#funking little alt bros

[jonathanbyersphd]

Older Teens hanging out but it's just Jonathan and Robin forcing Nancy and Steve watch Grey Gardens

[srcasticking]

The Dream Chapter: MAGIC Song Analysis

New Rules:

If listening to New Rules didn’t give you whiplash, watching it sure will.

Like oh my goodness what happened to our babies?? But anyway it is, mildly intense? Especially if you aren’t expecting it. This shit is the club funk scene and literally does not mean what you think it does. Like reading the lyrics REALLY threw me off guard more than anything else.

It is just so funky?? And groovy?? And like makes me want to break out of prison?? What I’m trying to say is this song vibe checks you and doesn’t say sorry but you must respond ‘thank you’ because that is just this kind of song.

Run Away:

I’m going to pretend this isn’t my favorite track for a second.

This absolute BOP of a song is the title track we were blessed with? Holy guacamole! From a musician’s perspective, this is honestly the best song they could have released. It is catchy, it is melodically and harmonically interesting and different but familiar, and it is overall something you do not want to stop listening to.

Every listen brings a new experience, something you missed, maybe some lyrics, maybe a harmony, you wont know until you listen again. If I find a flaw in this masterpiece I’ll let y’all know, otherwise 5/5 stars, model pop song (with a bit of an alt twist!!)

Roller Coaster:

Respect Roller Coaster enthusiasts. Like, do you know that kind of taste you must have to immediately appreciate this song for what it is? (its great btw)

It’s not really my type of song, but I feel like this concept and album are meant to appeal to fans who are both around my age and older than I am. I’m not done with high school and I don’t even like thinking about the wild ride that is crushes and falling in love in high school.

So older MOA, please laugh at these silly things you probably went through and MOA my age and younger, we just gotta face the facts man: puberty n shit is the worst and TXT really came through with this album.

Poppin’ Star:

Woah man this is the kind of song where you just hear it once and you’re smiling and tapping along. Honestly what a chill bop. Made me a lil hungry?

Seriously, if you just want something calming to listen to that wont depress you, this song would be so good. The music is like popping? Idk if that makes sense, but like small doo wop vibes anyone?

Can’t We Just Leave The Monster Alive:

YO WAIT IS THIS KIND OF A D&D REF? CAUSE I LOVE D&D. I’M CLAIMING THIS SONG FOR THE NERDS.

Moving on, another chill bop. They really hit home for me on this one, as I can definitely pull the concept into both a fantasy world and real scenario. But tbh musically, it takes an unexpected turn at the chorus, like it builds, but then changes direction. This isn’t necessarily bad, in fact I think it fits the theme of the song quite well. I have nothing else to say other than I’m showing my DM this.

Magic Island:

Lowkey cryin a lil bit. If we don’t get an acoustic cover of this song soon, I’m gonna do it myself. Honestly the type of song you bring to like a campfire. Real sweet. Real simple.

I don’t know about y’all but I was swaying. I feel so relaxed and comforted by this place they have created for us. I hope I see MOA there soon.

20cm:

I’ll be honest, I’m a lil confused about this one. I mean like I get the story of the song and it’s really cute ngl.

But I’m more referring to the musical part of it. It’s a little hard to follow as a first time listener. Now, I was just reading the lyrics for most of it, but the track reminds me more of a freestyle (versed or rap) serenade rather than a song.

I think it’s a nice composition and the story is absolutely adorable, just not very traditional? Or I guess overly traditional? So I mean good on them for making a song that genuinely stands out so intriguingly like that.

Angel or Devil:

This is just Cat & Dog with furry culture being replaced by high school bad-boy culture. I am in no way complaining, Cat & Dog was my fav track of STAR. This goes pretty hard and really drives in the concept for this album.

This song is like me lying to my parents and then just like 😈 in my head. Idk if that’s a good descriptor or not but I certainly ain’t feeling these supposed angel vibes. None of the boys even look like angels anymore 😔 they look like they’re coming to take my money in a very gentle manner and viciously giggle as I rock out to every song on the album.

TL;DR

This was just my opinion. I found it hard to make comments on every track as honestly, some of them were just pretty average sounding and others were unique. My point is that music should make you feel something. Everything can be interpreted differently, the only thing I want you to take out of this is your interpretation. Enjoy the music bros, they put their hearts and souls into making it, so let’s put the same into listening and understanding.

[moonsandmelodies]

My Top Albums/EPs of 2018, Part 1 / 2

Like with my end-of-2017 list in December, I don’t intend this to be an in-depth recap. These releases are only what I’ve been able to hear so far, and there’s always some good stuff out there I happen to miss.

I’ve discussed before that I’ve had a lot of issues with the current music scene since around 2015, and not a lot of those issues have calmed at this point. This kind of obligated that I wouldn’t be crazy about this year’s music so far, and I haven’t been. The seeming exact same cliches and trends have persisted, some of them getting even worse. I’d elaborate some more, but it’s too complicated to get into for now.

That said, I have hope for the music to come in the next half of 2018, since I did hear a lot of albums that were close to being overall-strong from these past six months.  And I have to say that that’s an improvement.

I’ve also included a song link for each release, including for the honorable mentions under the cut - every chosen song is a personal favorite of mine. Stay tuned for more of my favorite songs of the year in my upcoming playlist!

Top 4 albums

4. Angelique Kidjo - Remain In Light

afro-funk

I was surprised and very intrigued when I learned Angelique Kidjo from Benin was to revamp the entire Remain In Light album by Talking Heads. According to her interview in LA Times, she heard “Once In A Lifetime” long ago and recognized the African influence in it’s sound, which is what eventually led to this cover album. Although part of me wishes some covers were a bit closer to the originals than they are, most of the interpretations are still very interesting and enjoyable with an excellent sense of energy and rhythm.

Listen to “Born Under Punches”

3. Music House - Scandi Disco compilation

electro-disco / synth pop / electropop / synthwave

If you’re bored of the sheer quantity of 80s retro music out there, maybe don’t listen to this. But if you’re like me and love this music enough to still give the continuous new releases a chance, I highly recommend this recent library album. I enjoyed near every song on this one, which is surprising seeing how it has no hype at all surrounding it. I only found it because I was looking through other, older releases by this label, Music House and this happened to be their most recent album. Everything about this album is shiny, stylish and fun with plenty of energy and melody. The production is impressive as expected from a stock music label, and while it has a prominent modern polish they channel the huge potential and legacy of electro-disco very well.

[note: the cover doesn’t seem to exist in a bigger size, hence it being smaller than other covers shown here.]

Listen to “37th Parallel”

2. U.S. Girls - In A Poem Unlimited

psychedelic pop / art pop

Bros are really into U.S. Girls’ music for whatever reason. But don’t let that scare you off - after all, it’s not like musicians choose what kind of audience they get. While I did find the previous U.S. Girls album Half Free a bit inconsistent, In A Poem Unlimited feels like a step up - there were only about 2 or 3 tracks that I didn’t enjoy. The album has a warm semi-70s feel thanks to the band put together for it. There’s also a sense of eclecticism that’s executed better than on a lot of other albums with similar ambitions. The voice of Meg Remy, the one true ‘member’ of U.S. Girls, can be quite twangy and takes a bit of getting used to at first, but it’s somewhat grown on me since then, and it got some time to shine here. This is most often when she does a kind of nervous falsetto like in two of my favorites, “Rosebud” and “L-Over”. While the many styles that Remy explores here aren’t much new (70s funk, jazzy rock, general quivering psych weirdness, a bit of synth pop), the variation of it all and the will to experiment helps keep things interesting, and most of them evade the boring cliches that tend to pop up in so much music lately.

Listen to “Rosebud”

1. Fishdoll - Noonsense

wonky / dream pop / electronic / downtempo

Fishdoll, a new artist from China, somehow manages to recall nearly everything I miss about electronic music of the earlier 10′s. I thought of 'wonky’ producers like FlyLo and Teebs who had such interesting and creative taste in electronic production and samples. Take a gander at the amazing operatic vocal/harp sample that ends “Beijing Well” or the spacey fluttering chords on most of the songs, for example. Fishdoll’s vocals are treated to subtle effects and manipulations that say, Grimes or Washed Out became popular for, channeling a similar kind of surreal sleepiness.

It doesn’t do enough justice to Fishdoll to make so many comparisons, though, since this album really does feel unique. And that’s exactly one of the reasons it’s my #1 of the year so far - it’s an electronic artist doing something unique and doing it well.

I’m looking forward to Fishdoll’s next musical move, and I’m convinced Noonsense deserves more than a bit of Bandcamp popularity, which seems to be all it got upon release.

Listen to “Blueeyce”

Top 4 EPs

4. Elaquent - Celebrate Life!

glitch hop / instrumental hip hop

Elaquent has retained a very good taste in shimmering, jazzy sounds like electric piano and even synths over the years that make his new EP very pleasant BGM. It’s not quite his best (his album The Midnight After would deserve that praise) but I enjoy it much more than his past few releases, so I have some restored hope for his future work. My favorite has to be “Sao Paulo”, which happens to sound more like a modern lounge instrumental than what I’ve come to expect from Elaquent.

Listen to “Sao Paulo”

3. D A V I C I I - W sercu pozostaje tylko to, co wypalone ogniem

hypnagogic pop / synth pop

This musician’s sound is similar to that of Adonis listed below - a kind of lo-fi, airy synth pop, but it makes sense since they’re on the same label. This EP is a bit more ghostly and empty, though - D A V I I C I puts his voice through what seems to be autotune to a very weird, even creepy effect. This is most noticeable on the songs “Skruszone serce“ and “Czas przez pryzmat“ which are also my favorites of the bunch. I have to say that while I like the idea of ‘hypnagogic pop’, it’s often bored or disappointed me; D A V I I C I and Adonis, though, have impressed me to an extent I didn’t expect.

Listen to “Skruzone serce”

2. Ravyn Lenae - Crush

neo soul / R&B / pop

Ravyn Lenae happens to be both a very good vocalist and just 19 (which is hardly older than me). This EP has an organic soul sound with some twists that help to distinguish it from the flood of gritty 'alternative' R&B that tends to get the sole approval from critics lately. It's also very concise, which helps. I figure she has a bright musical future ahead.

Listen to “Sticky”

1. Adonis - Wiosenna ofensywa nie trwa dłużej niż do letnich wakacji

hypnagogic pop / synth pop

I only came across Adonis through Bandcamp recommendations and he's still a bit of a mystery to me. This is in part because all the info and lyrics are Polish. But I'm glad I found this EP, since I enjoyed every one of these five songs - while I’ve been blasting the incredible title track all June. In a similar situation to Scandi Disco, it may not be very new, since it’s pretty much a collage of 'alt 80s’ sounds, but if you love the sort of music that entails (e.g. synth pop/shoegaze/dream pop) like I do, than I certainly recommend it.

Listen to “Wiosenna ofensywa nie trwa dłużej niż do letnich wakacji”

Honorable mentions

Gwenno - Le Kov

art pop / new wave / psychedelic pop / dream pop

I thoroughly enjoyed Gwenno’s previous solo album, and while this one has a similar sound, the songs do begin to feel too similar to each other, which is my main issue with it. Her unique style is still very pleasant to hear, she sings the songs in the revived Cornish language, and there’s a handful of songs I know I enjoy, but I couldn’t help but feel something was missing. I figure it could grow on me. Either way, it came close, hence my inclusion of it here.

Listen to “Tir ha Mor”

SOPHIE - Oil Of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides

bubblegum bass / experimental / post-industrial

There’s little doubt in my mind that SOPHIE is very talented and has a lot of promise as a musician/producer. I also find that while many of these songs are a bit too abrasive for my tastes, most of them still have interesting elements or ideas going for them. I just wish that there could’ve been a little less of the stressful industrial parts and more of the sort of aquatic sounds found in “Infatuation” and “Is It Cold In The Water?”. Or maybe even some more poppy songs. It could’ve gone either way, and I’m sure that either would still be interesting to hear from her. So while this album is not quite up my alley, I’ll be keeping an eye on what SOPHIE does in the future.

Listen to “Infatuation”

JQ - Invisible

new age / ambient / electronic

Seeing how this could be New Atlantis’ most gorgeous cover art yet, I couldn’t help but be a tiny bit disappointed in this. JQ has an interesting taste in sounds and I enjoy most of the ambient/new age tracks on here. However, elsewhere the album devolves a bit into other experiments that don’t always work. The album is split into two, with the first being lighter and the second darker. Overall, like New Atlantis’ previous releases, this does have a lot of good things going for it, which is why I include it here. It helps that most songs (minus two surprisingly pretty 7-minute-plus tracks) are short and digestible.

Listen to “Gold”

Mary Lattimore - Endless Days

Mary Lattimore plays the harp very well on this album and most of it works for peaceful BGM. Some songs do get a bit long-winded though and while I’m not opposed to the idea of harp combined with synths, that doesn’t sound very interesting here. The harp playing itself is still very impressive and I did enjoy around half the songs, which is why I wound up including it. I’ll have to look into her previous work since I’ve developed a much bigger appreciation for harp in the past year or so. My favorite song is without question “Hello From The Edge [...]”, maybe the most tender moment on the album.

Listen to “Hello From The Edge Of The Earth”

Beach House - 7

dream pop / indie pop

With this album I continue to enjoy Beach House at times and not get their immense hype other times. I have to admit I enjoy a lot of 7′s first half, which has a more moody, shoegazey sound than expected from BH. The second half, though, devolves into more twee territory that just doesn’t sound near as interesting. The instrumentation and the ideas sounded less creative, and it culminates in “Girl of the Year”, a bland slow jam with such generic, dreary lyrics as ‘Baby’s gone / All night long’. For this reason, I suggest hearing the first 6 - 7 songs myself, and only include it as an honorable mention.

Listen to “Dark Spring”

Melody’s Echo Chamber - Bon voyage

psychedelic pop / dream pop / progressive pop

Bon Voyage is often similar enough to the Melody’s Echo Chamber debut, but a lot weirder. The longer songs morph and evolve several times, sometimes in very unexpected ways. For the most part this makes for interesting, multilayered results, but in places it does wander a bit too much for my liking. This is most evident on “Desert Horse”, which is my least favorite on the album with it’s unfitting additions of turntable scratching, 808 drums and a general rambling feeling. If I ignore that song and a few other iffy moments, it’s nearing a #5 or #4 position in my above Top 4.

Listen to “Shirim”

[theavengingmusicjournalist]

Check Noise in the Attic’s Feb 19th Performers!

All musicians interviewed over social media messaging

Write-ups will be viewable as published

Chris Brown

Chris Brown—No. Not that Chris Brown—36, born and raised in Asbury Park, taught SAT prep for 10 years and taught high school mathematics for two!  Brown previously bartended at Bond Street Bar six years ago, also holding the position of Assistant GM at Biergarten, while additionally booking shows at Asbury Festhalle and Biergarten. When Brown isn’t working any of the following, he goes home to his wife and seven month old.

On top of it all, Brown is also a musician! “My music has been described as folk/punk as I thread the line of story teller lyrics with barroom singalongs,” said Brown. He says that he has always been a punk/hardcore kid at heart, always feeling at home stage diving back into the pit. Nevertheless Brown adds, “I’ve always played acoustic guitar, primarily, as a soloist, so I suppose my music is a fusion of those experiences.”

Already a fan of the line up for this weekend’s Noise in the Attic, Brown is also happy to see bands he has heard some swell things about, like The Mercury Brothers, who will be represented by band member Dan Apy.

“I love Noise in the Attic as it's a real listening room experience for the musicians and the crowd,” said Brown, “Everyone is there for good times with good music and good people, and sometimes raising money for a great cause. I love the Inkwell crew as well.”

As for what to expect from Brown, he will be playing some tunes from his latest EP One More Night and potentially, some of Brown’s old favorites! He adds that he has free download cards for his EP if anyone is interested, so look out!

When performing, Brown says that there is nothing better than engaging a crowd, “When people are smiling, nodding, or singing along, you know something is working,” said Brown. The folk/punk musician he does his damnedest to connect to the crowd, for as a music lover, her knows there is nothing better than doing so.  

Brown says he does not plan on touring any time soon, but that he does hope to book some dates to perform with his friends Jared Hart and Sammy Kay, who, themselves, do a lot of touring, said Brown.

The Asbury Park inhabitant says he has always loved benefit shows because it is a way to share the gift of music all the while paying for a good cause. Brown thanks Marie Weimer and Megan O’Shea for their work and asking him to perform, saying, “In this case Marie is an absolute sweetheart and is constantly trying to help those less fortunate. I am grateful Megan asked me to play this show! I hope we are able to raise a good amount of money. Children and the women who raise them ARE the future.”

Renee Maskin 

“I play folk and country songs. The good kind. The kind with dirt under its nails. I used to play in progressive rock bands. Life is a strange journey sometimes,” said Renee Maskin from Metuchen, NJ, now living in a tiny room in Bradley Beach where discarded drawings carpet her floor and a closet designated only to shoes lives.

Life is quite strange, I couldn’t agree more. With that in mind, imagine a show where people watch and listen? Maskin says she always digs Noise in the Attic, adding that everyone is always so cool, laid back and attentive. “It's always an adjustment not hearing clinking glasses and bros in the back talking over your set, but it's an adjustment in a positive direction,” said the ancient like the oceans-year-old.

A little less cohesive in attentiveness, Maskin says the open-mics at Inkwell are really rad. The folk and country musician continues, “Everybody is hanging out, moving around, playing chess, sneaking smokes and staring longingly out into the salty ocean air.”

Maybe this salty ocean air holding longing stares, is filled with some of Maskin's as she shares of peering outside her bathroom window to see the sliver of beach upon her home, contemplating her view of the ocean.

The beauty of The Inkwell as a venue is that it brings so many people together, and Maskin hits the nail on the head, saying there are a lot of folks she knows from around town that come through, while others she has never met before. “It's a great mix and a great night, and of course, the beverages are always on point,” said Maskin.

Speaking of venues, Maskin says she loves performing, yet it is difficult to pinpoint why.  “It makes me nervous, I sweat a lot,” said the folk and country musician. Maskin adds that she loves interacting with people although it makes her nervous. “Ultimately,” said the one with a unique voice and a penchant for strumming guitars, “it might come down to me being some kind of masochist.”

Maskin--also a guitarist and vocalist of Lowlight, the 2016 Asbury Music Awards winner for Top Indie Folk Band--says you can look forward to some sad songs, bad jokes, and maybe a few stories of her sordid past.

Additionally, the musician says, it feels great to give back to Nuevos Horizontes, a Guatemalan community organization providing services to women and children in need. “Marie is doing a really awesome thing, and I feel honored that I was asked to participate in this show.  Looking forward to it, I'll see ya'll Sunday, coffee in hand. Cheers!” said Maskin.

Thank you, Renee! You were quite fun and intriguing to write about and I surely look forward to watching you perform after this write up! Keep on keeping! Sunday is going to be a blast.

Cranston Dean

Cranston Dean of the Atlantic Highlands, is super glad to be on the setlist for Sunday’s show, saying that all of night’s talent are incredible performers. “One of my first gigs in Asbury was at The Saint with Chris Brown and Joe Miller. I remember watching them work a crowd and I learned something that night,” the 26-year-old continues, saying, “Dan Apy (of The Mercury Brothers), is a friend of mine. We have done gigs together in and out of state and his songs are timeless.”

Dean also adds that Renee Maskin simply stops him in his tracks, saying they’ve only met a handful of times and played together twice, but that Maskin is undeniable. In the end, Dean says, “I can’t wait for this bill.”

Vocalist, guitarist, and keyboardist of the Cranston Dean Band, Dean says that the type of music he creates is of multiple styles, “If I were to describe my music it would be a multiple personality disorder. The styles covered are Funk/Blues/Rock/Alt-Country/Hip-hop/Traditional,” said Dean.

Nevertheless, Dean loves playing live, he says, “My favorite part about playing live with the full band is to watch the energy of the band changing with the energy of the crowd and how the energy gets passed from one player to the next.” He says that as a solo act people can expect a mix between comedy and storytelling and Dean may even play a few songs!

At the moment, Cranston Dean Band is looking for a drummer to join them on their journey. “I would say that it has been difficult to find a drummer who is willing and able to do the hard parts. (Sleeping on dirty floors, not getting paid for gigs, going on the road, etc.) That has left us with a core group of Riley Schiro on Guitar, Ike Gutierrez on Bass, David Hayes on Pedal Steel, and myself,” said the musician.

The band hopes to find a drummer to make a big push with the band. In fact, the band is recording their third full-length album at Eightsixteen Studios in Bayville with the help of Zach Jones on drums. Jones, a drummer for A Great Big World, has also performed and played with Sting.

“Lately I’ve been recording, touring, booking, teaching, and hosting an open mic night,” said Dean. He calls the open mic, “The Vlassic Classic: Salty Cucumber Open Mic. Can you guess where this open mic might take place? …Well! The Chubby Pickle, of course.

To, the open mic night host and to the musician Dean is, The Chubby Pickle is a capitol venue. “Tuesday nights at The Pickle have been an honor for me to host... I have seen bands form, players thrive, met bandmates, and have seen monster-musicians come out of the woodwork,” said Dean.

In the future of Dean he holds some goals that include: finishing and releasing the new album, having a coast to coast solo tour for the summer, beginning the writing for a fourth full-length record as the songs of his up and coming record come out for release, and to find a touring drummer.

Look out for Cranston Dean on his solo tour before the summer:  2/16 - Philly 2/17 - Harrisburg 2/18 - DC 4/8 - Radford, VA 4/9 - Johnson City, TN 4/12 - Nashville, TN 4/13 - Nashville, TN 4/14 - Nashville, TN 4/15 - Nashville, TN

Additionally: The band and Cranston will be at The Saint in Asbury Park on Feb. 24 and at The Myrtle Street Tavern in Rockland, ME on June 10.

Thank you so much Cranston, it is a pleasure to be writing about you again and I am stoked to see you play at Noist in the Attic again. It was such an honor then and it will be this time around. If you are a drummer interested in touring with the Cranston Dean Band, hit up Cranston.

Joseph Alton Miller

Joseph Alton Miller, 31, originally from Upstate, NY is the owner and founder of Worn Out Joke Records, recording artists like himself and others such as Jersey Shore’s own Francis Lombardi. Miller now lives in Hazlet and looks forward to playing Noise in the Attic.

“Playing Noise In The Attic always feels good because I know that the proceeds are going towards a cause that helps others,” said Miller. Miller also says he loves playing spaces like Noise because they are so intimate, including that said spaces are where his music thrives.

A mixture of contemporary folk and blues/soul, Miller will perform original tracks from his record, Songs of Travel for the Vagabond. The singer-songwriter is looking for the music to affect the audience, pulling them to feel something. “My favorite aspect of playing live is the audience and the one or two folks that come up to me after the show letting me know that my performance meant something to them... That's why I do it,” said Miller.

Soundwaves Review article titled, “Captivating New EP – Songs of Travel for the Vagabond – Joseph Alton Miller,” said, “I can’t tell you what the magic ingredients are that, when combined, create the kind of music that fully captures me, makes my skin tingle, holds me still, entrances me. But I can tell you that Joseph Alton Miller has all of those ingredients.”

In anticipation of Miller’s performance at Noise in the Attic, prepare to not only hear from his new record, but covers from artists like Joni Mitchell and Woody Guthrie. Miller said, “Maybe I'll throw in a brand new song that I just wrote as well!”

Thank you for your time, Joe! Tonight is going to be narly. I look forward to hearing your record live.