Musically accompanying a 1963 short film by Roman Davydov called “Shareholders” The Souljazz Orchestra, offering up an additional socio-economic and political commentary of their own, hammer home a decidedly poignant opener to their latest long-player, Under Burning Skies (September 2017) with Dog Eat Dog. Musically powerful and funky, this band is making a danceable statement about our world gone horribly wrong-not in 1963-but today. The Souljazz Orchestra has been making great music for 15 years. Their sound is a blending of soul, jazz, afrobeat, and more. The Canadian six-piece,…
Read MoreA wall of rock and roll and layers of sound fail to obscure the vocals and the melody here on New York Made Me (seen/heard here) and on other tracks on the band’s debut self-titled long-player. There is something hauntingly familiar and yet very much original in the sound of The Heroic Enthusiasts. There are hints at David Bowie and maybe just a bit of the now ancient Cars in the sound, yet overall it is very much a sound unique to them. Each track is a…
Read MoreThea Gilmore’s brand of in-your-face pop anthem often feature a fast pace and a melody that is infinitely singable. In fact, this song, New (seen/heard here) one of 17 and change from the new LP Counterweight (June 2017), nearly commands that you sing along-it’s just that infectious. In some respects, Thea Gilmore might be described as this era’s Joan Baez. Her songs are often riddled with political and social commentary and contain anger at the status quo that lies just at the surface. That the tunes are so accessible is…
Read MoreA recent post on For Folk’s Sake had me jumping down a rabbit hole searching for more from this amazing artist, Paul Mosley, seen and heard here with The Red Meat Orchestra and a track (Galaxies) from the folk opera concept album, The Butcher (May 2016). Folkwit Records will soon be releasing the band’s latest EP, Wintertide, due out sometime in December. The Red Meat Orchestra spares no instrument, no matter how wildly unorthodox, to texturize Mr. Mosley’s compositions. While there is nothing that explicitly states…
Read MoreAn amalgam of many styles, from the wonderful-if, unfortunately named, All Our Exes Live In Texas, is a good way to describe this Australian four-piece. If Vodka were to place their sound (or attempt to), we would put them in their own Avant-folk-pop realm. Delicious four-part harmonies combine with extremely interesting song-writing to transport the listener to new vistas. Here on When The Sun Comes Up, from the group’s debut long-player, When We Fall (March 2017), you get a taste. Let me…
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