Vodka seldom posts straight-up instrumentals, but there are exceptions, and East from Lydian Collective is an exception well worth the spotlight. East is from their debut long-player Adventure (March 2018), and the band may seem to have burst onto the music scene as some sort of a “where have these musicians been?!” moment. That isn’t the case. The collective made up of Aaron Wheeler (keyboards), Todd Baker (guitar), Ida Hollis (bass), and Sophie Alloway (drums), all have individual success stories before forming Lydian Collective. The composition duties fall generally to Aaron…
Read MoreCheap Fakes appeared on Vodka clear back in July 2013, but they are still going strong. Sisters is from the band’s latest long-player, Deep Space (July 2018). From the jangle of the opening notes of Sisters to the wonderful horn fills after the first verse, this music grabs your body and sets it moving. The band is still very much a melding of styles, with elements of rock, r&b, ska, funk, and more. All those styles are tuned carefully to work well together. It’s been a few months since the actual…
Read MoreVodka has a soft spot for spot-on jazz vocal performances and I’ve Found You is one of those magical moments. The track is part of We Are Leif’s debut long-player Breathe (September 2018) which is a collection of jazz melded with R&B and downtempo, (among others) and features the rich alto of Louise Victoria front and center. I’ve Found You builds on the beginning theme, and revels in love found in a glorious build-up to the finale. While I’ve Found You may be the stand-out track here,…
Read MoreWay back in January of 2013, Vodka reviewed a sunny bit of Winter warmth from CosmoSoul called Sunny Days from the band’s 2011 long-player, Sunrise. The band, with beautiful soul and r&b vocals provided by Alana Sinkëy, is still out there and released their third long-player, Walk, in 2017. On The Road (seen/heard here) gives you a snap-shot view of that long player and the diversity of the music within. Alana’s vocals here are as wonderful as ever, but listen to the music! On The Road’s instrumentation owes as…
Read MoreSharp Vodka readers will remember Hugo Kant (a.k.a., Quentin Le Roux), musician and producer, from the hip-hop flavored alt-rocker Leave Me Alone, featuring California MC LostPoet, posted back in July 2014. About a year ago (May 2017) Hugo released the Out Of Time long-player, which features twelve cohesive tracks and a great number of musical styles and genres. Hip-hop, particularly trip-hop, plays defining roles in the underlying sounds. The long-player is decidedly thematic in nature; Perhaps not a true concept album, as lyrically there is little here aside…
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