Browsing Tag

Frank Ocean

Saint Germain delivers kaleidoscopic quiescence in his reflective ambient alt-indie release, ONUS

Posted on 22 February 2022

The up and coming artist, Saint Germain, proved that he’s the Chris Isaak of this generation with his gently innovative latest release, ONUS. The 21-year-old self-taught artist has been working on his ambient sonic style since 2008. There are still hints of his influences’ style in the soundscapes. Yet, instead of becoming yet another Bon Iver or Frank Ocean assimilator, he’s carved his own intricately intimate path, and ONUS unfolds as an absorbing milestone in his career.

The colourfully trippy melodies paired with the Canadian’s quiescent vocals that sit between etherealism and warm soul ensure that even after the mellow-yet-haunting-all-the-same single comes to an accordant end, it will stay with you for long after.

ONUS was written at 3 AM during a spate of situational insomnia. You can practically hear the nodes of delirium in the meditative production that was crafted as a reflection to the feeling detachedly adrift. There are as many questions in the lyrics as there are answers – making it feel so much more human than your average release. There’s nothing more humbling than soul-deep confusion, which goes a fair way in explaining why, despite its soft layers, ONUS hits bruisingly hard.

You can check out the official lyric video to ONUS by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Sellah reworked Frank Ocean’s ‘Thinkin Bout You’ in his latest release.

Posted on 24 June 2021

For his latest single, the international artist Sellah (Whitney-Michael McCloud) reworked Frank Ocean’s iconic single, Thinkin Bout You; he well and truly made the soundscape his own while still keeping the soulfully alchemic appeal of the original burning right through the release.

With the darker and more reverberant beats paired with Sellah’s stunning vocal range and the sweet sentimentality that he brings to the single through his deep emotional connection to it, it’s impossible not to be drawn in.

The artist, brand manager and editor-in-chief for IMMO magazine has set his sights on becoming a household name. After hearing his Thinkin Bout You cover, it is safe to say that he is on the right trajectory.

The seriously stylistic official video that premiered on YouTube on June 11th has already amassed over 14,000 streams. Check it out for yourselves here.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

MiLES. serves sun-kissed soul in his genre-bending single, ‘Wherever it Is’.

Posted on 27 May 2021
MiLES.

MiLES.’ latest genre-bending single, Wherever it Is, dug its heels right into the roots of soul, borrowed a few surf rock tones and revived timeless, dreamy, jazzy-sun-kissed melodies on synths, guitars and drums.

To say that the single is just as experimental as Mr Bungle’s album, California, wouldn’t be a stretch but the straight from the soul crooning on offer here will undoubtedly be a hit with any fans of Frank Ocean, Tyler, the Creator and Steve Lacy.

Making this single infinitely more impressive, the singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer only picked up a guitar for the first time in August 2020; the distinction in the mellifluous progressions may try to convince you otherwise.

MiLES.’ latest single is due for release on May 28th; you can hear it for yourselves here.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

Josh Sky have us in a ‘Love Daze’ with their latest indie soul pop single

Posted on 18 March 2021

Under the influence of Frank Ocean, Boy Pablo, and Tame Impala, up and coming indie three-piece, Josh Sky orchestrated their own melodiously romantic signature sound that is just as prestigious.

Their latest single, ‘Love Daze’, is the perfect introduction to their genre-melding nostalgic sound. The mellow grooves make sure that your attention never falters from the affable sincerity as it drips from the vocals while they capture the anxiety and adrenaline which manifest when you start to feel rifts widen in a relationship.

Love Days is as stunning as it is smooth. If any up and coming artist has what it takes to ascend from the underground in 2021, it’s Josh Sky.

Love Daze is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

OCCORO tightened the bond between poetry and RnB with ‘Nothing Gold Can Stay’

Posted on 22 December 2020

OCCORO’s single ‘Nothing Gold Can Stay’ will enamour fans of RnB and poetry alike. From the first offering of nuanced meta lyrical wisdom, attention piques as you prepare yourself to hear more linguistic prowess, OCCORO certainly delivers.

Nothing Gold Can Stay is the title track from the Dallas-born, LA-based singer-songwriter and producer’s debut EP, any fans of Robert Frost will recognise the title, while everyone will get a fresh distinctive sonic experience to indulge in when they hit play. Nothing Gold Can Stay does so much more than just cover the same RnB ground. With almost psychotropic Indie tones in the absolving soundscape, it is as rhythmically transfixing as it is lyrically powerful.

Their lexicon is just as awe-inspiring as their visceral ardent lyrical flow, and as for the production, you couldn’t ask for a more commanding and all-consuming feat of contemporary Indie RnB.

You can check out Nothing Gold Can Stay for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

From the EP Sooner Than You Think, Omo Aston drops his new single Man On!

Posted on 27 May 2020

Irish singer and songwriter Omo Aston has dropped his new single Man On! from the EP Sooner Than You Think.

Unfolding from Afrobeat sounds rooted in his Nigerian descent and outlining a paramount part of the arrangement, the song is like a gust of fresh air for an R&B-derived hip hop effort to the likes of artists such as Kendrick Lamar and Frank Ocean. Despite being in the scene since only 2018, Omo Aston prides himself on having achieved thousands of streams without any other support but his talent and an ever-evolving sound that gets to explore features of Soul and even Jazz.

While still being an emerging artist, he’s already gained awareness and appraisal by Irish urban magazines, and it’s fair to expect he’s going to deliver on that pledge in his upcoming project in 2021.

But for now, you can head over Spotify and check out Man On! for yourself.

Review by Jim Esposito.

Dream-Rap? Is That Even A Thing?

Posted on 2 December 2017

Even with the amount of new music being made every day, with sheer weight of collective imaginations, the genre splicing experiments, the fusing and fusion of styles Garrison Carver seems to be on to something new here. Yes, there is a trippy trap beat, a cool R&B vibe and a rap delivery but that is then cocooned in something totally unexpected. Around these more expected elements he wraps a dream-pop haze, chilled psychedelia and electronic washes.

It’s confusing, but experience tells us that is a good thing, expectations are made to be subverted, rules are made to be broken and new musical horizons are their to be explored and DD does all of those things and more. Blissed out hip-hop? Ethereal R&B? Dream-rap? Are those even a thing? The fact that you have to invent whole new genres to put the music in is an indication of just how original this music is and how singular and lateral Garrison Carver’s thinking is.



HOURIGAN – Love In The Middle – A Direct Rap Sound With A Chill R&B / Neo-Soul Vibe

Posted on 3 November 2017

HOURIGAN is a versatile musician whose work stands out for its inner variety, as well as for the performer’s sheer talent and attitude. His recent studio release is a brand new single titled “Love In The Middle”. The track is a tasteful blend of R&B, soul and rap. The song truly manages to maintain a wide emotional spectrum and keep the audience’s engagement high at all times, conquering their attention with appealing hooks a la Pharrell and with many outstanding lyrical hooks that are really reminiscent of artists such as The Weeknd or Frank Ocean, just to mention but a few.

Hourigan is all about showcasing his great vocal range and mad rapping skills. With “Love In The Middle”, HOURIGAN truly set out to build a very detailed track with lots of great atmospheres. The song feels energetic, yet even and smooth, with a nice chilled out vibe to counteract the energy of these performances. The production of the song is very interesting, because it is not just about upfront beats: HOURIGAN carefully managed to provide an amazing melodic backbone, which really adds something special to the track.

Jamie Benkert Talks Wasted Love

Posted on 19 October 2017

There are two types of maverick artists: the ones who adopt different styles as a way of switching costumes, and the ones who take a variety of musical concepts and subvert them wholly to their own ideas, and their own identities. Jamie Benkert is clearly the latter. Her new single aptly entitled, “Wasted Love,” is a musical conglomerate of creativity, passion, and breathtakingly beautiful interpretations of musical sensation.

The song couldn’t have a better title.  The instrumentation employs a wide range of orchestrated sounds, dancing from subtle pop influenced patterns, to symphony infused arrangements, back to whimsical guitars yielding harmonious moments of both beauty and tension. The score is erupting with musical genius. Jamie’s voice dances all over this rhythmic beauty, her voice is boisterous, light hearted, and fun. I love the musical breaks, and the fun lyrics, I could easily hear this song blaring out of the speakers of a college dorm, suburban home, or just a teeny bopping teenage who knows good music. Solid track.

Jack Hodges Releases Alternative Pop Track “Strange Feelings”

Posted on 18 October 2017

“Strange Feelings” is a new and exciting single release from singer and songwriter Jack Hodges. The song immediately stands out for its lush, driven and direct textures. The snare sound in particular, is absolutely massive, as if it was echoing from deep down the bottom of a cave. I love the dark, haunting vibes of this track and Jack does a really great job at keeping up with the melodies and textures of this track with his laid-back and on-point vocal performance.

On this track, Jack reminds me of talented artists such as Frank Ocean or D’Angelo, combining unique textures with some stunning sonic ideas. The production value of this single is definitely worth mentioning. The track is absolutely world-class and the mix is balanced and masterfully executed.