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Grammy Nominated Instrumentalist John Burke Releases “Rift”

John Burke is an artist and composer with a vibrant, kaleidoscopic twist and a unique approach to his sound. “Rift” is an exciting shape-shifting tracks that combines folk, classical music and other influences into a driven mix. Clocking in at over 8 minutes, “Rifts” echoes the work of celebrated composers such as Yann Tiersen or Alexandre DeSplat, just to mention but a few.

The beautiful string sections complement the round piano chords beautifully, almost as if the strings and the keys were chasing one another in a playful whirlwind, like autumn leaves before they touch the ground. The beat of the song is minimalistic and bare-bones compared to the intricate melodic arrangements, but it does a great job at keeping it all together.

 

Finnish Duo Us! Release Mature Pop Video “Miracle”

https://youtu.be/b1pzgjd30_w

It is great when you hear bands and you struggle to see quite where it fits into the musical canon. Well, I think so anyway, what’s so good about conforming to what has gone before. That Miracle is based on a pop vibe is not in any doubt but this Finnish duo add so much more to the usual commercially viable package. Pop is at its best when it is slick and well produced, but on top of that here is a band which reveal in elegance and maturity and almost classical vocal deliveries, pop has often been big but rarely this clever.

It sits somewhere between chart accessibility and musical theatre, retaining the infectiousness of the former and absorbing the integrity of the latter, and in both audio and visual spheres Us! demonstrates that there is a welcome alternative to the jarringly saccharine careers pursued by several of her peers. Not only a great song offering an alternate take on what pop can be about but one which reminds us as much of where the genre has come from as to where it is going. Us! Are great and their success is not only most welcome it also seems inevitable.

Milena Releases Uplifting Track “He”

London based singer-songwriter, piano player and all round multi-talented performer has released her second album Everyday featuring “He”, an uplifting track representing a zealous confidence across all musical platforms, and fusing a classical element to the pop genre. Milena is an artist who takes her career seriously. Through every ounce of detail in writing her own songs, the sheer positivity in her performance and not to mention the amount of passion she expresses in her stride. Yet, what stands out in “He”, is the nonchalant attitude she depicts; Milena’s cheery attitude is an obvious natural element of her character, and is what gives her music personal style.

The subject of “He” is traditionally meagre, but the performance of Milena is what increases the song’s prolific competence. Milena passionately sings, “He gives me all that I need/Is it possible to fall in love with him”, it’s not so much the lyrics which draws us into the track, but the devotion Milena shares with music. As the track reaches its close, Milena puts the nail in the coffin with an unexpected solo on the piano, ending the song as it started, with pure elegancy.

-Aly McHugh

Julia Freifeld Sends An Important Message With Video For ‘Only Human’

Not only is Only Human a fantastic song, it is a song with a very important message. Made in support of Domestic Violence Awareness, it and the video it comes with are both so powerful due to their minimal approach, allowing the point of the song and video to engage directly with the listener without any distractions.

Built fundamentally around a clear, almost classical vocal delivery, with only haunting piano notes framing the words, the subject matter of the song stands out in all its stark yet impassioned fragility, delicate yet powerful, beautiful yet haunting and resonant. Music is a powerful tool, the perfect way to get your point across and as this song proves, often it can do so with the minimal of ingredients and letting emotion and space becoming instruments in their own right. You can never overstate the power of understatement.

Emily Graye Stands Out From The Pack With ‘The Art Of Lying’

Emily Graye works at a wonderful collision point where the alternative meets the mainstream, were the popular meets the underground, where the infectious meets the more considered. Musically she blends electro-pop rigidity with classical-synth washes and a vocal delivery that is both ethereal and direct.

It is these contradictions which make her stand out from the pack, she has an accessibility not normally associated with artists working in similar leftfield realms but also an integrity unusual in pop circles. Lyrically she wanders between the thoughtful and the confrontational, the profound and the profane and it is the swirling juxtaposition of musical worlds, this scattergun blast of ideas and this seamless blend of sonic exclusives that definitely make her one to watch.

Jennifer Zhang Releases Dreamy Pop Video ‘Knell’

https://www.facebook.com/TheJenniferZhang/videos/698808183661464/

As someone whose creative boundaries know no bounds, from filmmaker and teen author to internet media developer to food writer, it comes as no surprise that when it comes to her music it works to the same high bench marks she has set herself in her other endeavours. Taken from the album Escape Emotion, Knell is a heady blend of modern pop, chilled dance, washes of classical texture and emotive ambience.

Pop can be many things, such is the breadth of ideas it carries but here instead of pandering to its more obvious elements, Jennifer Zhang works in its dreamier and more exotic climes, a place more about intangible atmospherics and subtle musical motifs than the bolder and blatantly obvious hook laden pop that is the generic norm.

Tee Noah Releases Hip-Hop Vibe Track ‘Sunday Service’

Tee Noah is a rare phenomenon in today’s musical climate. Someone who is able to blend accessible R’nB, dance, pop, even rap and hip-hop vibes together into songs which are both familiar yet fresh and on top of that create something which rises above mere commerciality. He has found or rather deftly created that magic combination of tracks that are infectious and accessible, and at the same time mature and exploratory. Not something you stumble across that often in a genre normally aiming for the quick buck.

But his debut ep, Out of My Mind is a brilliant showcase of how you can play to both ends of the market. The pop kids and club goers will certainly find a lot to love in its sultry grooves and vibrant moves but his ability to wander way outside the usual generic boundaries, throw in rock guitars and neo-classical harmonies will also appeal to those looking to see where popular music goes next.

Check Out Alya Elouissi powerful minimalist song ‘The One’

Between the classic, and indeed classical voice, and the plaintive and minimal piano lines, Slovenian polymath, Alya Elouissi weaves a ballad about identity, dedication and of self-belief. In these days of mass celebrity and a copycat artistic ethic, she uses these traditional musical materials to remind us of a universal truth. Be The One, sometimes it really is all about you, follow your dreams. They may sound like clichés in these cynical times but maybe it is something that the world needs reminding of.

And for the minimalism of the musical building blocks, The One is a powerful piece, it is polished, understated yet powerful in all the right places, it tugs heartstrings without playing the schmaltzy card, it is the sound of what happens when you take the idea of writing a sophisticated yet commercially viable pop ballad and give it to someone who really knows how music works.

Calton Kelly releases ‘Chaos’

https://youtu.be/OSh1Y5F2U28

As the plaintive piano lines build into more dramatic crescendos and brooding strings drive the song into a higher gear you realise that even commercial pop music can be a thing of simple beauty. Whilst others might throw the studio kitchen sink at a song, work out intricate dance routines, design hooks and melodies via workshops and board meetings,  Calton Kelly reminds us that it’s all about the song. It is about passion and integrity too but thankfully this lad has all of that covered. And then some.

Gentle and spacious neo-classical cascades meet electronic beats in a melding of present and past, tradition and technology and as strings sweep past, brooding cellos swoop and distant violins soar, the simple, understated majesty of the music is set free. It’s great to find a young modern artist who is able to embrace the past as well as head into the future.

Alternative Artist ‘Little Sain✚’ Drops Remix of Track ‘Round and Round’

The best music is that which doesn’t sit neatly into any one genre, and in not doing so it shows an understanding that such constructs are at best self-imposed limitations, at worst sonic demarcations reinforced by those to afraid to explore beyond their own comfort zones. Little Saint is happy to wander across such artificial boundaries, a perfect example of the post-genre world that we find ourselves in.

With each listen you uncover more layers to this subtle and supple musical blend. Hip-hop beats and trip-hop anticipation builds a structure on which Little Saint hangs the more expected grime and rap references but also chilled late night jazz saxophone, plaintive neo-classical piano, ambient dream-pop and an inherent soulfulness.

Sounding like the score to a film that was too emotive to ever be shown to the masses, the music often hangs almost beyond reach, like morning mists being described with classical piano passages and minimal beats, and electronica that comes across like half heard radio white noise, the distant voices of aliens or angels being harnessed into a language that we have yet to learn.

It isn’t often you bump into music like that is it?

When discussing the recording process of the track, Little Sain✚ cites,

“The remix happened fairly quickly. Genesis Elijah heard it and put his part on it the same day. We didn’t really discuss anything conceptually because he just felt it and knew exactly what to do. When I heard his verse I was really excited because he took the feeling and became the song. I think he raps some really clever lyrics on there too”

‘Round and Round’ is accompanied by visuals that were created by artist Dr. F**joy consisting of more than 5000 digital paintings made from just one photo taken of Little Sain✚. The track has been released through Halogram Records and more information about Little Sain✚ can be found on his social media pages and official website.

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Little Sain✚ on Twitter : https://www.twitter.com/tniaselttil
Genesis Elijah On Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/genesiselijah
Dr. F**joy On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drfuckjoy/
Little Sain✚ Official Website: http://tniaselttil.com