Wow – almost done with new music reviews scheduled to be released through the end of June. It’s been a long ride, but we’ve enjoyed it so far, and hope you’ve found some new artists that you like and want to support. Here are four more for your consideration.
Artist Name: Junior Astronomers
Album Name: Body Language
Label: Refresh Records
Genre: Indie Rock
Track Listing: 1. Body Language Part 2; 2. That’s Why; 3. Mood Ring; 4. Pyramid Party; 5. An Idea; 6. Exit Policy; 7. Gabby; 8. Favorite Hiding Place; 9. Coming Home (to a house on fire); 10. Laid Out; 11. Body Language Part 1
Publicist: Noisy Ghost PR
Review: We had an immediate “in” with this band, as they hail from the Tar Heel State which also spawned our illustrious head blogger. They are loud and immediately make their presence known. Thankfully, they have someone worthy to say, as they are impossible to ignore. This album will wake you up and stimulate your mind, while keeping your toes tapping to the steady beat. These Charlotte-based rockers have been steadily touring, and it is easy to imagine that their live shows are both electric and compelling. They pack a lot of energy into their music, which also contains a grand story about coming of age and learning about love and life. The album is well crafted and shows evidence that serious thought was put into the structure of the album itself, including the interesting placement of part 2 of the title track at the beginning of the album, and part 1 at the end. Best songs include their single, “That’s Why,’ “Pyramid Party,” “Exit Policy,” “Favorite Hiding Place,” and “Coming Home (to a house on fire).”
Recommendation: If you like your music with a driving beat and meaty lyrics forcefully and loudly delivered, then you should definitely Get this album.
Artist Name: Munroe
Album Name: Oblivion
Label: Self-released
Genre: Dream Pop
Track Listing: 1. Fake Out; 2. Oblivion; 3. No Anchor; 4. Your Pages; 5. The Witness; 6. Ever Be; 7. Good Name; 8. Bad Company
Publicist: Auteur Research
Review: Canadian Munroe has arrived on the indie music scene with a sound reminiscent of Sarah McLachlan and Enya. The music is light and airy while the vocals soar high above the music, pulling her listeners into her mood. The entire album is dreamy and light, providing a safe haven to go about your daily life. At the same time, the lyrical content is meaty and lush, painting pictures and describing universal truths. While each track is worthy of your attention, we do love the title track, which has been released as the first single.
Recommendation: This album drops next Friday, following the release of the first single last month. We love this album, and recommend you pre-order it so that it will be yours on release day,
Artist Name: Rococode
Album Name: Young Ones
Label: Marquis Artists
Genre: Indie Pop, Electronica
Track Listing: 1. Young Ones; 2. Why do I; 3. Is it Real; 4. Brutal; 5. A Love That you can Never Know; 6. Can’t get Enough
Publicist: The Syndicate
Review: With a sound reminiscent of 80’s pop, this Canadian duo is a treat. Alternating vocals keeps the music interesting, much like darkness and light show us where we are within the day. All six songs are a treat, but none so much as the title track and “Why do I.” The music of Rococode is tasty and fun, and brings back great memories of when we as a society had so much less to worry about. Honestly, we can’t say enough about this release, which is surely one of the best EPs of 2017. We hope to see this band live when they next track through the US. In the meantime, we are content to put the EP on repeat.
Recommendation: We highly recommend you pre-order this EP, which drops on June 16. It is one of the finest we have heard this year, and give it a rating of Get It Now
Artist Name: Rod Melancon
Album Name: Southern Gothic
Label: Blue Élan Records
Genre: Americana
Track Listing: 1. With the Devil; 2. Perry; 3. Lights of Carencro; 4. Dwayne and Me; 5. Promises; 6. Redhead; 7. Praying for Light; 8. Mary Lou; 9. Different Man; 10. Outskirts of You
Publicist: MAD Ink PR
Review: Rod Melancon has been a favorite of this blog and the LA Music Critic Awards, accumulating multiple nominations and awards from his previous EP release LA 14. On his new album, which drops on June 16, he picks up where he left off and continues to deliver impressive material that should cement his place in the Americana community. Not only is his music memorable, but he has turned into quite the actor, starring in his own music videos that are both impressive and interesting, including the award-winning “Perry” and his latest, “Different Man.” Two of the songs, “Perry” and “Lights of Carencro,” were previously released on LA 14, and are included on the new album, which was produced by another award-winning Americana artist, Brian Whelan, former guitarist for Dwight Yoakum. Melancon is a force to be reckoned with, and should provide his label with another Grammy-nominated artist. We strongly encourage you to get out and see him at his CD release show at the Grand Ole Echo on June 11 – admission is FREE before 5 p.m. Best tracks include “Perry,” “Dwayne and Me,” “Promises,” “Praying for Light,” and “Different Man.”
Recommendation: This one is a no-brainer – do whatever it takes to Get this album as soon as it is released. It belongs in the music library of every red-blooded American.
