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Artists Worth Checking Out Get it or Forget it Reviews

Get it or forget it – San Cisco, Chuck McDermott, The Raft, Loka

We hope you had a wonderful holiday yesterday and that you’re ready to get back into discovering great indie music.  We have four very different artists for you today, so grab your coffee and let’s dig in.

Artist NameSan Cisco

Album NameThe Water 

Label:  Embassy of Music/Island City Records

Genre:   Indie Pop

Track Listing:  1,  Kids are Cool; 2.  Sunrise; 3.  That Boy; 4.  The Distance; 5.  Hey, Did I do you Wrong?; 6.  Waiting for the Weekend; 7.  SloMo; 8.  The Water; 9.  Did you get What you Came For; 10.  Make me Electrify

Publicist:   Guerilla Music Promotion

Review:  If you’re ever feel down, then we  have the perfect remedy for you – just pop in San Cisco’s latest album The Water and you’ll feel better in no time.  With a sound reminiscent of fun. meets Echosmith, this band will wow you with their upbeat songs, wholesome lyrics and memorable melodies.   Their first single, “SloMo,” has an impressive beat, delicious harmonies and an infectious melody that make it the perfect cure to the blahs.  Other impressive songs include “Sunrise,” “Hey, Did I do you Wrong?” “Waiting for the Weekend” and the title track.  This band is a joy to listen to and we are sure they are just as entertaining in their live performance.  San Cisco proves once again that some of the best indie bands hail from Australia – we can only hope they get to America soon.

Recommendation:   If you need a pick-me-up, then we are proud to prescribe this record as the cure.  Rush out and Get it now.

Artist Name:   Chuck McDermott

Album Name:   Gin & Rosewater

Label:  Self-released

Genre:  Country/Americana

Track Listing:  1.  Belvedere; 2.  A Thousand Cuts; 3.  The Girl From St. Lucy; 4.  Irresistible Targets; 5.  Gin and Rosewater; 6.  Red Betty; 7.  James Foley Diaries; 8.  Hold Back the Water; 9.  Everything; 10.  Downtown Bus; 11.  I Walk the Line; 12.  Tryin’ to Keep the Wheels on the Road; 13.  Don’t let me be Misunderstood; 14.  People are Weak (ft. Stephen Stills)

Publicist:   HyPR Media

Review:  Chuck McDermott doesn’t have a pretty voice, but he has a voice that reflects the heartland – the grit and grime of a hard-working blue collar employee that is the backbone of our country.  When he sings, you feel the commitment, the struggle and the joy of someone who has been through the fire and come out the other side.  We love how he turns the pain of a bad relationship into knowledge gained in his song “A Thousand Cuts,” how he shows his love of storytelling in “The Girl From St. Lucy” and the title track.  His covers of John Stewart’s “Irresistible Targets,” Johnny Cash’s “I Walk the Line,” and The Animals’ “Don’t let me be Misunderstood” bring a new perspective to these time-tested classics.  He even brings another icon, Stephen Stills, in on his closing song.  All in all this is a collection of great songs that belongs in every music library.

Recommendation:  Please welcome Chuck McDermott to the fold of American musical icons who continue to share our heritage through their music.  Please don’t wait to Get this one.

Artist NameThe Raft

Album NameA Lullaby

Label:  Self-released

Genre:  Indie Pop/Dream Pop

Track Listing:  1.  I’m so High; 2.  O No She’s Alive; 3.  O A Lullaby/Nobody’s Daughter

Publicist:  None

Review:  Phil Wilson aka The Raft is no stranger to our Blog.  We reviewed his previous effort back in July.  We are proud that he continues to exemplify the best of the indie music world with three more amazing songs that add additional depth to this persona.  The music brings us back to a simpler time when we were not so stressed out, and is uplifting and soothing.  We could easily keep this EP on continuous repeat.  We are proud to add The Raft to our list of artists we can count on to deliver great music.

Recommendation:  Get your buns over to the Bandcamp website and buy this one – you’ll thank us later.

Artist Name Loka

Album NameNorthern Oscillations

Label:  Self-released

Genre:  Unconventional

Track Listing:  1.  Herculean Rock; 2.  Silver Chain; 3.  Better Dimension; 4.  The Oldest Lights; 5.  The National Mistrust; 6.  6th Happiness; 7.  Jacob’s Ladder; 8.  Everything Exploded; 9.  Yes is not No; 10.  A Remembered Remedy

Publicist:  Neon Tetra

Review:  The music of Loka defies genre, with elements of rock, jazz, pop, psychadelica and more.  This is their third album, released six years after their last album.  It is obvious that the band has taken that time to grow their music, making it appealing to a myriad of fans.  Their first single, “Herculean Rock,” the first track of the album demonstrates that commitment, while the second and third tracks take you back to the LSD trips of the 60’s, with a sound reminiscent of The Beatles meets Jimi Hendrix.  The rest of the album vacillates though multiple musical styles.  If their intention was to keep the listener from getting bored, then they have succeeded brilliantly.

Recommendation:  We recommend you Get this album.  We can almost guarantee that you don’t have anything like it in your current music library.