Browsing Tag

David Bowie

Robert Stone croons through the cosmic veil in this funked-up alt-rock rendezvous, Kissing Glass

Posted on 17 January 2024

Navigating through the cosmic corridors of sound, Robert Stone’s latest single, ‘Kissing Glass’, is a celestial journey, taken via the route of a harmonious blend of spacey funk and alternative rock, laced with a synth-infused new wave vibe that boldly steps beyond the shadows of Bowie-esque influences, showcasing Stone’s unique musical identity.

Stone, known for his early start in the music scene with Oblivion Grin and his intriguing hiatus, has returned not just to the studio but to the very essence of musical innovation. ‘Kissing Glass’ is a testament to this voyage, a fusion of his seasoned artistry with a fresh, modern sensibility. The track resonates with echoes of the interstellar bliss found in Inspiral Carpets’ ‘Saturn 5’ and the dark, experimental tones of Magazine’s ‘Real Life’, yet it stands firmly on its own artistic ground.

The song’s structure is a labyrinth of auditory pleasure, where each turn reveals a new layer of musical gravitas as Robert Stone’s crooning vocal performance is a revelation in itself. The charm and dedication to being a conduit of space pop-soul is an alchemic pairing which won’t fail to endear you to his experimentalism. We can’t wait to hear what follows.

Stream Kissing Glass on SoundCloud now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Duncan R Foley explores the spectrum of human emotion in his alt-rock odyssey, Colours

Posted on 30 September 2023

Anyone who keeps Pixies, Nirvana and Smashing Pumpkins in their record collection will want to decorate their playlists with the latest single, Colours, by Duncan R Foley, which pays an ode to sonic stylings of the aforementioned iconic outfits while bringing in a new brand of vibrant melodicism.

To evade the assimilative alt-90s trap that all too many artists fall foul of the South African Belfast-residing songwriter and producer introduced the romanticism of post-punk, in the same vein as Echo and the Bunnymen, into the vibrant soundscape along with the cosmic glamour of Bowie.

Using ‘colours’ as a metaphor for the broad spectrum of emotions that are part and parcel of the human experience, Colours is an efficaciously consoling release, which serves the essential reminder that feeling lonely and grappling with melancholy doesn’t make you an outlier, it makes you human.

Colours will reach the airwaves on September 30th; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Interview: Bella Moulden tells us all about her outstanding new single Wire

Posted on 15 April 2023

Chatting to us more about her striking new single Wire, Bella Moulden shows us all about her 80-synth-pop tone and her outstanding multi-instrumentalist lifestyle. Telling us more about her idols and watching proper MTV back in the day, this is a thrilling interview which will electrify and inspire many to reach their dreams.

Hello, there Bella. Please let us know where in the world you are from/based and how many instruments do you play?

I’m originally from Buffalo, NY and I currently live in Belmont, NC.

I play about 5 instruments—self-taught. Piano, Guitar, Bass, Ukulele, and Percussion. I have been playing piano and singing since I was 9.

Do you have any family members who got you involved in the music industry or how did you get the music bug?

I am the only one in my family that is involved with music. I am a strange anomaly. I can’t really tell you how I ended up involved with music, it really just happened. I think a lot of it could have been watching MTV when I was a kid, in the early 2000s they’d still play music videos and performances. I think that’s what inspired me really want to start doing music.

What inspired your retro style?

Sheesh, so many things. Austin Powers, Jimi Hendrix, Prince, Wendy, David Bowie and so many more. The 60s/70s/80s had the coolest fashion. It also helps that I have a natural afro.

Please tell us all about your new single Wire.

My new single, “Wire,” is about the electric feeling of falling in love. I wrote, produced, composed, and performed the song in its entirety. The sound was definitely inspired by the 80s, with the synth-pop and reverberated guitar solo.

What inspired you to use a 4/6 double-neck guitar for some parts of your shows and videos?

Before using a double-neck for some of my stuff, I would literally stack my guitars on top of each other, having two separate guitars hanging around my neck. It was ridiculously heavy and immobilizing. I wanted to transition over to different instruments at a faster rate, so at the time this seemed like the best option. It made me wonder if there was a double neck guitar with a bass, rather than a 12-string. A lot of searching and I found quite a few, it’s a rare design, but I immediately had to get one! It works great when I use my loop-station, as seen in many of my videos.

Please tell us all about SelfCare and the process behind it being well-known all over the world?

I wrote, “SelfCare,” back in 2021 in the car waiting for my mom in the grocery store. It was a tough time due to the pandemic. Between school, music, and working I was highly stressed out. I was burning out quite a lot. With that, I really wanted to hear a song that reminds me to take a break and that it’s okay to not be okay. I couldn’t find any at the time, though I’m sure there are tons! I ended up writing my own. When we got home from the store I immediately went into my room and started recording. On the ride home I already had the melody in my head. I wanted it to be simplistic. Something repetitive, similarly an affirmation. I wanted it to get stuck in my head.

It began to get traction on Tiktok a year later, earning over 50 million views and over 150 thousand videos. With that, it also is doing great on Spotify! I’m glad this song is doing well and that its point is getting across. Definitely, the perfect song to jam to in the morning while drinking coffee!

Last, is there anything, in particular, you wish to achieve in 2023?

This year, I wish to perform at more festivals!

–

Listen up on Spotify.

Interview by Llewelyn Screen

Poison Pills: Mark Docherty chases the sun on Saying Goodbye

Posted on 14 February 2023

Moving on from the rotten past and only concentrating on what the next door shall unfurl, Mark Docherty packs his bags up and ventures out on the riff-heavy condensation of a song called Saying Goodbye.

Mark Docherty is a Barrow, Cumbria-based indie alternative musician who started his career when just 11 years old and brings back that timeless David Bowie-like energy to proceedings.

”This song describes the moment you discover you’re strong enough to leave that toxic relationship, you’re strong enough to leave that rubbish job and the catharsis you feel when you put yourself first. It was written when I decided to break up my old band and leave a job I’d been comfortable in for 8 years.” ~ Mark Docherty

Avoiding the dishonest prophet and starting the engine rather quickly, Mark Docherty shall take all our minds into a moment that many have faced a thousand times over. Deep in context and compacted in an immensely open aura to consume with conscientious abandon, we find a supremely reflective anthem.

Saying Goodbye from Barrow, Cumbria-based indie alternative artist Mark Docherty is one of those special songs you just embrace for all its brilliance. Sensational in all aspects and with excellent solos interwoven into this underground gem, this is one for the books and needs to be loved.

Attend the audio on Spotify. View more news on IG.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Transcend gravity with Marcus Liuzzi’s spacey 80s synth pop serenade, No One Better Than You

Posted on 30 January 2023

There was no forgetting Marcus Liuzzi after his lasciviously hooky 2022 single, 2 Night Stand. He’s swooned in with the Chris Isaak 80s vibes once more in his proclamation of enduring passion, No One Better Than You. The synthy, spacey pop tones push the single beyond the earth’s atmosphere, transcending gravity and every pop archetype that came before it.

No feeling quite matches the sensation of earnestly upholding someone as the reflection of perfection in your eyes – especially when their own self-image is dimmed with doubt, leaving you compelled to celebrate them to put back the shine in their tear-streaked aplomb.

“you feel as though you’re broken, you’re not the only one, you put your trust in someone else, and look what they’ve done” may just be the most compassionate lyric penned in the last decade.

Listen to No One Better Than You on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Poseidon’s Alley as Vast as the Ocean

Posted on 26 January 2023

Did you ever have that experience of listening to David Bowie’s “Low” and thinking: “damn, this like nothing you’ll hear anywhere…” only to discover that it’s a brilliant blend of styles that never ought to have worked together? A similar, if not identical, experience can be had by listening to  LA-based Poseidon’s Alley AKA Tim Herscovitch.

While writing the above sentences I was indulging in Dr. Gachet, a psychedelic, electronic, chill-wave instrumental track which owes more than a few overtures to groundbreaking alternative artists of the 70’s and 80’s, not to mention a little Miles Davis, for good measure. With lo-fi pads supporting a funky guitar groove we journey through layers of catchy themes played on synths and a host of other instruments. I suppose what’s most impressive is the neo-classical elements of blending different moods and transitioning through them, much like movements in a concerto or symphony. Indeed, Dr. Gachet is never boring – and the captivating melodies, harmonies, and rhythms are augmented by the interesting timbers chosen to carry the same.

Poseidon’s Alley shows first-rate musicianship, which is why I was not all that surprised to find that Herscovitch is a professor of music. A quick look at his rating on ratemyprofessor.com shows that (according to his students) he’s passionate about education as well as music. This is nice to see as I have always felt as though educators ought to always maintain a link to the professional world and it seems that Tim Herscovitch is doing just that.

OneNamedPeter explores the pleasure-pain connection in his artful cosmic pop single, Hurts

Posted on 4 March 2022

Ahead of the release of his fifth 100% DIY album, Hurts, the alt-indie British singer-songwriter, OneNamedPeter, has given us a teaser by letting us taste the cosmic pop textures in the bitter-sweet title single.

If you took Prince’s solos, Elliott Smith’s raw songwriting style, the dreamy chamber pop style of Daughter, the spacey gravity of Bowie and threw them into an aural cocktail with orchestral motifs to boot, it would pour just like the intoxicating soundscape, Hurts.

Nothing about the high-fidelity production feels less than professional. OneNamedPeter knows just how to conjure enough alchemy to wrap around his lyricism that explores the pleasure and pain connection.

Hurts is one of those tragically rare releases that you immediately know you’ll want to dive into time and time again. We’re stoked to hear how the LP ensues after the title-single set such a blissful and accordant tone.

Hurts will officially release on March 4th, 2022. You can check it out for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Matt DeAngelis takes us a ‘Mile Down the Road’ in his crooned spacey piano pop ballad

Posted on 2 March 2022

Southern New Jersey singer-songwriter, Matt DeAngelis, is fresh from the release of his eagerly anticipated EP, World I’m Comin’ for You’. Judging by the standout single, Mile Down the Road, he has already arrived.

By taking influence from David Bowie, Elton John and Billy Joel, the piano-led ballad carries the same style of absorbingly escapist narrative that wraps you up in the theatrically tinged emotion that effortlessly flows from DeAngelis’ timeless crooned pop timbre.

The jazzy instrumental interludes, orchestral strings and intricately clever piano motifs defiantly stand in the way of Mile Down the Road as resonating as just another cheesy show tune. This track is definitely for the audiophiles – as is the whole EP, how could we just stop at one track? The concluding single, Maybe I, makes it almost impossible believe that it was created by a 23-year-old singer-songwriter and released in 2022.

Check out Matt DeAngelis on his official website, Spotify, Facebook and Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Country hooks up with 70s cosmic pop in Marcus Liuzzi’s latest single, 2 Night Stand

Posted on 4 February 2022

Country meets 70s cosmic pop in the Massachusetts-hailing singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Marcus Liuzzi’s latest single, 2 Night Stand.

The deeply candid and narrative track spins the whiskey-soaked tale of a hook-up that left the hook firmly embedded itself far beyond the hungover sunrise. If there is any definitive proof that the loss of the object of our lust is as crushing as the loss of love, it is this humbly honest track. It wears its heart on the shimmering guitar progressions, Americana-influenced basslines, psychedelically warm keys, and the occasional orchestral sing motif.

There are hints of R.E.M. in the vocals that rest atop the country twang and influence from ELO, Bowie and the Beatles. Only an insanely talented artist could pull that off in such an endearing fashion. It is safe to say that we are pretty hooked.

You can get down with a 2 Night Stand for yourselves by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Spotlight Feature: Psych Soul Food is Back on the Menu with Denim Dan’s Return to the Airwaves

Posted on 25 January 2022

The NYC psychedelically blessed folk-pop-rock powerhouse, Denim Dan, serenaded us with their seminal spacey album, No Guarantee, ahead of the release of their upcoming album, 3AM.

Each of the singles on the 2020 album, No Guarantee, provides the opportunity to shift the ennui and existentialism out of your worldview. To complement the psychedelic tones, the enlightened lyricism that was penned to hit the evocative spot by uplifting just as much as the transcending instrumental timbres.

After forming in the 90s, Denim Dan’s fusion of 60s pop and 70s rock has remained just as sweet in the 21st century. Instead of modernising their sound that carries reminiscences to The Beatles, Steely Dan, Bowie and Tom Petty, they’ve stayed true to cathartically resonant form.

Along with the release of their upcoming album, the nostalgia-inducing outfit are also set to release their tribute to Bob Dylan to coincide with the opening of the Bob Dylan Museum in Tulsa, OK. They are well worth a spot on your radar.

Denim Dan’s 2020 album, No Guarantee, is available to stream in full via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast