Hawaii’s BlacKlout offers up a dance-floor smash with his latest track Handstand. Presenting the anthem-like vocal rhythms and references of a hip hop classic, alongside of the rising and falling progression and bounce of an EDM classic, the track walks the line well between accessible pop and late-night alternative escapism.
Singles
Keren Botaro’s Free Bird is a stunningly soulful journey through realization and regret. The track rises up brilliantly from the opening delicacy and intrigue of that quietly presented title idea, to the full-throttle soul-rock energy of a soundscape and vocal that unitedly blow the roof off.
Reel Feels brings together a dreamlike ocean of synths and a lightly industrial beat on this latest, entrancing new single Sedona.
A totally unexpected yet wonderfully appealing new release from an EP that’s well worth looking out for. A great track, and straight in the long-term playlist.
Though there’s ultimately an admirable level of depth to this track, and to Money Bagz’ musical approach in general, the song from a distance is an easy anthem or hit that’s a pleasure to let play.
A taster from the upcoming album Saltwater, Cut and Dried is easy to appreciate and makes for a strong introduction to the artist.
It’s the sound of a band who are naturally inclined to do this – you can hear it in every flicker of character that is the riffs and the voice and the melody and the lyricism. Things build up effectively from the verse to the hook, and that rising energy represents well the underlying inspiration for the song.
What begins as a simple, ambient piece of music and performance, acoustic and spacious, nearly whispered yet melodically beautiful in itself, soon evolves to become something incredibly passionate; and quite striking in a whole new way.
The unison between the riffs and the vocal melody is quite stunning, and with that an overwhelming sense of space allows the central strengths of the music and its concept to stand tall in a natural and beautiful way.
It’s a rather poignant and relevant topic in today’s world – the age of Instagram and image-led success – perhaps songs and art of this nature will help remind us all of the real value in life, and the qualities and beauties that we can indeed hold on to.
Jason Bembry’s voice on this latest release melts the heart in an instant. You Should Have Known is a classically warm, organic ballad with a slightly jazz and soul infused aura. It’s a song that grows from mildly familiar to unexpectedly brilliant by the half way point, and things continue to embrace the listener right through to the end.
As the first few moments of music start to pour through, it’s clear that this is a beautifully unique, creative, melodic and mighty piece of writing and performance – the sort that follows its own rules to great effect.