Browsing Tag

Cabaret

In an act of divine imagination Jessamine Barham advocated for carnival performers in her anachronistic single, Freak Show

In an act of complete ingenuity driven by compassion and divine imagination, Jessamine Barham advocated for the rights of performers in carnivals in her aptly carnivalesque single, Freak Show.

While AHS Freak Show gave a view into the exploitation of performers when it aired on our screens in 2014, it didn’t even come close to cutting to the bone as sharply as the lacerating lyrical volition in Freak Show.

Sure, the waltzy, anachronistic cabaret instrumentals cushion the blow and add a jaunty air of playfulness to the release, but there is no escaping the revelation that everyone who has ever attended a show that parades deformity and disability participated in a sick and twisted session of voyeurism. If you love Amanda Palmer, you’re going to fall head over heels for Freak Show.

Roll up to the Freak Show by heading over to YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Fairweather Friend pained an illusion of entropy with the descending melodies in their dark cabaret score, Zoetrope

With their distinctive brand of despondent dark cabaret, the up-and-coming histrionically enthralling artist, The Fairweather Friend, left us arrested with their latest single, Zoetrope.

The bitter-sweet neo-classic crescendos bring a touch of archaic elegance to the single as the Westworld-Esque honkytonk piano keys diatonically hammer home the sinking sensations portrayed by the lyrics, which allude to the dizzying disposition of entropy. Zoetrope easily up there with one of the most resonant singles I’ve heard this year, beating Amanda Palmer’s cover of Surface Pressure by a cinematic mile.

We can’t wait to hear what else is in the pipeline from the criminally underrated artist and their inhibited compulsion to extend solidarity to anyone out there who knows just how much the touch of ennui stings.

Zoetrope was officially released on November 23rd. It is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Rock n roll’s suavest literary savants, Dead Writers, reached the pinnacle of decadence in their Dostoyevsky-inspired debut music video, Lisa

Dead writers pulled out all the suave stops for their rock n roll cabaret single and debut music video, Lisa, inspired by Dostoyevsky’s Notes from the Underground.

The second single from their debut EP is a slight departure from the gothy Manics-Esque gravitas we heard from their previous release, Among Spirits. Nevertheless, the same zealous dedication to their savantic sonic interpretation of classic literature lives and breathes through the decadent tale of resilience which follows the tale of a young woman trapped in a life of prostitution.

With themes of isolation, self-resilience, and salvation in the turn-of-the-century set music video, it is clear that modernism hasn’t abstracted us from those character arcs. Pulling parallels and finding resonance within this tinged with demure darkness Avant-Garde riff-caressed feat of rock n roll that will leave you arrested by the unparalleled artistry is all too easy.

Lisa is definitive proof that Romance isn’t dead. It crescendos throughout the tenderly nostalgic balance between sadness and admiration of feminine power. I’ve often maintained that no man wrote women better than Richey Edwards; Paul Shine may have just set the bar a little higher with Lisa. It amorously rivals the lyrical salvation that will perpetually reside in Little Baby Nothing.

“Inspired by Dostoyevsky’s novel Notes From The Underground, the song tells the story of isolation, self-reliance and the eventual salvation of Lisa, a young woman trapped in a life of prostitution. Lisa is able to detach herself from the danger and despair of her environment and the challenging presence of a bitter client, thus reshaping the original narrative and becoming the heroine of her own tale.

Lisa represents unwavering strength of character. She dreams of freedom but is brave enough to wait for the right moment to escape and knows how to navigate the circumstances. She is the ultimate quiet strategist.”Dead Writers

The official music video premiered on December 9th. Lust over it on YouTube.

Stream & purchase the single via Bandcamp. 

Follow Dead Writers on Instagram and Facebook. 

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Unique Russian Quintet The BlueStocking return with new Rock/Dark Cabaret single ‘’Bulletinawallet’’

I’m so fascinated by ’The BlueStocking’. I’ve never quite heard a band like this before in all my 39 years of being on this planet. They are completely unique and their interestingly mysterious mesh of Prog Rock and Dark Cabaret, makes them a name to watch in this music genre.

‘The BlueStocking’ features the vibrant Kira Mikheeva on lead vocals and keyboard, Hellen Dergaus on drums, Kat Soloviev is on bass and backing vocals, Egor Gavrilin – saxophone and last but not least- Ilya Gorohvodatskiy completes the lineup on guitar.

The Russian group have pushed ‘’Bulletinawallet’’ as the lead single from their debut album, the recently released: ‘Algedonic’. The singing starts off powerfully and I feel like the band would have much success with their music in movies, as it fits in due to the dramatic feel and ever changing flamboyance. Subtle changes throughout to keep you on your toes is the name of the game here. This is perfect music to wake up the neighbors who kept you up the night before.

‘The BlueStocking’ describe themselves as ‘Three gals and one guy from Moscow creating progressive-aggressive-post-pop-punk-cabaret.’ The band take their name from an 18th century term for educated, critically-thinking women – absolute outcasts at the time.

Before our eyes is a group that is improving all the time and it will be interesting to see how they progress after playing more live shows. This is a solid effort from the newcomers who are expressing their creativity in a positive manner. I’m excited to hear what ‘The BlueStockings’ bring out next and have a feeling it will be full of maturing as the band works out what sound they want to project to the world.

Stream The BlueStocking here on SoundCloud

Review By Llewelyn Screen

Psychedelicacy – Fairground: A Uniquely Indulgent Jazz Infusion Playlist Essential

It’s no great surprise that Glaswegian Neo-Soul artist Psychedelicacy’s recently released single “Fairground” hasn’t failed to garner plenty of attention.

The uniquely indulgent Jazz Infusion track offers a beguiling mix of Cabaret, Pop, RnB, Jazz and Soul which is as cathartic as it is endearing. And it’s not every day we can say that about a track. But perceptibly, Psychedelicacy’s prodigally improvisational style permits their soundscapes to ooze distinction.

The smooth Jazz instrumentals create the perfect platform for Anna Wood’s expressively accordant vocals which add plenty of personality to the track around the guitar and sax solos.

Fairground may not be everyone’s cup of tea. In fact, it would be fairly insulting to the ingenuity of the track to insinuate that it could ever be comparable to something so commonplace.

You can check out Psychedelicacy’s track Fairground for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Premiere: James W Howard is set to make their debut with their cabaret-inspired Rock Pop single “Twirling The Rosé”

https://soundcloud.com/jameswhoward/twirling-the-rose/s-4ysIDgsZaUr

By drawing from everything from Musical Theatre to Classic Rock to Pop, James W Howard has created an eccentrically uplifting track with his debut single Twirling The Rosé.

Queen fans will definitely be enamoured by the theatrical soundscape which is led by infectiously melodic honky-tonk piano and infused with nuances of Psych Pop and Rock. Adding even more jaunty appeal to the single are James W Howard’s vocals which stand as a testament to his talent as a natural performer.

It’s safe to say that I haven’t heard any new artist offering the same kind of contagiously euphoric exuberance as what you’ll find when you hit play on Twirling The Rosé.

You’ll have to wait a little longer before you can check out James W Howard’s indulgently upbeat sound for yourselves. In the meantime, you can head over to Facebook, Soundcloud and Instagram and keep up to date with news of future releases.

Review by Amelia Vandergast