Lars Rüetschi

Lars Rüetschi

        Born in Switzerland and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Lars Rüetschi is a brilliant and talented musician that dabbles in rock, jazz fusion and world music. For almost two decades, Rüetschi has been active playing for different musicians. While Rüetschi has appeared on several albums over the years, he’s also managed to crank out several digital singles.

            Most of Rüetschi‘s work is influenced by the samba and bossa nova music, both of which he grew up listening to. Listening to his music, you can certainly here that influence. Take “Mediterana” for instance: it’s a very Brazilian sounding sound with some soothing flamenco-like guitar playing. Speaking of which, Rüetschi is an impressive guitarist. This is showcased in all of his music, especially the echoing “Nostalgia.” The song features Rüetschi playing at an impressive speed. Not only is it melodic but it’s also very calming. If any hint of rock can be heard in his music, it would be the piano-driven “Talking.” Half-way into the song, Rüetschi plays a solo that could be mistaken as a lost outtake from a late-1980s Pink Floyd album. The similarities between Rüetschi’s playing and David Gilmour’s are quite astonishing.

            Lars Rüetschi is well worth checking out. With independent music being mostly dominated by alternative and lo-fi band, Rüetschi sticks out for his sound alone. It’ll be interesting to see what he comes up with next. 

You can purchase his music by clicking here, which will direct you to his Amazon MP3 store. 

The Shivers- "Charades" album reissue review

The Shivers

Charades

The Shivers’ debut album Charades is receiving a special tenth anniversary reissue on vinyl for a limited time only. What’s that? Who are the Shivers? Apparently, they are a band that was formed in 2001 by musician Keith Zarriello. Charades received some positive reviews but the band is otherwise unknown. Believe it or not, they are still together; though they are currently a two-piece band. Until being approached to review this album, I had never heard of the band. I’ve also read that this tenth anniversary reissue is an abridged and resequenced version of the album, clocking in at 37 minutes (when the original album clocked in a little over an hour). Nevertheless, Charades is an interesting album.

            The album begins with the bizarre title track, which features tape loops and other sounds. This leads into the haunting “L.I.E.” The acoustics are pretty good even for a song that is very minimalist. The rest of the album is pretty eclectic while still maintaining a lo-fi sound. The Shivers can be a pretty strange group at times. The catchy “SoHo Party” features strange lyrics that aren’t worth repeating while the autobiographical “Roses” remembers “albino children on the street.” The Shivers can also write some solid alternative rock songs. The folky “Kisses” has a Velvet Underground vibe going on while the grammatically incorrect “I Could Care Less” features blending vocals and guitar riffs. Another highlight is “Violence,” which is another indie sounding track but has a unique hip hop feel to it.

            Whether or not you’ve heard the original album, Charades is worth a listen.

Click here to pre-order the album. 

Abraham Cloud- Freshly Broken Glass review

Abraham Cloud

Freshly Broken Glass

Abraham Cloud is a musician with a new album. That album, Freshly Broken Glass, actually consists of material recorded years ago. Think of the album as a time capsule just unearthed. Listening to the album today in its raw and pure nature makes it sound just like that. The album opens with the simple indie rocker “Nikki, I've Been There Too.” The song sets the tone and overall feel for the album, with its jangly guitar work. Most of the album does sound like it was made in the 1980s, given the use of synthesizers and drum machine. Although the use of electronics in music has always been criticized, the synthesizers and drum machine are used effectively on this album. While these are supposed to be demos, I think they are best that way.  Take “Almost All That I Have” for example: the reverb and production make it more melodic. “Killing Me With Your Kindness” is catchy while “Break Out” sounds like a lost Joy Division track.

            Just from listening to this album, Cloud can certainly write ballads. The piano driven “Ma, Go Out In The Rain” is almost a mini-epic, with Cloud’s Iggy Pop-like vocals and the droning synthesizers might remind someone of Roxy Music’s Avalon album. The title track is also worth listening to, with its Beatle-esque guitar work. Cloud also has a few experiment tracks on here. The bizarre “Floor of the Liquor Store” shows Cloud has a sense of humor as he suggests the listener should make love on the aforementioned floor and utters possible references to the Beatles’ Help movie. The electric and raw sounds of “Jenny Broke Down” are reminiscent of the Velvet Underground a bit.

            If you grew up listening to post punk and new age music in 1980s or even have a taste for retro, you might get a kick out of Freshly Broken Glass. 

Lost Gravity- S/T debut album review

Lost Gravity

Lost Gravity

Coming from London, Lost Gravity are a band that has a surprisingly American sound. The hard rock/heavy metal band have been together since 2007, self-releasing three EPs from 2008 to 2012. Their self-titled debut album is an interesting release. While the band has been a three-piece group since 2011, the album was recorded with only two people playing: guitarist/bassist/singer Breno Val and drummer Giuliano Kolling. For a sound so powerful and heavy, it’s amazing that this is coming from just two musicians.

            The album opens with the guitar heavy “What Comes Around Goes Around.” From the first track alone, you know what you’re in for: this is going to be a heavy album. In terms of comparing the group to another, the band sound like a later day Metallica with some grunge and alternative influences thrown in. Val’s vocals are similar to those of James Hetfield throughout the album, although Val’s vocals are somewhat higher and smoother. An example of this can be found in the hard-hitting “Changes,” which has some catchy hooks while still maintaining a hard rock sound. “Back Where You Belong” is another heavy tune, with a Sabbath/Alice In Chains guitar riff leading the track throughout.

            The band slows things down with “Alone.” With a track this laid back, Val’s vocals shine on here to great effect. The song even utilizes in a string section, which gives the track a dramatic feel. Other highlights from the album include the prog-rock (Queensryche comes to mind) sounding “Anywhere But Home,” the crunchy “All the Same,” and the heavy duty sounds of “Venom in a Vial” (which features some thunderous drumming from Kolling).

            Overall, Lost Gravity’s debut album is worth a listen from any fan of rock music. Now with an album and few EPs under their belts, Lost Gravity have a lot to offer to the world of hard rock and heavy metal.  

Lost Gravity debut album comes out on 13th of October on Priston Records
For more details visit: www.lostgravity.co.uk 

Anie- Lovekill EP review

Anie

Lovekill

I wish I could tell you more about Anie. Who or what is Anie, you ask? From the information given, Anie is the name of the group but is also the name of a person. Whatever the case may be, Anie has released an EP entitled Lovekill. As described on their Bandcamp page, each song on this EP “reflects the natural imbalance of a relationship.” With only four tracks to offer, Lovekill is an interesting EP.

            The title track opens up the EP, with the sounds of a female’s voice. Right from the start, you know this is something different. The title track has elements of indie rock but also elements of electronic pop. The male and female vocals harmonize in this catchy track. “Honey” is more of a conventional sounding pop song while it still maintains its indie rock sound. The male vocals suite the track just fine and give add more to the pop sound. The group slows things down on the dark acoustic sounds of “Only Ever This.” Compared to the first two tracks, this song is surprisingly dark. In fact, it’s wonderfully dark and melodic. The EP ends with the lyrically wonderful “Fear Losing,” which is another darker track with a glimmer of pop.

            Lovekill is a good EP from a strange but fascinating band. The band’s choice to stay anonymous just makes them even more intriguing. It’s definitely worth your time.  

You can stream AND download the album for free on their Bandcamp page by clicking here.

Arkos- Reflected EP review

Arkos

Reflected

Arkos are a hard rock band coming out of Sumrall, MS. The band, who formed in July 2013, have released an EP entitled Reflected. Even with four songs, Arkos have managed to create a great sounding product.

            “Night” is a dark and brooding way to open up the album. It’s certainly a heavy track, with Sabbath/doom metal guitar riffs from guitarist Dillion Douglas and Chase Eaton and surprisingly melodic vocals from Zach Chambliss. While I’m sure dozens of other bands have done it before, this is an interesting approach in that the band are taking something melodic and putting it to music that’s heavy. This is followed by “In Your Eyes,” which starts off with a killer guitar riff. Chambliss’ melodic vocals once again stand up on the track, especially during the chorus. “Without Me” greets listeners with a rude awakening of screams while the EP ends with “Make Believe.” The former is perhaps the heaviest and most extreme track off the EP while the latter sees the band at it again with their melodic hard rock/heavy metal approach. In fact, “Make Believe” has a little bit of progressive metal going on here.

            Arkos are a very talented band. If I were to recommend this to anybody, I would say fans of modern rock bands would enjoy this but fans of other sub genres of rock music might get something out of it too. 

Font- Budmo Jiggler album review

Font

Budmo Jiggler

At first glance, a band with a name as simple as Font doesn’t seem all that exciting. After listening to their debut album Budmo Jiggler, the listener might find themselves interested and wanting more. Font, formed and fronted by musician Chuck Fresh, describe their debut as “Coldplay meets Snow Patrol on an island with Jack Johnson while listening to some really cool 90s alternative rock.” Budmo Jiggler is an eclectic sounding album, spanning through several genres of music. With a name like Font, the album title gets its name from a font of the same name. This is indeed a strange album, but this just makes Font and their debut album even more interesting.

            The album opens with the acoustic mellow sounds of “Backwards.” The band certainly lives up to their Coldplay-Snow Patrol-Johnson comparison, as the track is mellow but also has this burst of 90s alternative rock (especially in the chorus). Fresh’s southern rock/country vocals also stand out on the track, as they may sound out of place but at the same time sound in place with the music. This is followed by the questioning piano-based “Believe,” in which Fresh questions religion, politics and society. There’s also a touch of humor, as Fresh tells listeners we can “live without a god” but “can we live without love.” Fresh then warns if you “ask any conservative and they’ll tell you that you’re nuts.”

            Throughout the album, Font balance between conventional sounding pop songs and humorous songs. When it comes to pop tracks, Font certainly delivers. There’s the 90s pop sounds of “Chance,” the power pop glory of “Silence,” the country rock “One More Night,” and the brilliantly written “Mr. Valentine.” While Font can make great pop songs, they can be pretty funny too. Take the Jimmy Buffet-esque “El Captain,” which tells the story of a man who’s too drunk to remember what happened the night before while on a trip to Mexico. The ukulele driven “High on Molokai” celebrates life in Hawaii while “Legend” takes a poke at hip hop music.

            Budmo Jiggler is a bizarrely fascinating debut album. I personally think its worth a listen, no matter what your musical tastes might be. 


Listen to the album here on SoundCloud.

Charlie Leavy- The Best Damn Ride EP review

Charlie Leavy

The Best Damn Ride

At only 17 years old, Charlie Leavy is an impressive musician. The Hook Norton-Leeds based singer/songwriter showcases her talents on her first release; an EP entitled The Best Damn Ride. While most pop music today is almost produced and manufactured in an assembly line, Leavy is unique in that she writes her own material and knows how to play an instrument or two.

            The EP opens with the catchy pop hooks of “The Way Life Is.” Leavy mentions in one of her promotional sites that she thinks of herself as a songwriter first and a singer second.  She shouldn’t have to worry about her voice: it fits perfectly into the music she is playing. As for her songwriting skills, they are quite strong. Leavy’s phrasing in the first track is also remarkable, as the song is quite wordy. “And if we keep on judging by our skin, our sex, our race/We are creating more problems we need to face” sings Leavy. “Because the wars and the hate are now our base.”

Leavy delivers in simple catchy pop songs with the melodic “Tongue Tied” and the bouncy “Falter Baby.” The latter is quite catchy as it utilizes in a swing feel accompanied by an acoustic guitar and hand claps. The chorus might be hard to get out of your head: “Cos I keep trying and trying to make you fall for me/There’s something about me that you just can’t see” sings Leavy. “Trying and trying to make you fall for me/Why won’t you falter baby?”  There’s also the semi-psychedelic “Summers Day Runaway” and the honest “Running My Mouth.” 

The Best Damn Ride is a great introduction to Charlie Leavy. With this being an EP, I will be interested in what Leavy has to offer when the time comes for her to make an album. 


Listen to the album on SoundCloud by clicking here. 

Catalina Shortwave- Repeater review

Catalina Shortwave

Repeater

Coming from Southwest Connecticut, Catalina Shortwave are a different kind up and coming band. While most bands prefer to crank it up, Catalina Shortwave decides to keep things as simple as possible with their lo-fi approach. Still, the band has a unique sound as they blend country, rock, folk, R&B and punk all together. Their debut album, Repeater, is an impressive first release.

  The album opens with the eclectic rocker “Don’t Never Take Your Love Away.” This rocker is led by a Stones-esque guitar riff, along with the soulful vocals of Dave Rizzo. The chorus has a southern rock twang but the song still has a hard rock edge at the same time. This is followed by the strange punk R&B number “Anne Boleyn.” It sounds like something that you’d see Phil Spector have one of his girl groups roll out, except it’s being done by a lo-fi band. The album continues with the psychedelic “Running on Vapor” and the distorted minimalism of “You Rained Hell On Me.”

There are 15 songs on the album, all ranging from a wide variety of genres. Listening to this album, Catalina Shortwave can get psychedelic. With each psychedelic track, the band takes a different approach. “Jennifer’s Paradise” is a distorted psychedelic hard rocker with some impressive fast-paced drumming from John Garvey while the eight minute “She Set Me Free” allows the band to jam freely. The band are also pretty good song writers. Listen to the lyrics on the biographic “Wintersong” and the poetic folk rocker “Set My Horses Free.” Lastly, the band has a sense of humor. You can tell just by the titles: there’s the short but sweet ditty “There Ain’t Much Goin’ On But The Bottle” and the strictly country closer “It Ain’t Cool to Say You’re From Seattle Anymore.”

Repeater is an impressive album from a new band. Catalina Shortwave definitely have a unique sound and this is the perfect introduction to that sound. 

Listen to the album streaming on their ReverbNation page by clicking here. 

Hey there...revamp time

Hey there...


There was a time when I thought I could make a second blog devoted to new and local groups. It has been four years and in that time, I was in college. This clearly didn't work out.

Now that I've graduated college and have been recently been writing reviews for groups through Fiverr, I thought I'd resurrect Some Talent and make it a place where I upload all of my reviews.

I didn't have any followers before so in a way, this blog is brand new.

Enjoy!