Diane Birch is a singer-songwriter-pianist with some nice vocal chops and a back catalog of wonderful music. She has released two long-players, Bible Belt (2009) and Speak A Little Louder (2013), as well as two additional EPs, The Velveteen Age (with The Phenomenal Handclap Band) and iTunes Sessions, both from 2010. Stand Under My Love is from her January 2016 EP, NOUS. Diane evokes emotional undertones with her vocal inflections that add weight to the lyrics she delivers. Her songwriting provides an often melancholy vibe, but has the…
Read MoreJoseph is the type of band that Vodka simply loves: Three sisters that sing close harmonies. Cloudline is the lead-off track to the sibling’s debut long-player, Native Dreamer Kin (March 2014). Joseph creates light pop songs with strong melodies and powerful vocals that blend perfectly together. Often haunting (Wind, Come In Close), sometimes choir-like (Tell Me There’s A Garden), and always beautiful, the music that Joseph creates is compelling. You can find out more information about Joseph by heading on up to the band’s website. You can pick up Native Dreamer Kin…
Read MoreLake Street Dive has been making multi-influenced pop music since 2004 when the band formed in Boston. They have released a handful of highly crafted pop albums since that time. While Bad Self Portraits is from February 2014 (the title track of the long-player), it is a nice way to announce that the band will be releasing another long-player in February 2016, Side Pony. Lead vocalist, Rachael Price, polished her vocal chops on Jazz music in the early days of her…
Read MoreDelightfully odd, Phall Fatale and The Girl The Beat from the forthcoming long-player, Moonlit Bang Bang, due out January 2016, is full of unique rhythms, electronics, an accessible and infectious melody and humor. Phall Fatale is from Lucerne, Switzerland and has a history of making wildly experimental music, full of electronically generated noise, traditional instruments and melodies that are sometimes not so accessible. For that reason, I have to reserve judgement on the entire offering until it comes out. That said,…
Read MoreEliza Rickman appeared here not all that long ago with her new video for her 2012 track, Start With Goodbye, Stop With Hello, from her long-player of that same year, O You Sinners. Footnotes For Spring (October 2015), picks up where O You Sinners left off-with both the good and the bad. There’s no denying Eliza Rickman’s beautiful bell-like soprano voice. Her songs are always interesting and fun, but as with O You Sinners, the latest long-player suffers from one…
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