo-funk instrumentation against metaphoric ripping currents: "The undertow is all i know and it's taking me down. The undertow is all i know but i'm not afraid to drown". 

These are just some examples of a perfect antidote of time and nostalgia. The young Kylie Odetta is pushing her classy, ageless tunes effortlessly (seeing that shes been a practicing professional single since the age of 12 with early Youtube videos of Odetta even performing the national anthem at a baseball stadium at the age of 13.) Her undertow is her care for her craft in music. An unknown tunnel of hardship and success. Odetta has created her own personal time to breakthrough and what a perfect time to do so. If Amy Winehouse was an old soul in disguise, then Kylie Odetta is her younger sister. 

Only with a indie pop twist as a hint of Norah Jones coolness embraces her preferable piano driven songwriting.  

B+

Purchase on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/undertow/id1228329996

Interview With Nostalgic Chill-Hop Producer JINSANG

Jinsang has been trickling a hefty collection of vibrant snippets since his debut single, "Summer's Day" in September of 2014. Now, three years and five solid releases later, all that Jinsang (real name Ben) has done is completely master the art of jazzy hip hop grooves. I had the pleasure to talk to him about the future of his musical endeavors.

Jinsang is a pretty unique name. How did that name come up?

I honestly got it off from reading the ingredients off an Arizona can I just drank back then. I had no personal connection with it, but the name just rung with me at the time.

Well, what is your real name?

My real name is Ben.

Do you have any musical background before you became a beat maker?

I've toyed with piano in my childhood and played guitar for a bit in high school, but other than that I have none.

Okay, I asked that because a lot of the samples in your music are very old school R&B, jazz, and old Hollywood style string accompaniment. Are you more influence with music of the past?

Yeah, I grew up with a lot of jazz and 70s music as a kid. My parents liked it a lot.

What are your thoughts on most mainstream hip-hop playing on the top 40?

Whatever pleases the masses

Your music is so atmospheric, would you ever be interested in scoring a movie?

Never thought about doing it, but that would be dope!!

Your beats contain such a natural ear for melodies, you would be great as a producer or spread your talent on a collaboration.

Thank you!

What’s one artist you would love to work with?

I haven't really had any artist I've thought on collaborating with at the moment.

Well, what are you going to do after school? Is music your only venture?

Music is nothing more than a hobby for me. I'm pursuing a job in audio engineering.

Audio engineering? That's not a bad route.

Your album titles, “kona park”, “solitude”, your newest record “life” they all have very specific themes. What does each album you made represent to you?

These albums were really just myself putting the atmospheres or vibes I felt during various periods of my life. Kona was like reminiscing on the simplicity of summer back in 2013. Solitude was when I was at a point in where I just felt I had disconnected from most people I was close with, and the beats I made were just a way to cope with it. Life was for a transition I had from high school to college, a new step in life I was curious for. 

Has a lot changed since you first release your debut “Summer’s Day” back in 2014?

Most definitely. My craft has changed a lot since then.

I believe you create one of the best style of ‘chill-hop’ today. Not a question i'm just glad i get to chat with an artist I like.

Cool! Much appreciated!

If you want to hear some of his meditated lo-fi glory, check out my top ten tracks of the young producer below:
https://open.spotify.com/user/audifactory/playlist/6joTqu33sST6r4qCx9LBqD

Connect with JINSANG: Twitter   Facebook

An Introduction To Relaén: A Refined Mix Of Neo-Soul and Hip-Hop

You know it's good hunting when you need to translate a Facebook page to find out more details. The band’s name came from a nickname people used to call the lead singer, Olivia Wendlandt, when she was a young girl and the name stuck.
 
Relaén (pronounced Re-lane) is a fresh and intriguing band from Germany. Dabbling in Hip-Hop, Progressive, Jazz and Neo-Soul, the young quartet just released their debut album, “Twines”, last November alongside a mesmerizing cover art created by the lead singer herself as well displaying an elegant deer with neon ears.

A few months later and the band isn’t stopping, Relaén's newest double sided EP titled, 
"ΜΞDΙΛΝΤΞΝΡΞΤΤΙΝG ♥ ΒΞΛΤ ♯4” is dropping on the 21st of April that consists of another eye-popping visual cover art. This time not so much elegant, but more so trippy and other-worldly. The EP is releasing on Wadada Records, a European label that are up and comers themselves forming last year in 2016.

Olivia Wendlandt AKA Olive Yahh's on keys and vocals, Leon Mache's on bass, Leon Raum's on drums, and Marco Zugner's on sax and synth. 

With only a debut under their belt, the selection for digging gold mines is slim but this rising band has a lot to work with and we can’t wait for more. The psychedelic dreamscape that is “ΜΞDΙΛΝΤΞΝΡΞΤΤΙΝG” is only a taste. 

Stream/Download “ΜΞDΙΛΝΤΞΝΡΞΤΤΙΝG”: https://wadadarecords.bandcamp.com/album/d-g-4-ep

Connect with Relaén: Facebook   Bandcamp

Review: American Dreamer's "Restless Nights"

Formed in Austin, Texas, this earthly ensemble of alternative pop and orchestrated folk depicts budding life experiences seen and expressed through thriving musicianship. This universally appealing band consists of: Audrey Lee (Violin), Courtney Castaneda (Cello), Dana Wygsmans (Back-up Vocals, Bass) and Sasha Klare-Ayvazian, the band's vocalist, guitarist, composer, and founder. Besides being the main fuel in American Dreamers, Ayvazian is also a teacher with a Masters degree in music and all that educational dedication to the study of sound influences his engaging singing and songwriting.

The record is filled with rich and charming tracks like the strumming acoustic trances coupling with emotional strings in the warm opener "Open Your Eyes" that speeds up the pace into a lightly lifted atmosphere, the slow ballroom waltz in the melancholy tale of loneliness in "When Your Away", the rock rooting blues inspired "Start-Stopping", and the instrumental quick but strong beauty in, "Lullaby". This eleven track golden gem is also accompanied with the colorful and artistic music video for the single, "All The Time". Restless Nights is the band's debut full-length album. A mature and professionally sweet record.

Connect with American Dreamer: Website   Facebook   Twitter   Instagram   Spotify

Buy "Restless Nights" by American Dreamer

Thundercat: Pick of the Herds - A Brief Introduction Of The L.A. Artist And His Best Musical Highlights

The Grammy award winning Stephen Bruner AKA Thundercat is an experimental bassist with a hefty and unusual amount of musical DNA. Playing in groups like the Thrash/Punk band Suicidal Tendencies with his brother Ronald Burner Jr. (Also being a Grammy award winner himself) and also connecting himself to plenty of critically acclaimed artists such as Childish Gambino and Kendrick Lamar. While working with Lamar, helped Bruner win his first Grammy with his contribution in the "To Pimp A Butterfly" track, "These Walls".

Bruner's first peak of attention towards a wider audience was has work with Flying Lotus, but with such a rich quality as a session musician, in 2011, Thundercat started to indulge in his own solo efforts. His debut album,  "The Golden Age of Apocalypse", was a bold and psycho-active R&B/Jazz fusion head rush of an effort. Even if the album was dabbling in more technical extravagance, Bruner's follow up, titled "Apocalypse" in  2013, still had the same sweet fusion of Thundercat's debut, just now with a clear and strong sense of songwriting and firm grasp on a effortless vibrant electronic psychedelic hip hop. Amongst all that intoxicating music,  and dropping a short but upgraded quality of tripping soul with The "Beyond/Where The Giants Roam EP" in 2015, and his most buzzed about record, "Drunk", releasing next Friday, there's a lot of unforeseen and anticipating great music still to come from the L.A  funkedelic.

Pick of the Herds: 
 Fleer Ultra
It Really Doesn't Matter To You
Goldenboy
Heartbreaks + Setbacks
Tron Song
Without You
A Massage For Austin/Praise The Lord/Enter The Void
Lone Wolf and Cub
Them Changes
Show You The Way

Notes:
here are some links as well

My Twitter: @sysdrumaddict

YouTube Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7r4OdTaJmCkMh9Amd0bo6njmK0VmTEiS

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Review: Cameron Murdoch's "I Love Me Too" EP

Cameron Murdoch, the twenty-six year old Minneapolis-based rapper delivers honest yet clashing thoughts surrounding the unknown that comes with finding love, expectancy towards modern day lifestyles, and the ever-blurring line between self-esteem with self-realization, all integrating in a mixed smorgasbord of alternative hip hop and low key R&B, even if it does fall short in duration, given that it is only an EP, the all-around quality in ILM2, is a small, but effective bag of goodies.

In most cases, these types of assortments contain sweet sugary production that splashes in tropical punches, made best with the bombastic single, Revival, alongside the intro track, “U Time” filtering bells that pulse like heartbeats while Murdoch conveys that in all relationships, people need time together, and also time apart. Even though the connection rhyming "U Time" with "Me Time" gets slightly overdrawn, the ending delivery, "Hold me down in the meantime", does round the song back together, both thoughtfully and earnestly when it comes to long distance loyalty.

And that’s the key to this record, loyalty, the rounded theme for an album that predetermines braggadocios underlining demeanor, with an EP titled "I Love Me Too". But, in this case, Murdoch is lovingly self-deprecation when he needs to be. On the slow burner, IWDWS, the EP cools down the mood with a far escape of high-end pianos expressing Murdoch's full form of romanticism. In the midst of Kid Cudi or Drake vibe of a loner heart, and not like the 90s boom of ‘gangsters need love too’ era of staying hard and baller while letting the only sweet girl in a swarm of bitches know that “hey, I'm not really a bad guy" but more of a wholeheartedly slick collaboration of human expression.

ILM2 is a perfect layout of Murdoch’s strengths, creating extraordinary but fun hip-hop jammers.

 

4/5 B 83%

From the desk of David Anthony G. @Sysdrumatic  
Editor @Audifact on Twitter.
Audifact.com 

B-Siders Mixtape #001

Starting off the mixtape is 'Don’t' by Brvnks. A digging hidden gem released by Dull Dog Records that has a forever calm beneath its airy sound waves. 

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This is Queens of The Stone Age mixed with traditional dirty hard rock joy. 

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The fairly popular indie rock group belts out this instant Fleetwood Mac style old school classic coolness.

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Another fresh track from this U.K sophomore release, merging glitch-hop, chiptune, and alternative pop. 

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Sometimes people need to look at eye candy, well Cubicolor’s electronica house track is Brainsugar for the perking ears. 

 

LISTEN TO B-SIDERS MIXTAPE #001 NOW:

http://open.spotify.com/user/audifactory/playlist/5sIjpk8dXDQzifH1sADS2L