Happy Saturday. We meant to publish this article on Friday, but got stuck pulling a double shift. It’s been a week since the nominations for the second half of 2018 for the LA Music Critic Awards were announced, and we have a good race for Fan Favorite. The current leader is YYNOT with 65 votes, followed by Jordan Siwek with 29 and a tie between Reloaded Norway and Paper Gliders with 20 votes each. Make sure your vote counts. Simply leave a comment on the announcement page, share and encourage other fans to do the same. Let’s add five more great artists into the mix with this eclectic collection.
Artist Name: Robby Baier
Album Name: Making Space
Label: Self-released
Genre: Pop/Rock
Track Listing: 1. Love you for That; 2. Got This Feeling; 3. Animals; 4. Even Now; 5. Easy With You; 6. New Day; 7. Slip Away; 8. Don’t Look Away; 9. It’s Happening; 10. Making Space
Publicist: Self-promoted
Review: Robby Baier is the latest in a string of amazing indie artists we have met because of our involvement with the Durango Songwriters Expo. By day Baier is a songwriter, producer and composer for SubStation Studio in Housatonic, Massachusetts, but he is an amazing artist on his own. On his latest album, he delivers a stunning collection of radio-friendly songs that should put him on the music industry radar. Best tracks include “Love you for That,” “Got This Feeling,” “Easy With You,” “New Day,” “Slip Away,” “Don’t Look Away,” and the title track.
Recommendation: Definitely worthy of your attention. Get this one.
Artist Name: Engram
Album Name: Das Kapital
Label: Self-released
Genre: New/post Wave Electronica
Track Listing: 1. Divine Plan; 2. Karl Marx; 3. The Good Life; 4. Highgate part 2; 5. The Razor Inside; 6. Law of Betrayal; 7. Hi Teikei No; 8. What am I?; 9. Point of no Return; 10. Eyn Irren Tot; 11. Exquisite Corpse
Publicist: Self-promoted
Review: The latest project by John Costello and Martin Bowes (Attrition) is called Engram. After 22 years as an idea, the project has finally taken shape and their debut album has been released. The music is a throwback to the new and post wave music of the 80s and 90s, and would make great material for DJ mixes for raves and dance clubs. The songs include political statements that make for interesting listening, including the live broadcasts from President John F. Kennedy on “Karl Marx.”
Recommendation: Definitely worth checking out, especially if you like electronic music.
Artist Name: Beans on Toast
Album Name: A Bird in the Hand
Label: Self-released
Genre: Folk
Track Listing: 1. Another Year; 2. Good Health & Happiness; 3. Magic; 4. Here at Homerton Hospital; 5. Alexa; 6. 1980s Sagittarius; 7. Bamboo Toothbrush; 8. Watching the World go By; 9. Please Give Generously; 10. Miss you Like Crazy
Publicist: Earshot Media
Review: British folk artist Beans on Toast has launched his 10th studio album, which was produced by Ben Lovett of Mumford & Sons. We featured his music video for “Alexa” in our Ten Amazing Videos of November article, and it is a good representation of the randomness of this album, with folk ballads, punk and political statements throughout. “Another Year.” “Good Health & Happiness” and the latest single, “Magic” are beautiful folk ballads about his experiences and the birth of his child, while “Alexa” is more punk and provides a tongue-in-cheek warning about the dangers of online purchasing and reliance on AI applications like Alexa. “Bamboo Toothbrush” is likewise a warning about our reliance on disposal plastics. We also love the carefree style of “Watching the World go By,” and the sweet homespun wisdom it contains about remembering to stop and smell the roses in our busy lives.
Recommendation: This one is a welcome addition to any music library. Go Get it today!
Artist Name: Filippo Dall’Asta
Album Name: Mediterasian
Label: Self-released
Genre: Gypsy Jazz/Indian Music
Track Listing: 1. Alap; 2. Mediterasian; 3. Brazil; 4. Nothingland; 5. Django’s Castle (ft Lollo Meier); 6. Cristina; 7. Prelude No. 2 in C Minor; 8. La Javanaise; 9. Insaaf Ki Dagar Pe
Publicist: Reversed Tornado
Review: The luscious music of India meets the gypsy jazz sound of Italy on the debut album from guitar virtuoso Filippo Dall’Asta. The result is breathtaking and these relaxing instrumental grooves will soon have the listener in audio nirvana. This is one of the best instrumental albums of 2018, and an early favorite for an LA Music Critic Award for the next cycle. You will want to play this one from start to finish, and relish in the beautiful guitar playing of Dall’Asta. He even brings in renowned Gypsy guitar legend Lollo Meier on “Django’s Castle” to put the cherry on top of this musical treat.
Recommendation: If you love music, you will want this one in your collection. We strongly recommend you Get it.
Artist Name: Roxy Rawson
Album Name: Quenching the Kill
Label: 561867 Records
Genre: Pop
Track Listing: 1. Black Eyed Soup; 2. Rounded Sound; 3. The Good Shepherd; 4. Born Again; 5. Golden Heart; 6. Bouncing Boots; 7. God’s Got Bones; 8. Iron Shoes; 9. Freckled Agencies; 10. Teardrop for Rosa
Publicist: Effective Immediately PR
Review: The debut album of Roxy Rawson proves first and foremost that the voice is the most versatile instrument of all. Born in the UK, Rawson currently resides in San Francisco, and the influences of both English and American music permeate her sound. She has been compared to a mix of Florence + the Machine and Feist, and we think the comparison is spot on. Her voice rises and falls like a string quartet as she weaves her listeners into her story line, delivering on all fronts, shifting from one genre to the next like a finely tuned Porsche changing gears. We could listen to this one over and over again.
Recommendation: Run out and Get this one – your life may very well depend on it.
