Case/Lang/Veirs as in Neko Case, K.D. Lang and Laura Veirs are representative of something that sometimes works and sometimes fails: supergroups. Thankfully, this is an example of when chemistry really works! As good as these three women are by themselves, they are perhaps orders of magnitude better together. Their first album together is a testament to this on almost every level. Compositions are tight with understated harmonies and more than enough singable melodies to please. At Vodka, we generally keep to the unknown or little-known bands, because we feel they don’t get…
Read MoreLittle Tybee blends the ethereal with modern rock and folk (among other genres) to come up with an astounding masterpiece of sound on Languid. Check out the instrumentation here, it is everywhere and each instrument adds its own texture, its own voice. After a successful Kickstarter campaign, Little Tybee’s fourth album, which includes Languid, should be out any time. You can find the band’s previous two long-players, Humorous To Bees (2011) and For Distant Viewing (2013) on the band’s bandcamp.com site. Little Tybee doesn’t appear to have a website but you…
Read MoreIt is a tough process to balance musically on a line between danceable pop and full-on rock and roll, but UK band Some Velvet Morning (SVM) does it perfectly here with No Walls, from the band’s latest 4-song EP, Musical Chairs (April 2016). SVM has been making pop music on the edge of rock since 2006. It is amazing that a three-piece band can sound so much larger than their numbers! On No Walls, the band’s nearly discoesque beats give way to driving rock during the refrain. SVM…
Read MoreYou may remember Swiss band Matto Rules from the Vodka posting almost a year ago for the beautiful, haunting, Saranda. Well, the long-awaited long-player for the band, What Comes Around (March 2016) is finally here, and it is worth the wait as demonstrated by Tonight above. As with the earlier Saranda, Matto Rules has plenty of the plaintive and haunting, but What Comes Around displays a willingness to play with the outer edges, rocking up the tempo (Tonight, Somewhere Else) or the middle ground (Alive, Let It Rain) all the time maintaining…
Read MoreBryarly’s (Bryarly Bishop) bell like vocals are beautiful here on Find Your Love from her first self-titled long player (October 2014). As a rule, Bryarly uses indie influenced folk, pop, electronic and elements of hip-hop to create a very interesting and unique blend. If they sound like diverse elements, they are; Yet everything works very well together. The long-player is full of nice instrumental touches including Ming Lee’s Cello on Sleepless, but the element that stands out ahead of everything else is…
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