Fresh Track: Taylor Holland “Home” Featured Track Music Features by Brian Carroll - March 17, 20180 You may know her as one half of the dreamy folk duo Hawthorn. A group known for intricately beautiful woven harmonies. Two voices creating a space for the listener to truly swim in, often dipping into one another and becoming one before dividing into the air around their words again. Today Taylor Holland's voice stands in a solitary format with a brand new track. Holland has branched off into the solo realm with a new track being released to the internet world today called "Home". In many ways the song maintains that ethereal feel that her other project is known for. There is unending expanse within the song to stretch out and get lost in. A deep throbbing via the bass
Fresh Track: Stains of a Sunflower “Black Heart” Featured Track Music Features by Brian Carroll - March 16, 20180 I love an EP. A short collection of songs that gives me a very concise and good idea of what a band is all about. Its not a 12 track album where some songs fall flat and occasionally you get what I will just refer to as "filler tracks". Artists truly have to put their very best foot forward on a 4 or 5 track collection and represent their best and on Stains of a Sunflower's latest release, they do just that. The closing track "Black Heart" has a cavernous feel in spots. An echoing cave in which a grand piano has oddly been placed. It reverberates through the recesses of my headphones and brain. Inviting me to explore a bit
Fresh Track: The Old North “Caught” Featured Track Music Features by Brian Carroll - March 2, 2018March 2, 20180 The Old North is a self proclaimed "lively four piece folk band playing an upbeat style of traditional American music that blends the singer/songwriter genre with jazz, bluegrass, and blues." We tend to agree, and the criss crossing influences of American roots music is evident in their songs and playing. On their latest single "Caught", lead singer Andrew O' Keeffe's vocals are like a rasp draw across the bark of a sugar maple. Gruff and weathered, but with something a bit more underneath. A sweetness and a soul that bleeds out once the scar heals and the heart of the song is pumped outward. Swinging country vibes with a dust caked and dirt blowing through the wind mystery that draws you
Fresh Track: Samantha Farrell ftr. Dennis Brennan “Lost Without Your Love” Featured Track Featured Videos Music Features by Brian Carroll - February 23, 2018February 23, 20180 The calm bowing of an orchestral din enters a dark frame and the voice of Samantha Farrell , soon after, knocks you a bit off balance as an endless tank reverberated guitar slowly treads along beneath it. There is a playful youthfulness in her vocal, but yet its infused with such vast experience in the delivery of each phrasing. The verging of the two opposing ideas melding in a brilliant formulation of sound. A sophistication that is fine scotch poured from a cross hatched crystal decanter. Steeped in a room smelling of vanilla cigar smoke and floor to ceiling deep velvet drapes. Seductive but self assured and comforting. Refined but high spirited and buoyant. Sure, its jazz. Its noir. It has a
Fresh Track: Brandon Mastrangelo “Anchor” Featured Track Music Features Reviews by Brian Carroll - February 22, 20180 Singer, songwriter and all around good dude Brandon Mastrangelo took a bit of time off of the old social media to focus on other aspects of his life recently. He came back with an announcement of a new EP. From his social page Mastrangelo says, "It’s been awhile since I’ve been on here. I’ve been working hard at being present in other areas of my life. I wrote songs and recorded them at 1809 Studios. Jonathan Schoeck worked his art/design magic, and now I have music and artwork I’m really proud of and ready to share. So here I am, back in your feed in hopes I can grab a few minutes of your time. I’ll be sharing the first track off the
Fresh Track: Gar Clemens “Full Buck Moon” Featured Track Music Features by Brian Carroll - February 16, 20180 That classic country feeling. A voice with a roughly cracking break to it. The ever slightest twang. Not overdone, but just enough grit to make you feel the words. That's Gar Clemens. The title track off of Clemens' latest has that off Broadway honky tonk vibe. The song thats played well after midnight as the stragglers and folks who don't want to go home quite yet slowly flows out over the crowd and percolates something inside them to get up and slowly two step as the lights flicker for last call. Starin' blue at the full buck moon A second floor motel room It's my best guess I'm best to bet That the night is nowhere near through Gar has that restrained confidence in his singing and
Fresh Track: Town Meeting “Good Enough” Featured Track Music Features by Brian Carroll - February 15, 2018February 15, 20180 The sentiment of being good enough is certainly something that is constantly barraging us in today's society. Every waking moment we have a deluge of images and social media posts showing us everyone's 'best life', however real or fake those images may be. It is near impossible to escape and extremely difficult to overcome the polarizing feelings, of desirability and inequity, with how we live our lives in the modern construct of society. Every so often a step back and a reality check is a much needed exhale. "I think 'Good Enough' is kind of a middle finger to the constant stream of anxiety and stress that comes with every decision we make. For better or for worse, sometimes we spend
Fall in Love with “Love Again” from Dharmasoul Featured Artist Featured Track Music Features by Brian Carroll - February 14, 20180 What better day for a song with 'love' in the title for release on Valentines Day? Well, if that song is from two artists who bleed their hearts and souls out into their craft, then perhaps it is escalated just a tiny bit more. Dharmasoul is the newer duo project including our old pal Jonah Tolchin and Kevin Clifford that has already made some big waves. The two musicians, criss crossed throughout their previous musical paths before finally forming the band in July of last year and heading into the studio shortly after. The brand new track "Love Again" is infused with tubey blues guitar and soulful vocals. Keys gently throb behind a slow blues dance. The tune and general aural
First Listen: A Trip with Caitlin Canty’s “Motel” Featured Track Music Features by Brian Carroll - February 5, 20180 Long and winding roads. Wheels kicking up the dust. Less than ideal nightly accommodations. Pure Americana. I'll spare you the usual "dusty, coffee-tinged, sepia toned" descriptor that is typically reserved (and overused) for songs that tell the true story of artists on the road of enduring cracked pavement lifestyles. Caitlin Canty simply has it. There is such dim lit beauty, but a visceral hesitance...a vulnerability, in her words and delivery that lures you like a moth to the flame. And if the latest single off of her upcoming Motel Bouquet is any indication, there will be loads of heartache and gorgeousness packed into the remaining tracks of this record to draw you in even more. In a motel with a bouquet
Fresh Track: Ali McGuirk “Long Time” Featured Track Music Features by Brian Carroll - January 22, 20180 Once, maybe twice, a year an artist comes along that at the time when it is most relevant to provide "press quotes" and reviews and all that stuff that artists sadly need to keep moving along, get better gigs and build their EPK up...and I am completely lost for words. Lost. Not because I have nothing to say about their music but I am afraid that my words will not do justice to their voice and their songs. Ali McGuirk has fully cemented her place in the allotted "can't find my words" artists for the beginning part of this year (and end of last) for herself. There is something about that voice the moment it hits. There is no one coming