Category: Reviews

Nicholas a. Milillo – Single Review: “Waking Life” feat. Dee Wolf, Bobby Jasso, Gabrielle Marella, and the voice of Tony Milillo

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews11 Comments

Nicholas a. Milillo (born Nicholas Pavoni) is a songwriter, electronic music composer and producer currently based in Nashville. He began writing and recording music as N Pa Productions when he was only 17 years old, and in 2007 he self-released his first albums Reality | a dream and Reality | a dream: The B-Side (neither of which are now available). Over the next couple of years, he collaborated with numerous vocalists and producers from different genres of music for the recording of his debut album Sight & Sound, as well as producing tracks for several artists. He was later signed to a couple of different London-based independent labels from 2010 to 2014, but in the years since has worked as a solo independent artist. In September 2013, he independently released his second studio album The Ghost Within: The Tale of Turmoil, an ambitious concept work involving at least 20 other songwriters and built around the main character and protagonist Turmoil (which I reviewed in 2021) as well as a separate EP Unorthodox. 

In late 2020, Nicholas began work on an autobiographical concept album to be titled Euphoric Absence, but due to some personal life struggles as well as recording and technical issues, its release has been pushed back to 2025. He released the first single from the album, “Nothing In Your Eyes” in December 2021, followed by the instrumental second single “Ambience of Sound and Motion” in August 2023. Now he returns with “Waking Life“, the third and final single he plans to release in advance of the album.

The song’s title and theme were inspired by the 2001 film Waking Life by Richard Linklater, along with the soundtrack itself (notably, “Ballad Part 3 and Ballad 4 – Parts 1 & 2”), as well as Nicholas’ own personal struggles. The track features lead and harmony vocals by Italian singer-songwriter Dee Wolf and Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter and percussionist Bobby Jasso, electric guitar by Nicholas’ cousin Gabrielle Marella, and drum programming by Pennsylvania-based musician John Browne. Also featured are some carefully selected archival audio recordings of Nicholas and Gabrielle’s late grandfather Anthony “Tony” Milillo, Jr. from the late 1990s, with the audio being spliced up to form new phrases and cohesion within the narrative of the song.

Dee Wolf

Bobby Jasso

This is the third collaboration between Nicholas and Bobby Jasso, with the pair having previously worked together on “Life, At The Speed Love” (2009) from Nicholas’ debut album Sight & Sound, and Bobby providing additional vocals, and sampled vocals for “Sea of Darkness” (2013) from Nicholas’ second studio album The Ghost Within: The Tale of Turmoil.

Tony Milillo with infant Nicholas

Nicholas has fond memories of his grandfather, and wanted to pay homage to him in the song. He elaborates: “My grandfather and I have shared a similar path, sadly, with both of us ending up homeless during our lifetimes and ended up turning it out for ourselves. He went from being a compulsive gambler to president of the Council on Compulsive Gambling of Pennsylvania. It’s a feat in and of itself; if I could only live up even to a tenth of the degree he has. He helped thousands of people, taking personal phone calls, doing seminars, you name it.” 

“Waking Life” was composed, written and produced by Nicholas, with additional lyrics by Bobby Jasso. The track was mixed and mastered by TomeKeeper Productions. Samples used in the track include archival audio of Tony Milillo were provided by The Legislative Report with Paul Clymer (1998), and selected lyrics from the 2008 Baumer song “Were It Not For You”, written by Nate Boykin (Baumer was an American indie rock band from South Carolina that was active from 2003-08). The cover art for the single, designed by Haiqa Ghazi, features a vintage childhood photo of Nicholas and Gabrielle:

About the song’s production and recording, Nicholas gives the following tribute: “I’m so proud and filled with anxiety about this official release. It’s taken me personally so long to get to this point and I just want to say thank you to Gabrielle Marella, my cousin for being here with me throughout all of this. Bobby Jasso for being the best collaborator and friend I could possibly ask for. Diletta (D Wolf) for being an incredible, kind, and awesome individual. You’ve elevated this in a way I could only dream. To Ian and Mark of TomeKeeper Productions, this would not be possible without you. I can’t thank you enough for seeing my vision and working it through to the end. I’m blown away by what you’ve done! Thank you!!!“

Well, I can firmly state that Nicholas and company have achieved their goal, and then some. Together, they’ve created a gorgeous and emotionally impactful song about the pain and disappointments that life can throw our way, as well as a plea for hope that things will get better. The song opens with a beautifully-strummed electric guitar riff by Gabrielle, which are soon joined by Bobby Jasso’s captivating plaintive vocals singing “What is this? This waking life.”

As Nicholas’ pulsating bassline and Baumer’s swirling synths enter the proceedings, we hear the spoken words of his late grandfather, adding a compelling solemnity to the track: “Struggle through the day. Is that our purpose? The denial that they sell you a fantasy. They sell you a dream, that dream sounds so appealing.” Bobby and Dee Wolf begin singing the first verse in perfect harmony, while the music builds with the addition of Gabrielle’s edgier guitar work, accompanied by assertive drums. Everything erupts into a thunderous anthemic crescendo in the chorus, with Bobby and Dee’s vocals rising to impassioned wails to match the explosive instrumentation, all of which creates a glorious and electrifying wall of sound that leaves me breathless.

Verse 1:
Lost in all this anger
Silence in this space
Reaching deep down
I’ve seen no hope throughout the day
Is that our purpose
Does time just pass us by
Does time just pass us by
(So tell me)

Chorus:
What is this waking life
And how are we to overcome (Can we find the answer)
Is there some notion
Within all this commotion

Verse 2:
What is this waking life?
What is this?
What is this waking life?

Things were better then
Things are always better when
Baby, you can say, “Those were the days”

A promotional video titled Waking Life: the Visual Experience, is planned for later release, possibly in August. A collaboration with the Psyn Agency and Haiqa Ghazi rotoscoping, the Visual Experience will feature animations of the archival video of Tony Millio, along with home video recordings, filmed by Nicholas, of his younger cousins J & B, as well as his cousin Gabrielle playing the guitar. The promotional video is a homage to Waking Life and Undone, a 2019 TV series.

Nicholas’ Socials:  X / Instagram

Find his music on Bandcamp / Spotify / Apple Music / Soundcloud / YouTube

HALFLOVES – Single Review: “Just Wanna Sleep”

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews15 Comments
Photo and cover art by Alisabeth Von Presley

Last September, I introduced my esteemed readers to the marvelous Iowa indie rock band Halfloves when I reviewed their single “Bass Drum”, a pleasing but bittersweet song touching on the painful remembrance of good times spent together in love and regret over past mistakes and what could have been. Now the talented Iowa City-based five-piece returns with “Just Wanna Sleep“, a delightfully infectious song about a decidedly darker subject, namely wanting to escape feelings of anxiety and depression. 

From what I can tell from a search through their Facebook account, Halfloves was formed around 2015 from what had formerly been the band The Olympics, of whom some of the current lineup were members, and consists of Jeff (lead vocals & guitar), Nate (guitar & bass), Trevor (keys), Lucas (bass & guitar), and Zach (drums). In addition to being talented musicians, the guys are incredibly funny and personable, with an endearing sense of playfulness, as evidenced by these wonderful photos by Alisabeth Von Presley. They appear to genuinely like each other and enjoy being in a band together, and I’ve grown quite fond of them as well.

“Just Wanna Sleep” was written by band keyboardist Trevor Polk as a sort of therapy to address what he described as “yet another bout of serious depression and exhausting burnout“. Recalling the sunshine-drenched joy he experienced while biking through the Iowa hills, listening to 60s rock & roll on his earbuds and singing along to Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly and Little Richard, he felt “inspired by the raucously joyful performances and raw simplicity in the production of that pioneering decade.”

When I asked the band about the unusual single artwork, consisting of Trevor in partial makeup and a sleeveless black dress, lying on a floor with a person’s high-heeled shoe (emblazoned with the band’s name) pressing on his face, Trevor graciously provided an honest soul-baring explanation for it all. His response is so eloquent I’ll just quote the entire thing:

“To be honest, the origin of image just sorta came to me, like a vision, without much intellectualization. That said, after the fact, I have connected the ideas of my unconscious represented in the symbols of this photo. The makeup & cross dressing refers to the lyric in the bridge: ‘why does life feel like a drag?’ It’s a double entendre. The obvious meaning being the literal interpretation — why does life feel difficult & unhappy right now? The second plays on the idea of ‘drag’ as the performance of exaggerated femininity. This idea is packed with connections to me. Firstly, it’s the idea of feeling the pressure to, in the midst of hopeless depression, put on a glammy, happy performance. ‘The show must go on.’ It’s the mask we wear in public to hide our sadness, for fear of bringing others down.

Secondly, it relates to the inner conflict that comes from being an artist with the dream of making a career out of my musical/creative expression, but having a full-time day job that seems to suck me into itself deeper & deeper the further I go in life. Being immersed in what I viewed as shallow, transactional corporate culture (I work in tech), despite longing for more depth in relationships & meaning that aligns with my deepest values, I felt thrusted into dressing up as something I’m not. Adjacent to that, but almost opposite in how the symbol of drag applies, it represents the insecurity I felt of carrying, as Jung calls it, my anima, my femininity, my Yin, in addition to my animus, my masculinity, my Yang. Tech corporate culture has a lot of confident bravado, and to be a man who cries & has big feelings felt scary & weak (though it’s not).

As for the heel, this also plays on two paradoxical ideas presented in the lyric ‘woke up with a boot on my face.’ The first is straightforward: being under the heel of the boot of ‘The Man.’ Simultaneously, the pressure I put on myself to realize my dream, plunging me into the mire of want, not accepting the reality I face with gratitude, knowing the obstacle is the path, is like the heel of the wild creative draggy performer on my head. Both opposite pressures manifesting in chronic migraines from a severe cognitive dissonance. Lastly, the cried-out makeup is emphasizing the depressive sadness.”

Like all their music, “Just Wanna Sleep” was produced by Brandon Darner, engineered by Micah Natera, and mastered by Doug Van Sloun at Focus Mastering. The song has a more garage rock vibe than many of their songs, and opens with a gentle little guitar riff that’s soon joined by Zach’s assertive tapping drumbeats. The music continues to build with the addition of a thumping bassline, grungy guitars and heavier drums, all of which quickly explode into a spine-tingling barrage of shredded guitars and crashing cymbals in the choruses. I don’t know whether Lucas or Nate is playing bass on this track, but it’s really outstanding. The song is terrific, and I love it more with each listen.

Jeff normally handles lead vocals on all Halfloves songs, but in this case, he felt Trevor should be the one to sing it. He does a fine job with his quirky and charming vocals that go from raspy to falsetto with ease. He almost sounds a bit like Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler in the choruses.

Woke up this morning with a boot on my face,
Can’t get myself up off of this comfy place,
Cause I’m going through a difficult time,
Don’t wanna talk to people or tell them I’m fine,
I’d rather pull the covers up over my face,
Sink into bed till the middle of the day,
I’m not feeling well, I’m feeling quite weak
How many times I gotta tell you (that) I just wanna..

Sleep, I just wanna sleep
Oh-oh-oh, just wanna sleep

Dreamin’ of a future where I don’t have to work,
Where I have all the time, and my face has a smirk,
Cause I stayed in my room till a quarter past noon,
And I did nothing, and that was cool

I just wanna sleep
Oh-oh-oh just wanna sleep
I-I-I just wanna sleep

Why does life feel like a drag?
Why can’t I get past the thoughts in my head?
I think I might lay down again and fall asleep

Woke up this morning with a boot on my face,
Can’t get myself up

I just wanna sleep
Oh-oh-oh just wanna sleep
I-I-I just wanna sleep
Ooh, I just wanna sleep

Why does life feel like a drag?
Why can’t I get past the thoughts in my head?
I think I might lay down again and fall asleep

The hilarious and touching video was shot and edited by Nate Cooper, and shows Trevor singing the song wearing a sleeveless black dress and runny makeup, interspersed with scenes of a high heel, worn by friend of the band Max Holtz, pressing on his face.

Halfloves Socials:  Facebook / Twitter (X) / Instagram / TikTok

Find their music on Bandcamp / Spotify / Apple Music / Soundcloud / YouTube

GOOSEBERRY – Single Review: “Dying To Meet You”

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews10 Comments

One of the finest acts to emerge from the crowded New York City music scene in recent years is Brooklyn-based trio Gooseberry. Originally formed as a four-piece in 2019, the band now consists of the very talented Asa Daniels (guitar, vocals), Evin Rossington (drums), and Will Hammond (bass). Together they blend indie rock, R&B and light jazz to create their own distinctive and sophisticated style of alternative rock. On the strength of their outstanding music catalog and high-energy live shows, the charismatic trio have built quite a following of loyal fans throughout greater New York region and beyond.

Photo of Will, Evin and Asa by Alex SK Brown

Gooseberry has released a fair amount of music since 2020, including two EPs, Broken Dance (2022) and Validate Me (2023), as well as numerous singles. I love their music, and have previously featured them twice on this blog. Two of their songs, “Sleep” and “Orbit”, spent many weeks on my Top 30 chart, with the former ranking #29 on my 100 Best Songs of 2022 list and the latter, which has been streamed more than 300,000 times on Spotify, ranking #95 among my 100 Best Songs of 2023.

Their latest single, which dropped Friday, June 14th, is “Dying To Meet You“, which follows their provocative ripsnorter “Kikiyon”, a song “challenging the absurdity of debating trivial matters and calling for prioritizing unity over frivolous disputes, also exploring the deep personal connection to Jewish culture and the significance of owning one’s name, rejecting attempts to control their identity.” Both songs will be included on their forthcoming debut album All My Friends Are Cattle.

“Dying To Meet You” is both sonically stunning and savage, a dangerous combination that makes for a very exciting listen. Written by Asa Daniels, the track was produced and engineered by Colin Bryson, with drums engineered by Jimmy Meslin, mixed by Phil Joly and mastered by Jennica Best. The song opens rather tentatively, with Asa’s beautiful gentle vocals accompanied by his shimmery strummed guitar. The music quickly expands with an ominous drumbeat, which is soon joined by Will’s throbbing bassline, Evin’s assertive drums and Asa’s gnarly guitar notes, all of which transform the song into a glorious and grungy psychedelia-tinged tour de force. Asa’s normally soothing vocals grow more impassioned along with the music, rising to fearsome screams in the choruses, courtesy of a tiny handheld distortion mic their producer Colin brought into the studio for Asa to scream into, which he says was very cathartic. It’s cathartic for us listeners too, leaving us speechless and spent by song’s end. I love this song and I love this band!

About “Dying To Meet You”, Asa elaborates: “With the obvious disclaimers that 1) art is whatever you make of it, and 2) I don’t know what the fuck I’m talking about nearly 100% of the time, here’s my take on the song: It’s about death. Or maybe life? Certainly one of the two. Maybe both. Look, none of us knows much about what happens next, but some of us certainly feel a lot more confident in their answer than others and that never made much sense to me. I’ve always been fascinated by the human need to know about what happens after all this. In prior centuries, there were whole industries built around guaranteeing salvation (and to some extent, there still are)! That this song is mysterious and eerie is the point. It should feel like something beyond explanation is peering over your shoulder waiting for you to turn your head around because it is! I wanted the song to sonically convey the sense of unease we all feel when thinking a little too deeply about closing our eyes for good.”

When the curtain starts to open
And everyone is gone
You feel so damn cold
You burn like the sun 
Keep your head above the water
Keep your eyes beneath the gun 

You’ll never be so certain
I’m pretty sure I am
But who could ever bend
The will of a man?
Keep your eyes up to the heavens
Like you’d ever understand

You’re here for a lifetime 
Then you’re not 

I, I’m dying to meet you
I, I’m dying to meet you
Again, I am

So come out of the shadows
I know that’s where you live
Because it’s easier to steal life
Than it is to give 
Keep your eyes down to the heavens
Like you know just where it is

You’re here for a lifetime
Then you’re not

I, I’m dying to meet you
Well I, I’m dying to meet you
There

I am dying to meet you
Well I am dying
I am dying to meet you
Again

You’re here for a lifetime
Then you’re not

I, I’m dying to meet you
Yes I am
I, I’m dying to meet you
Again, again, again
I, I’m dying to meet you
Well you know I am
I, I’m dying to meet you


The single cover art was created by Charlie Chalkin, Asher Reed and band bassist Will Hammond, and the colorful and trippy animated video was created by Austin Koenigstein and Melissa Morrissey.

Gooseberry’s Socials:  Facebook / Instagram / TikTok

Find their music on Bandcamp / Spotify / Apple Music / Soundcloud / YouTube

CONCERT REVIEW: JANET JACKSON – Together Again Tour

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews27 Comments

This past Tuesday night, June 4th, I had the pleasure of seeing the living legend that is Janet Jackson live in concert for the very first time. I’ve been a long-time fan of hers since early 1986, when I fell in love with her break out hit “What Have You Done For Me Lately”, but have never seen one of her shows until now. I saw her at Acrisure Arena, the same Coachella Valley venue where I saw the Eagles, Tears for Fears and Stevie Nicks last year. This show kicked off the second leg of her North American Together Again Tour, which includes 35 shows that will conclude July 30th in Phoenix. Named after Jackson’s 1997 hit “Together Again”, the tour is a sequel to her highly successful 2023 tour of the same name. She’ll be following with a run of shows in Europe later in the year.

Photo of Janet Jackson taken from her Facebook account

Over a storied career spanning more than 40 years, Jackson has released eleven albums, seven of which have reached number one, and 70 singles, ten of which have gone to number one, with another 16 reaching the top 10. She has sold over 180 million records and won a plethora of awards, including five Grammy Awards, eleven American Music Awards, ten MTV Video Music Awards, and eleven Billboard Music Awards.

Opening for her on this tour is American rapper, singer-songwriter and actor Nelly (born Cornell Iral Haynes Jr. in Austin, Texas, and raised in St. Louis, Missouri). Now 49, Nelly’s had quite a successful career in his own right, garnering three number one albums and four number one singles during the period of his greatest success between 2000 and 2005. He’s won numerous accolades throughout his career, including three Grammy Awards and nine Billboard Music Awards.

Nelly appeared on stage promptly at 8:00 pm, accompanied by DJ Trife, his half-brother City Spud and four female backup dancers. He wasted no time getting the crowd worked up with his engaging, high-energy stage presence, performing many of his biggest hits, including “Ride Wit Me”, “Country Grammar”, “E.I”, “Dilemma”, and “Hot In Herre”. Between songs, Nelly repeatedly expressed his love and appreciation for his fans, graciously thanking us for following and supporting him over the past 25 years. He closed his 40-minute, eight song set with a rousing performance of fan favorite “Hot In Herre”.

After a 20-minute break, four male dancers in stylish gray suits appeared on stage in front of a huge cylindrical curtain that slowly lifted, revealing Jackson on a raised platform wearing an oversized satin coat resembling a ball gown, as the audience roared with glee. Accompanied by her sexy dancers, she shed the coat and launched into a medley of eight songs starting with “Night” from her 2015 album Unbreakable, followed with a live debut of “2nite” from her 2008 album Discipline. She was backed by a live band who faithfully recreated the superb instrumentation of her many songs. My only complaint, and it’s a minor one, is that the loud, bass-heavy music occasionally overpowered her vocals.

At 58, Jackson looks and sounds as good as ever, effortlessly moving about the stage like someone half her age. The medley of her first set of songs, some of which I did not recognize, ran together in rapid succession until she finally slowed things down with her sultry 1993 hit “That’s the Way Love Goes”. She followed with an electrifying performance of one of my personal favorites “Love Will Never Do (Without You)”, from her massively successful 1989 album Rhythm Nation 1814.

The elaborate sets and creative lighting effects were outstanding, featuring a dramatic array of brightly-colored laser beams that shone across the arena throughout her show.

Halfway through her set, Jackson reappeared in a new costume (she wore a total of four different ones) and sat on a stool in the middle of the stage under a large purplish globe, whereupon she sang a medley of her softer ballads “Take Care”, “Let’s Wait Awhile”, “Again” and “Any Time, Any Place”. She then launched into a medley of some of her most upbeat songs, including “Make Me”, “All For You”, “Alright”, “Escapade” and “Miss You Much”. “Escapade”, from Rhythm Nation 1814, is my all-time favorite song by Jackson, and I’d hoped she would sing in its entirety, however, she truncated the song in the medley, which she followed with “Miss You Much”, another smash hit from the same album. Nevertheless, an enjoyable performance of both songs (notwithstanding a nearby woman loudly singing along).

She continued delivering hit after hit, ending her set with an electrifying performance of one of her signature songs “Rhythm Nation”. Sorry about the person’s hand holding a mobile phone suddenly dominating the video at the end!

At the end of that song’s performance, Jackson profusely thanked the crowd for coming to her show, and she and her dancers left the stage as the lights faded. The audience responded with uproarious cheers and applause, repeatedly shouting for an encore. Jackson and company complied, returning to perform her 2001 hit “Someone To Call My Lover” (which samples the guitar riff from America’s song “Ventura Highway”) and closing with “Together Again”. In all, she sang all or part of 41 songs in a performance lasting one hour and 45 minutes. My husband and I – as well as all other 11,000-plus fans – enjoyed every minute of it!

Tour setlist

  1. Night
  2. 2nite
  3. Slolove
  4. Rock With U
  5. Throb
  6. All Nite (Don’t Stop)
  7. No Sleeep
  8. Got ‘Til It’s Gone
  9. That’s the Way Love Goes
  10. Love Will Never Do (Without You)
  11. What Have You Done For Me Lately
  12. Nasty
  13. The Pleasure Principle
  14. You Want This
  15. When I Think Of You
  16. Diamonds (Herb Alpert cover)
  17. The Best Things in Life Are Free
  18. Control
  19. Son Of A Gun (I Betcha Think This Song Is About You)
  20. Take Care
  21. Let’s Wait Awhile
  22. Again
  23. Any Time, Any Place
  24. I Get Lonely
  25. With U
  26. The Body That Loves You
  27. Make Me
  28. All For You
  29. Alright
  30. Escapade
  31. Miss You Much
  32. Feedback
  33. So Excited
  34. Would You Mind
  35. State Of The World
  36. The Knowledge
  37. If
  38. Scream (Michael Jackson duet)
  39. Rhythm Nation
  40. Someone To Call My Lover
  41. Together Again

HEAD NOISE – Album Review: “Twisted Histories”

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews5 Comments

One of the more unusual and zany acts I’ve gotten to know through blogging about music is South Wales-based electro/art punk band Head Noise, who describe themselves as “purveyors of post-apocalyptic synthpop, spitting out angsty garbage about junk culture, broken technology and modern art!” Comprised of the insanely creative Mitchell Tennant (primitive keyboards & shouting), Wayne Bassett (guitar & synths), Jordan Brill (more guitar & synths), and Andrew Topper Walsh (drums & percussion), their delightfully quirky brand of oddball synth punk sounds like what you’d expect from the love child of Devo, The Vapors and Dr. Demento, with Weird Al Yankovic as creative advisor. On the strength of their music, as well as their wildly entertaining live shows, complete with colorful costumes and props, they’ve amassed quite a loyal following throughout Wales and Southwest England.

They’ve released a fair amount of music since 2018, starting with their debut EP Microwave, quickly followed by a second EP Special Effects Improves the Defects. A year later, they dropped their first full-length Über​-​Fantastique, which they followed in 2021 with the EP Consequential Quasars! (which I reviewed) as well as a Christmas EP Gristled Toes & Whine, featuring such gems as “I Wanna Eat Yule Log” and “Brussel Spout Ketchup”. 2022 saw the release of their brilliant EP SCRAM (which I also reviewed), followed in 2023 with their mini-LP Metric Squid. Now they’re back with their second album Twisted Histories, a brilliant and often hilarious concept work “about obscenely warped moments from the past, as well as the terrifying dystopian future that awaits us, all mangled together into a time contorting mess!“

The album kicks off with “Primordial Soup“, which also just so happens to be the name of the band’s own signature artisinal hot sauce (which you can buy here). To a driving techno synth groove overlain with jagged riffs, thumping drums and spacey sci-fi flourishes, Tennant croons the not so savory lyrics about the origin of man: “Enamored by biological waste and mixed together into a soluble paste. A beak, and fins, and blood and pus, that is the general consensus. Primordial soup, makes me want to puke“, accompanied by a chorus of impish vocals.

“Sheer Buccaneer!” is a fun, synth-fueled nod to the seafaring pirates who explored and plundered their way around the world as they sailed the seven seas. And the delightful “Doin’ Science” continues on the theme first introduced 42 years ago by Thomas Dolby on his 1982 new wave classic “She Blinded Me With Science”. Head Noise name checks many of the groundbreaking pioneers in science and technology, including Einstein, Copernicus, Edison and Tesla. The wonderful video, filmed by Rosalys Anthony and Clint Thomas, directed by band member Wayne Bassett, and edited by Jordan Brill, features the guys at their zany best, making mischief in the laboratory.

The musical mayhem continues with “Tojo Head Slap“, a riotous punk romp about giving the former Japanese ruler his well-deserved comeuppance, followed by the Devo-esque “Joust! Joust! Joust!“, a frantic new wave ditty exploring the highs and lows of the medieval sport. I love the tribal drumbeats at the beginning, and what sounds like a toy piano played throughout the track. Tennant’s animated vocals sound rather diabolical as he sings “Let’s descend into the tournament for a good old round of horseplay“. And on “Mesopotamiamania“, with its wonderful bassline, he warns “In Mesopotamiamania they’ll cut off your hands. If you don’t play chess the right way, you’ll never really understand.”

One of the standouts on Twisted Histories is “L.H.O.O.Q.“, a celebration of French Dada artist Marcel Duchamp’s “ready-made” piece L.H.O.O.Q., which was a cheap postcard reproduction of Leonardo da Vinci’s early 16th-century painting Mona Lisa, onto which Duchamp drew a moustache and beard in pencil. The piece’s title is a gramogram, with the letters pronounced in French sounding like “Elle a chaud au cul”, which Duchamp loosely translated as “there is fire down below.” (Wikipedia) Musically, the song has a sophisticated and quite melodic synthpop vibe, highlighted by sparkling keyboards and an enchanting theremin.

Another favorite of mine is “Taft in the Bath“, a humorous take on the myth about American President Howard Taft becoming stuck in the White House bath tub. The myth was started when Ike Hoover, the White House’s chief usher during Taft’s presidency, mentioned it in his 1934 memoir. According to Snopes, historians have determined there’s no truth to the story, as Taft, who weighted more than 300 pounds during his presidency, had a custom-made tub installed. The lyrics are both clever and hilarious, delivered in Tennant’s signature quirky vocal style: “Without hesitancy through his presidency, William Howard Taft topped the scales eating possum and quails, in desperate need of a bath. / It’s a rumour. It’s not true. But porcelain when it meets the skin, is like a mega-molten superglue. Stuck in the tub. Another bathroom mishap.”

Head Noise continue their sonic rampage through history with the wonderful “Napoleon Blown-Apart!“, “Habsburg Gobstopper” and “History of the Future“, a lively new wave-fueled look at what the future holds, including flying cars, vacations on Mars and dinner on a microchip, none of which we’ll be able to afford. “Time Mash” closes the album on a glorious anthemic note, with the guys improbably juxtaposing people and things from vastly different time periods to clever effect: “Astronauts riding dinosaurs whizzing past the floating wreck of a mechanized Victorian town that screams of biotech. Henry VIII is shaking hands with a very stone-faced Ronald Reagan.”

One of the many striking aspects of both this album and the band itself is the fact that, not only are the guys incredibly imaginative, creative and funny, they’re also outstanding musicians. It’s also clear they had lots of fun recording this marvelous album, and I guarantee those of you with an appreciation for the wild and wacky will have a lot of fun listening to it! Head Noise will be launching Twisted Histories at a show in Cardiff on Thursday, May 30th. Details below:

The striking and colorful artwork for the album cover was created by MEATBELCH (aka Zach Williams).

Head Noise Social Media: Facebook / X / Instagram
Find their music on Bandcamp / Spotify / Apple Music / Amazon / YouTube

SHIMMER JOHNSON & 5ILAS – Single Review: “VICES”

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews13 Comments

One of the more versatile and talented artists I’ve come across in my many years of writing about music is Shimmer Johnson, a singer-songwriter and musician from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Not only is she a gifted songwriter with a beautiful and resonant singing voice, she’s also a fine guitarist and pianist. She began her music career singing Country songs, but eventually branched out into adult contemporary pop, rock and even dance music, all of which she handles with ease. She’s recorded music both as a solo artist and in collaboration with other songwriters and producers, creating an impressive repertoire of outstanding songs. I’ve featured her numerous times on this blog over the past six years, and two of her songs, the terrific 2021 dance single “Starts With You” and “Essence”, a 2023 collaboration with Danish composer and producer Refeci, have reached #1 on my Weekly Top 30, the latter also ranking #7 on my 100 Best Songs of 2023 list.

5ilas, aka Shane Roberts, is a musician and producer based near San Francisco, with a diverse music portfolio ranging from rock to classical. In 2003, he met fellow musician John Preston while serving in the U.S. Marine Corps, and the two became close friends who’ve been making music together ever since. Both have also worked with numerous charities and foundations for Veteran suicide awareness over the years. Shane’s wife was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer in 2021, which inspired him and John to create a project called Godmagick to help bring increased awareness for cancer. As part of the project, they produced a compilation fundraiser album God Magick in early 2023, featuring songs by several artists. He also has 10 year old triplets, two boys and a girl, who he says are a constant inspiration for his music, which he records in his home studio. More recently, 5ilas has been collaborating with Shimmer Johnson on numerous songs, which culminated with the release of their six-track EP The Colors of Impossible this past February.

Their latest collaborative effort is the new single “Vices“, which drops today, May 24th. Shimmer wrote and sang the lyrics, while 5ilas wrote and recorded the music. As with most of their other collaborations, the track was created remotely, with Shimmer recording and producing her vocals in Canada, and 5ilas recording the music, as well as mixing and mastering the track, in California.

“Vices” is an uplifting piano ballad touching on the power of resilience, and not letting one’s problems get the best of you. Shimmer elaborates “Its about not losing yourself in whatever crisis you’re in. We all live through difficult times but you can’t lose yourself. You need to own your scars and move through them. I know sometimes it can be hard to get through stuff. But you can.“

The song opens with Shimmer questioning her faith in herself “Why am I so discouraged? Why do I feel down when I’m so far up? I work so hard, found the courage. But even then I don’t feel I am good enough“, accompanied by 5ilas’ somber piano keys. The music gradually expands with haunting synths and dramatic percussion, creating an arresting backdrop for Shimmer’s impassioned, heartfelt vocals as she laments “Can’t lose myself, I’ve lived through hell. Made some choices I’m not proud of. Know my vices. Learned to stand out. Can’t lose myself.” It’s a powerful and stunning song, and I think it’s their finest collaboration yet.

Shimmer’s Socials:  Facebook / X (Twitter) / Instagram / TikTok
Find her music on Bandcamp / Spotify / Soundcloud / Apple Music / YouTube / deezer

5ilas Social:  Instagram / X (Twitter) / TikTok

Find his music on Spotify / Apple Music / Soundcloud

WESTERN JAGUAR – Single Review: “Repossess”

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews25 Comments

Hailing from the Fraser River Valley, east of the cosmopolitan city of Vancouver in beautiful British Columbia, Canada, is Western Jaguar, the music project of singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jeffrey Trainor. Skillfully blending indie rock, dream pop and shoegaze, he writes songs exploring common themes of life, love, emotional well-being and loss, expressed through poetic, relatable lyrics which he delivers with pleasing low-key vocals. I’ve been following him for nearly six years, and have featured him and his music three times on this blog, most recently in July 2023 when I reviewed his beautiful album Oblivion. Two of his songs, “Disappear” (2019) and “Darling” (2023) have reached #1 on my Top 30 chart.

Trainor formed Western Jaguar in 2012, and since 2013 has released two EPs and four albums as both a solo artist and a band made up of an evolving lineup of musicians. His most recent album, released March 1st, was Ranges: 2013-2023, a sort of greatest hits album containing ten tracks Trainor describes as “a quintessential crash course of the first ten years of Western Jaguar.” Now he’s back with a terrific new single “Repossess“, which will be included on his forthcoming album Vacationland. For the recording of the track, he sang vocals and played guitars, bass, synths and percussion, and fellow musician Ted Kim played drums. Trainor produced and mixed the track, while Ryan Niklas handled mastering.

About “Repossess”, Trainor says it’s “about growing up and the struggles that go along with the pressures of being an adult. It reflects on losing the joys and carefree nature of adolescence, while also bemoaning the constant weight, and pressure adulthood provides. In the end, we all want someone to walk along side us in this life; someone to help “repossess” the joy we once had and lost.”

Musically, the song serves up the signature mellow shoegaze vibes we’ve come to love and expect from Western Jaguar. His intricate guitar work is lovely, with a colorful mix of shimmery strummed notes and edgier riffs layered over a gentle, pulsating bassline and accompanied by Kim’s spirited drums that nicely complement the other instruments without overpowering them. As always, Trainor’s earnest vocals exude a heartfelt vulnerability that’s quite endearing as he laments “Feeling like a jerk in a tropical shell. I can’t keep throwing back pill after pill. I’m swimming to a future, but drowning in my past. I just want to prove that I can make it last.”

Western Jaguar’s Socials:  Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / TikTok

Find his music on Bandcamp / Spotify / Apple Music / Soundcloud / YouTube

DeltaWulf – Single Review: “I Will Do the Same”

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews9 Comments

DeltaWulf is the music project of English singer-songwriter, producer and engineer James Booth. Based in Lancashire, his lively style of rock is influenced by the music of artists like Tom Petty, Eddie Money and Bryan Adams, as well as R&B rhythms and hooks. He’s previously toured with such artists as The Struts, The Pigeon Detectives and New City Kings with his former band Titans Troubadours, and in late 2018, decided to pursue his own sound by forming DeltaWulf. From what I can tell, he records all the instruments himself, and has released a handful of songs on and off over the past six years, including the lovely and heartfelt “You Came at a Time” in 2021 and the hard-driving “Game Changer” this past March.

His latest single is “I Will Do The Same“, a dynamic rock song about falling out of love, with bitter lyrics describing two people who’ve made the painful decision to split up and go their separate ways. It appears DeltaWulf originally released the song back in November 2018, but decided to re-release it on May 19th. The song is both catchy and melodic, and to my ears has a compelling guitar-driven indie rock vibe reminiscent of some of the great songs of the 90s by acts like the Gin Blossoms, Toad the Wet Sprocket and Goo Goo Dolls.

Booth’s guitar work is really outstanding, featuring a vibrant array of textures running the gamut from beautifully-strummed twangy notes to shimmery guitar runs to reverb-soaked gnarly riffs, all of which are accompanied by driving bass and lively percussion. His earnest vocals are pleasing, yet imbued with a rawness that conveys feelings of exasperation and a sad resignation expressed in the lyrics:

Back here, where we have been before
I open up the door, and you come rolling in
There was a time when I would have been glad
To give everything I had just to lay beside you

A dignifying feeling, elevated breathing, anxiety decreasing, freed you from me
I watch you from the ceiling
I'm no longer breathing
Now's the time for leaving
Would you not agree?

Absolution from the chaos in my brain
Finally I find some shelter from the rain
There was a time I thought of giving you my name 
But you can't take your part that I will do the same

DeltaWulf’s Socials:  Facebook / Instagram 

Find his music on Spotify / Apple Music / Amazon Music / deezer / Napster

SILENT MASS – Single Review: “The Great Chaos”

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews4 Comments

Today I’m pleased to present Silent Mass, an ethereal goth band based in Brooklyn, New York. Silent Mass originally began as a solo act in Los Angeles by singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and music photographer Ammo Bankoff. Her debut single “Total Recall”, a cover of the song by English 80s post-punk band The Sound, was released in 2020 by L.A.-based record label Dune Altar as part of the charity compilation album Do You Feel That Way Too? A Tribute to Adrian Borland & The Sound (Adrian Borland, the frontman of The Sound who suffered from schizoaffective disorder and severe depression, committed suicide in 1999). Shortly afterward, Bankoff teamed up with audio engineer and guitarist Robert Duncan, and the two of them relocated to New York, where they were soon joined by drummer and producer Alex Posell, turning Silent Mass into a three-piece band.

Their music is a captivating blend of post-punk, ethereal wave, shoegaze, goth and 90s alternative, influenced by such acts as The Cranberries, Chelsea Wolfe, Cranes, Beach House, Cocteau Twins, Dead Can Dance and Enya. They liken their sound to “chilling in a misty vale, listening to Enya, sipping red wine, while a raven in the distance caws your name.” After listening to their songs, I say that sounds about right!

They released their debut single “Rose + Crown” in June 2021, which they followed that December with “A Cold War City”. After a two-year lull, they started releasing singles again this past March, beginning with “Land of Heart’s Desire”, followed a month later with “Nest of Flowers”. Today they drop “The Great Chaos“, the third and title track from their forthcoming debut album The Great Chaos, due for release on June 20th, which also happens to be the Summer Solstice.

Written by Bankoff, the track was mixed by Robert Duncan IV at Mourning Sun Records and mastered by Allene Norton. About “The Great Chaos”, Bankoff states it “finds beauty in the spiral of self-discovery. It’s a love song about mourning a version of your past self.” Musically, the song is moody and dark yet strangely beautiful, with haunting and lush orchestral synths overlain by an arresting combination of gorgeous chiming and shimmery guitar notes, accompanied by enchanting tribal drumbeats that add wonderful texture to the track. Bankoff’s ethereal droning vocals accentuate the track’s overall mysterious vibe as she ponders “Can you find a way out? Can you find a way out of this nightmare?” It’s a marvelous song.

And here’s the album on Bandcamp, with all five of the singles released thus far available for streaming:

Silent Mass’s Socials: Facebook / X (Twitter) / Instagram

Find their music on Bandcamp / Spotify / Apple Music / Soundcloud / YouTube