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Ludwik Konopko has released the ultimate bohemian alt-country playlist staple with his latest single, Chickee Chick

Posted on 23 January 2022

Ludwik Konopko’s latest single, Chickee Chick, is the ultimate playlist staple for any alt-country fans that aren’t looking to get the blues. The jazzy and progressive single has warm tones by the smorgasbord between the walking basslines, shimmering acoustic guitar chords and arresting infusion of slide guitars.

Even when the vocals kick in, they are sitting low enough in the mix to bring a touch of the human element but not detract away from the organic alchemy that is blossoming from Ludwik Konopko’s Avant-Garde flair.

The Lviv-born guitarist, composer, and arranger has been performing publicly since the age of 19. Just some of the notable ensembles that he’s been involved with include the Lviv National Philharmonic, Tea Fan Club, popular travelling bands and flamenco fusion groups. Notably, he poured every ounce of his creative life experience into the composition of Chikee Chick. It drips with bohemian cool and doesn’t fail to enamour along the way.

Chickee Chick is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Gunpoint Alibi deliver the evolution that alt-rock fans have been waiting for with their latest single, Bury Me

Posted on 23 January 2022

‘Bury Me’ is the latest fierce slice of alt-rock from the Denver, Colorado-based powerhouse Gunpoint Alibi. What started as a garage-punk cover band in 2019 evolved into a gnarly post-hardcore outfit complete with ensnaring high-octane instrumental hooks and harsh pop-punk vocals that fall away from the Hayley Williams mould (thank God!) into raucous new territory.

Morgan Elizabeth’s vocal confidence runs in parallel to the levels of conviction and dynamism; she could smash through a screamo track just as well as a Taylor Swift hit. And if that wasn’t enough, there’s also the infectious sense of playfulness she uses as she attacks the lyrics with her versatile vocal timbre. We can’t wait to hear how they follow on from this monster of an alt-rock evolution.

Bury Me is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Move Forward: NYC alt-rockers Wake the Sun don’t let the past define them on ‘Deep Blues Skies’

Posted on 23 January 2022

Inspired by their heroes from the legendary band’s Foo Fighters and Rival Sons, Wake the Sun put on their sunglasses and stomp all the self-doubt out of your soul with ‘Deep Blues Skies‘.

Wake the Sun is a New York, USA-based indie 4-piece alt-rock band that sends us a real banger here that seems to illuminate all senses and take you to a better place than before.

”With the recent pandemic, mental health has been at the forefront of many people’s minds. Luckily, more and more people are being made aware of its effects every single day and having a frank conversation. This song seeks to shed light on that ever-growing problem. The song depicts the frustrations of getting caught up with your own thoughts and how they can harken back to tribulations of years past. It conveys how past adversity can color our perceptions of today.” ~ Lead singer and lyricist, Dillon Mealy

Sometimes in life, you hear a band so underrated it makes you positively inspired to tell everyone you know with good music taste about them. Wake the Sun is that band. What they achieve on ‘Deep Blues Skies‘ is quite magnificent as they bust a deep hole into anything that has been suffocating you lately, with an excellently delivered track that will leave you speakers blushing.

‘Deep Blues Skies‘ from New York-based indie 4-piece alt-rock act Wake the Sun, is a thunderous track from a really exciting band who understand that the future can be bright if you lose the baggage at the airport and fly free again. There is a tempo projected here that is quite outstanding and very Foo-like, as they press play and let their music do the talking.

Life is all about looking for sunnier climates, so that you may bask in the light and forget anything that has held you back in achieving anything you want.

Check out this top new single on Spotify and see more via the IG music page.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

We Know What’s Next: Boston singer-songwriter Eliot Dean Baker gives honest advice to a heartbroken soul on ‘Are We Still Dating’

Posted on 22 January 2022

As he tries his best to offer guidance to a truly authentic human that needs to hear the truth before he sinks further underground, Eliot Dean Baker sings with a stunning gusto on his latest single all about querying if that sweet lover will actually wait on ‘Are We Still Dating‘.

Eliot Dean Baker is a Woodbridge, Virginia-born, Nashville, Tennessee-based alt-pop/rock solo artist, Berklee College of Music graduate and music producer, who has had creative melodies flowing in his drum-playing veins since he was just a young boy.

”Multi-talented in singing, songwriting, and playing the guitar, piano, and drums, Eliot considers his biggest influences to be Jimi Hendrix, Prince, John Mayer, Bob Dylan, Sting, Frank Ocean, and Michael Jackson.” ~ Eliot Dean Baker

This is a seriously brilliant track from the classy talent of Eliot Dean Baker – who is surely one of the most underrated artists in the world – as he dazzles on a superb track all about being there for your friend when the chips are down.

‘Are We Still Dating‘ from the highly instinctive Nashville, Tennessee-based alt-pop/rock solo artist and music producer Eliot Dean Baker, is a sterling effort from a truly excellent musician who is clearly at the peak of his powers. With a sincere story about seeing someone who he cares about in so much pain from losing their lover due to distance, this is the warning for anyone going through the same emotional turmoil.

Sung with a scintillating velocity, this is a top effort that will have you in a highly reflective mood as you remember the one that got away.

Hear this new single on Spotify and find out more about his journey via IG.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Your Soul Is Darkening: Ani Amnell reminds us to stay true to our morals no matter the situation on ‘Blind Eye’

Posted on 22 January 2022

After writing this song to world leaders as she gritted her teeth and wondered why many of them were so heartless while millions were clinging to their lives, Ani Amnell brings us her Attack on Titan season 3 mentality with on the excellent new single ‘Blind Eye‘.

Ani Amnell is an emerging New York, USA-based indie-pop/rock music producer and singer-songwriter who has an eye for detail and pulsates our consciousness with a top drawer effort here.

”I write my songs specific enough that you know what the song is about, but purposely vague enough where you can decide for yourself what you want it to be about. My songs are about whatever you need them to be about, in the moment that you listen to them.” ~ Ani Amnell

With her impressive self-belief flowing tremendously through the shocked speakers, Ani Amnell shows us the best way to keep that heart clean and sings with superb elegance at every turn. With a rampaging soundscape that will have you turning her all the way up, this is the kind of track that has you looking into the mirror to see if you are doing enough to help this planet.

‘Blind Eye‘ from the determined NYC indie-pop/rock music producer and artist Ani Amnell, is a view-painted picture that shows us how we need to open up our eyes, as pretending that certain things aren’t happening is not a healthy way to live. Performing with an enlightening style and a rocking vibe – with sensational vocals to shiver with – this is a brain-opening single that urges us to open up our souls to a better life. It’s our precious world to save after all.

Listen to this new single on Spotify and see more of her travels on IG.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

I’m A Fish Stuck In A Well: Beth Ann McDowell swims headfirst into the ‘Killers Of The Early Morning’

Posted on 22 January 2022
Killers Of The Early Morning by Beth Ann McDowell (Littlefoot)

Showing us into a place that has her heart in a twist while she was stuck somewhere she didn’t feel at home, Beth Ann McDowell returns with a thrilling new single that will have you thinking deeply about whether you are in the right place or not with ‘Killers Of The Early Morning‘.

Beth Ann McDowell is a Minneapolis, Minnesota-based, Seoul, South Korea-born, indie singer-songwriter and classically trained pianist who makes that truly nostalgic creation you simply marvel at.

”Produced, recorded, and mixed by Walt Vincent who has worked with some of indie rock’s darlings such as Liz Phair, Pete Yorn, Scarlett Johansson and Joseph Gordon Levitt, it was done in the way McDowell was accustomed to recording music: with musicians playing live and the organic result used for the album instead of overdubbing and piecing recordings together.” ~ Beth Ann McDowell

Performed with such class by an elegant creative who leads us into this cinematic story so many have felt before – we are intertwined into her soul for a few minutes – as we find a young woman who feels like her nights were ruined for too long by someone who only cared for themselves.

”I was tapping into the feeling of not being able to give even though you’ve given everything to someone or something.” ~ Beth Ann McDowell

‘Killers Of The Early Morning‘ from Minneapolis, Minnesota-based indie singer-songwriter and world traveller Beth Ann McDowell, is a reflective single that has you feeling rather sad at times. This is the picture of giving so much to someone for so long and then feeling empty, as you go through the motions and wish you were somewhere else.

Finding your true purpose in life has never been more important in this overly-busy world, as we brush away anything that is holding us back from being truly happy.

Listen to her lovely new creation on Bandcamp and find out more about this wonderful talent on her IG.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Don’t You Cry: Dresden darkwave act Ghosts Over Dresden drop first single ‘My Dark Angel’

Posted on 22 January 2022

With striking energy that might shock many into having nightmares, Ghosts Over Dresden sends us a blood-soaked love story that could stain your teeth with the debut single called ‘My Dark Angel‘.

Ghosts Over Dresden is a darkwave/goth band from Dresden, Germany who let flow with a release that will have you looking deeply into this intriguing effort.

”Emerging in an era in which quite literally every music scene in every city in the world was dying at the hands of a deadly virus, Ghosts Over Dresden (G.O.D) rose from the still smoking ashes to bring a new brand of darkwave in a desperate time. Creating songs that brood and shimmer as well as tracks with hooks for days, G.O.D. is calling hungry audiences to the altar for the resurrection of dark pop.” ~ Ghosts Over Dresden

With a moody ambience that tells us the story about a passionate love that is highly intense and packed full of that romance that sends shivers down your spine, Ghosts Over Dresden takes us into a new world that will either excite you or scare you into pieces.

‘My Dark Angel‘ from the Dresden, Germany-based indie darkwave act Ghosts Over Dresden, is a thrilling effort that might belong in a horror movie. The painted face aura has your thoughts gusting back to Halloween, and this is a track that will take you into the darkest part of a liaison that is packed full of devotion that it might cause either one of you to break in half.

For all the fans of this mysteriously created genre – you have found yourself a new underground hero – who make that soul-shocking experience that will have you peeking around nervously when the lights are out.

Hear this haunting new single on Spotify and see what they get up to on IG.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Robbie Maroon paid homage to Prince in his latest single, Take a Bow

Posted on 21 January 2022

For his latest single, Take a Bow, the luminary up and coming soul singer, Robbie Maroon, paid tribute to Prince and shone a light in the creative void he left on our planet when he departed too soon in 2016.

One of the most beautiful kinds of relationships that can exist in our strange and loveless world are the ones that exist between an icon and an ardent and inspired fan. Take a Bow perfectly encompasses this sentiment through the stunning choir vocal that accent the Prince-inspired, endlessly arresting guitar riffs. The single is practically a religious experience – especially for anyone that has previously knelt at Prince’s purple altar.

He may not be with us anymore, but his legacy will always live on through the passion of artists such as Robbie Maroon. While some artists would simply rip off his riffs, Maroon chose to give the icon the credit he’s due; the result is nothing short of breathtaking.

Take a Bow is now available to stream via YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

On The Run: Ian David Green is lost in her eyes with ‘Antony and Cleopatra Head For The Highlands’

Posted on 21 January 2022

Taken off his latest 10-track album called ‘Songs from the Wheel‘ which is due for release on the 26th of February, Ian David Green takes our hand and guides us effortlessly into an almost-cinematic journey to be so fond of with ‘Antony and Cleopatra Head For The Highlands‘.

Ian David Green is a Liverpool, UK-born, London-based indie-folk singer-songwriter who seems to possess a rare vocal ability that has your heart beating in enthralled anticipation.

Recorded at Metro 13 studios by Edinburgh musician/producer Marty Hailey and mastered by Grammy-award winning engineer William Bowden, you sense that you are listening to a world-class artist here. This gem has been perfectly crafted by a mighty force – that is guiding you from all previous pain – with a wonderful effort that has you in a nostalgic mood.

”Ian’s influences range from folk greats like Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen and Van Morrison to more contemporary folk/indie / Americana artists such as Damien Jurado, Phosphorescent and Iron & Wine.” ~ Ian David Green

‘Antony and Cleopatra Head For The Highlands‘ from the London-based indie-folk singer-songwriter Ian David Green, is a truly excellent single that is performed with a real grace by a fine modern storyteller of a higher echelon to most. Featuring such sweet sounds that have you gazing outside as you ponder your next move, with a single that would fit into any era as its quality is rather outstanding. This is one to remember forever and one of those timeless modern classics already.

Listen to this deep single on Spotify and see more via the FB music page.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Until the End of the World gave pop a noir twist in their latest single, Easy Come, Easy Go

Posted on 21 January 2022

For their latest single, Easy Come, Easy Go, the lockdown-born outfit, Until the End of the World, gave pop a noir twist. With the 90s-style pop harmonies that will throw you right back to the days when Say You’ll Be There was dominating the airwaves while simultaneously captivating you with the same haunting mystique as Mazzy Star, Easy Come, Easy Go couldn’t be more beguiling.

Until the End of the World consists of the Nashville-based singer-songwriter Meg Olden and the English ex-pat, Ian Webber; their sound is equally as international as their formation. There are obvious hints of Americana in the deserty guitar tones, with nods to the likes of the English singer-songwriter Richard Hawley in the melodies. It isn’t every day that you stumble across an artist as authentic as this. Until the End of the World definitely isn’t an outfit to underestimate.

Easy Come, Easy Go is due for official release on February 21st; check it out for yourselves via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast