Browsing Tag

Philadelphia

Visit a sonic Shangri La with the hypnotic hues in Copper Monks’ psych rock meditation, New Dawn

Posted on 25 October 2023

The Philadelphia psych-rock raconteurs Copper Monks gave their sophomore album, Potter’s Field, the college radio rock treatment while playing with a tonal palette which couldn’t be more kaleidoscopically transcendent.

Regardless of the swathes of psych-orientated outfits that have joined the fray since the 60s, with the standout single, New Dawn, Copper Monks delivered divinely distinctive catharsis, which doesn’t break the mould; it infuses the mould with spiritually scintillating soul. Each hypnotically hued guitar note feeding into the whirling dervish production efficaciously lifts you higher; when the slide guitars appear, you may as well be in Shangri La.

Honestly, if Copper Monks started a cult, I wouldn’t hesitate to join it; the peace that radiates through every expertly crafted progression is a sonic lesson in sanctity.

New Dawn was officially released on October 16; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Eye of the Tiger: Tiffany Bonneau lights the fire on Fearless Rebel

Posted on 26 April 2023

With a genuine smile and softly-sung vocals to ease the worries of the windy world, Tiffany Bonneau shows boundless spirit and determination to rise above the small-minded on Fearless Rebel.

Tiffany Bonneau is an emerging Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based digital creator and indie RnB/soul singer-songwriter known for her giggles and honest performances.

Stunning our senses with a kind effort and with vocals which are so pure and must be heard, Tiffany Bonneau is a youthful artist who is at her natural self here. Displaying a glorious nature, this is exactly what the world needs more of.

Fearless Rebel from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based indie RnB Tiffany Bonneau is a raw look inside a growing creative ready to take the next step. There is love and care in droves here and we fly up into the sky, to get into a much better place mentally to succeed no matter the climate. If you’re looking for a heartwarming single to close your eyes with, this is exactly the potion to swim away from any previous notions.

Listen up further on YouTube.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Different Places: Adam Monaco bides his time with a cuppa on Nevermind

Posted on 20 April 2023

Turning on the kettle and staying warm away from the temptations lurking outside, Adam Monaco sends our hearts into a more content place to find that happy home again on Nevermind.

Adam Monaco is a Long Island-born Philadelphia-based indie folk singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who is known for his inspirational sounds and for assisting the local music scene.

”Monaco is currently recording and releasing singles with his seven-piece band, and plans to release a full album at the end of 2023. Monaco recently entered the world of film when he scored the documentary Burden of Memory which won Best Director at LA’s First Glance Film Festival.” ~ Adam Monaco

Sung with an intensely felt honesty and soothing all worries away, Adam Monaco is that radiating hero we all needed. Reminding us to zen and have a warm cup of tea, as the wild world shows us the darkest sides of humanity outside.

Nevermind from Philadelphia-based indie singer-songwriter Adam Monaco is a rather glorious experience which is surely one of the most calming tracks so far in 2023. Taking us away from the bright lights and all the false narrative outdoors, this is a mind-my-own-business classic to chill next to the fire with.

Listen up deeper on Spotify.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Pat & Mac drop the skin-munching soundtrack for zombies on Flesheater

Posted on 29 January 2023

With a sizzlingly intriguing track that might cause slow hearts to quicken like at the end of the first episode of The Walking Dead Season 1, Pat & Mac shows us what inventiveness looks and sounds like on the incredible visuals for the blood-guzzling new track called Flesheater.

Formed by Pat Durkin, Pat & Mac is a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based indie rock act that makes an experimental blend of riveting music to interweb inside.

”Pat produces all of the music completely DIY, with an influence from horror movie and video game soundtracks as well as classic rock, synth pop, and heavy metal.” ~ Pat & Mac

In the second collaboration with animator and director Sean Bayles and taken from Impost3r Syndrom3, Pat & Mac shall lead us away from the darkness and into a thoughtfully fascinating light. Each second is a well-executed endeavour which is masterfully done with originally at its core.

Flesheater from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based indie rock act Pat & Mac is a truly unforgettable song to get energised about and shall enter our lives when the nibble is on. If you’re a fan of ravenous zombies and a memorable beat to forget previous worries with, this is a perfect tonic when the munchies set in late at night.

Hear this fine new single on YouTube. View more on the IG.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Philadelphia-based experimental band Return to Zion drops outsanding new single If This Is The End, It’s Beautiful

Posted on 21 December 2022
If This Is The End, It's Beautiful by Return to Zion

With one of the best intros the world is likely to hear, Return to Zion shows us deep with the gritty corners of the record studio on the excellent instrumental soundtrack to moving on called If This Is The End, It’s Beautiful.

Return to Zion is a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based indie experimental post-rock collective who displays such poise and class on each one of their sizzling experiences.

Enthralling all listeners with a likeable blend of quality to stimulate all senses awake, Return to Zion guides us far from the masses and into the self-aware underground. Performed with so much character and guile emanating from each corner, we find a terrific release waiting to be loved by the entire galaxy and the Milky Way.

If This Is The End, It’s Beautiful from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based experimental post-rock band Return to Zion delves deep into our inner mindset to trigger a wonderful energy which shall alter moods rather quickly. Wrapped in a bundle of class, which is rather hard to find, they send all ears into a rather content place.

Listen up on Bandcamp. See more news on IG.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Avé has recently dropped a new EP: The Enlightenment

Posted on 12 November 2022

Avé is an artist who set out to make music that feels incredibly innovative and diverse, while also staying true to its creative roots. The artist’s most recent EP release is titled The Enlightenment, and it feels like an eclectic, yet focused and punchy example of his songwriting.

The production quality on these tracks is off the charts, and there is a lot of room for the artist to expand his sonic palette and experiment with new ideas within the scope of this release. As a result, the sound of The Enlightenment is not only incredibly one-of-a-kind, but also quite fresh and easy to relate to. Avé’s music shines for its mercurial quality, and The Enlightenment shows that he is all about keeping the creative juices flowing.

Find out more about Avé, via his official website.

BEES! captured the idiocracy of the human race in their riffy discordant hit, A Thousand Times

Posted on 26 September 2022

“I’m so openminded my head is hollow” has to be up there as one of the greatest lyrical openers of all time, and that’s just the start of the onslaught of ingenuity in the latest single, A Thousand Times, from the Philly-based alt-rock outfit, BEES!

There is enough distorted discord in the riffy choruses to give Nine Inch Nails a run for their money, but it is safe to say that Trent Reznor could never pull off the same goofy lyrical style as BEES in their new EP, which features A Thousand Times as a lead single.

A Thousand Times takes a cathartic stab at the type of ingrates that dig their heels into progression and drag it backwards with their tendency to lap up misinformation. As if we didn’t love BEES! enough by this point, they also throw a reference to the iconic “this is fine” dog in the fire meme to epitomise the sorry state of our current climate.

A Thousand Times is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

49 Burning Condors are arrestingly ablaze in their Southern Gothic album, Seventh Hymnal

Posted on 9 September 2022

49 Burning Condors released a strong contender for the album of the year with their latest tribally awakening release, Seventh Hymnal. Penned during lockdown, the 7-track release traverses some tender topics; with the sonorous amalgam of goth rock and occultist alchemy, it is as bewitching as it is emboldening.

It isn’t often I’m left speechless. But considering the very nature of Seventh Hymnal is to express what can never be portrayed through words alone, the arrested daze that 49 Burning Condors left me in speaks volumes of their ability to run with an powerful concept and take you along for the visceral ride until you’re subsequently soothed by the sonic vernacular.

The album opens on the swampy stripped-back bluesy single, Bayou, before Little Death delivers a haunting ode to frailty through baroque strings, sparse vocals and hypnotic percussion. Track 3, Willow Tree, lets the compassion pour through the gentle folkish melodicism before Red Drum Skin will make you want to lead a sacrificial lamb to slaughter. Track 5, Noonday, one of the previously released singles stands as a profound testament to the vocal soul from Kimber before the album concludes on the sorrowfully sublime title single, which is just as cinematic as Ramin Djawadi’s work on Westworld.

Here’s what 49 Burning Condors have to say about their latest release:

“Seventh Hymnal was written during the pandemic; a time of abounding uncertainty, where death loomed around every corner, and chaos lingered in our world, homes, and veins. Our songs are dripping with stories of grief, bodies floating down the river, men drowning to a siren’s song, and of the gods worshipped, who ultimately turned calamitous.

Seventh Hymnal is not only an outpouring of all the things we wanted to say but couldn’t express in regular words to those we loved and even to ourselves, but a benediction and examination of a woman’s role of power in the world of men.”

Seventh Hymnal will stream across all platforms from September 7th. Hear it on SoundCloud and Spotify.

For more info, head over to their official website or follow them on Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Ignore Texts: MARE hits the gas on her savage new single BIBLE

Posted on 1 September 2022

Dropping the gloves and showing that she is a valuable diamond in a seemingly lawless raw world, MARE says a little prayer and sings with impressive gusto on her leave-him-behind single for all the ladies on BIBLE.

MARE is a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based indie RnB solo singer-songwriter who performs with an exquisite excellence that shall have you pressing repeat.

”Mare is inspired by the likes of Jill Scott and Jazmine Sullivan, as she uses her music as an avenue to empower women and men.” ~ MARE describing her inspirations (taken via her bio)

With her elegant ways and gorgeously toned vocals that might have you thinking you’re back in the classic 90s, MARE is undeniably one of the more appealing RnB singers around. Her no-nonsense attitude is a gloriously important example for all those who need to know that self-worth should be the number one priority.

BIBLE from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based indie RnB artist MARE is a brilliant single about showing us that loyalty is the key to everything. After growing tired of the lies and cancelled plans, this is a dynamic song for anyone who has felt let down before by a past lover. Blessed by a catchy beat that will have you brushing off all the past romantic failures, leading us into a better mindset where a new love can blossom with the right person.

When you have been let down too many times, it’s best to walk away from that situation forever.

Hear this lovely song on Spotify and see more news via her IG.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Can’t Let You Go: AR Santiago wonders why this dreamy romance didn’t work out on Falling

Posted on 15 August 2022

Taken off her soaring 3-track EP called #SadGirlHours, AR Santiago wanted to fly high with her previous lover but got tired of the call dodging and blatant lies on her hot new single called Falling.

AR Santiago is a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based RnB singer-songwriter who has an enduring style that shall probably sweep you off your feet.

”This song was very personal to me. I wrote it 5 years ago about an affair I had with someone who unbeknownst to me had a girlfriend. I speak about how infatuated I was and how I saw the signs but, I was naïve.” ~ AR Santiago

Sensing the energy shift that took place rather suddenly, AR Santiago is at her natural best and delivers when the heartbroken needed it most. With a glorious vocal ability and a smooth production that might send you into a different galaxy, this is something rather special from a hugely skilled creative only getting better.

Falling from Pennsylvania-based RnB singer-songwriter AR Santiago is a song that you will probably find unforgettable. With classy vocals lathered all over this introspective story-made for those who have been cruelly let down-feeling rather emotional about a past love will come rather easily here.

Sung with a genuine passion and massive gusto, this is a song with an actual message to truly ponder if you have felt this empty feeling before.

Hear this honest new release on Spotify and see more via her Facebook.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen