Browsing Tag

Steely Dan

Frakard – Slate: Play It Loud, See It Live

Posted on 11 November 2022

Cardiff’s loudest and tightest alt-rock trio Frakard went into frenetic overdrive with their latest single, Slate. With their respective influences counting Architects, Soundgarden and Steely Dan, Slate is a melting pot of familiarity fed through stylistic raucous swagger.

Sonic appeal aside, Slate truly comes into its own through its witty questioning of our relationship with nostalgia, the nihilism that comes with age and the ever-pervasive climate change fear. If you’re anything like me and you’re sick of lyricists that scrape the bottom of the IQ barrel when penning their lyrical hooks, you will be a Frakard fanatic by the time this anthemic juggernaut of a release that comes with an arsenal of razor-sharp lyrical lines hits the outro.

Slate will officially release on November 11th. Check it out on Spotify and scope out Frakard on their official website.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Smooth New Sound Of Tampa

Posted on 2 December 2017

It comes as no surprise that Grand Lotus come from Tampa, there is a sun drenched vibe which runs through their chiming alt-pop, surf-rock what could only come from such a warm climate. There is also a sophistication which belies their young age. Whilst most guys their age content to be heavy handed copyists of the likes of the Foo Fighters, it is fantastic to find a band who revel in more intricate and more interesting music, heading more into a more Doobie Brothers or better still, Steely Dan direction and that in itself is both an indication of their skills as well as their bravery.

Australia is at once frictionless and luxuriant but with just enough grit in the oyster to keep things from heading off towards the middle of the road and their sound might wear rocks outer garments but you catch glimpses of jazz, R&B and pop undergarments underneath. Now they have proven that they can infuse rock with more interesting elements, we can all wait with bated breath for them to flip the concept and really get creative.

Damask – Inner City: Pop with a Punch

Posted on 7 November 2017

Damask are an innovatively underground act from Essex, UK who have recently celebrated the release of their first single Inner City. Their sound is a concoction of Pop Rock & Funk styling, which is wonderfully produced into an enigmatic universal sound. The idea behind the sound came from band members; Duncan Haslam and Takahide George combined desire to create sweet, soulful vibes with a touch of class.

Inner City boasts the unmistakable soul jingle which introduces the track before it starts to flow with infinite possibility. I adore the darker undertones to this music, it transcends the usual cheap styling of the genre to create a dulcet sound which are resonant of bands such as The Killers, Editors and Chris Cornell.

The lyrics are as catchy as the hooks in the music, put them both together and you get an infectious melody, not too dissimilar for Daft Punk’s cult hit with Get Lucky. However the lyrics have a far Deeper Indie Rock resonance behind them thanks to the monumental vocal arrangements of the lead vocalist.

Check out their debut hit on the Soundcloud link below!

https://soundcloud.com/damaskmusic/tracks

Why not stay connected with Damask via Facebook on the link below?

https://www.facebook.com/akindofmodernlove