Tag Archives: Single Review

Single Reviews: Lansdowne – “Here to Stay” and “Oxygen”

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Lansdowne

photo courtesy of Lansdowne via BJF Media

Single Reviews of Lansdowne: “Here to Stay” and “Oxygen” (AFM Records)

Lansdowne is a heavy-rocking Boston band you’ve read about at this blog before. Well, this fivesome – Jon Ricci (vocals), Shaun Lichtenstein (lead guitar, vocals), Glenn Mungo (drums), Josh Waterman (guitar, vocals), and Mike LaRoche (bass) – has released two more kickass singles since my last review, “Here to Stay” and “Oxygen.”

“Here to Stay” kicks off with a fiesty guitar rock intro that softens as Ricci’s vocals kick in. The band has a very big, arena-sized, modern heavy rock sound, replete with explosive bursts of sound and vocals (or sound and fury, if you prefer). This song, in particular, might appeal to fans of Daughtry’s bigger, more expansive, powerfully explosive numbers. However, Lansdowne adds some gritty, noisy axework when a little raucous chaos is called upon to drive the song forward.

Lansdowne – "Here to Stay" cover art

image courtesy of BJF Media

“Here to Stay” is a song whose lyrical message – and the energy with which it is delivered – is likely to appeal to a certain cross-section of the band’s fans, too. In the material accompanying the release, Jon Ricci commented: “‘Here To Stay’ is a powerful song about overcoming adversity and coming together to say, ‘No matter what happens, no matter what you throw at us, we’re going to be victorious.’ We’ve spoken with so many fans that have told us stories about the challenges they’ve faced and the struggles that they’ve endured, and how our music has been a part of their process as they heal and motivation as they push through tough times. So this is our way of saying we understand, we’re with you, and no matter what happens we’re going to get through this together.” So yeah, that’s a pretty sweet message, too.

“Oxygen,” meanwhile, begins explosively, as you’ve come to expect from Lansdowne (if you took my advice and started listening to them a couple years ago). Soft verses lead to powerful choruses at the end of which the title lyric is nearly screamed. It’s also pretty cool lyrically, potentially connecting with those in suffocating relationships with the lyrics “I can’t believe I was caught in your fire. Now I see through the smoke and the lies. Finally, I can breathe as I’m rising above the ashes, alive again, oxygen!” A late song, typically new-metal screeching breakdown adds character, leading the song to a powerful closing section, where you’ll join the band in screaming “Oxygen!”

Lansdowne and its powerful sound are so obviously ready-made for an all-encompassing live concert experience it’s not even funny. Check out the “Shows” section of the band’s website for upcoming dates. Right now, a May 24th date at Wally’s Pub in Hampton, NH is listed, but check back for more.

Single Review: Sister Hazel – “All Goes By So Fast”

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Sister Hazel's "All Goes By So Fast" cover art shows the song title displayed as if written on the timers of the time-traveling Delorean in Back to the Future.

image courtesy of Skye Media

Single Review of Sister Hazel – “All Goes By So Fast” (Rock Ridge Music)

“All Goes By So Fast” was an August 2024 single released by Sister Hazel in advance of the band’s 13th studio album, Sand, Sea & Crash Debris, which dropped in November. Now, I haven’t yet heard the album, but I’ve heard this very cool song, “All Goes By So Fast,” quite a lot; of course, I’ve also heard “Coconut Trees,” which was released as a single shortly before I reviewed it back in 2023. Let’s just say that “All Goes By So Fast” is not particularly similar to “Coconut Trees” other than both being catchy songs performed by Sister Hazel.

“All Goes By So Fast” is an old-school pop-rock song the likes of which you might have heard on Semisonic’s Feeling Strangely Fine back in the late ’90s. At the same time, there’s a nostalgic thread that runs through this song that’s most often found in country music. (No, I’m not comparing this to country music, except for the theme.)

Funky synthwork and a crunchy, punchy guitar line combine with slappy, rhythmic drumming to provide a hypnotically catchy, engaging – almost overwhelmingly so – music bed. Combine that with a dramatic power-pop chorus, confessional straight-shooter style, and nostalgic nearly-spoken bridges, and you have a veritable Pavlovian sugar trap of a song. And it works, somehow remaining fresh and enjoyable even after several consecutive listens, like I’m doing right now while writing this review, even after dozens of previous listens as part of a playlist.

In any case, this song is a fun mainstream rock romp (with major pop tendencies), well-deserving of a little playlist love.

Single Review: Ilianna – “A Year From Now”

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Ilianna

photo courtesy of Highway Music

Single Review of Ilianna: “A Year From Now” (Highway Music)

You may remember Ilianna (Viramontes) from her appearance on The Voice a few years ago. Although that’s the one singing competition show I sometimes watch, I don’t watch every season, and that was one of the seasons I missed, so “A Year From Now” is my first encounter with this exceptionally talented pop singer-songwriter.

Ilianna – "A Year From Now" cover art

image courtesy of Highway Music

Ilianna’s voice is sweet with a soft vocal edge despite a slightly hoarse texture in spots, but only when she stretches for notes. It’s the sort of voice that can make a song seem warm and inviting and, indeed, that’s exactly what it does on “A Year From Now.” The vocals and the melody change pace, feeling introspective in the verses but a bit more self-confident and playful in the chorus.

As for subject matter, it carries a light mood through thoughts of the future in the early days of a relationship that’s going well. Totally relatable for those seeking love, in love, or who remember falling in love. Some insecurity sneaks in, but not much, keeping the song pleasant and enjoyable. The lyrics and Ilianna’s delivery will make the song content feel current – or reminiscent, depending on your current lot in life and love – with well-crafted lyrics like “what if I told you I was picturing us a year from now?” combining with Ilianna’s engaging delivery to help secure “A Year From Now” a welcome place across a broad range of listener personas’ playlists.

Ilianna

photo courtesy of Highway Music

Looking For More?

Well, “A Year From Now” was Ilianna’s second single release. She released “Close to You” a month before “A Year From Now.” You can hear “Close to You” here on Spotify. Spotify also includes Ilianna’s cover of Yael Naim’s “New Soul” from her appearance on The Voice eight years ago. Of the three, I think “A Year From Now” is my favorite. Based on her outstanding but still-too-small body of work, I hope to hear much more new music from Ilianna in the very near future. She has the talent to become a long-term favorite artist on my playlist… and on yours, too, I bet.

Single Review: Liam Foody – “Waiting For You”

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Liam Foody

photo courtesy of Cobra Promotions

Single Review of Liam Foody: “Waiting For You”

Irish singer-songwriter Liam Foody serves up an energetic mid-tempo pop-rock single with “Waiting For You.” The song is easy to listen to, with jangly guitar – and even a little grainy guitar crunch in spots – supporting Liam’s steady voice atop a frequently-airy soundbed. Liam’s voice has just a hint of a warble that helps the song come across as heartfelt, despite its rather poppy, keep-it-moving vibe that pushes the song forward without lingering too long on an emotion.

In the end, “Waiting For You” is a pleasant song that’s sneaky-good and will grow on you progressively with each subsequent listen. It’s a light, feel-good pop-rocker that serves as a terrific introduction to this talented artist. So check out “Waiting For You” and get ready for more – I’d expect to hear plenty from Liam Foody in the coming years.

By the way, this is actually Liam’s second single. If you like what you hear, be sure to also take his first single, “Take Your Hand,” for a spin.

Single Review: Annie & the Caldwells – “Wrong”

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Annie & the Caldwells

photo by Eric Welles-Nystrom; photo courtesy of 23 PR

Single Review of Annie & the Caldwells: “Wrong” (Luaka Bop)

The funky opening of “Wrong” will grab you right off the bat, as “Wrong,” a single from the Annie & the Caldwells album Can’t Lose My (Soul), evolves into the kind of powerfully-vocalled (with backup singers) kind-of-Motowny soul song that’ll keep you moving in your seat with its engaging beat. And you’ll be singing along with the lyric “I was wrong” by the end of the very first listen.

The group’s bio notes that Annie & the Caldwells are a family group from West Point, Mississippi and labels their sound as “disco soul.” Yes, though I couldn’t quite place it in the review above, penned before digging into the band’s bio, there’s definitely a disco flavor to the song, too.

The song includes a nice video, filmed right there in West Point, that begins in Caldwell’s Fashions, the business owned and operated by family matriarch and bandleader Annie Caldwell. The family band is comprised of vocalist Annie, her husband Willie Caldwell Sr. (guitar), her sons Willie Caldwell Jr. (bass) and Abel Aquirius Caldwell (drums), daughters Deborah Caldwell Moore (featured vocals), and Anjessica Caldwell (backing vocals), and goddaughter Toni Rivers (backing vocals).

In any case, this is a fun single. I haven’t given the full-length album a listen yet – it’s been out a few weeks now – I fully expect to be wowed.

You can also find Annie, Willie Sr., and their sons in the Staples Jr. Singers, who’ve been around since 1975, according to the Staples Jr. Singers’ Instagram page.

Single Review: Paul Sherry – “Fades”

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Paul Sherry

photo courtesy of Cobra Promotions

Single Review of Paul Sherry: “Fades”

Award-winning Irish blues and rock musician Paul Sherry released a cool single, “Fades,” late last year. The song was produced at Start Together Studio in Belfast by Rocky O’Reilly. Multi-instrumentalist Sherry performed guitar, bass, and piano on the record, while Davy Cassidy contributed the drumwork.

“Fades” opens with jangly, rough-hewn guitarwork before being joined by Sherry’s gritty, raw, passionate vocals, which lend an edgy insistence to the chorus: “I see everything just fades, letting go now. I see everything fades. Where’s it go now? Everything changes.” The second verse maintains a bit more energy, allowing the song to amp up even more in the second chorus. In need of a release, the song adeptly passes through a less-instrumented, airier bridge before picking up the energy on the other side, rockin’ it out to the close until a final-second fade. Just a really cool arrangement, well-suited to Sherry’s delivery.

Taking a holistic view of “Fades,” the song has a real-life, gritty, honest vibe along the lines of a Bruce Springsteen or John Mellencamp song. Stylistically similar but not sonically. No the sound is unique to Paul Sherry. So if you’re not familiar with his work, this song seems like a great introduction. And if you do know Paul already, well, if you haven’t hear “Fades” yet, you’re gonna dig rocking along to it!

Paul Sherry

photo courtesy of Cobra Promotions

Looking Ahead

If you want to catch Paul Sherry live, there are several upcoming shows listed on his webpage. He also announces upcoming gigs on his Instagram and Facebook pages.

 

Single Reviews: Battlemode – “Playlist” and “Just Pretend”

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photo by Dave Green Photography; photo courtesy of Knyvet

Single Reviews of Battlemode: “Playlist” and “Just Pretend”

Battlemode is a trio of Boston-based purveyors of super-catchy, hypnotically beat-driven chiptune pop. To any of us not embedded in the heart of that particular electronic music scene, stylistically, think synthpop. Mostly, though, think of an electronic-based, danceclub-ready, infectious, thumping earworm. Or, in this case, two tuneful aural parasites – “Playlist” and “Just Pretend.”

Battlemode – "Playlist" cover art

artwork by Sadie Parrotta; image courtesy of Knyvet

You my have seen Battlemode – Biff, Astro, and Sam – featured at Boston Bitdown in March. The group is scheduled to appear at Boston Calling in May. Simply put, Battlemode is everywhere this year, and deservedly so.

“Playlist” kicks things off right from the start with an electronic dance beat that’s an immediate attention-grabber, moving on to heartfelt, powerful pop vocals, appropriate for the song’s way-cool lyrics, featuring the oft-repeated “It’s over. All I have left is your playlist, your playlist.” The mid-song rap, as the electro-beat continues, provides a tempo-change, before the full wall-of-sound and the primary vocals return. You will be singing this song all afternoon after just about any mid-day listen, that’s for sure! In fact, if you can’t groove along to “Playlist,” you’re probably dead inside.

Battlemode – "Just Pretend" cover art

image courtesy of Knyvet

“Just Pretend” has a more mainstream pop music feel, the sort of thing you might hear from a Nick Jonas tune, particularly in collaboration with other artists, like Battlemode, perhaps, sometime down the road. It’s not really super-different stylistically from “Playlist” – clearly two songs from the same artist – but there’s a unique vocal breakdown early on and a slightly more complicated baseline rhythm. The mid-song rap comes a little earlier in the song. There are also some nifty sound effects. I know the band’s bio says Astro’s instrument is the Game Boy. That’s sure what it sounds like. Or, more precisely, it sounds an awful like the sound effects from the old arcade game Caterpillar. Regardless, it totally fits in with the song, making an already-engaging tune even a little more interesting.

It’s easy to get hung up trying to describe Battlemode’s sound, but that’s hardly the point. Battlemode’s songs are sure to appeal to anyone who likes music, especially if you enjoy pop, electronic, or any related style, but not necessarily just that group of music fans. The songs are well-written, engaging, and hooky, suggesting the potential for massive crossover appeal, too.

photo by Dave Green Photography; photo courtesy of Knyvet

Looking Ahead

Battlemode has a couple upcoming concerts listed on the “Shows” page of the band’s website. On May 7th, you can catch them in Boston as part of the “Sound On” concert series. And on May 21st, Battlemode will take the stage at Boston Calling in Allston, MA. Of course, keeping checking the band’s website for future live performance dates.

Single Reviews: Wildfeuer – “Bones” and “85 to 0”

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Wildfeuer band photo, with the band standing in front of a graffiti-covered brick wall

photo courtesy of Sarah Wildfeuer

Single Reviews of Wildfeuer: “Bones” and “85 to 0”

Boston’s alt-rock scene has a new A-list band, if Wildfeuer‘s first two singles are any indication. Full of energy, power, and rhythmic persistence, “Bones” and “85 to 0” hint at a high ceiling for this Sarah Wildfeuer-led outfit.

Wildfeuer – "Bones" cover art

image courtesy of Sarah Wildfeuer

On its first single, Wildfeuer kicks things off with an engaging, hypnotically rhythmic alt-rocker, “Bones,” that, as you start to listen to the lyrics, is topically perhaps cathartic, one hopes, as it disquietingly descriptively details the challenges of moving forward with life and love following a sexual assault. The vocals are suitably edgy, tunefully dashing around the contours of the melody. From the very first lyrics, the song is intense: “He digs his fingers into me. His dirty nails they make me bleed. Nothing ever sets me free from the memory.” The subject matter is, unfortunately, familiar to far too money people, so anything that helps engage public thought and discussion (and, of course, condemnation) on the matter is welcome, even moreso if it helps those who’ve experienced it find common cause. In this case, the message is in the package of a kickass song.

Wildfeuer – "85 to 0" cover art

image courtesy of Sarah Wildfeuer

Second single “85 to 0” is slower paced and, with the beats highlighted moreso by the more intentionally plodding progression, sports perhaps a little heavier feel. This song is disquieting in a slightly different way, with a chorus that begins “With my headlights wrapped so nice round a streetlight. I think it would feel so nice to hit zero from eighty-five.” The wall of sound is greater during the chorus, and the vocal intensity picks up to match.

Together, this pair of intense, well-written songs suggest both a live performance that could enthrall a roomful of rockers (well beyond the core alt-rock crowd) and the likelihood of a future catalog of equally impressive songs in the band’s future. Perfect not just for an alt-rock college crowd but also for more veteran rock music fans, too. I’m already looking forward to whatever Wildfeuer releases next.

Wildfeuer band photo, with the band standing on a stage that's covered with graffiti

photo courtesy of Sarah Wildfeuer

Looking Ahead

You can find Wildfeuer online at the band’s website or its TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube pages. I don’t see any upcoming gigs listed, but I’ll definitely be watching for them.

Single Review: Baby and the Nobodies – “Bombs Away”

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Baby and the Nobodies

photo courtesy of Head First Entertainment

Single Review of Baby and the Nobodies: “Bombs Away”

Seattle pop-punk rockers Baby and the Nobodies strike me as being a little closer to the punk side (and farther from the pop side) of pop-punk on “Bombs Away.” Yes, the song is infectiously catchy, but it also has some of the old-school punk rawness that’s absent from the poppier music that is more commonly identified with this fun, catchy genre. Of course, the nice thing about falling in that in-between space is that a hooky song like “Bombs Away” can appeal to both classic punk rockers and pop-punkers alike.

Baby and the Nobodies – "Bombs Away" cover art

image courtesy of Head First Entertainment

“Bombs Away,” in style and delivery, sounds a bit like something Blog favorite Amanda White might record. It starts with a raw guitar rock hook, quickly moving into a drumbeat-driven rhythmic thumping, with lyrics delivered as if semi-snarkily with a lot of that old-school punk attitude. Guitar rock fans will also appreciate that the first lyrics is a quick “Yow!” Or maybe that’s just me. Regardless, it’s a great entry for the vox.

The way the song powers forward, it’s almost surprising to see it clock in at just more than four minutes, through there’s a nifty guitar solo, and due to the heavily thumping rhythm section, the song’s tempo isn’t actually as fast as it feels.

There’s something catchy about “Bombs Away” that’ll grab you on the first listen, and by the third or fourth you’ll be fully hooked. And once you’re hooked, if you’re new to Baby and the Nobodies, like I am, there’s a back catalog you can explore while you enjoy “Bombs Away” and await the band’s next release.

Single Reviews: Lovina Falls – “Tragedy” and “Ellery Way”

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Lovina Falls

photo by Joan Hathaway; photo courtesy of Knyvet

Single Reviews of Lovina Falls: “Tragedy” and “Ellery Way”

Lovina Falls is dubbed in its promo material as art-rock. I can’t argue with that. The band’s overall sound, at least on this pair of singles, has that a bit of that floating ’80s new wave musical vibe – for some reason, I think of ABC a little. But I almost don’t want to mention them for fear of scaring off the most likely batch of fans because Lovina Falls’ music comes from a denser, heavier, more modern rock perspective and, aside from the floatiness, has a completely different sound.

Lovina Falls – "Tragedy" cover art

artwork by Valerie Forgione; image courtesy of Knyvet

Lovina Falls is the current project from ex-Mistle Thrush-er Valerie Forgione (vocals, multiple instruments and sounds). Forgione’s band on “Tragedy” is comprised of Todd Demma (drums), Scott Patalano (guitar), and David Minehan (guitar and bass), while on “Ellery Way” she is joined by Brenden Cobb (guitar), Matthew Klain (bass), and Todd Demma (drums), with David Minehan co-producing. These exceptional musical collaborations produce a rich, powerful sound.

“Tragedy” kicks off with that floating aura I referred to in the first paragraph but with a heavy beat and a buzzy soundbed before building into a decent-tempo thumping rock song. It’s not ’til nearly the song’s midpoint that its raw energy starts to take the lead, but after that it just seems to build. Talk about drawing a listener in! You’ve gotta believe this would be just as effective in a live performance. I can almost envision “Tragedy” being performed in a setting like the early ’90s Rat in Kenmore Square, though despite the electric, uniquely edgy energy, there are some sounds in “Tragedy” that are a bit too modern to have quite fit in that era.

Lovina Falls – "Ellery Way" cover art

image credit: Spencer Frost; image courtesy of Knyvet

“Ellery Way,” on the other hand, haunts from the beginning. You know somethin’ just ain’t right while listening to this song, but the music is too hypnotic to be able to focus on the lyrics enough to really follow them. And that’s probably a good thing, allowing you to avoid focusing on them unless you really want to. Musically, an electronic buzz combines with a steady rhythm and Forgione’s powerful, emotively edgy-yet-smooth vocal delivery to create an all-encompassing, atmospheric alt-rock-ish musical mural. And yes, you’ll find yourself singing along with “Ellery Way is just as different by day when I walk with you.”

These singles were follow-ups to Lovina Falls’ 2023 debut album Calculating the Angle of Our Descent. And, though I’ve not delved into that album, the two songs I’ve reviewed here are enough to convince me that a Lovina Falls live set is likely to be an enrapturing, fully immersive event. As hard as the music is to describe, it’s likely to appeal to fans of any flavor of rock music from straight-up rock to alt-rock to electronic rock, especially if you’re drawn to great songs.