There is something jarringly optimistic about the salvation in the message that Sandtimer’s Dormant (seen/heard here) brings to what seems at the onset as a very down take on personal depression. It’s a song about going through the motions, about not making waves and the feelings of loneliness that just existing can bring. But it is hope, not depression, that wins in the end. This song, only three stanzas in length, is lightly layered in a manner that is hauntingly revelatory. The message is right there on top, but the very…
Read MoreIndie-folk can sometimes be a yawner or it can be the edge of something masterful. Enter RedFox and Stay (seen/heard here) from the band’s latest EP, Recovery (May 2019), which fits squarely in the latter category. RedFox, a five-piece out of Montreal, combines elements of rock, bluegrass, and folk, to formulate a sound that is truly unique and wonderful. Vocalist/violinist Daphnée Vandal, uses her instrument to add a leading texture to these four tracks, with the band adding great banjo (Tim Loten), guitar (Jono Townsend), bass (Sam Robinson), and drums (Samuel Neumann)…
Read MoreA couple of years ago, Vodka reviewed Belgium-based, Pavlove, and their EP and single, Because Of You. I’ve occasionally gone looking for updates on the band, hoping for a long-player, but I’ve either missed out or failed to report to their Facebook site at the right times as they have released a couple of singles, Give Me All You’ve Got and Keira, since the release of Because Of You. Enter Anything But Cupid (seen/heard here), a single released on Valentine’s day 2019, and a sign that the band continues to expand on love…
Read MoreCount me in with the people who are excited that Meg Myers is about to release a new long-player. It feels like a long dry spell between records, (the last long-player from Ms. Myers, Sorry, came out in 2015) but the wait is almost over and if the early single release is any indication, Meg is back with a vengeance. Numb (seen/heard here) is the first single from the forthcoming (at the time of this writing) Take Me To The Disco (July 2018). Myers music is always something wonderful to…
Read MoreSHEL is the sisters Holbrook as a mnemonic and SHEL is also a powerful alternative pop-folk band, alive with creativity! Members Sarah, Hannah, Eva, and Liza are positively fraught with talent, blending their cool harmonies with acoustic and electronic instruments that are fun and functional. The latest long-player, Just Crazy Enough (May 2016) is full of beauty and energy as highlighted by Rooftop (seen/heard here). Though all of the sisters share vocal duties, lead vocal falls to the pretty and sometimes plaintive pipes of Eva. Instrumentally, SHEL is well represented, with Sarah playing…
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