Holy shit.
Those were the first two words that went through my head as I listened to the first track on this bands Myspace page, "Money Hungry." It's not often you hear a rock-rap track with banjo in it.
What's even more rare is an indie album that sounds this good. The production is incredible, Vocalist Missy Cam and emcee ape.X weave in and out with each other perfectly, and the instrumental tracks that support them are, well, killer. There's a LOT of musical maturity here... the track "Just Don't Know" has a subtlely perfect and perfectly subtle trumpet line that adds so much, you almost don't notice it (the mark of a great 'color' element, in my opinion).
This is a truly, truly talented band. Their complex mix of sounds is impressive, but what's even more impressive is how they're able to pack so much stuff into tracks that flow so damn well. Funky, fun, danceable and remarkably mature, this bands' music should impress any listener who gives a damn.
Standouts: Money Hungry, Just Don't Know
See them live: Supermarket in Toronto, Feb. 20th (CD Release)
Link: Myspace
Monday, February 2, 2009
Hilary Weaver
Pop music is a lot harder than it sounds. Sure, writing a pop song is pretty easy... most of them follow the same structure, use the same sort of chords, have the same rhythm, etc. But writing a GOOD pop song, well, that's a lot harder.
The reason? It's almost impossible to define what makes one pop song a hit and another one a miss.
Hilary Weavers' music has all of the typical elements of pop music that you've heard before: lyrics about boys, love, and finding your way in the world.... clean vocal sections followed up by a quick 'through-the-telephone-sounding' section, then back to the 'open' sound... not a lot of surprises or twists or turns.
Which is, again, what MAKES pop music so tough: you can't stray too far from the formulas, or else you'll be too obscure for the radio, but sticking to the formulas can make it sound boring. So penning a successful song means it has to fit right into that special 'pocket,' where the elements are put together in that very special way, known to all of us, around the world, as 'a hit.'
I wouldn't say that any of these songs fit into that pocket, but damn, do they come close. "Tell the Next Girl" sounds like it could be one of the songs that almost made it onto an Avril album... and by almost, I mean THIS close.
Hilary is OBVIOUSLY a talented, creative performer and songwriter. Her voice is strong, pure, and unwavering. It's only a matter of time before the voice and the songwriting combine to hit that pocket perfectly, at which point, she'll have a hit on her hands.
If this performer sticks to her guns, relaxes a little bit vocally, and shows her personality, she could very well find her self on stage in front of a lot of fans for the long haul.
Standout: Tell the Next Girl
Link: Myspace
The reason? It's almost impossible to define what makes one pop song a hit and another one a miss.
Hilary Weavers' music has all of the typical elements of pop music that you've heard before: lyrics about boys, love, and finding your way in the world.... clean vocal sections followed up by a quick 'through-the-telephone-sounding' section, then back to the 'open' sound... not a lot of surprises or twists or turns.
Which is, again, what MAKES pop music so tough: you can't stray too far from the formulas, or else you'll be too obscure for the radio, but sticking to the formulas can make it sound boring. So penning a successful song means it has to fit right into that special 'pocket,' where the elements are put together in that very special way, known to all of us, around the world, as 'a hit.'
I wouldn't say that any of these songs fit into that pocket, but damn, do they come close. "Tell the Next Girl" sounds like it could be one of the songs that almost made it onto an Avril album... and by almost, I mean THIS close.
Hilary is OBVIOUSLY a talented, creative performer and songwriter. Her voice is strong, pure, and unwavering. It's only a matter of time before the voice and the songwriting combine to hit that pocket perfectly, at which point, she'll have a hit on her hands.
If this performer sticks to her guns, relaxes a little bit vocally, and shows her personality, she could very well find her self on stage in front of a lot of fans for the long haul.
Standout: Tell the Next Girl
Link: Myspace
Pandamonia - Unforgiven
I don't envy todays' bands. It's never been harder to be a musician. There's confusion about what to do to succeed. The only thing that everyone seems to agree upon is that touring is essential, and probably always will be.
Aside from that, the road to success is so unclear. It used to be you would seek label representation, and then everything else would work itself out and you could focus on your music. Now, the decision to seek a label or not is.. well... actually a decision.
Pandamonia seems to have made their choice: their declaration that they are "1000 percent indie" pretty much sums it up. They seem determined to do everything themselves, which I respect and agree with.
The tough part about doing that, however, comes about with challenge of setting yourself apart from the pack. As much as bands would love to dispute this fact, true success requires marketing and promotional expertise....which, in my experience, is where most bands fail, not for lack of hard work, but simply due to a lack of skills.
It would be a shame if that were to be the case for Pandamonia. Their record Unforgiven shows real promise. Their songs are well crafted, well recorded, and, well, they just rock. Seeing them live, I suspect, would be a treat. Their songs aren't anything new or groundbreaking, but I don't think they're intended to be.
Case in point: They cite Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and Eurythmics in their biography... the same biography that starts with the word 'Flashback.' Clearly, this band is reaching out to those who long for the days of classic rock bands ruling the world.
Therein lies their biggest challenge: setting themselves apart in a genre which is not only oversaturated, but perhaps past its' prime. And doing all that while remaining Indie?
Yeah, I'll say it again... I don't envy bands today.
Can Pandamonia play? Yeah.
Can Pandamonia write? Yeah.
Can Pandamonia rock? Hell yeah.
Can Pandamonia survive and break through?
Time, and the direction of the industry, will tell.
Standouts: Bad Seed, 3 Letter Word, No Ordinary Love (Sade Cover)
See 'em Live: Sullivan Hall, NYC, Feb. 12th 2009
Link: Myspace
Aside from that, the road to success is so unclear. It used to be you would seek label representation, and then everything else would work itself out and you could focus on your music. Now, the decision to seek a label or not is.. well... actually a decision.
Pandamonia seems to have made their choice: their declaration that they are "1000 percent indie" pretty much sums it up. They seem determined to do everything themselves, which I respect and agree with.
The tough part about doing that, however, comes about with challenge of setting yourself apart from the pack. As much as bands would love to dispute this fact, true success requires marketing and promotional expertise....which, in my experience, is where most bands fail, not for lack of hard work, but simply due to a lack of skills.
It would be a shame if that were to be the case for Pandamonia. Their record Unforgiven shows real promise. Their songs are well crafted, well recorded, and, well, they just rock. Seeing them live, I suspect, would be a treat. Their songs aren't anything new or groundbreaking, but I don't think they're intended to be.
Case in point: They cite Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and Eurythmics in their biography... the same biography that starts with the word 'Flashback.' Clearly, this band is reaching out to those who long for the days of classic rock bands ruling the world.
Therein lies their biggest challenge: setting themselves apart in a genre which is not only oversaturated, but perhaps past its' prime. And doing all that while remaining Indie?
Yeah, I'll say it again... I don't envy bands today.
Can Pandamonia play? Yeah.
Can Pandamonia write? Yeah.
Can Pandamonia rock? Hell yeah.
Can Pandamonia survive and break through?
Time, and the direction of the industry, will tell.
Standouts: Bad Seed, 3 Letter Word, No Ordinary Love (Sade Cover)
See 'em Live: Sullivan Hall, NYC, Feb. 12th 2009
Link: Myspace
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Send me your CD.
Are you a Canadian Band? Want to get a review for your press kit? Send me your music, I'll give it a good listen, and post some honest and straight forward thoughts on your CD. If you like what I say about it, feel free to use it in your press kit.
I'll always be honest, thorough, and straight forward with my reviews. I'm not the type of person to trash a band that isn't 'there' yet, but I'll be honest with the areas that need improvement.
Look it this way: If I give you a favorable review and you like what I say, then you can use it in your press kit. If you don't, well, you can use that honest feedback from a neutral third party to work on the things that need improvement.
So who am I, and how am I qualified to give your band a review? Well, I'm a fan of music, I'm an experienced musician with 17 years under his belt, I went to University for music, I work in the Music industry, and I'm honest and open-minded. If you have any more questions for me, you can always send me an email and I'll gladly answer what I can.
I'll always be honest, thorough, and straight forward with my reviews. I'm not the type of person to trash a band that isn't 'there' yet, but I'll be honest with the areas that need improvement.
Look it this way: If I give you a favorable review and you like what I say, then you can use it in your press kit. If you don't, well, you can use that honest feedback from a neutral third party to work on the things that need improvement.
So who am I, and how am I qualified to give your band a review? Well, I'm a fan of music, I'm an experienced musician with 17 years under his belt, I went to University for music, I work in the Music industry, and I'm honest and open-minded. If you have any more questions for me, you can always send me an email and I'll gladly answer what I can.
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