NYS Music 202​2

Category: Album Reviews

  • MVW’s Connections Comes Full-Circle

    It wasn’t long ago that classical composer, Michael Vincent Waller, first forayed into the hip hop world. On his debut LP CLASSIC$, the Staten Island native merged elements of classical and trap music, bringing about an unheard of sub-genre. What made for a sometimes awkward fit was overshadowed by MVW’s nuanced production and his chemistry with Valee — who occupied the album’s starring role. CLASSIC$ was experimental in its nature, while his latest album, Connections, sees MVW harness his vision.

    mvw connections
    Connections tracklist

    With this intention, MVW’s progression came from putting his classical side on the back burner, allowing it to play a more subtle role. On his prior album, the two genres shared equal footing, while on Connections the classical sound plays a complimentary role to the hip hop rhythms. The result makes for an energetic, yet nuanced body of work, with enjoyable contemporary melodies.

    The attention to the melody and nuance of the texture stands out. It’s about taking you on the journey from minimal to maximal — going through the ebbs and flows of layers, lyricism, and transitions between those two aesthetics.

    – MVW on the making of Connections

    Connections Review

    Amidst hip hop’s growing stagnation, Connections feels like a breath of fresh air and a leap into the future. The album is laden with features from both veteran and new artists alike. Past collaborators (Valee, Lil Gotit, Lex Luger) and new voices (Matt Ox, Desiigner, TiaCorine, Zelooperz, Xavier Wulf, Warhol.SS) lent their voices and verses. Moreover, it’s a project which fully expands and elegantly distills the vision MVW forged on CLASSIC$, while showcasing his versatility.

    mvw connections
    The composer-turned-producer has released two one-of-a-kind projects.

    After all, it is a testament to MVW’s abilities that he can curate his minimal-expressionist approach for a song with Valee and his laid-back delivery, Matt OX‘s energetic howls, while channeling the enigma that is Desiigner. Yet, that was the goal of Connections. The album is about urging the listener to reckon with the ties between unexpected things; minimalism and maximalism. A juxtaposition that MVW has been keen to express in his music since crossing over from the formal, controlled landscape of classical music to the braggadocios and expressive hip hop world. The album’s sequencing reflects MVW’s experiences, as it ranges from delicate vocal placements (“Oscar,” “7 Bandz,” “Bali”) to high-octane controlled chaos (“Check In,” “Mobb Ties,” “Never That”).

    The music was unlike anything else I’d heard. No one is rapping over that kinda stuff so I wanted to try something different. It was a challenge and definitely had a spooky element to it. I like that.

    – Valee on working with MVW
    mvw connections
    Valee and MVW’s Connection is undeniable.

    Album Highlights

    Valee once again takes center stage on an MVW project. The duo’s chemistry is undeniable, as Valee’s own minimal, yet luxurious flows make for a perfect jump-off point creatively. For his part, MVW’s own vision for his music’s direction allows him to recruit effectively. “Mobb Ties” sees Desiigner at his best, using his overpowering voice to create a melodic banger, free of incoherent shouts. Concurrently, Valee and Matt OX serve as the contrasting hues on MVW’s musical canvas, as he uses their contrasting styles to fulfill his musical ethos.

    Notably, MVW’s use of classical instrumentation to capture Matt Ox’s spirited delivery pushes the limitations of both genres. Songs like “Check In” and “Epiphany,” are laced with adequately placed cello and violin riffs that compliment OX’s energy. Conversely, MVW and Valee fit like two peas-in-a-pod. Their comparable styles means that there is no need for a smoothing out period. Records like “Bali,” feel as though the two have been recording together for years.

    “Working with Valee is always special, but this is one of those tracks where I think Valee and I are working on a higher intuitive level,”

    – MVW on the making of “Oscar“

    Other standout tracks include “TikTok,” “Right Back” and “7 Bandz”, on a project which ultimately saw MVW’s vision come full-circle. In doing so, the Los Angeles based producer has managed to carve out a lane all to himself.

  • DIE the Monk Thrives in Grim Detail on New Album “Nailed to a Star”

    Brooklyn artist Sebastien Carnot isn’t new to what he does. Known by the musical alias DIE the Monk, his experience is on full display with his fourth album Nailed to a Star.

    The record follows up 2020’s The Beauty Complex, and maintains the brevity signature to DIE the Monk as the fourth consecutive album under 30 minutes. Its cross between industrial music, hip-hop and synth pop makes for a moody, abrasive record about inner turmoil.

    Album art for “NAILED TO A STAR.”

    The subdued minute-long intro track “Shapeless” sets the tone with Carnot musing, “what if I’m an unlucky person making many bad decisions,” before launching into the pacing, catchy “Underbite.”

    On “Underbite,” the album’s lead single, forboding bass pulsates like an alarm clock as he yells about hidden anguish with lines such as “where do you go, a life they see is a life they know, not a life disguised.” The track also introduces the record’s unconventional song structure, shelving a normal verse-chorus pattern for a wave of noise that bursts into a psychedelic outro with melodic synths.

    While Carnot’s voice competes to not be drowned out by the volume of his blasting musical backdrop on this record, like a Steve Albini-made album during hardcore’s heyday, there’s something intentional about his distortion-drenched vocals being pit against Carnot’s digital overdrive production.

    The same can be said for the following song “Recollect,” with autotuned delivery that reminisces of premier hip-hop experimentalists Injury Reserve that builds an overwhelming environment of metallic drums and wailing horns into a reverb-tinged, gloomy conclusion.

    Carnot’s flexibility in approach to noise music remains apparent on songs like the metal-adjacent “Honor” with its rolling drums and dramatic synth melody and the hardcore rap infused “Commander” with sci-fi-esque sound effects in a track that only gains speed.

    The interludes on Nailed to a Star assist the flow of the album as well. The lush synths on “Lost” well suit a phone call to friend from a stressed but stable Carnot asking for a ride home, and the melodica-driven “Stars Talk” well articulates his anxiety.

    Underneath the chaos, Carnot shows great capacity for writing engaging melodies, and such is the case on the cloud rap oriented second single “Bless Up.” Playful rapping and synth lines make this a brighter song than the rest, even if the subject matter keeps dark with lyrics like “all my fears turn to problems” keeping consistent with the album’s tone.

    This loud album ends things rather quietly on “A Boy Untrained.” It stays consistent with the record’s persistent themes of self-doubt and gloom, as tribal drums and mystical synths lay foreground for lines such as “trying to understand why you won’t go, I must be nasty.”

    While Carnot doesn’t change up song structure much on Nailed to a Star, he shows plenty of creativity and versatility for different angles of noise music. While short, this is an explorative and intense project that gets personal in an intimate way for DIE The Monk.

    Key Tracks: Underbite, Bless Up, A Boy Untrained

  • Trauma Cat’s “The Truth Doesn’t Live Here” Album Release

    Local to Syracuse, the band Trauma Cat has recently just dropped their newest album The Truth Doesn’t Live Here, which we released on Friday, October 7th. Award-winning indie alternative band making a name for themselves by stating that they are “America’s sorriest power trio.” Along with this, they will be playing at The Range in Ithaca on October 22nd. 

    The Truth Doesn't Live Here" Album Release

    This LP marks the Syracuse-based band’s second full-length collaboration weighing in at a whopping 19 tracks. The unauthorized double album features six singles previously released in 2022: “Better Questions,” “Tsai Shen,” “Bunnyhole,” “Popcorn Machine,” “Get It All Out (Online),” and “The Reporter.” 

    Trauma Cat's "The Truth Doesn't Live Here" Album Release

    Songs like “The Truth Doesn’t Live Here” arrive also on the heels of a five-part online “dox-u-series” called “The Truth About Trauma Cat,” a cheeky satire of internet culture, deepfake technology, and simulation theory that teases a definitive identity reveal of the band’s members (known as Ralph Kojig, Roman Pando, and Rutger DiBoyere). 

    “When we say ‘the truth doesn’t live here,’ we mean that we are all inhabiting a post-truth world,” says guitarist Kojig, who shares primary songwriting and frontman duties with bassist Pando. “While it’s possible that the majority of our society once recognized an objective truth, it’s pretty clear now — in the face of so many false or dubious claims — that we never had a monopoly on reality anyway, I’m sorry to say.” 

    “And there’s something hilarious and freeing about that,” adds Pando. “That strange liberation is what provoked Ralph and I to write the songs that would end up on this record. The result is something deeply inquisitive, and yet, with apologies to our audience, we still have no answers — except, obnoxiously, that there are no answers. Sorry!” 

    The songs on the album that I recommend are “The Truth Doesn’t Live Here,” which doubles down on Trauma Cat’s signature blend of music taste. The song combines a progressive rock with shades of post-punk, shoegaze, and power-pop. Similarly, “Better Questions” and “Pray the Gay Away” are another two amazing blend of alternative genres that speak to the chaos of the record’s core theme. 

    “The Truth Doesn’t Live Here” is available now on all streaming platforms. To listen to their newest hits, click the link here.

  • Guitar Solos Abound on eberwine’s Debut Album ‘One Vision’

    Buffalo jam rock group eberwine has stepped forward with their record debut One Vision, an hourlong escapade of winding guitar riffs, invigorated drumming, and accessible melodies.

    Led by vocalist and guitarist Todd Eberwine, his band of the same name is a five-piece featuring drummer Ryan Nogle, bassist Keith Lindner, backing vocalist Aaron Ziolkowski, and keyboardists Evan Laedke and Eric Crittenden.

    Eberwine
    Album art for eberwine’s One Vision.

    The album, which was “six years in the making,” was preceded by single, “Worlds Away” in April, a catchy roots rock track which serves as a proper preview to One Vision.

    Opener “Get On” is an eight minute piece that does the same, giving the listener a good idea of what to expect from the record with a couple verses, a couple hooks, and lots of instrumental time. A bouncy song which sticks to a traditional blues rock format, a spacy keyboard solo in the track’s first couple minutes adds an ethereal element.

    Songs on the album generally touch topics of romance, such as the title track where Eberwine sings “the stars are complete in their galaxies, when they explode they become more like you and me,” alluding to the cover art’s imagery.

    Eberwine
    eberwine

    While Eberwine’s flashy guitar playing on display nearly every song, and Ryan Nogle’s drumming always keeps pace, and the keyboard section adds a sense of atmosphere, Keith Lindner’s bass playing is right there with them, entertainingly holding up the groove on songs like the instrumental “Real Good” And along with plenty of dazzling musicianship, Eberwine’s polished vocals help push forth songs that are primarily instrumental.

    “Lies” is an album highlight, with its high tempo and funky guitar riff working well with an odd and uncomfortable melody. Eberwine’s shrieky vocals complement the moody track, with him singing “life deceived me as I’m falling down again.” This is coupled by one of the most engaging solos of the record, one which goes on for five minutes and reaches speed and intensity unique to the tracklist.

    While this album knows when to heat up at the right times, it also knows when to settle down. “Lies” is fittingly followed by the subdued, solo-free “Divided,” with wistful lines such as “so the story goes but no one knows, and so we go on through the great untold.” “Fever,” the only other song under five minutes, follows up the raucous opening track with a nice blend of piano rock and acoustic guitar.

    Stretches of subtlety also prove valuable on the 11-minute closer “In Flight Movie,” with Eberwine’s watery lead riff guiding the slow song to its more active moments like its exciting and powerful chorus where he sings “the moment’s okay, the moment’s gone, it makes us blind to what matters, it makes connection impossible.” The song’s nearly six-minute solo hits nicely as well, with dynamics alternating in a way to create a uniquely emotional performance here, giving a fitting end to the album.

    While One Vision is eberwine’s first album, it doesn’t come short of displaying the expertise of Todd Eberwine and his band. On top of showing off plenty of mercurial musicianship, the group shows plenty of aptitude for emotional performances and stylistic versatility in a record that fills out its 68-minute runtime.

    Information about future eberwine tour dates can be found here.

  • Hearing Aide: Say She She, “Prism”

    Take a disco: dark, sweaty, neon pink and electric blue, speakers so loud you can taste it, glitter makeup dripping down your face, sequins scratching your skin, thick air, your platform pumps sticking to the dance floor. Now rip the black-out curtains off windows, knock down the walls — sunlight streams in, grass tickles your ankles, clothes hang loose, you can breathe deeply, clearly. That’s Say She She’s new album Prism. It’s sunlight at the rave, clear vocals over deep funk. Rhythm you want to spread out to, bass that feels like a cool breeze. 

    Prism Say She She

    Say She She, a seven-piece band led by three female leads, is reminding Brooklyn how to dance Le Freak. The band’s name is a nod to Nile Rogers’ “C’est chic!” lyric, with a modern feminine twist. Et aussi chic is the kismet meeting of Piya Malik, Nya Gazelle Brown and Sabrina Mileo Cunningham, the singers at the heart of Say She She. From disparate sides of Brooklyn, the three ran into each other at a house party in Harlem, as one does, and realized their musical chemistry into a full project soon after. 

    Malik, a former backing singer for Chicano Batman, is partisan to Turkish funk and Hindi riffs. Brown’s concentration was in R&B, and she was trained in classical and jazz vocals from childhood. Cunningham is partial to 80s eclectic progressive groups like Rotary Connection and Tom Tom Club. These three distinct backgrounds merged to create the singular sound of Say She She; a sound, though only inaugurated this year with their first single “Forget Me Not,” that already feels assured in their first album, Prism, releasing Oct. 7.

    If there’s a female gaze, such as in the way films like “The Virgin Suicides” and “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” depict love, there’s a female sound in how Say She She describes love and loving in Prism. Their voices are tender and earnest, delicate yet serious; in “Don’t Wait,” even a break-up song is full with solace and healing, wondering about and wanting the best for their ex’s next lover. And all this is set to a rhythmic beat on a funky bassline, making the hips shift, the feet move. 

    With nature imagery and dreamy vocals, every song on the album evokes the divine feminine.  But  “Fortune Teller” dives deepest, the layered vocals touching on a host of feminine tropes in the chorus:

    “I’m not a fortune teller, I can’t read your mind / I’m not a healer, can’t stop you from going blind / I’m not a fortress, but I will try to protect you.” 

    Tropes aren’t real life. Sometimes these traditionally feminine roles are aspirations – for people of any genders. Ultimately, we can’t tell the future or heal each others’ wounds.  But by interspersing the chorus with beautiful imagery of “the space between the midnight sky,” and “stars that whisper in the night” it feels like all those capabilities might just be possible for anybody and everybody, if only here on the dance floor. 

    “Better Man,” the album’s closing song, also aims to realize that kind of cosmic love. It’s one of the slower songs on the album, employing strings, muted production and voices layered in complex harmonies. Say She She describes finding a “better man” with the natural imagery of waves rolling in and swimming upstream. Paired with the occasional electronic sparkle, it’s a song Mother Nature would want to dance to.

    Key Tracks: Better Man, Fortune Teller, Don’t Wait

  • NYC Artist Robert Leslie Releases UK Psychedelic Folk-Influenced “Halfway Home” Album

    Europe-native and New York City-based musical artist and busker, Robert Leslie, had his alternative folk debut recently released during last month on August 5th. Compiled are 12 tracks produced by Perry Margouleff (who also worked with Maroon 5 and Paul Rogers) that express the beautiful moments captured in day-to-day life through bridging the gap between current changes and a reflection of the past, as phrased by Leslie, speaking about the album.

    Album Cover [Credit: Emmanuel Rosario]

    The LP features names behind the instrumental elements of the music, who’ve worked with established names in the music industry, such as Tony Garnier behind bass who collaborated with Bob Dylan, Paul Simon and Tom Waits, Jake Sinclair, behind the Wurlitzer, Mellotron piano, who’s worked with Weezer! and Panic at the Disco, and Scarlet Rivera, who played the violin and has worked with Bob Dylan.

    Artist Studio Shoot

    The record rings of soothing tunes conveyed with slow guitar notes paired with bass booms and overlapping looming synths which carve echoes resonating with the vibration of rings spreading from a rock thrown in still water. Taking an approach using a poetic lens in his lyricism, Robert Leslie divulges on takes about aspects of life and love, carrying emotional overtones of nostalgia blended with wonderance on this debut influenced with sounds from UK psychedelic folk. 

    Halfway Home Music Video

  • Hearing Aide: Indie-Rock band El Modernist’s Debut Album ‘Eras’

    Indie-rock band, El Modernist, has had their newest debut album “Eras” released on Friday, September 2. The group features a trio of members, Will Fredette, who is in charge of lead vocals and plays the rhythm guitar, Will Hahn who plays the drums and uses the electronic instruments, and Taylor MacMillan who uses the lead guitar and creates backing vocals.

    El Modernist band

    The Albany-based alternative rock band presents listeners with a ten-track compilation of songs infused with elements belonging to ‘80’s style of rock, such as the groovy synths and jazz-tinged bass, while also containing more contemporary components of alternative rock that is present in other upcoming New York-based bands. The tempo carried throughout the debut follows a steady, consistent rhythm and maintains an upbeat air. 

    Their upcoming tour performance will be at Wild in the Trees Music & Skate Festival in Lake George on Saturday, Oct. 1 and starting at 7PM. You can RSVP and get tickets for the event here.

    ‘Eras’ Debut Album Cover Photo

    Watch the official music for their track, “New Waves” below.

    ‘New Waves’ music video (https://youtu.be/qidF5OshR2A)

  • Elephant Back Does a Little Bit of Everything On Debut Record

    On Syracuse pop rock duo Elephant Back’s self-titled debut album, the group dabbles across genres in an impressive scale across a short period of time.

    The record, released on August 5, asserts its ever fluctuant musical identity from the start, with the quiet desert rock grooves and varied percussion of opener “Hier Kom Die Olifant” being directly followed by the loud drums and noisy guitars of the melodic “Kiss The Sky.” The album isn’t shy about its array of inspiration, with Jimi Hendrix’s famed “excuse me while I kiss the sky” line being interpolated at the center of the song.

    Cover art for Elephant Back’s debut album.

    “Shifting Gears” almost seems like a tribute to Sonic Youth, with abrasive guitar riffs complementing lustful, spoken word vocals that ring similar to Kim Gordon. “Come over here so I can annihilate you, violate you,” the song finishes with, adhering to the intimate aggression which characterized the indie rock legends. This is by far the most lyrically violent moment on the project however, with subject matter being quite optimistic and straightforward for the most part.

    The menacing guitar and frenetic drum playing of “Take My Stance” is underscored by optimistic lines such as “the truth will find what’s inside, one love to find” on its hook. The cheery, glittery piano rock of “Believe” complements claps of woodblock and cowbell with pristine imagery with its closing lyrics: “open your eyes, sunshine blue skies, no reason to hide, relax and unwind.”

    While Elephant Back displays strong musicianship across the record, the album’s percussion is a high mark in this department. The anxious blues rock of “Can’t Stop” is highlighted by its entertaining drum fills and hissing maracas. The infectious chorus of late album reggae track “Get It On Right” is enhanced by some impressively technical and subtly quick work on the drum set.

    With how diverse this album is, moments of intrigue are found all around. The delicate acoustic folk of “Amaranthine” doesn’t wait around for the subsequent contrast of the boisterous following track “Go To War” with its Led Zeppelin-adjacent vocals and arpeggiating guitar solo. The slow “I, Wonder” rings of Creedence Clearwater Revival in a romantic moment, with lines such as “you’re more than just a conversation, and I can see it in everything you do.”

    The record’s mixing has some rougher areas, with the vocals on certain tracks sounding either quiet or somewhat overpowered. It also ends on a bit of an odd note with “Holiday,” a strange 40-second hodge-podge of banjo and synth.

    In total though, the positives reign supreme. Elephant Back’s debut album is an incredibly wide-ranging project that showcases tight musicianship and plenty of experimentation.

    Upcoming Elephant Back Shows:

    October 1st – Green Jello Studios Los Angeles, CA

    October 6th – Funk N Waffles Syracuse, NY

    October 29th – The Downstairs Ithaca, NY

    December 11th – The Bowery Electric, NYC

    More info regarding the band can be found on the Elephant Back website.

  • Snarky Puppy Release Single “Belmont” off Upcoming Album “Empire Central”

    Snarky Puppy has released their new instrumental track “Belmont” and has announced the release of an album titled Empire Central, paying homage to NYC, which made the band who they are today.

    snarky puppy

    The group are four-time Grammy award winners and are one of the most respected names in the instrumental music industry. Formed in 2004, the group is led by bassist Michael League. The group combines a variety of jazz idioms, rock, world music, and funk.

    Snarky Puppy has always been a band that prioritizes the sound of the music. On this record there was some collaboration in the writing process but when a song goes to the band and the players start making suggestions or changing things our collective feeling really comes through. The songs ended up being a lot more direct and funkier than those on our previous records. I think it reflects the many moods of the city’s scene.

    Michael League

    Their new single “Belmont” is a funky ballad, featuring many different people and instruments, like a tenor sax, flugelhorn, drums, distorted violins, and percussion. The track is over six minutes long but goes by so quickly. It was arranged beautifully, with rises and falls, and one can’t help but sway to the music. The sound engineers were also amazing here, as each instrument is isolated and you are able to hear each one clearly.

    The album Empire Central references NYC, and is a 16-track record recorded live in front of a studio audience at the Deep Ellum Art Company in Dallas, TX over eight nights. On the record, there are over 20 artists, including three guitarists, four keyboardists, two brass, two reeds, a violinist, multiple percussionists and drummers, and League on bass.

    Snarky Puppy is also going on tour to support the album, with shows in Buffalo at the Town Ballroom on April 6, NYC at the Beacon Theatre on April 13, and Ithaca at the Cornell University Concert Series on April 16. Tickets for those shows are on sale here. The new record comes out Sept. 30 and will be available on all streaming platforms.

  • Brooklyn Pop Duo Fake Dad Release New Single “Painkiller”

    Fake Dad, a Brooklyn alt. pop duo just released their new single “Painkiller,” about struggles with mental health and addiction, and how hard it is to support someone as they struggle with both.

    Fake Dad

    Fake Dad is made up of Andrea de Varona and Josh Ford. They make music out of their tiny Brooklyn apartment, and since the beginning of 2018 have been inseparable with a love of music at the center of their relationship long before they started writing together.

    Their music has a signature production sound with distinct voice styles and is there to give you a friendly pat on the back after a long day, and they want you to know everything is going to be okay.

    We hope listeners feel understood and not alone in their respective battles with anxiety, depression, substance abuse, self-harm or really any kind of mental health struggle. Sometimes our connections with others, and a sense of belonging alone are reasons to stay on this earth and try to get better.

    Fake Dad

    Their new single “Painkillers” is a nod to the 80s synth-pop era, with uplifting lyrics about trying to break free from inner demons, and an ode to a relationship between two extremely anxious individuals desperately looking inward for ways to love each other better.

    The lyrics that get repeated a lot throughout the song are “Someone tell me I’ll survive this/please just tell me I’ll survive.” These set of lyrics are very emotional and fans have actually thanked the band for writing it, as it helps those going through a mental health crisis tell themselves they will get through it.

    Overall, the song is very well produced, and Varona’s vocals are very haunting and make you feel like you will make it through anything. “Painkillers” by Fake Dad is out now on all streaming platforms.

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