1. DARK NECESSITIES – Red Hot Chili Peppers (2)
2. ONE DANCE – Drake, Wiz Kid, Kyla (4)
3. RIDE – twenty øne piløts (1)
4. OFF THE GROUND – The Record Company (6)
5. THE SOUND OF SILENCE – Disturbed (3)
6. OPHELIA – The Lumineers (5)
7. HAPPY SONG – Bring Me The Horizon (8)
8. I TOOK A PILL IN IBIZA – Mike Posner (9)
9. BORED TO DEATH – Blink-182 (16)
10. DESTRUCTION – Joywave (12)
11. KISS THIS – The Struts (17)
12. WAY DOWN WE GO – Kaleo (19)
13. PRAYERS/TRIANGLES – Deftones (10)
14. HAND CLAP – Fitz & the Tantrums (15)
15. TROUBLE – Cage the Elephant (20)
16. ALONE – Sun Arcana (7)
17. WOMAN, WOMAN – AWOLNATION (11)
18. TAKE IT FROM ME – KONGOS (N)
19. SPIRITS – The Strumbellas (13)
20. 7 YEARS – Lukas Graham (14)
I stumbled upon the Canadian band The Autumn Stones a while back on Twitter, so had to check out their music. I was immediately struck by their amazingly compelling sound that’s retro, yet fresh, with an 80’s vibe. Perhaps it’s the lively sax that’s heavily featured in their songs, or the fact that they seem to channel The Smiths or Blow Monkeys a bit in their style, but their music is definitely current.
Formed in 2009, The Autumn Stones have been though several personnel changes – not uncommon with bands – and are now comprised of Ciaran Megahey (vocals, lead guitar), Gary Butler (saxophones, guitar) and Marcus Tamm (bass). Their sophomore album Escapists dropped in July 2015, four years after their excellent debut album Companions of the Flame. (Michael Newton played bass and Matthew McLaughlin hit the drums on Escapists, but have since left the band.)
According to Megahey in an interview for the website Pop Matters, “Lyrically, Escapists is a celebration of life, love and liberty. It’s also a flick to the nose of naughty faith-based ideologies. Although that may sound super-heavy and serious, we aren’t delivering sermons—just trying to give people a compelling listening experience.” He added that the addition of saxophonist Butler gives their songs on Escapists more character and nuance.
Regarding that amazing sax, Butler explained to The Quietus, “Our sound is the sum of many parts. We’re very early-alt rock influenced but at the same time we keep our feet firmly planted in modern subgenres, especially dream pop.”
Three singles included on the album were released in 2014, prior to the album’s launch a year later. The first, “End of Faith,” is brilliant. The subtle yet topically relevant lyrics – “This is the end of faith/the poisonous talk enslaved/freedom at last/chains of the past/what took so long to write this song,” – are expressed through Megahey’s smoldering vocals, and empowered by gorgeous, throbbing guitars reminiscent of Johnny Marr’s jangly riffs in “How Soon is Now?”, plus Butler’s assertive, wailing saxophone.
Their most recently-released single “Endless War” has a catchy, uptempo melody. The combination of both shredded and gentle guitars, punctuated by rapid-paced sax, contrast with the song’s darker lyrics “Gotta endless war on our hands.”
One of my favorite tracks on the album, “Time Is a River,” has a mellower, jazzy vibe, with nimble guitar riffs and funky sax that still manage to keep the energy level high.
“In With the Out Crowd” and “Dark Age” keep the jazzy energy flowing, while the track “Sweet Libertine” slows things down to a languid pace with acoustic guitar and mellow sax. The beguiling “Ooh La La,” another of my favorites, seems to channel early 80’s Smokey Robinson, as does “Creatures,” with their gentle, jangly guitar and wobbly sax.
You can learn more about the Autumn Stones on their website. Follow them on Twitter and listen to their music on Soundcloud or Spotify, or purchase on itunes.
A special thanks to Alison Waddell for the use of her photo.
1. RIDE – twenty øne piløts
2. DARK NECESSITIES – Red Hot Chili Peppers
3. THE SOUND OF SILENCE – Disturbed
4. ONE DANCE – Drake, Wiz Kid, Kyla
5. OPHELIA – The Lumineers
6. OFF THE GROUND – The Record Company
7. ALONE – Sun Arcana
8. HAPPY SONG – Bring Me The Horizon
9. I TOOK A PILL IN IBIZA – Mike Posner
10. PRAYERS/TRIANGLES – Deftones
11. WOMAN, WOMAN – AWOLNATION
12. DESTRUCTION – Joywave
13. SPIRITS – The Strumbellas
14. 7 YEARS – Lukas Graham
15. HAND CLAP – Fitz & the Tantrums
16. BORED TO DEATH – Blink-182
17. KISS THIS – The Struts
18. WALKING ON A DREAM – Empire of the Sun
19. WAY DOWN WE GO – Kaleo (N)
20. TROUBLE – Cage the Elephant (N)
After a 4-week hiatus, twenty øne piløts retake the #1 spot.
1. RIDE – twenty øne piløts
2. THE SOUND OF SILENCE – Disturbed
3. DARK NECESSITIES – Red Hot Chili Peppers
4. ONE DANCE – Drake, Wiz Kid, Kyla
5. OPHELIA – The Lumineers
6. SPIRITS – The Strumbellas
7. ALONE – Sun Arcana
8. OFF THE GROUND – The Record Company
9. WOMAN, WOMAN – AWOLNATION
10. 7 YEARS – Lukas Graham
11. I TOOK A PILL IN IBIZA – Mike Posner
12. PRAYERS/TRIANGLES – Deftones
13. WALKING ON A DREAM – Empire of the Sun
14. DESTRUCTION – Joywave
15. HAPPY SONG – Bring Me The Horizon (N)
16. SOMEBODY ELSE – The 1975
17. HAND CLAP – Fitz & the Tantrums
18. COLOR – Finish Ticket
19. BORED TO DEATH – Blink-182 (N)
20. KISS THIS – The Struts (N)
There’s clearly a British Invasion going on these days, with a seemingly endless stream of new emerging artists and bands from the U.K. making awesome music (in addition to the hundreds of long established ones like Coldplay, Adele, Ed Sheeran, Arctic Monkeys, Foals, etc.). I’ve previously reviewed several musicians from the U.K., so was pleasantly surprised to discover yet another one – Mosley Bar – when they tweeted me their new EP Another Record Sleeve, which dropped on April 18. I took a listen to the four tracks and liked them instantly.
Given the huge number of new bands breaking into the music scene, it’s easy for many to get lost in the crowd, but Mosley Bar has something special. This four-member band from Northwest England plays some really exceptional alternative indie rock, which is all the more amazing given their youth – all are in their late teens! They wield their guitars with abandon, knocking out riffs that are sonically hard-hitting, yet captivating. And their song lyrics are fairly simple but authentically mature.
Formed in 2015, the band is comprised of Ryan Ward (guitar/lead vocals), Matthew Wright (drums), Tim Williams (bass/vocals) and Adam Eccleston on guitar. They cite as some of their music influences the Arctic Monkeys, Catfish and the Bottlemen, Two Door Cinema Club, Circa Waves and The Libertines. While incorporating some of those influences, Mosley Bar are developing a style all their own.
The band released their stellar debut single “Record Sleeve” in October 2015, which quickly received airplay on BBC6 Music, and in January 2016, the band was invited to play The BBC Introducing stage for BBC Radio Lancashire. This compelling rock song has incredible guitar work, with layer upon layer of melodic riffs over an awesome bass line. Ward’s smoldering vocals give the song a vibe so mesmerizing that I found myself replaying it over and over, wondering how such amazing music could come from teens.
The band dropped their second single “Risk” in April 2016. This exuberant song storms out of the gate and keeps the pace at full speed with shredded guitars and pulse-pounding drums. In this track you can hear Catfish and the Bottlemen influences.
The EP features two other tracks, “Rendezvouz” and “The World and I,” both excellent. My only criticism with Another Record Sleeve is that it contains only four songs. They’re so good I wish there were four more! Mosley Bar has incredible potential that I’m certain will be realized as they continue to grow and make more awesome music.
1. THE SOUND OF SILENCE – Disturbed
2. OPHELIA – The Lumineers
3. RIDE – twenty øne piløts
4. SPIRITS – The Strumbellas
5. ALONE – Sun Arcana
6. DARK NECESSITIES – Red Hot Chili Peppers (N)
7. ONE DANCE – Drake
8. 7 YEARS – Lukas Graham
9. OFF THE GROUND – The Record Company
10. WOMAN, WOMAN – AWOLNATION
11. WALKING ON A DREAM – Empire of the Sun
12. SOMEBODY ELSE – The 1975
13. COLOR – Finish Ticket
14. GENGHIS KHAN – Miike Snow
15. THE POP KIDS – The Pet Shop Boys
16. I TOOK A PILL IN IBIZA – Mike Posner
17. PRAYERS/TRIANGLES – The Deftones
18. DESTRUCTION – Joywave
19. HAND CLAP – Fitz & the Tantrums
20. GONE – JR JR
I’m sharing this article from Rolling Stone, published in December 2015, on the 100 greatest guitarists. They assembled a panel of top guitarists and other music experts to rank their favorites and explain what separates the legends from everyone else. Check it out. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-guitarists-20111123
I loved the new dance track “Lucky” from Ricky Jarman featuring Sam Harmonix the moment it hit my ears like an sonic boom of musical pleasure. This is one hot tune! The song grabs hold with its sexy, pulse-pounding dance/pop beat and doesn’t let go. I literally hit ‘repeat’ five or six times, as I couldn’t get enough of it. https://soundcloud.com/ricky-jarman/ricky-jarman-lucky-ft-sam-harmonix#t=0:00
Ricky Jarman is a talented, charismatic singer/songwriter and rising dance pop/R&B artist now based in New York. His beautiful vocals, good looks and charm – not to mention warm, friendly personality – have given him broad appeal to a growing base of fans. As if that weren’t enough, he’s also an accomplished model!
Born and raised in North Carolina, Ricky grew up in an artistic and musically-inclined family, learning to love music through listening to his parents’ Earth Wind & Fire, Kool and the Gang, Toto, Phil Collins and Boyz II Men records. Besides those artists, he says his greatest musical influences are Justin Timberlake and Michael Jackson, which is evident in his music style.
“Lucky” was co-written by Ricky and hip hop producer Sam Harmonix, who raps in the song’s bridge. The simple but optimistic lyrics speak to the joy of feeling passion for a new love. Production-wise, the song’s arrangement is tight, and the melodic dance beat keeps the energy flowing. The excellent video for “Lucky,” released on May 10, 2016, was written and directed by Ricky and produced by Harmonix. The video opens with a poignant scene of an elderly couple celebrating over dinner (their anniversary perhaps?) then transitions to themselves at a much younger age, falling in love, then closes with them back in the present together in bed. Take a look:
Ricky’s previous single “Get To Know Ya” is a fun, incredibly catchy and upbeat dance/pop track with a sensual hip hop vibe. He worked with a number of music producers to create a series of great remixes of the song in varying genres, including Latin, EDM, Funk and House. Check them out on Ricky’s Soundcloud page. The “Hot Vibe (Mumba Trap) Remix” is my personal favorite:
I’m certain that Ricky’s talent, charm and and drive will propel him to increasing success in both the music and modelling business. To learn more about him, check out his website, follow him on Twitter and Facebook, and subscribe to his YouTube channel. Listen to his music on Soundcloud, Spotify, and Reverbnation.
A while back, a friend who knows I’m a music junkie asked me for a list of songs for a “Bite Me” mix she was putting together on her iPod. Naturally, I was thrilled by the challenge! After much thought, here are my picks for the Top 10 “You hurt me, you’re a jerk and I hate you” – in other words – “Bite Me” songs.
10. GIVES YOU HELL – All-American Rejects
9. IRREPLACEABLE – Beyonce
8. FUCK YOU – Cee Lo Green
7. I HATE EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU – Three Days Grace
6. BLOW ME (ONE LAST KISS) – P!nk
5. BEFORE HE CHEATS – Carrie Underwood
4. YOU’RE NO GOOD – Linda Ronstadt
3. I WILL SURVIVE – Gloria Gaynor
2. ROLLING IN THE DEEP – Adele
1. YOU OUGHTA KNOW – Alanis Morissette
Honorable Mentions:
You’re So Vain – Carly Simon
Go Your Own Way -Fleetwood Mac
You’re Breaking My Heart – Nilsson
So What – P!nk
What Goes Around (Comes Around) – Justin Timberlake
Since You Been Gone – Kelly Clarkson
What Doesn’t Kill (Makes You Stronger) – Kelly Clarkson
Let me know what you think, or if you have any others to add.
1. THE SOUND OF SILENCE – Disturbed
2. RIDE – twenty øne piløts
3. SPIRITS – The Strumbellas
4. OPHELIA – The Lumineers
5. 7 YEARS – Lukas Graham
6. WALKING ON A DREAM – Empire of the Sun
7. COLOR – Finish Ticket
8. ALONE – Sun Arcana
9. SOMEBODY ELSE – The 1975
10. GENGHIS KHAN – Miike Snow
11. OFF THE GROUND – The Record Company
12. WOMAN, WOMAN – AWOLNATION
13. ONE DANCE – Drake, Wizkid, Kyla (N)
14. THE POP KIDS – Pet Shop Boys
15. REAPERS – Muse
16. I TOOK A PILL IN IBIZA – Mike Posner
17. PRAYERS / TRIANGLES – Deftones
18. HAND CLAP – Fitz & the Tantrums
19. GONE – JR JR
20. DESTRUCTION – Joywave (N)
ECLECTIC MUSIC LOVER 