The Melodic Tonic ’18 September 5th edition offers tasty treats from well-known and emerging artists alike. From cinematic fare to soul, dream pop, and indie lo-fi rock, this mid-week playlist features artists from the UK, US, Norway, and Sweden. We kick things off with something grand yet haunting. Thom Yorke – “Suspirium” (Oxford, England) Add “film score composer” to Thom […]

 In 2015, I described Natalie Prass’ self-titled debut as “everything I love about music. It’s music you can dance to, and music you can cry to.” Since then, she’s actually recorded two records, scrapped one, and released her proper sophomore record, The Future and the Past, on June 1st via ATO Records. According to an interview with Consequence of […]

This week we’ve changed the schedule a bit, so there won’t be a Melodic Tonic. Instead, The Matinee ’18 February 21st edition is today’s spotlight on new music. Due to the last-minute change, the descriptions are tighter than usual, and we would like to send our apologies to the artists and bands that the shorter pieces. For readers and listeners, […]

Just like the Winter Olympics, The Matinee ’18 February 20th is dominated by Norwegian artists. There is also a heavy dose of UK bands and only one group from the US. You’ll hear rockers, brooding dark-pop, some retro-soul, and stirring cinematic numbers. Black Gold Buffalo – “Start A Fire” & “Magnets” (London, England) RIYL: Poliça, Desperate Journalist, Wolf Alice The […]

Creating something refreshing doesn’t necessary mean reinventing the wheel. It does include looking to the past for inspiration and reviving classical arrangements for today’s music listeners. More importantly, it’s about re-introducing people to the idea that simplicity can yield music that is inviting and dazzling. This is what Simon Okely – AKA Slow Dancer – has achieved with his sophomore album, […]

The Matinee June 8th features a bevy of well-known artists and a handful of hidden gems to discover. The list is in reverse alphabetical order because we haven’t done this in a while. Waxahatchee – “Never Been Wrong” (Philadelphia, USA) RIYL: Liz Phair, Juliana Hatfield, Veruca Salt While Katie Crutchfield’s first three albums as Waxahatchee have been critical darlings, she remains […]

“No matter how famous you are, no matter how many people admire you, being black in America is tough.” ~~ Lebron James, May 31, 2017 Three years ago, Benjamin Booker took the music world by storm with his eponymous debut album. His fiery blues-rock captivated music listeners, and critics were universally applauding his talents. Consequently, Benjamin Booker landed on many […]