Canadian singer-songwriter, indie-pop-rocker, Marissa Burwell, released the delightfully infectious single Scaredy Cat, back in July 2019. The single was a follow-up to her debut self-titled EP released in February 2019 and showcases an artist with genuine pop chops, that should be on someone’s major label horizon. That said, the near-sighted nature of the music industry almost guarantees that unless she is widely heard somewhere else, she will never make their radar screen. Making the presence of Marissa’s music known is left up to Vodka readers and others. Tout this artist’s…
Read MoreLast night, Vodka had the pleasure of sitting in on a local house concert here in Nebraska. The venue was a wonderful old farmhouse, the attendees and hosts were warm and friendly, and the band, well that was the duo Big Little Lions. Vodka stumbled on Big Little Lions after checking, as I sometimes do, on the status of a performer that I had reviewed a number of years ago, Helen Austin. That look back found that Helen was still performing, but as a part of…
Read MoreIf you are ready to dream while awake, then the dreamiest of dream-pop from the band Barrie may be just what you are looking for. Lushly layered pop is the formula for the band’s debut long-player, Happy To Be Here (May 2019) and the five-piece delivers that formula with pure pop genius! As an example, check out Darjeeling from the new long-player (seen/heard here). Throughout the 10 tracks on the new long-player, Barrie, referring to band namesake Lindsay Barrie who wrote all of these tracks and provides lead vocals, plots a course…
Read MoreProlific Scottish multi-instrumentalist KiDD, has been a part of the Scottish music scene since 2002, contributing guitars, bass, drums or vocals to a host of projects, not to mention his own solo work. On A Picture I Don’t Want To Paint (seen/heard here) from KiDD’s latest (March 2019) long-player, Chance Weekend, you get a feel for his sheer pop genius. Largely an acoustic number, it has electronic fills that add quite nicely to the auditory experience of this mournful minor-key masterpiece. The only other track…
Read MoreSister Speak is essentially singer/songwriter, Sherri Anne (vocals/guitar) and an ever-changing group of solid musicians, which at the moment includes Sarven Manguiat (electric guitar) and Avli Avliav (keyboards, Moog bass, and programming). The sound is a delicious blend of indie-pop, folk, and electronica that is immediately pleasing to the ear. The title track of the six-song EP by the same name, The Stand (seen/heard here) is about taking a stand on issues, particularly social issues, but never ends up too preachy or self-important. Sherri Anne’s vocals lend perfect inflection…
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