M. Byrd has an infectious, hypnotic, single with Morning Sun (seen/heard here), which could function as an early morning experience in the mind. Byrd describes it this way: “Morning Sun has become a kind of morning mantra for me. The idea came to me a few years ago in the morning right after I got up and it came back to me subsequently over and over again, like a kind of entry into meditation, until I finally recorded it and arranged it into form.” Blending the sound of waves, jangling guitars,…
Read MoreProgressive rock can either be a blessing or a curse. Vodka favorites in this genre`, Big Big Train, have just released their latest long-player, Common Ground (July 2021), which falls firmly in the former category. The video for the title track (seen/heard here) of the new LP starts in silence with a simple statement: “There is more that unites us than divides us.” And then the music and lyrics kick in to remind us why that is so! It’s a message that needs to be emphasized often. The 24-hour news…
Read MoreOne of Vodka’s favorite duos, Sinnober, is back to making music again! It has been quite some time since Projection (October 2018). So what’s happened to the husband and wife team since then? Well, they started a family, got caught up in the pandemic like everyone else, and simply had life to contend with. Enter Ophelia (July 2021) and you can already tell that the magic that these two create together is back 100%. Sinnober weaves a web of jazz, pop, and folk fusion that is truly unique. Ophelia features Natalie…
Read MoreJoyful jazz aficionado’s Lydian Collective return to Vodka with what will no doubt be one track on the upcoming, as yet unnamed, LP, due out sometime this year. (No release date has been set.) Shuffle Bubble (seen/heard here) picks up where tracks like Thirty One from LC’s previous March 2018 LP left off. Frankly, Vodka cannot wait for the new LP! Shuffle Bubble has a wonderful question and answer section where keyboard (Aaron Wheeler), lead guitar (Todd Baker), and bass (Ida Hollis) all play the same melody line in mini-solos, one following the other, while the beat is laid down…
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