Happy Thursday. We’re back with five more April releases as we work our way through the mountain of requests in preparation for the next round of the LA Music Critic Awards. Hope you enjoy these artists.
Artist Name: BOYTOY
Album Name: Night Leaf
Label: PaperCup Music
Genre: Pop
Track Listing: 1. It’s Alright; 2. Mary Anne; 3. I get Distant; 4. Stare into Space; 5. NY Rip Off; 6. Pretty One; 7. Get off your Leash; 8. Juarez; 9. Want; 10. Cold Love
Publicist: The Syndicate
Review: This band has a retro sound similar to The Bangles, with three-part harmonies over a 90’s pop soundtrack. They are set to launch their latest release with a European tour, and we think that the Continent will simply adore them. The songs are fun, upbeat and worthy of industry attention. They could form the perfect soundtrack for television and film. The songs are short and sweet and radio ready. We love the album, but really dig the sound of “It’s Alright, “Stare Into Space,” “NY Rip Off,” “Get off your Leash,” “Want,” and “Cold Love.”
Recommendation: If you like the fun pop music of the 90’s, then this is the band for you. We recommend you get their latest and have some fun.
Artist Name: Bossie
Album Name: Not Pictured
Label: Culvert Music
Genre: Pop/Rock
Track Listing: 1. Mild at Heart; 2. Meteor; 3. Strawberry Moon; 4. There will be Time; 5. A lot like Love; 6. The Outsider; 7. As Good as it Gets; 8. Tell it All; 9. Post Teen
Publicist: The Syndicate
Review: Combining elements of new wave, glam rock and synth-pop into her own upbeat style, Toronto-based Bossie brings us high energy, fun pop/rock music that has a very retro feel. Like BOYTOY, Bossie’s music is radio ready and suitable for placement in television and film, and is just plain fun, starting with “Mild at Heart” and continuing on with “Meteor,” which has a Katy Perry meets Madonna feel, and “Strawberry Moon,” which is pure 80’s new wave. We featured her video for that song in our first Monday Mashup to kick off April, which coincidentally also featured BOYTOY, There isn’t a weak song on the album, which we think you will want to listen to over and over again.
Recommendation: Do yourself a favor – Get this one and put it on repeat.
Artist Name: Olan Monk
Album Name: INIS
Label: C.A.N.V.A.S.
Genre: Electronica instrumentals
Track Listing: 1. Drum 2; 2. Love World (ft Elvin Brandhi); 3. Unrequited; 4. Failure Dance (ft. Maria Sommerville); 5. Sisyphus; 6. Paradise; 7. Zones; 8. Drone Island; 9. Yin Yang (ft. Maria Sommerville)
Publicist: Worldwide Friendly Society
Review: Irish artist Olan Monk returns with his sophomore album INIS (Irish for island), an set of electronica-laden meditative instrumentals which provides the follow-up material to his debut album ANAM (Irish for soul). These tunes are more meditative than entertainment, providing a relaxing soundtrack for those times.
Recommendation: Although not our cup of tea, we’re sure there are people that would use this music for meditation. Unless you’re one of those individuals, we recommend you just Forget this one.
Artist Name: Dearist
Album Name: Sonder
Label: Spartan Records
Genre: Rock
Track Listing: 1. Front Matter; 2. Beaches; 3. Fool’s Heart; 4. Drowning; 5. Demuto; 6. Essex 1820; 7. Part of You; 8. Half Light; 9. Shame; 10. Pentonville; 11. Colours
Publicist: Spartan Records
Review: This UK rock band brings us the latest in hard-hitting rock and roll, the British way. The album opens with the instrumental “Front Matter” before exploding with the amazing sound of “Beaches.” The rest of the record only gets better from there, with music that screams for placement in television and film, as well as inclusion on harder rock radio stations, especially college radio. Other songs that we like include “Drowning,” “Demuto,” “Part of You,” “Shame,” and “Colours.”
Recommendation: If you are a die-hard rock fan, then you need this one. We recommend you Get it today.
Artist Name: Lauren Anderson
Album Name: The Game
Label: Self-released
Genre: Blues Rock
Track Listing: 1. Make a Mistake; 2. The Game; 3. Scream; 4. On her Own; 5. Sing; 6. What If
Publicist: ABIK Radio Promotions
Review: Wow. We’re blown away by the sheer power of Lauren Anderson’s voice, as well as the amazing musicianship of her band. From the first notes of “Make a Mistake,” Anderson takes us on an emotional journey, fueled by the raw incredibleness of her voice and the amazingly well-crafted songs she has created. These songs are so radio ready that they deserve immediate industry attention. They would surely make the day for the smart music supervisor who secures them for television, film and commercial application. Her voice is like a combination of Janis Joplin and Bonnie Raitt, and her music is similar to that of Melissa Etheridge. The title cut is one of our favorite songs, but all six of them are worthy of your attention, especially the bluesy “Scream” and the guitar riffs on “Sing.”
Recommendation: Get this one ASAP and put it on repeat – we don’t believe you will ever tire of these songs.