This slice of exuberant, unashamedly pop-tastic insanity comes courtesy of a clutch of 80s synth sounds and a very clever arrangement that somehow boots the retro-ness of its experience into a throughly enjoyable romp for right now!
Music
A lot of reviewing is predicated upon making comparisons between the subject and other acts that the readership might know, but with The Lost Millions, this is more of a challenge than usual, and that’s a real feather in their cap.
The elusive Mayer returns with perhaps his most engaging groove yet. Kicking into gear with a soulful up-pitched vocal for a hook, a light and summer-style beat, The Love You Left Behind drives with swagger and possibility – a sense of overcoming, regret followed by strength and progression.
A hypnotic, pulsing, rolling piano motif welcomes in the listener and then the rubber hits the road and we’re off! It’s a clever, classy and contemporary sound, with pristinely-captured vocals (as precise as you like) treated lovingly with compression, reverb and delay.
DOC’s truth runs free on this album, in subtle but certain and smart ways, and this is the final building block that takes the album higher than eve.
Roundabout is an EP that has been pristinely crafted and expertly boxed up; ready to gift you a nostalgic and soul-soothing walk through the jazz-soaked streets of yesteryear.
These days, it’s incredibly refreshing to hear a different kind of arrangement in the single format. And like a clockwork ballerina winding down to a stop, Malicious Monotony proves it is anything but. Well, it may be malicious, but it’s chock-full of imagination and interesting and brave choices.
Composer and musician P John Livingston is a talented and passionate creative whose keyboard lead work has produced some decidedly impressive and original performances in recent years.
Storming through the speakers with nothing so much as an introduction or a moment of quiet, Open My Mind is a brilliantly upbeat and deeply thoughtful pop-rock song – one that subtly leans towards punk-pop with its fast-paced power-chords and the often grunge-soaked nature of the leading melody.
Lounge Act Jam return with an indie-rock-infused, grunge-soaked yet rhythmically uplifting new single – the lyrically minimalist but conceptually quick to the point When The River Flows.
A relentless sub-bass rumbles and drives right through the heart of this song, insistently underpinning the satisfying chord changes that refuse to be ignored. It’s clearly been loved, this arrangement, with smart drum programming that uses the full stereo spread and there’s buzz and warmth and bubbly synths at the edges, too. The song feels like it’s breathing; like the whole thing is an intellectual exercise in side-chaining. But with heart.
Growing from solo vocal and reverb-heavy guitar strums that leak cool everywhere, into a stereo spread and mix of wet and dry sounds that are superbly managed, No Worries delivers on every level, has broad appeal and I believe should do incredibly well.