Happy New Music Friday! We hope you had a great week and are getting ready for the weekend. Here are five albums that dropped today to get you in the weekend mood.
Artist Name: Earthquake Lights
Album Name: Distress Signals
Label: Self-released
Genre: Jazzy Rock
Track Listing: 1. Moonlight; 2. The Eight – One; 3. May Day; 4. Friends of Mine; 5. We Will Never be the Same; 6. Open Ocean; 7. This is as Far as you Go; 8. So Far no Luck; 9. Transmission; 10. Were you Listening
Publicist: Noisy Ghost PR
Review: Earthquake Lights have a brilliant indie rock sound that they blend with jazz and soul to create their own special blend. The music goes down smooth and should be a multi-genre hit as it has the flexible to be heard on several different kinds of radio stations. This is music to chill to, to get ready to and is perfect for daily living mediations and reflection. This is music that can stay in the background 24-7 and you will never tire of it. If this is the quality they put into their debut, we can only imagine how great the next one will be.
Recommendation: Run out and Get this one.
Artist Name: Berlin Taxi
Album Name: Contract
Label: Self-released
Genre: Synth Pop
Track Listing: 1. Everybody Changes; 2. Middle Man; 3. Backroads; 4. Last Night; 5. Level with Me
Publicist: WolfieVibes Publicity
Review: We introduced you to Berlin Taxi back in February when we featured their video for “Last Night.” They were back again in our Ten Great Singles of March with “Everybody Changes.” Needless to say, we are happy for the chance to hear three more songs from this amazing band, who is taking synth pop to an entirely new level. Hop on board this retro train, and let’ boogie, especially to those last two tracks.
Recommendation: Go Get it.
Artist Name: Conor Donohue
Album Name: Let Love Contaminate
Label: Self-released
Genre: Roots Rock
Track Listing: 1. Let Love Contaminate; 2. Getting Better; 3. Conversations; 4. The Garden; 5. Lost Weekend; 6. Hedonist Glow; 7. Gasoline; 8. White Noise; 9. Milk, Blood & Traffic Signals; 10. Terrified Moon
Publicist: WolfieVibes Publicity
Review: Conor Donohue may have been raised on Long Island, but his time in South Carolina and New Orleans has transformed this singer-songwriter into a troubadour of all things roots rock. You can feel the South Carolina breeze that brought us such treasures as Shovels and Rope and Alabama, and the NOLA influence that sets that sound free. This album hits the ground running on that title track and never lets us, delivering a album that is great from start to finish and worthy of repeated listens. Yo can’t go wrong with this one.
Recommendation: Run out and Get this one!
Artist Name: Safari Room
Album Name: OOKO Session (Live)
Label: Self-released
Genre: Indie Rock
Track Listing: 1. Glass Box; 2. Vices; 3. Around the Bend
Publicist: Self-promoted
Review: What sets this indie record apart from its peers is the simultaneous release of both audio and video versions of each song. The band recorded these songs live to show their growth as artists, and to spotlight one song from each of their prior releases. Recording live is a gutsy move because playing the songs acoustically often reveals flaws in the songs themselves. Thank goodness there are no such flaws in these three gems, and this band shows that their live performance is just as good as what they do in the studio. We think you’ll want to hear these three songs on repeat. Our only critique is that the vocals need a little more punch so they stay on top of the instrumentals. All in all, this is a worthy effort.
Recommendation: Grab this one today.
Artist Name: Jeffrey Halford & the Healers
Album Name: West Towards South
Label: Self-released
Genre: Americana
Track Listing: 1. West Toward South; 2. Deeper Than Hell; 3. Dead Man’s Hand; 4. Willa Jean; 5. Three-Quarter Moon; 6. A Town Called Slow; 7. Sea of Cortez; 8. Gallows; 9. Geronimo; 10. Ballad of Ambrose and Cyrus
Publicist: Miles High Productions
Review: Jeffrey Halford & the Healers have long been a favorite of this blog, having earned two LA Music Critic Award nominations (Best CD Group and Best Roots/Americana Band) for the first half of 2017. They’re back with their latest offering, West Towards South, and they just pick up where they left off. The title track is done spoken word style, reminiscent of Shawn Mullins‘ “Lullaby.” Halford returns to his singing on “Deeper Than Hell,” providing perfect rhymes that paint vivid word pictures over an electrifying musical soundscape. If Americana music is your thing and you love an artist that can create memorable stories, then Jeffrey Halford & the Healers belong at the top of your list.
Recommendation: This one is a must for your collection – run out and Get it.