New Music Friday – Ep. 21 – Vote in the poll to decide who wins a full album review

New Music Friday – Ep. 21 – Vote in the poll to decide who wins a full album review

Each of these artists has an incredible amount of talent, so let’s give them all a fair listen. After clicking on each one, please vote in the poll posted below. The winner (after one week), will receive a full album review here on EarToTheGround Music. Please share these outstanding artists with your friends, too. Everyone wins!

Fake Guns – “Yellow”
-Alt rock is its own corner of the world. The textures you can hear on this track are definitely unique to Fake Guns’ own style. There are undoubtedly cool rock references in their sound, but I’d like to point to two of my favorite characteristics. First, the lead vocal traverses difficult terrain with clarity, hitting each note perfectly. Second, the song has a complicated minor structure that comes across as just another emotional rock song. Rest assured, this is a complex and rewarding piece.

Spritely – “Disposable”
-Well Spritely has the distinct honor of being an artist who impressed both of the editors here at ETTG. The first time through Greg included her on a playlist. This time Matt found her and put the note “confident and GOOD” with her name. The confidence on Spritely’s vocal is intoxicating. The sound might be called pop, but her music is really quality and not gimmicky as so many pop acts are. This is quality and enjoyable music.

Immanu El – “Voices”
-Some might call this worship music, but it’s really just beautiful atmospheric rock music. There’s an overall style that just pulls the listener in… or is it up? Either way, I find this to be really powerful music. The lyrics cover interesting religious themes, encouraging a contemplative listener to think about big questions while enjoying the placid instrumentation and comfortable vocals.

Skin and Bones – “Act Tough”
-Do you like slide guitar? Of course you do; that’s why you’re here. Do you like a kickass attitude? Again, OF COURSE you do. Well this track is made for the tough side of all of us, ready to stand and fight. It’s a genuine Americana tune with shades of the blues and country music. The vocal and the guitars work perfectly together, creating a sound that conjures images of a sweltering deep southern heat. It’s a hot track, too.

thevillainandi – “the earth from the air”
-Aside from thevillainandi apparently having a broken space bar and shift key, they seem to be a really cool trendy rock outfit. The sound is cool… not really like they probably wear Ray Bans, but like actually “cool” feeling. The guitars and keys highlight each other for a sound that is engaging but not too smarmy. When the driving rhythm kicks in and the vocals cut through the air, it’s a cool anthemic track. I also really dig the notion of trying discern who people really are in the midst of life’s noise. Nicely done.

Alex Galli – “End of the Ocean”
-Alex Galli sounds an awful lot like Jack Johnson and Jason Mraz. We love him for that. There’s a wonderful accessible quality to Galli’s writing. The song is about a girl that he loves and comes at it with such a natural charisma that you’ll be singing along in no time. It’s a nice party song. You get the sense that every voice recorded on this track was having an absolute blast. Love the island life; the island life is love.

Angela Sclafani – “Blossom”
-If you like clear jazz vocals, Angela Sclafani is really interesting. The lyrics are a bit cheeky if you ask me, but the overall style makes it okay. Sclafani comes across as someone who really has a blast singing and performing. The whole sound, including the syncopated rhythm section and some lovely horns, has a lot of character. It might not be the typical ETTG sound, but it’s still worth highlighting here.

Holiday Oscar – “Nicholas”
-This song gives me chills every time I hear it. It’s the story of brothers, centered around a love for playing music. I love the way the song sounds a bit like Simon & Garfunkel, but then has its own unique folk style. The layered sounds, especially with the harmonies, are outstanding. In fact, it’s one of those transcendent songs that almost defies description. The pure unadulterated love that comes through in the track is honestly about so much more than just another song. This is art.

Joseph Strummer – “Thief”
-Sometimes we get artists who are good at playing the guitar OR singing, but rarely do the two skill sets meet in the way that they do so clearly with Joseph Strummer. There’s such heart and soul in Strummer’s style. The song “Thief” has a good deal of genuineness to it right away, but the romantic overtones of the song make it a quintessential blues tune. He reminds me a bit of early John Mayer and seems to have a similar “it” factor that is impossible to explain. Fantastic.

Ryan Murray – “Come Out Maria”
-So take a little bit of 60s pop rock with a high tenor lead vocal and a bit of hip-shaking swagger, you’ll come out with a perfect batch of Ryan Murray’s “Come Out Maria.” There’s a dash of John Travolta circa Grease in the song, but it really works. I promise. The song’s style is right at home on your listening device with songs from several different eras, but really comes across as a fresh romantic tune. It’s about wanting to be with someone so bad that you can’t wait to resolve conflict and connect again. Been there!

[yop_poll id=”22″]

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