Tag: Dark Pop

GG FEARN – Single Review: “Permanent Record”

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews2 Comments

As a now old man, I’m continually astonished at how time seems to fly by at an ever-faster clip the older I get. With that in mind, I can hardly believe it was over five years ago that I featured Welsh singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist GG Fearn on this blog when I reviewed her terrific EP Black Mirror. Only 18 years old at that time, she already possessed a level of talent and maturity beyond her years that really impressed me.

GG (short for Georgia) started writing songs and learning to play the guitar and piano at the age of ten, then began busking at 12, which gradually gave her confidence as both a vocalist and performer. Influenced by some of her favorite acts like Fiona Apple, Kate Bush, Radiohead, Kendrick Lamar and Melanie Martinez, as well as her love for pop music of all kinds, GG crafts songs that are not only melodic and catchy, but also lyrically compelling. Quite the wordsmith, she pens thoughtful and frank lyrics about life and the darker aspects inherent in many of us, which she expresses with a lovely voice brimming with character, sophistication and vulnerability.

In the five years since the release of Black Mirror, GG earned a law degree from Cambridge University, during which time she put her music career on hold. Now 23 and her intensive studies behind her, she can now concentrate on both earning a living and creating music again, and to that effect, she’s just released a new single “Permanent Record“, her first new music in five years. It was worth the wait, as the song is equal parts lush, captivating and dark. I love the dreamy atmospheric synths, luscious guitar notes, soaring orchestral strings and strong percussive beats, all of which create a hauntingly beautiful cinematic soundscape. GG’s smooth, vibrant vocals are seductive and lovely as she sings of the dangers of revealing too much about ourselves on the internet, all of which can become a permanent record of our thoughts and activities that might possibly be used against us.

In an interview with Oxford University’s independent newspaper The Oxford Blue, GG touched on her inspiration behind “Permanent Record”: “I wrote it because I read Edward Snowdon’s biography, [which] I really enjoyed. I did Law so all the privacy implications and stuff like that were cool. I went down a horrible rabbit hole for weeks just watching documentaries about whistleblowers and surveillance – I was turning into a twitter conspiracy theorist! I think when people listen to it, whatever they feel or think about, that’s what I want them to take out of it. Liking it or not, agreeing with it or not, understanding what I’m saying or not, I just want them to get what they get out of it. I think that’s what’s really important about listening to music for me. Projecting me and my inner emotional landscape onto what I create. That’s all art really is.“

Start scaling the ceiling
Start digging the hole
Start peeling the paint from the walls
Start paying the toll
You got a visit from the debt collector
Been a naughty boy
Now they found out the company you keep
And they know how to destroy

The world's ablaze, count the days
Is anybody keeping score?
A modern maze
And still we stay in 1984

Start hiding your history
Start secreting your spawn
Start stashing your secrets 
Cause baby you're just a pawn
Tangled in a web of our own making
As the soldiers form
And they tell us that we're doing fine
Calm precursors the storm

The world's ablaze, count the days
Is anybody keeping score?
A modern maze
And still we stay in 1984

Your whole life is up on a billboard
Now you've got a permanent record
Watch what you type on your keyboard
Now you've got a permanent record

The world's ablaze, count the days
Is anybody keeping score?
A modern maze
And still we stay in 1984

GG’s Socials: Facebook / X / Instagram / TikTok

Find her music on Spotify / Apple Music / Amazon Music / YouTube / deezer

HALFLOVES – Single Review: “Bass Drum”

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews18 Comments

Halfloves is an indie rock band from Iowa City, Iowa, comprised of five engaging and talented guys – Jeff (lead vocals & guitar), Nate (guitar & bass), Trevor (keys), Zach (drums) and Lucas (bass & guitar). Drawing upon their individual love for classical, jazz, hardcore, alternative and indie rock genres, they successfully collaborate in the creation of their own unique sound.

Photos by Britt Fowler

The guys released their eponymous debut album Halfloves in 2016, then followed with several singles which culminated in the release of their exceptional second album Dazer in 2019. Both albums were produced by Brandon Darner, who’s also produced some of Imagine Dragons music, among others. Dazer‘s hauntingly beautiful lead single “A Little Lie” garnered success following a review from acclaimed music critic Anthony Fantano (The Needle Drop), in which he likened the band’s sound and vocals on the track to Radiohead. (As I write this, the song has been streamed over 569,000 times on Spotify alone.) With the help of director Max Moore, Halfloves created a music video for “A Little Lie” featuring actor Joel Murray (Mad Men, Shameless, Dharma and Greg). The video then evolved into an extended companion piece which was released in 2020 as a 13-minute short film titled Backlash, featuring an original soundtrack from Halfloves.

Since 2021, Halfloves has released several more singles, the latest of which is “Bass Drum“, which dropped August 1st. Like all their music, the track was produced by Brandon Darner and engineered by Micah Natera. Mastering was done by Doug Van Sloun at Focus Mastering. The band reached out to me about the song a few days ago, and I like it so much that I had to write about it, not to mention the fact that I find their sense of playfulness captured in these photos so endearing!

About “Bass Drum” the band writes: “This dreamy love song considers the glorified past, uncertain present and a future we long for with someone so special it feels like we’re floating above ourselves. We hope this song connects with anyone who’s ever teetered between crippling self-doubt & trust-falling backwards into the arms of beautiful blinding love.” Accordingly, the lyrics speak of painful remembrance of good times spent together in love, sadness over the fact his former lover has now settled down with another man, and regret over past mistakes and what could have been.

Though the subject matter is decidedly bittersweet, the music is catchy and pleasing, with a kaleidoscope of grungy, jangly and shimmery guitars, accompanied by bright synths, nimble bass and snappy drumbeats, all layered over an infectious, toe-tapping groove. I love the gnarly guitar riff in the bridge that blossoms into a glorious, sun-drenched finale, exuding a sense of hopeful optimism that contrasts with the melancholy lyrics, which are beautifully expressed by Jeff’s emphatic plaintive vocals.

Don’t even start with me, I miss the apartment and all of your clothes
Strewn on the floor – shoes by the door – the tattoo above your elbow
Hole in my heart, I cannot tell you the times that I’ve thought of you since
That summer away, tends to replay in my mind and it goes like this

You bang on my heart like a bass drum
You shoot through the sky like a star on fire
You’re making me feel like I’m floating above myself
Oh just pinch me and wake me up

Look at me now – thinking somehow
That I followed my dreams instead
No consolation – oh desperation
Laying in my twin bed
You settled down – looks like you love him
Looks like he loves you too
House and the kids – oh I still miss
When I thought it might turn out like this

The colorful and charming animated video, created by Ukrainian DJ/producer and artist WOX, nicely captures the song’s melancholy, yet hopeful, vibe.

Connect with Halfloves:  Facebook / Twitter (X) / Instagram 

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

BUEL – Single Review: “Smells Like Teen Spirit”

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews13 Comments

BUEL is a bewitching, smoky-voiced singer-songwriter based in Los Angeles, who’s released a number of marvelous singles over the past four years or so. Her recent single “Lemon Smile”, released last October, is a gentle but powerful take-down of phony, duplicitous people, with a mesmerizing, sophisticated synth-pop melody that, to my ears at least, calls to mind some of Madonna’s early songs (not in terms of vocals, but rather in their style and feel). The YouTube video for the song has been streamed over half a million times. Now BUEL returns with a surprising new single – a thoroughly captivating reimagining of the Nirvana classic “Smells Like Teen Spirit“. The song was recorded at Wakeful Studios in Los Angeles, and produced by Burak Yerebakan (who plays guitar for L.A. band Yard of Blondes), who also played the theremin, an electronic musical instrument controlled without physical contact.

It’s an audacious undertaking to try and cover such an iconic and beloved classic, but she and Yerebakan pull it off with finesse. The song opens with otherworldly, siren-like sounds produced by the theremin, creating a decidedly portentous vibe. Then BUEL’S languid vocals enter along with a deep synth bass-driven trip hop beat, followed by delicate fluttering keyboards and accompanied by an enchanting mix of glittery synths, chiming guitar notes and the spacey warbling of the theremin. Her sultry vocals are gorgeous, with a haunting vulnerability that results in a completely different, but equally compelling, interpretation of Cobain’s provocative and sometimes impenetrable lyrics. Their treatment of the song is more melodic and dreamy, yet still manages to capture the dark rebelliousness of the Nirvana original.

The fascinating video was conceived and directed by BUEL, and shows her and Yerebakan performing the song in what appears to be a vacant derelict meeting hall of some kind, interspersed with scenes of an alien (also played by BUEL) and another shadowy man trying to solve a Rubik’s cube type of puzzle, but ultimately giving up. Watch and listen:

Here’s the original 4:18-minute long version of the song:

Follow BUEL:  Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

Stream/purchase her music:  Spotify / Apple Music / Amazon

STONED PIRATES – Album Review: “Flag, Skull and Rock n Roll”

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews7 Comments

Stoned Pirates album art

Stoned Pirates is the music project of Algerian-born Khaled Sahour, a creative and highly imaginative musician, visual artist and filmmaker. Growing up in a home where he was exposed to lots of music and art, he early on developed a love of rock, pop and disco, and taught himself to play music on a broken two string guitar. He started a band and sung his heart out to young Algerian audiences that seemed to connect very well, but eventually relocated to Los Angeles to further his career in music and film. On August 9th, he released his debut album Flag, Skull and Rock n Roll, which I’m pleased to be reviewing today.

Stoned Pirates’ unusual and eclectic music style comes from a wide array of influences ranging from classic rock acts such as the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin and Guns N’ Roses, to the funk of Sly & the Family Stone, the dance grooves of Chic and Nile Rodgers, and the soulful pop of Michael Jackson – all spiced with an Algerian flavor. Not only does Khaled write, perform, record and produce all his music, he also creates his own visuals for his Stoned Pirates project. The album was mixed and mastered by Thomas Juth, and opens with “Turmoil (Intro)“, a brief track that sets the tone for the album. With a backdrop of otherworldly industrial synths and a hypnotic beat, Stoned Pirates chants “I’ve been waiting for the wind to blow. I guess it’s time to rock’n’roll.”

Next up is “Nothing“, a dark, trippy song about feeling overwhelmed by loneliness and hopelessness, like one is powerless to change the sorry state of things. Stoned Pirates weaves a mesmerizing soundscape out of a fascinating kaleidoscope of synth instruments and exotic sounds. I love the xylophone, spooky keyboards, deep bass and guitar, accompanied by a cool, carnival-like synth riff. Khaled has a quirky vocal style in which he sometimes sings in a baby-like falsetto that I suppose could be off-putting to some, but once I got into his music I found it sort of charming. Using that falsetto, he sings: “Throw me a bone. Hit me with a stone, I just wanna feel something real.” But then, he sings in a deeper, almost menacing tone: “Nothing, absolutely nothing has changed today. Same old, same old sins and heartbreaks coming in new ways.”

The surreal video he made for the song shows an astronaut floating aimlessly through dark space along with various objects like an old TV playing static, boxing gloves and pieces of furniture.

One of my favorite tracks is “The Devil in You“, a great kiss-off song to someone who’s deceived and caused hurt. The song has a sensual beat, with jazzy synths, funky bass, swirling guitar and some really terrific sax. Stoned Pirates bitterly sings “I didn’t see fully the devil in you. What are you truly, if not a foe? Don’t come back crying, knocking on my door.” Keeping with a similar theme, “Mr. Nice Guy” addresses someone who keeps taking advantage of a guy whenever she screws up: “If you cry for help, he will come to you. Convenient nice guy is always at your rescue.” Once again, Stoned Pirates employs a rich assortment of sparkling synths, along with a hypnotic dance beat to create a captivating backdrop for his colorful vocals.

On the bittersweet “In Time“, he laments of his regret about having broken up with a lover: “If I could I would go back in time, I would change the way we drew the lines. If I could I would go back in time. I would try harder to change your mind. Love will come to you in time. Just be patient, don’t cry.” The soulful track has a Michael Jackson vibe, featuring deep, sensual synths, highlighted by funky guitar and brass, all set to a strong, hip-swaying beat. The soulful, funky “Rebound” has him calling out someone who’s using him to get over another guy:  “Oh girl, who you think you’re trying to fool? Oh girl, who you think you’re playing here? Cause all the signs are clear. I’m talking about the rebound.”

Stoned Pirates uses a vampire metaphor on “Midnight Lover“, a sexy song about a seductress who preys on men to get what she wants. I love this lyric: “I saw her on the dance floor still trying to get more. Staring at me in the eyes while biting another guy.” Funky grooves abound on “Where I Belong“, another sultry tune with marvelous swirling synths and a beat so damn infectious it had me doing a lap dance in my chair! The aptly-titled album closer “The End” features a sultry Latin beat and jangly guitars drenched in reverb, accompanied by some tasty exuberant horns. Khaled employs his deeper vocals here, as he sings in an almost menacing whisper: “Sit back, relax, nobody is going anywhere. You think the end, but it’s only just the beginning.”

I’ve got to say that Flag, Skull and Rock n Roll is a marvelous album and a very impressive debut from Stoned Pirates. His innovative music is totally original, sounding like no one else I’m aware of. I love how he’s taken an eclectic mix of influences to create his own unique, fascinating sound. His beautiful, seductive melodies, compelling lyrics and use of a wide array of lush instruments and synths make for some really captivating songs that are pure joy to hear.

https://soundcloud.com/stonedpirates/sets/flag-skull-and-rock-n-roll

Connect with Stoned Pirates:  Facebook / Twitter / Instagram
Stream his music:  Spotify / Soundcloud / Apple Music
Purchase:  Bandcamp / Google Play