Tag: Singer-songwriter

KIFFIE – Album Review: “The Product”

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews18 Comments

British artist Kiffie (the music moniker of Daniel Paul Kiff) is a creative and fascinating singer-songwriter, composer and producer of electronic music based in Norwich, England. Drawing from a wide range of music genres including electronica, hip-hop, rock, folk and classical, his arresting songs are inspired by current events, as well as the oft-covered topics of love, lies and betrayal. Kiffie records and produces all his own music at home using hardware instruments, synthesizers and drum machines. In a space of less than three years, the incredibly prolific artist has released an astonishing 13 albums, six EPs, two compilation albums, two CDs, and numerous singles. His songs have received critical acclaim, and garnered airplay on BBC Radio 6 and other internet radio programs.

His latest album, The Product, which he released exclusively on Bandcamp last Friday, July 21st, really struck a chord with me. In his remarks about the album, Kiffie wrote: “Evil things happen when good people say nothing. This album asks a lot of questions…. it’s up to you to work out the answers.” Accordingly, the songs touch on such timely issues as creeping authoritarianism, income inequality, misinformation and fake news, anti-science/conspiracy mongering, and political corruption – all things of great concern to me. He originally wrote the songs for his participation in the Lights & Lines Album Writing Club, and the album represents the final updated version.

The album opens with “Thank You For The Hope“, a melancholy, yet almost cinematic track, with introspective keyboards and wobbly, atmospheric synths. The spare lyrics are directed to a loved one who’s support offers a glimmer of light in the darkness: “Although the sky looks dark, the future looks grey for us, and it no longer feels like home, it doesn’t mean there is no hope! You are with me!” “New Enemy” speaks of cynical, soulless politicians who seek to divide us by scapegoating others, making them into our enemies: “History, it teaches you to be a little wary, of men, who’ll say anything to convince you to vote for them. History, it teaches you to be a little wary, of them, who blame anyone to create a new enemy.” Kiffie’s ominous soundscapes nicely convey the sinister forces at work here.

On “Leadership“, he laments about those who only want to hear what they want to believe, whether it’s truthful or not: “I don’t think I can deceive you, the truth is on my side. And I won’t lie to try to save you, what is there to hide?” The songs starts off with a simple piano riff, but eventually builds into an unsettling track, accompanied by Kiffie’s somewhat disconcerting, echoed droning vocals. And on the melancholy “Small Boats“, he sings of refugees of political unrest making the hazardous journey across the sea (the Mediterranean, I assume), in search of a better life, encountering resentment and hate by some, but empathy and assistance by others: “You’re welcome to stay. I promise you wont be a burden on the state, but don’t read the headlines today.“

“Being Patriotic” touches on how some politicians use ‘patriotism’ as a cudgel to keep us in line while claiming that government cannot afford to provide public services, yet are eager to give tax breaks to the wealthy: “They don’t know how to speak the truth, they only need to mesmerise you. They don’t have a lot of money to look after you, but they’ll find it when their friends ask them to./ They cant keep a single promise if it means their shares go down in value. They count on you being apathetic. they count on you being patriotic.” Musically, the track has a rapid, skittering trip hop beat, overlain by a droning synth bass groove.

“Independent Examination” speaks to those who subscribe to fake news and conspiracy theories, refusing to accept scientific verification: “Truth is based on fact. It doesn’t rely on lies, I can assure you of that./ Science follows an enquiry process. Your ideals might not align with that. Facts aren’t open to interpretation, they stand up to independent examination.”

The title track “The Product” is a dark and unsettling instrumental piece, featuring ominous buzzing synths accompanied by a repetitive percussive beat, creating a palpable sense of impending doom. “Reparations” addresses income inequality, and how the rich and powerful strive to maintain the status quo: “How did you come to be so powerful? How did things come to be so unequal?/ Should you pay back the profits? Should you recompense? Should you give up the titles? And should you start again, With nothing, like we did, like we did?” The hauntingly beautiful track is dominated by contemplative piano keys and a mournful keyboard organ riff, punctuated by languid drumbeats, all of which create a kind of dirge-like atmosphere. Kiffee’s droning vocals are at once both soothing and accusatory.

On “What Was Promised“, Kiffee ponders about our purpose and role in this world, and whether our actions and efforts make a difference: “Why do we try to change our lives? Why do we want the world to be better after all? Could it be we don’t see what was promised anymore? Could it be it’s time for love to rule forevermore?” The minute-long instrumental piece “Resolution” closes the album on a rather portentous note, with droning, ominous-sounding synths.

While not always an easy listen, given its bleak subject matter and instrumentation, The Product is compelling nevertheless, offering us glimmers of hope and beauty throughout. Kiffie makes a bold and impactful statement with this album, and I for one am glad to see artists having the courage to speak out about these issues facing society today.


Connect with Kiffie on Twitter / Facebook / Instagram

The best place to find all his music is Bandcamp, but some of it is also available on Spotify / Apple Music / Soundcloud

ELEANOR COLLIDES – Single Review: “Daydreams and Algorithms”

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews11 Comments

Named after his childhood imaginary friend, Eleanor Collides is the solo music project of London-based singer-songwriter and guitarist Nick Ranga. The talented artist melds alternative, indie and dream rock with synth pop to create his distinctly melancholic, yet beautiful sound. I love how he’s described his influences: “I find inspiration in the cathartic vulnerability of Low, the poetic storytelling of R.E.M., the passionate anthems of Manic Street Preachers, the genre-defying artistry of Orville Peck, and the darkly captivating electronica of Depeche Mode. These influences, among many others, have shaped my artistic vision, allowing me to carve out a unique sonic identity.”

Though he’d been writing songs for many years, he finally started recording and releasing music in the summer of 2021, beginning with a four-track EP How to Make Friends. He followed up with a couple of singles, then in March 2022, he released his debut album People are Taller in Real Life. Since then, the prolific artist has dropped eight more singles, one of which, the hauntingly beautiful “Pantomime“, I featured in a Fresh New Tracks this past April. Today he’s back with his latest single “Daydreams and Algorithms“, another outstanding track. All eight singles will be included in his forthcoming second album, due for release later in the year.

For the recording of the song, Nick sang lead vocals and played guitars, bass, piano, drums and strings, and Charles Connolly, who mixed and mastered the track, played marimba and sang backing vocals. Though “Daydreams and Algorithms” starts off slowly, with just a simple, rather melancholic strummed guitar, it soon becomes clear that there’s a lot going on musically. As the song progresses, the instrumentation expands into a captivating soundscape, with added guitar, piano and warm strings, accompanied by Charles’ enchanting marimba and Nick’s steady drumbeats and moody bassline. Nick’s pleasing, low-key vocals have a comforting, almost sensuous quality, nicely complemented by his and Charles’ ethereal backing harmonies. It’s a stunning song.

As to the song’s meaning, Nick says it’s “about longing and obsession in the age of social media, about falling in love with someone through a screen who may or may not be real.” 

I can hear the sound of dreams
The cigarettes and faded blue jeans
The photographs and played back scenes
Never knowing what they mean

I can see your days collide
The indecision codified
The fantasies and rising tide
History happens in real time

ooh ooh ooh

You could be my daydream
My landslide, my slipstream
My devil chasing moonbeams
Intention lost to the mainstream

I could be your joyride
Your agent on the outside
Your lowest low and highest tide
Watch as I revert to type

ooh ooh ooh

Connect with Eleanor Collides:  Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

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

GLOOM IS OKAY – EP Review: “Gloom is Okay”

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews10 Comments
Queenie, the cover girl pup

Describing his sound as “Happy/Sad music for Happy/Sad people”, Scottish alt-rock artist Gloom is Okay is spot on, in that his music takes listeners from euphoric highs to crushing lows and back again. Drawing from an array of elements ranging from alternative and dream rock to progressive and metal, and blending darker lyrical themes with complex melodies, gorgeous guitar riffs and grandiose synths, his unique sound is variously reminiscent of some of his favorite acts like Porcupine Tree, Thrice, Radiohead, Nine Inch Nails and Anathema, to name but a few. He started the project in the early days of Covid lockdown as a kind of coping mechanism, and being an advocate for positive mental health, he wanted to put a positive spin on things through his music. He loves listening to sad music and embracing the myriad emotions it brings out, both good and bad.

Based in Glasgow, Gloom is Okay is the music project of singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Martin Walker. Involved with music from an early age, he was previously a member of award-winning Scottish progressive rock band Akord, who released an EP Carry the Sound in 2013 and an album Ethereality in 2016. In 2020, Gloom is Okay released his debut solo EP Loopholes, featuring five exquisite instrumental tracks so dramatic and beautiful, they literally take my breath away. After a two and a half year-long hiatus, he began dropping a series of new singles this past March, culminating in the release of his second self-titled EP Gloom is Okay on July 14th.

For the recording of the EP, Martin sang lead vocals and played guitars, bass, piano and programmed synths, Iain MacLeod played additional bass, Mark Norris played drums, and Scottish musician and singer Modern Sonder sang additional vocals on “Pine”. The EP was mixed and mastered by Tomekeeper Productions.

I loved Gloom is Okay at first listen, and though it sounds different from Loopholes, due in large part to the inclusion of lyrics and vocals, it’s every bit as dramatic and gorgeous. It opens with “Butcher“, a song about being stuck in a recurring cycle of counter-productive behavior, unable to change for the better: “Repetition, to fill the gap. It makes me wonder what I’ve never had. My inhibitions, thrown from the shade. It makes me wonder If I will ever stay.” The song is a progressive rock gem, with vibrant, edgy guitars, exuberant drums and soaring atmospheric synths. Martin’s somewhat echoed vocals have a haunting but warm quality that’s both pleasing and impactful.

“Gravity” speaks to Martin’s struggles with writing music, or as he so beautifully puts it, “it’s a song about the madness of musicians…for those moments where you just want to smack your head against a brick wall, hoping the ideas will fall out of your ear.” The song has a beautiful but mysterious vibe, with a haunting melody that alternates between moments of calm with delicate piano keys, airy synths and chiming guitars, to cinematic flourishes of grungy guitars, heavy bass and tumultuous drums. Martin’s vocals have an emphatic sense of urgency as he sings “We show fire. Madness like gravity. We grow but you’d rather conserve your energy. Feeling low but inspired to scrawl through this melody. From head to toe expired, but I’ll swim through this debris.” The official video shows a woman experiencing her own little bout of madness.

The darkly beautiful “Pine” is sort of like two different songs in one. The first three-quarters of the track consists of a lush, moody soundscape, punctuated by gorgeous shimmery guitars and sharp percussion and the stunning dual vocals of Martin and Modern Sonder (aks Jazz Dey), backed by their own harmonies. At 3:21, the music abruptly explodes with a furious riff played by Martin on his 8-string Strandberg guitar, accompanied by Mark Norris’ pummeling drums, for the final minute of the track.

About the song, Martin explains: “I wrote “Pine” when the whole world shut down and I felt like I was missing an important piece of a never ending puzzle. Although there was no end in sight at the time, I could see the positive effects of conversations and searching for the good in the little things. It’s a positive spin on what was probably one of the most difficult times for a lot of people.” This is expressed in the lyrics “We pine but we’re focussed, with no more time to readjust. We saw a stable flare to guide us through, to see us through. But we are breaking through with no tools in our hands. We are mending you.”

The rather mysterious video shows a young teenage boy and two young Asian women exploring a scary-looking derelict abandoned building.

A deep and grungy synth bass introduces us to “Phantom“, an intense, ominous-sounding track that seems to speak of people who are out of touch, and no longer dealing with reality: “Have you even considered at all that you’re missing time? You only project what you thought caused this to climb. Within the grey you don’t comply. But you’ve found the way and the phantom’s live.”

Martin calls the final track “Good Morning” the one love song on the EP. Though running nearly six minutes, it’s a real tour de force so compelling and beautiful that it seems over sooner than I want it to end. It starts off as a lovely piano ballad as Martin croons “I can’t wait for the echo as it follows you, so I can keep up. And I will stay for the moment it fades off of you, cause I’ll still see it.” At the one-minute mark, a sensuous Latin dance beat takes over, accompanied by finger snaps and melodic guitar notes lasting around 40 seconds. The music then slows back down to an enchanting interlude before the wonderful Latin beat returns at 2:20. At 3:40, heavier gnarly guitars ensue, along with crashing cymbals, bold percussion until finally a scorching guitar solo brings everything to an electrifying crescendo in the bridge. The grungy vibes then continue through to the end of the track.

Gloom is Okay is a glorious little EP, with lots of beauty and drama packed into its 23 minutes. As Gloom is Okay, Martin and company have done an masterful job creating this exquisite collection of songs, and they should be proud of what they’ve achieved here. He’s an insanely talented songwriter and musician, and I look forward to hearing more from him.

Connect with Gloom is Okay: Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / TikTok

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

JEEN – Single Review: “Just Shadows”

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews8 Comments

I seem to be focused on Canadian artists lately, as there are many who are making some great music that I also happen to be fond of. My latest is JEEN (Jeen O’Brien), a creative, talented and hard-working singer-songwriter and musician from Toronto, Canada. She creates a melodic brand of alternative pop-rock that’s alternately pleasing and edgy, delivered with her distinctive vocal style that reminds me at different times of singers Meg Myers. K. Flay and Lana Del Rey.

The prolific artist has quite an impressive resume; over the past nine years, she’s released an astonishing six albums and scores of singles, one of which, “On and On”, I reviewed last year. Her songs have been used in commercials for such companies as Google, Panasonic, Estée Lauder, Kraft, BlackBerry, KIA, Rogers, MasterCard and Molson, as well as various movies and television programs, including Cook Off, Republic of Doyle, Instant Star, Ruby Gloom, Degrassi, Killjoys, Hockey Wives, Workin’ Moms, MTV Catfish, and MTV Are You the One.

On July 7th, she dropped her latest single “Just Shadows“, which she says she wrote after “thinking how the darker parts of everything can snuff out some of the best people’s light. It’s about trying to get out from under it so we don’t just become casualties of our shittiest days.” The song is the first single from her forthcoming seventh album Gold Control, which she’d began working on last year after the release of her previous album Tracer, in October 2022. Unfortunately, due to what she calls a ‘massive computer failure’, she lost all the demos for Gold Control, sending her back to the proverbial drawing board. “My long time co-producer Ian Blurton suggested we just go in and jam the songs a bunch top to bottom and re-demo them before we started tracking for real. We had never done it that way for the previous albums; always just worked off my home demos as opposed to rehashing the songs prior with the full band. Anyway, it was super fun to go a little deeper on these songs at that early stage, and I think the whole LP is better for it.”

For the recording of “Just Shadows”, JEEN sang vocals and played rhythm guitar, Ian Blurton played lead guitar, Ben O’Brien played bass, and Stephan Szczesniak played drums. The song gets right down to business with an opening burst of grungy guitars, humming bass and powerful thumping drumbeats, ultimately exploding into a full-blown rocker in the choruses with raging riffs and thunderous drums. It’s one of the hardest-rocking songs JEEN’s put out yet, and I love it. She has a somewhat mumbled drawl-like singing style that’s quite appealing to my ears, backed by her own soaring harmonies as she passionately urges someone in deep emotional pain to not allow their sadness to take over: “He looks so sad he looks so sad, yeah he looks so sad to me. You look so sad you look so sad, you look so sad to me. It’s just shadows just shadows just shadows.”

Connect with JEEN:  Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

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

ALEX SOUTHEY – Single Review: “Never Listen”

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews8 Comments

Still focused on Canada (having just written about two artists from the Vancouver area), today I turn my attention to Toronto, the home of singer-songwriter and guitarist Alex Southey. The talented musician has released a lot of music over the past four and a half years, including three albums, three EPs and numerous singles. His sound can generally be described as alternative indie folk, sprinkled with elements of rock, pop and shoegaze. But like all creative artists, he’s not afraid to experiment with his music by exploring different genres and styles outside his comfort zone, and as a result, each of his albums and EPs sound quite different from one another. His thoughtful and intelligent lyrics about life, love and socio-cultural issues of the day are delivered with his beautiful distinctive vocals.

Photo of Alex by Steven Medeiros

I’ve been following Alex since the beginning of 2021, and have previously written about him three times on this blog, most recently this past January when I reviewed his superb EP Common Fantasies. One of the tracks from the EP, “Soften”, spent three months on my Weekly Top 30, peaking at #5. Now he’s back with another terrific single “Never Listen“, his first release of 2023. 

For its recording, Alex played acoustic and electric guitars and sang vocals, assisted by fellow musicians Christina Dare on bass & backing vocals, Gab Lavoie on Korg synths, and Craig McCann on drums & percussion. All three also played on four of the tracks on Common Fantasies, and support Alex for live shows. The track was produced, mixed and mastered by Alex Gamble.

Alex’s wonderful strummed acoustic guitars have a rather mysterious quality as they guide the song forward, accompanied by Christina’s subtle bass line, Craig’s measured drumbeats and Gab’s delicate spacey synths. Alex’s beautiful chiming electric guitar that appears later in the song adds an enchanting layer of color and texture to the proceedings, creating a vibrant, arresting backdrop for his bewitching vocals that alternate from smooth heartfelt croon to ethereal falsetto. His and Christina’s harmonies in the choruses are simply stunning, nicely complemented by the aforementioned chiming guitar notes.

The lyrics speak to those who refuse to acknowledge or accept the warning signs all around us, using as examples our over-consumption of natural resources, the consequences of our continued burning of fossil fuels on our environment and climate, and repeated injuries resulting from violent sports like football: 

Heating everything I'm about to eat
Plants and animals - and motor oil

Learn to love the A
Learn to love the B
The part that slips between
Is gasoline

You just never listen
You just never listen

We can spend our time
Outside evening-walking
With smiles to hide behind
The never talking

Some come on so strong
It's the only way they know how to do it
It's all they really want
Nothin' much to it

You just never listen
You just never listen

After the CTE scan said
"You're never listening
You're never listening at all."

During the drive home
Close your eyes
Somebody's mother said it's fine
Somebody's brother died that summer

You just never listen
You just never listen
You just never listen
You just never listen

Alex will be performing “Never Listen”, along with several of his songs, tomorrow night (Friday, July 14) at the legendary Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto. Details below:

Connect with Alex on Facebook / Instagram

Find his music on Bandcamp / YouTube / Soundcloud

dwi – Album Review: “Zoo Life”

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews18 Comments

Many singer-songwriters tend to write from their own personal experiences, and oftentimes, some of the best and most compelling songs are born of pain and trauma. Such is the case with Canadian artist dwi and his new album Zoo Life. About the album, he states “This is the first time in my life where the story of the songs came first before the music. Some of the songs break my heart, and I’m not just poetically saying that. I went to very uncomfortable, dark and painful places to find these themes. And now a year later, I realize that I’ve learned so much about myself and why I’ve done the things I have, and why I have prevented myself from healing. You can survive trauma. But you always have to live with it. So you might as well turn it into art.”

Based in the suburbs of Vancouver, British Columbia, dwi is the music project of singer-songwriter and instrumentalist Dwight Abell, who’s also the longtime bassist for Canadian alternative/power pop band The Zolas. He’s an immensely creative, talented and imaginative guy, with a totally original sound and an endearingly quirky vocal style that make his music so uniquely distinctive. I think he’s one of the brightest stars today in the Canadian music scene, or anywhere really, and I’ve grown quite fond of him.

In October 2021, dwi released his brilliant debut album Mild Fantasy Violence (which I reviewed). Written during the Covid lockdowns, the album explored feelings of disconnect from the everyday normalities of relationships and society, touching on such topics as childhood, friendships, addiction, politics and environmentalism. One of the album’s tracks, “Good Friend”, spent four months on my Weekly Top 30 chart, going all the way to #1 and ending up ranking #16 on my Top 100 Best Songs of 2022 list. He followed in August 2022 with a marvelous single “Party4One“, accompanied by a delightfully zany video. That song also went to #1 on my Top 30 chart, and ranks #24 on my Top 100 Best Songs of 2022.

Since then, he’s dropped a number of singles, several of which, including “Party4One”, are featured on Zoo Life, which dropped today. Many of the songs address Dwight’s childhood experiences in foster care, which he equates with being “taken away to a zoo”. He explains “I actually did research about my time in foster care for this album and requested all the documentation of it (900 pages) from the ministry. I discovered that I was abused in one of the homes I was in, and there were photos taken of me. That’s where the album cover came from. I’ve also realized that I’ll probably go back to the old way of conceptualizing songs, because this process emotionally wiped me out. But I’m glad I touched on it as much as I did.”

For the recording of Zoo Life, dwi sang all vocals and played all instruments, except for drums, which were played by his childhood friend and fellow Zolas band member Cody Hiles. The album was produced by Ryan Worsley, and released via the label Light Organ Records.

The album opens with the title track “Zoo Life“, on which dwi addresses the lingering trauma from his foster care experiences: “Standing on the edge of my life. On a perfect Friday night. I don’t know if I can take this. Zoo life, zoo life I’m breathin‘”. Fueled by an emphatic beat overlain with wobbly psychedelic synths, a deep bass groove and stabbing guitar notes, the song has a melodic but rather ominous vibe, ending with a lovely instrumental fade-out. The song’s video, showing scenes of dwi lying backwards on a stairway in front of a church and singing on what appears to be a city street, conveys a strong claustrophobic feel.

“Get Me” opens with a blast of drum fills and bass, then settles down somewhat in the melancholy verses, Cody Hiles’ aggressive drums still dominant throughout. I really like the melodic piano-driven interlude in the bridge before everything ramps back up to a dramatic crescendo as dwi remembers past traumas he’s long tried to suppress: “Pool of blood on the bathroom floor. Wait, who is that on the bathroom floor? From the other side, wake up. On the other hand, shake it off. Don’t look at that void, it’ll crush you.”

The wonderfully wacky “Party4One“ is the one moment of levity on the album. In dwi’s own words, the song is “about falling in love with yourself during an intense state of cabin fever. Love yourself, make out with yourself, and for the love of gawd, scare yourself. The weirdos are in charge now!” It’s a riotous blast from start to finish, and dwi’s quirky vocals are relentlessly endearing as he sings “Hey reflection, I really like you. Don’t want your friends. Hey man, I think it’s pretty funny given who I am. Nothing can stop me, I’m living in a single player game. You can’t stop me, it’s a party for one.“ The hilarious video shows dwi dressed in goth-punk black leather and a plaid skirt, with his hair styled to feature two devil-like horns. He enters an old house and proceeds to indulge in all sorts of childish antics, including playing video games with a giant stuffed teddy bear, overdosing on bowlfuls of Froot Loops, covering his face with lipstick in front of a bathroom mirror, and engaging in S&M pretend with the aforementioned teddy bear.

On the darkly beautiful and cinematic “Fear Of Forever” – which would make a terrific James Bond movie theme – dwi passionately laments of his lingering bitterness and feelings of abandonment to those who hurt him: “Don’t ever trust a god who leaves you all alone / And don’t ever send a boy to do a man’s job / I’ve got the fear of forever“. The song includes sweet vocals from what I’m guessing are one of his little son’s. And on “Phony“, with its glorious Britpop-inspired soundscapes and soaring choruses, he sings the poignant lyrics that seem to be about how we try to hide our pain and aching need for love and acceptance by being other than who we really are: “I never wanted purpose. I only wanted you. And all good things must end here.”

One of my favorite songs on Zoo Life is “Overrated“, as I can’t get enough of its powerful, foot-stomping groove, gnarly bass, spacey synths and dwi’s wonderfully-crazed vocals as he ticks off a number of popular things in culture (VR, licorice, Top Gun, 69, as well as passion, anger and temper) he feels are overrated. A lifelong lover of video games, dwi’s shown as a kind of gaming character in the surreal video.

“Marker“, recorded with his band The Zolas, has a bit of a Psychedelic Furs feel to my ears. The lyrics seem to speak of coping mechanisms children of trauma engage in to survive: “I imagine you as a child tempted to steal a marker. You’ll get caught red-handed when you get creative.” Here’s a live performance of the song by dwi and The Zolas:

“Uncle Uncle” touches on dwi’s ongoing PTSD from witnessing his young son getting hit by a car (thankfully he survived and is doing well): “Take me to a shrink and change my medication / Hypnotize me till I turn blue / I hear a car crash in my mind, kids crying all the time / There is a demon in my mind, throwing parties all the time. I say ‘I’m cool, I’m cool’. But there’s one problem, it never quits.” In addition to the great lyrics, I love the song’s driving beat and that wonderful jangly guitar riff between the verses.

“Day By Day” is a jaunty punkish tune with more of those terrific head-bopping rhythms, psychedelic synths and exuberant jangly guitars. As the title suggests, the lyrics speak to the ongoing work required to keep one’s sanity and deal with adult problems on a daily basis. “Where’s the spark that I had as a kid back in the day. All those dreams sure felt like they would stay. Now it seems that simple stuff ‘s getting in, in my way. Guess I’ll have to take it day by day.“

dwi taps into his inner beast on the bombastic tour de force “Hypocrite?!“, unleashing a torrent of jagged buzzsaw riffs bathed in feedback and fearsome impassioned screams, nicely accompanied by Cody’s explosive drums. The furious instrumentals gradually fade and are replaced with lovely contemplative piano keys and dwi’s haunting vocals for the final minute of the song.

The heart-wrenching and powerful album closer “Holes In My Story” deals with dwi’s coming to terms with having been abandoned by his birth parents and the abuse that followed as a foster child: “I guess I’m staying at someone else’s house again; wait out the storm. / The strangest part I don’t recall you leaving me at all./ I guess I’m putting on a brave face again. These masks are worn. I’m sitting in a cage with my family. What did we do wrong? The hardest part, I don’t recall you needing me at all. Well that was fun, and thank you for creating me, but it’s time to go. / Don’t you dare go feed those animals; they’ll never get trained. Holes in my story, holes in my story. I shine a light on it, but still feel misplaced.”

By song’s end, I’m left emotionally drained and nearly in tears, not only from the lyrical content, but also from dwi’s truly breathtaking creativity, talent and musicianship. Despite it’s dark, often disturbing subject matter, Zoo Life is a magnificent and gorgeous work nevertheless. He’s outdone himself yet again with this album, and I remain a loyal and devoted fan.

Connect with dwi:  Twitter / Instagram / Facebook

Find his music on Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube / Amazon Music

CHRIS MARDULA – Single Review: “Angels & Demons”

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews10 Comments

This past April, I featured British singer-songwriter Chris Mardula, an earnest and talented guy from Durham County in Northeast England, in an Artist Spotlight. To briefly summarize, his music style is strongly influenced by elements of folk, indie rock and blues. A seasoned musician, he’s played in several bands over the years, but often feeling frustrated by uneven levels of commitment by other members, he decided to go it alone as a solo artist. In November 2022, Chris began releasing singles at the rate of one per month, and has now dropped his 8th single “Angels & Demons“. 

A hauntingly beautiful piano ballad, “Angels & Demons” is a very personal song for Chris, and was inspired by the recent passing of his father. The song touches on memories from his childhood, when he was too young to understand his father’s struggles with depression and alcoholism brought on by his own tough upbringing. His father (Chris’s grandfather) was a Polish World War II veteran who’d escaped from a concentration camp and fled to England to start a new life. Witnessing unimaginable things, like having his family wiped out during the war, left him with emotional scars that were sadly passed down to Chris’s father. In the song, Chris uses angels and demons as metaphors to help him understand his father’s actions more clearly: “We need to understand why people are the way they are, as everyone is fighting battles we don’t know about or understand, unless we are in their shoes. Everyone has good and bad in them, and sometimes we need to face things head-on and try and deal with them to stop going down the wrong path. Everyone does things with good intentions and usually for self preservation.”

For the recording of the song, Chris played the somber piano riff and edgy, mournful guitar riff that arrives halfway through the track, while Ben Young, who produced the track, played the haunting string arrangements. Chris’s heartfelt vocals are filled with emotion as he wistfully sings “When you’re lost in the mayhem. When you’re lost in your mind. We’ve all got angels and demons. We’ve all got to face them sometimes.” It’s a lovely, deeply moving song.

The heartwarming video includes stock footage that helps convey the sentiments expressed in the lyrics, interspersed with old family photos featuring Chris’s dad in the second half.

Connect with Chris: Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

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

BRIAN LAMBERT – Single Review: “I Don’t Believe In You”

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews13 Comments

One of the most prolific singer-songwriters around today is Brian Lambert, a thoughtful, engaging and funny guy based in Denton, Texas. He’s been writing and recording music for many years, and says he’s “reinvented himself more times than he can count.” He even tried his hand at country music for a while, but came to the realization that it just wasn’t for him. When Covid put a halt to playing gigs, Brian switched gears and began writing indie rock songs inspired by some of his favorite acts like Spoon, Gang of Youths, Soul Asylum and the Replacements.

In early 2021, he challenged himself to writing, recording and producing a new song every week for a year, an ambitious feat he went on to accomplish! Since then, he’s continued his prodigious output, writing and recording songs both as a solo artist and in collaboration with a host of other musicians he’s met on Twitter, including Marc Schuster, a singer-songwriter, musician and all-around renaissance man from the Philadelphia area, with whom he teamed up with to create a separate music act The Star Crumbles, who released a fantastic debut album The Ghost of Dancing Slow last September. (I previously reviewed that album, as well as two of Brian’s singles, “Kids” and “It’s Good”.)

Another pair of artists he’s worked with are Jr Moz Collective, the music project of singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Mike Mosley, and Paul Prater, another renaissance man who, in addition to being a musician, is also a magician, entertainer, mind reader, attorney and author. Earlier this year, Jr Moz Collective, Paul Prater and Brian collaborated on a song “I Don’t Believe In You“, which was released in April. Mike Mosley wrote the music and lyrics, played guitar, bass and synths and sang lead vocals, Paul played drums, and Brian played lead synths and sang backing vocals.

Brian loved the song so much – which he says brought him to tears – he decided to re-record it with him singing lead vocals, also re-dubbing his lead synth part. The result is a more impactful and dramatic track, in large part due to Brian’s emphatic vocals filled with unbridled passion. He calls it a “fiery garage rock anthem that pairs well with the heat of summer and discontent, perfectly capturing the dissatisfaction with the status quo. Earnest like Isbell, dirty guitars of QOTSA, quirkiness of Beck and swagger of Bowie.” After hearing the song, I have to concede that’s a pretty accurate description!

Opening with a strong thumping drumbeat, the song is soon joined by a gnarly guitar riff, deep bass groove and retro 80s-sounding synths as Brian begins to sing the biting lyrics. The edgy and colorful instrumentals create a powerful, almost cinematic backdrop for his raw, emotionally-charged vocals delivered with a forceful passion that leave me covered in goosebumps. It’s possibly Brian’s most dramatic single yet.

The lyrics call out those who spout religious dogma, lies and hate, urging us to question what we hear or read, and fight back against those wanting to poison and divide us: “Do you believe anything you hear if it comes from the mouth of hate? Do you believe anything they say if it allows you to feel that way? / And I don’t believe in you, you ought to know that I never did / And I’m not gonna sit back and keep my thoughts to my self/ There’s nothing stopping me from stopping you.”

The beautiful lyric video was made with AI-created images, generated from the original watercolor painting by Brian’s father William Edward Lambert that was used for the single cover art.

Those purchasing the track on Bandcamp get a bonus song “Follow Me In”, which was written by fellow musician David Ray Thomas.

Connect with Brian:  Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

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

CAITLIN LAVAGNA – Single Review: “We Lost Track”

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews11 Comments

My favorite Welsh songstress Caitlin Lavagna is back with a marvelous new single “We Lost Track“, and I couldn’t be happier! I adore her powerful, vibrant vocal style and honest, relatable lyrics drawn from personal struggles and heartache. Released today, “We Lost Track” is her third single, following last year’s “Night Bus” – a fantastic song that spent 20 weeks on my Top 30, peaking at #2 – and her 2021 debut single “How Not To Start A Fight”, which also spent several weeks on my Top 30. (You can read my reviews of both songs by clicking on the ‘Related’ links at the end of this post.) 

Born and raised in the picturesque South Wales Rhondda Valley, with strong Gibraltarian roots, the multi-talented and lovely singer-songwriter, musician and actress has had a life-long love for music and the arts, with a special passion for percussion and drums, as well as singing and dancing. Her music and vocal styles are heavily influenced by some of her favorite artists like Sting, Biffy Clyro, Stevie Nicks, Florence Welch, P!nk and Adele. In addition to writing and recording music as a solo artist, Caitlin has also performed in numerous stage musicals, and while in college, was part of the indie folk duo Only The Reign, who released two self-recorded albums.

About her latest single, Caitlin explains: “This is my first ballad and I’m so proud of it. I wanted the song to represent losing something “perfect”. It’s a reflective song about how I gave too much of myself to someone, not realising I was worth more than how I was treated. It’s about friendship, love and pain. I hope people connect to the song whilst enjoying its subtle but rhythmic shifts and euphoric string arrangements. I have challenged myself and I think the track is beautiful. I am so excited to see the work of myself and my friends (some of whom I met touring the UK with ‘Fisherman’s Friends the Musical’) come to life. They’re incredible musicians and close friends who have absolutely nailed it.”

For the recording of “We Lost Track”, Caitlin sang vocals and played drums, Hannah Cumming and Hazel Simmons played strings, Charlotte Ware played saxophone, Joseph Rodwell, who also produced and mixed the track, played keyboards, and Georgina White and Jennifer Glatzhofer sang backing vocals. The track was recorded at New Cut Studios in Bristol, and mastered by Nick at Old Cottage Audio.

It’s a beautiful, flawlessly-crafted song, with colorful piano keys and melancholy strings, accompanied by gentle bass and Caitlin’s restrained drums and percussion, all of which rise to a dramatic crescendo in the choruses. I particularly love the enchanting rhythmic downshift in the bridge when she sings “I didn’t want to believe it’s true. Now there’s no one left To say ‘I love you’ to“. But the real highlight for me are Caitlin’s heart-wrenching vocals that elicit chills when she passionately wails with raw, heart-wrenching emotion “Ooo – Ooo – Ooo I want you back Ooo – Ooo – Ooo It makes me look bad Ooo – Ooo – Ooo We lost track Ooo – Ooo – Ooo Don’t look at me like that“. 

Ooo - Ooo - Ooo
I want you back 
Ooo - Ooo - Ooo
It makes me look bad 
Ooo - Ooo - Ooo
We lost track 
Ooo - Ooo - Ooo
Don’t look at me like that 

I bought you those bed sheets 
I bought you that light 
I laid next to you almost every night 
I wore what you wanted 
I gave you my time 
You were so cruel at the end of the line
You were so cruel I thought you’d be kind 

I told you’re perfect 
I told you you’re cool 
You even let me redecorate your room 
You wrote songs with lyrics that made you look smart 
You weren’t that clever when it came to my heart 
You weren’t that clever when it came to my heart 

Ooo - Ooo - Ooo
I want you back 
Ooo - Ooo - Ooo
It makes me look bad 
Ooo - Ooo - Ooo
We lost track 
Ooo - Ooo - Ooo
Don’t look at me like that 

Gave you a piece of me 
I regret that
Gave so much more to you 
Than I got back
Told you secrets through panic attacks
My friends told me I could do better than you 
I didn’t want to believe it’s true 
Now there’s no one left 
To say ‘I love you’ to

Ooo - Ooo - Ooo
I want you back 
Ooo - Ooo - Ooo
We lost track 

I bought you that jumper
You gave it away 
Had tears in my eyes 
When you laughed in my face 
You changed your number 
So I changed my tone 
Thank you for nothing 
I’m fine on my own.

Here’s the song on Spotify:

Connect with Caitlin:  Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

Find her music on Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube

BENJAMYN & BRÍ – Single Review: “Illuminate”

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews3 Comments

Today I’m pleased to showcase the enchanting collaborative single “Illuminate“, by Irish singer-songwriter and electronic music producer BENJAMYN (aka Ben Hogan) and Irish singer-songwriter Brí (aka Briana Horan). I’ve previously featured Brí twice on this blog, whereas BENJAMYN is new to me.

For a bit of background on the two artists, both of whom are based in Dublin, BENJAMYN is a multi-instrumentalist who’s been performing since he was a child, experimenting with musical genres ranging from indie rock and acoustic folk to funk and hip-hop to create his own distinctive blend of indie, dance, and electronica. His songs have received coverage from radio stations, blogs and playlists across Ireland and beyond, and he’s played numerous shows around Dublin since launching his music project in 2018. This past February he released his marvelous debut album FLOW to both critical and fan acclaim.

Brí is a lovely and talented singer-songwriter with the voice of an angel, creating hauntingly beautiful and emotionally compelling indie pop with folk and electronic overtones. In the summer of 2019, she began dropping a series of singles that culminated in the release of her excellent debut album Hide, in October 2021. Her music has garnered radio airplay and received high praise from numerous music writers, me included (I wrote about two of her singles, “More Than” and “Time”, which you can read by clicking on the ‘Related’ links at the end of this post.) She’s performed at Beatvyne’s Music X Tech Experience, Whelan’s Ones to Watch, The Ruby Sessions, and headlined The Sound House in Dublin and Spirit Store in Dundalk.

Released through BlueTide Music, “Illuminate” was co-written and recorded virtually by BENJAMYN and Brí, produced by BENJAMYN (who also created the striking artwork for the single), mixed by Michael Heffernan and mastered by Peter Montgomery. About their first collaboration together, Brí commented “I heard the early beginnings of Ben’s beat on Instagram. I was so compelled to write a song to it that I messaged him straight away; luckily he was up for a co-write. Both of us were going through our own ‘uphill battle’ at the time. ‘Illuminate’ fueled us to overcome those struggles and we hope it does the same for you.” BENJAMYN added “I was buzzing to work with Brí on this track. It all came about so naturally after she heard an earlier version of the beat, and when we spoke I knew she would be perfect for it. Once we started writing the song together it really came into its own. I think we both felt the same vibe from the beginning, and I leveraged our ideas with the production as best I could. I can’t wait for people to hear it and feel like they’re lighting up.”

The song is gorgeous, featuring an intricate mix of shimmery and skittering percussive synths layered over a deep, pulsating synth bass beat, creating a captivating atmospheric soundscape that conveys feelings of enlightenment, of emerging from darkness into the glorious light.

The lyrics speak to addressing our challenges head-on, learning to overcome them, or at least accept them and not allow them to defeat us, in order to live a brighter existence. I like how Brí sings the first two verses, with BENJAMYN joining her at the end of the second verse “Shedding my skin, it’s paper thin, body twitching, I’m itching. Problem, it’s time to fix it. I’m reaching in, I’m healing all of my feelings. Feeling good, good. Pick myself up off the floor, I can do what I want.“, then singing the third verse: “I’m fighting on an uphill battle, but my wounds are only small and shallow. I move with greater purpose filling me, my shine is light a starlight shimmering. If I could take the world into this fight, and turn all of the darkness into light. Then maybe they would stop prohibiting, and we could all begin envisioning a brighter way.” He’s a fine singer too, and his warm vocals complement Brí’s lilting ethereal vocals quite nicely.

Here’s the song on Youtube:

And on Soundcloud:

Connect with BENJAMYN:  Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

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

 Connect with Brí:  Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

Find her music on Bandcamp / Spotify / Soundcloud / Apple Music