Music has been a key part of Michaelson’s life since a young age. From playing the violin as a child to playing the sax at jazz clubs as a teen, it’s obvious that Michaelson is one of those people who has music in their bones, and the musical experiences he has had in his life can be seen throughout TORN’s experimentative sound.

The first song, Something Nice, immediately feels unique and independently creative production-wise. Michaelson performs with a cyborg-sounding voice while hitting similar eccentric vocal notes to artists like David Bowie and Billy Idol, which is unique to start off with but becomes a bit of an annoyance later in the album.

However, for this particular song, it works well and opens the album with a sense of intrigue and otherworldliness.

“Vampire Tears” follows up with a distinct 80s synth-pop sound that has a dark horrorcore vibe to it lyrically.

The drawback of the song, however, is that sometimes the vocals feel like they are way overproduced, to the point where Michaelson becomes totally ineligible, which makes the song hard to follow and even harder to understand Michaelson’s concept as an artist.

However, I will say that I think it has one of the better instrumentals on the album and captures the feeling of a dark, eerie atmosphere.

While on the topic of instrumentals, it’s “Sirius Nostalgia” that takes the top prize for best production, in my opinion.

The song’s spacey, vapor-like soundscape is an environment in which Michaelson seems to thrive, finding his footing with a soft, introspective sound that has the same nostalgic vibe as the instrumental.

I definitely think it’s the album’s best song and the best attempt at the sound Michaelson was trying to capture.

Post “Sirius Nostalgia,” however, is where I think things start to lose focus and Michaelson struggles to give each song a unique style or sense of flavour.

Although it feels like he has found his own sound on the production side of things, vocally, Michaelson comes off as if he is doing a half-decent Bowie impression with overmixed, filtered vocals.

Specifically, the vocal filters are the problem. I immensely applaud trying to sound different and separating yourself from the status quo; however, when it feels like your voice is getting in the way of a better-sounding instrumental, there is a huge problem with your vocal performances.

CONCLUSION: I appreciate Michaelson’s attempts at creating a completely new sound and combining elements of different genres; in terms of artistic merit, he definitely ticks the box. However, the style he has come up with definitely needs ironing out and simplifying into something a wider range of listeners can understand, as I feel like the only person who could possibly understand Michaelson’s music is himself. Songs like “Sirius Nostalgia” show that there is a lot of potential with Michaelson’s Bowie-esque experimental sound, and it should definitely be explored; however, right now, it is not ready.

Written by Jake Campbell.

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Influenced by the soulful Southern Creole sound of American blues, Frenchie performs like someone who has a deep passion for the genre and understands what makes its most iconic artists so good.

The album begins with “Fight You Like A Man,” an angsty-personality-driven opener that combines the unpredictable whiny vocals of James Brown with the zealous flair of Prince in a fantastically unique way.

The instrumentation on the track takes over in traditional blues fashion, formulating a stylish soundscape of smokey bars and late-night jazz.

“Backup Plan” follows up with a cool back-and-forth dynamic between Frenchie and the featured artist, Bruce Sunpie Barnes, singing about casual love. The chemistry between the two adds a layer of storytelling to the song and further enhances Frenchie’s femme fatale as she embodies a jazzy noir-esque character throughout the album.

“Girlfriend” shakes things up a bit with faster-paced instrumentation that has a distinct, slightly rock and roll tinge compared to the rest of the album.

“Crawfish Heads,” as the title may suggest, totes distinctly southern-sounding instrumentation with a sense of Louisiana heat. My favourite thing about the song is the subtle, groovy acoustics that drive the overall vibe of the track.

“Slow Down”, however, is definitely the album’s biggest highlight and the best rendition of what a blues song should be. The high-pitched, plucky keys combined with the effortless suave of the electric guitar complement each other fantastically.

“Furry Slippers” is another track that just becomes a three-minute jazz frenzy that feels like caramel for the ears.

On the other hand, it was at this point in the album that I felt like I wanted Frenchie to do something else. On a lot of the songs, it feels like she is doing rinse-and-repeat performances that all sound way too similar to each other.

Don’t get me wrong, I think Frenchie nails the genre and aesthetic she’s going for; however, her performances started to get a little tedious, especially when the band was giving her everything on a plate.

I feel like Frenchie could benefit in the future from varying her cadences and taking on different voice styles and tones to make her albums a little more interesting and varied.

SCORE/GOOD:

Album Highlights: “Back Up Plan”, “Girlfriend”, “Slow Down”, “Fight You Like A Man” and “Furry Slippers.”

Album Lowpoints: “Gator Bags a Beaver”, “I’m Into Something”

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[We rank albums on a scale of: Poor, Mediocre, Good, Excellent, Outstanding]

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With an unrelenting rockstar persona, strangely structured choruses, and sometimes outstanding vocal performances, “How Do You Sleep At Night” feels more like an eccentric ensemble of ideas than an album.

Since 2020, Teezo has been on a progressive upward trajectory towards stardom. Since first garnering underground attention with songs like “I’m Just A Fan”, “Mid” and “Social Cues”, Teezo has become an elusive and exciting presence in the mainstream rap community by featuring on songs with Don Toliver, Travis Scott, Tyler the Creator, and Lil Yachty, wowing audiences with his “outside-the-box” verses and rock-inspired vocals.

After being purely a “feature artist” for the past year or so, Teezo intends to steal the spotlight for himself with his debut album “How Do You Sleep At Night?” and show off his complex, multi-faceted rap/rockstar personality.

The album’s opener, “OK” feels like a 2000s pop-punk house party with short bursts of heavy metal guitar chords and Teezo’s multi-layered, booming voice on the chorus, reminiscent of bands like MCR or Weezer.

What’s most noticeable is Teezo’s strange vocal mixing, which makes his voice sound sped up, giving him a unique quick-fire flow that feels like bullets hitting the beat.

This same flow is used several times on the album, but Teezo uses it in such a way that it doesn’t get tired or repetitive. Take “You Thought featuring Janelle Monae, for instance, where he performs with an RnB-infused style, rap-singing his way through a slower beat that contrasts his fast-paced vocal style.

Teezo still dips into his pop-rock bag, however, with songs like “UHH”, which feels like a modern take on Prince’s zany Rock-RnB style, and “Too Easy,” which feels like all-out trucker music in the first half (yes, trucker music).

If you’ve gotten this far into the review, you can probably gather by now that this album has a lot of sounds and tries to be a lot of different things at the same time, which sometimes serves its own detriment.

There are a lot of songs where it feels like the first half gets in the way of a much better second half that should’ve been fleshed out to be the full song, with “Too Easy” being the main culprit of what I’m talking about.

The second half is a gorgeously performed R&B song that has a great hook and sublime vocals to match; however, it’s road-blocked by an inferior rock performance that feels like it could be a part of a WWE theme song (no offence to any wrestlers reading).

Some of his hooks completely misfire too, looking at “Nu Nay’s” annoyingly childish chorus and the “going-oing-oing” post-hook ending on Familiarity,” which is bafflingly cringeworthy.

Oh, and the “weeee” sound effect he makes in the chorus of “Mood Swings” …… really Teezo?

Still, in an age where artistry seems to be fading and being the same is the new artistry, Teezo’s album does indeed feel like a breath of fresh air, despite some of its lacklustre moments.

On “How Do You Sleep At Night? Teezo creatively shines and exudes a sense of creative freedom that is rarely seen in the musical climate anymore. Even if it’s not to your liking, he dares to be different.

SCORE/GOOD: Album Highlights: OK, You Thought ft. Janelle Monae, UHH, Impossible, Sweet, Too Easy (2^nd Half)

Album Lowpoints: Familiarity, Stranger, The Original Was Better, Mood Swings, Nu Nay

[We rank albums on a scale of Poor, Mediocre, Good, Excellent]

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The intricate strings of the electric guitar at the beginning of the track immediately set the tone of flirtatious intimacy derivative of 90’s RnB artists like D’Angelo and Boys II Men. DC then comes in with soft swooning hums that feel like they come from someone who knows old-school RnB back to front.

Briana Kiwi then takes the floor for most of the track’s opening section and doesn’t fail to impress with her satin-lined seductive vocals and contagiously confident presence. Briana brings a touch of modern RnB to the track that feels reminiscent of Summer Walker and SZA, however, she combines the daring sense of sensuality those artists have with the old school RnB beat in a way that feels new and creative.

The centre of attention then smoothly transitions back to DC as he utilizes a slower more subtle style that harkens back to Motown and golden era soul music. His more strained approach in his singing style envokes a strong sense of genuine emotion and oozes laid-back old-timey soul music in the best way possible.

C4Play brings a sense of modernism to the track putting on a more rap-centric melodic display in a similar vein to Tyga or Bryson Tiller. He helps bring some variation to the track and adds a layer that listeners who are more partial to Hip-Hop can enjoy.

Score/Excellent: Any music fan will know that RnB and Hip-Hop are sister genres and this song is a representation of how they can be combined perfectly, even dashing in a touch of old school too. “Let’s Make It Right” is fun and simplistic mood music that is made for dimming the lights.

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The cover of “Queen of Spades” itself tells a lot about the vibe the album strives to go for. Looking down while wearing a strikingly red fedora hat, shrouded by mysterious darkness, Andre wants to convey to the listener that “Queen of Spades” is a confident and bold fusion of funk and soul, which it achieves in some respects.

“Forever” kicks off the album with a groovy funk-inspired instrumental that harkens back to the days of disco and artists like Rick James and Cameo.

Andre approaches the song as more of an adlib track, letting a few harmonies fly here and there but mostly letting the instrumental do the work and utilising his voice as a kind of extra layer.

The next two tracks, “Can You Feel the Love Tonight?” and Dancefloor,” follow the same disco-floor-themed slickness as Forever,” with similarly smooth instrumentals and a lyrically simplistic style from Andre.

However, it’s on “Time to Let It Go”, that André widens his artistic scope and leaves his funk fantasy behind for a more realistic and vulnerable approach.\

Andre sings of the struggles and the necessity of moving on from past grievances and striving for something more. The softly played piano in the song helps deepen Andre’s emotional tone and creates a melancholic yet hopeful atmosphere.

“Count of Monte Cristo” sees Andre performing as a storyteller, telling the classic story through dramatic song form and capturing the grandiose and epic melodrama of the story through powerfully straining vocals and cinematic production.

“Dusk till Dawn”, one of the album’s closing tracks, is easily the most unique of the album with its glitchy, synth-pop instrumental that has a distinct 80’s nightclub soundscape that oozes dimly lit dance floors and glaring strobe lights.

The album closes in dramatic fashion with its titular track “Queen of Spades”. A solid closing song that incorporates all the previously explored sounds of the album. The song sees Andre back in his funk-filled groove and upbeat style, which feels like a bright and colourful way to close the project and make the album feel like a “full circle”.

However, whereas I do think there are plenty of bright spots in the production, some of Andre’s vocal performances leave a bit to be desired. At certain points on the album, his voice is capable of capturing striking emotion and enormous presence on a song, like the aforementioned “Queen of Spades”, but on certain songs, he simply misses the mark.

For example, “Time to Let It Go” has all the makings of a good slow, melodic song; however, Andre comes across a little bit like a bull in a china shop, sounding too harsh and loud over an instrumental that is meant for a more slowed-down, soothing tone.

“Kings of the World” is another one that I think unfortunately falls into Andre’s bad batch of songs, often sounding out of key and lyrically directionless at many points during the song. It feels like sometimes he is just coming up with the next line of the song as he is performing it and not really taking the theme anywhere.

Conclusion: It’s clear that André had a lot of fun creating this project; you can hear and feel it throughout the duration of the album. Songs like “Forever”, “Queen of Spades,” and “Count of Monte Cristo” are fun, exciting, and groovy. However, it’s also clear that Andre is a much better instrumentalist than he is a vocalist, and the production side of music is the area in which he truly shines.

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Based in London, Benedict Taylor is a violist and violinist whose music has been involved with a variety of big-name production companies such as the BFI, the London Film Festival, MoMA New York, BBC Radio 2, and many more.

Being a film composer, Taylor’s music often favours a more atmospheric sound with an experimental and sometimes improvisational approach. “In Response To” embodies Taylor’s ethos of music and deeply challenges the listener’s understanding of what music is and what it can be.

“Unfunny” pulls no punches and lands the listener right into the thick of Taylor’s strange experimental soundscape. The slightly chaotic structure of the sound samples and the use of vanishing conversations make the song feel like you’re inside someone’s untidy day-to-day thoughts.

The juxtaposing hum of an unknown upbeat melody makes the song feel even more eerie and artistically uncomfortable.

“Loose Screws” is exactly as the title suggests: eccentric, weird, and, to be honest, not even a song at all. The song functions more as an audible diary of mental deterioration and emotional instability. Taylor’s vocals begin to “shake” more and more as the song continues, until it feels like they are chaotically vibrating.

“Bank Holiday” feels like a deranged pub anthem with subtle rock inspiration and infectiously punchy drums. The vocal performance reflects a feeling of maddening freedom and simultaneous disturbance; this theme is presented in the lyrics themselves. “It’s a beautiful day to go outside; I’m going to sit indoors,” Taylor chants maniacally.

On the contrary “Pub Lessons”, the real supposed “pub anthem,” is more like a heavenly gospel choir. “Don’t take forever to make your mind up; if you wonder too long, you will leave with an empty dry cup”, Taylor chants throughout the song as if it were a hymn.

The song serves as a metaphor for people who overthink their life choices and ultimately end up putting off acting out any real change for themselves. If you take forever to decide what to drink at a pub, the pub will eventually close, and you’ll leave without even having a drink.

The album closes off with “Photosynthesis”, a far cry from the depressing and grungy sounds of “Unfunny”, This song has a mellow feeling of hope and growth in the same way a plant may grow out of the ground.

The vocals and lyrics feel Bon Iver or James Blake-inspired with their sombre and melancholic undertones.

“In Response To” is an album that goes beyond the rigged bounds of a scoring system and simply must be experienced by the listeners themselves. It’s an experience that is felt rather than ranked, and for some people, it may connect, while others may shy away.

With harsh, engaging, and imaginative sounds, “In Response To” is a challenge for music fans of all genres, posing the question “What is music?”.

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Growing up in two places, Bonny Island and Lagos, Teddy’s musical influence obviously stems from a variety of experiences and perspectives. She can change her style from tropical and relaxed music to bouncy club anthems with noticeable ease and without disrupting the flow of the project.

“Air” is a super chilled afro-soul hit that transports the listener to the soothing sunshine of Lagos. The light, airy instrumental provides a tinge of nostalgia to the song that exudes the feeling of carefree living and reflection.

Teddy herself has an excellent performance on this song too, showcasing her blissfully consistent melodies and her laid-back rapping ability in a style similar to that of UK rapper Little Simz.

“Hypnotic” sees Teddy get into more of a nighttime groove with a bouncy club instrumental and catchy chorus designed to get people up and getting lit.

She also levels up her rap performance on this one and provides a more American-sounding flow, combining it with the trademark slickness that comes with African artists.

“Butterflies” embodies the Afropop sound and has all the components for it to be played on the radio and at chilled house parties. It is also my favourite vocal performance from Teddy, as her layered, melodically driven flow becomes addictive on the second listen.

“John Wick” also has an interesting vocal layer to it. Utilising a more Afrobeats-driven sound, Teddy fully embraces the African way of riding the beat. At 1:25, her eccentric and flamboyant flow feels like NSG or Kcee, with a real sense of street finesse and natural swagger.

“Prophecy”, ends the album with Teddy’s ambition to follow her dreams and the pride she takes in creating her music and living the way she intends to. “I’m a living prophecy”, Teddy sings confidently in the chorus, laying her personality and her own passion bare for the listener.

Score/Excellent: Lifesize Teddy plays to her strengths on this EP and picks her beats exceptionally well. She also proves she can make songs for the radio, playlists, and clubs. This EP has songs for all fans of African music, whether it be Afrobeats, Afropop, or something more in the direction of Amapiano.

[We rank albums on a scale of Poor, Mediocre, Good, Excellent]

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Psykobilly has stated that they “don’t like to be pigeonholed into one genre”, to which I say it would be almost impossible to do so. From electro to punk-rock and post-punk pop, Psykobilly aims to keep listeners on their toes, not being able to predict the band’s next move.

The extent of their impressively dynamic instrumental range can be seen in the album’s first song “Lose Your Self”, a gothic symphony of electro-style production and a melancholic vocal performance that reflects the nihilism of punk rock.

Just when the listener feels like they’ve sussed out the song, it then violently swerves into a more metal-inspired production that purposely knocks the listener’s ears and comfortability for six.

The album isn’t all hardcore though despite what the opener suggests, for the most part, it has a production and songwriting style more akin to New Wave or alternative pop, creating a surreal, slightly emo atmosphere similar to that of The Smiths’ third album “The Queen Is Dead”.

“Someone” is a good example of this strange yet unique style that feels distinctly 80’s inspired. The blaring synths and crooning female vocals feel like eery synth pop for psychiatric patients, following the album’s horror/gothic aesthetic.

“Emotional Athlete” gives off a similar feeling, however in the form of a hyper-hypnotic mantra, like being trapped under the spell of a toxic lover. The vocals feel like something straight out of a Depeche Mode song, drowned in an echoey robotic filter that makes the song feel simultaneously futuristic and familiar.

However, experimental creativity does come with the risk of missing the mark and Psykobilly does end up doing that on a few songs.

“F.U.N” is an awkward and poorly timed follow-up to “Lose Your Self”, with an out-and-out pop approach and softer soundscape, the transition is quite jarring and left me personally confused at its placement.

“What’s Going Down” is another song that I feel interrupts the momentum of the album and feels too out of place with the album’s soundscape and theme. The lyrics feel a little too simplistic and stereotypically pop-friendly to make any real performative impact.

READ: Psykobilly – Blood to Spill (Single Review)

Once Again, it’s a song that I feel will leave the listener scratching their heads and not in the best way.

I understand that the band’s idea might have been to use these songs as a gateway to transition into the album’s poppier side after the strong showcase of rock on “Lose Your Self”, however, it fails to feel smooth or well-paced.

 After these two songs, however, the album does get back on track and stays on a steady consistent thematic path until the ending track “Theme for Lost Doll…”, a purely instrumental track that serves as a dark horrorcore ambience that leaves the project on a note of sinister eeriness.

Score/Good: Although it is sometimes to their own detriment, Psykobilly takes creative risks on their album and continues to follow their ethos of not sticking to any one genre. Whilst some songs are hit or miss, others have truly impressive production and inventive genre-bending that does pay off.

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Born in Denmark and living in New York City, Karen has an interesting story, which reflects itself in her music’s mystique. Karen began her music career after a near-death experience that caused a head injury. After this incident, Karen found that she could miraculously play the piano despite never having played it previously.

This strange yet fascinating musical miracle can be seen in Karen’s central aesthetic of angelic serenity and divinity.

It feels wrong to call “Angel Pollination” an album, as it is more akin to a soundtrack or an experience. It’s music that isn’t meant to get people dancing and grooving; it’s music meant for ambience and sitting still too.

Songs like “Angel Jofiel”, Angel Sabrael” and “Angel Zadkiel”, have a Final Fantasy feel to them that transports you into your own fantasy world of your imagination.

Instead of each song having its own distinct sound, the album is structured to feel like one continuously changing song that progresses slowly throughout the duration of the album.

“Angel Melchizedek” is my favourite song on the album and has a soft and sombre tone to represent the sound of peace, which is what the angel represents.

The album closes with “Angel Raguel,” the angel of harmony and justice, which might be what the album represents: world harmony through music. The song feels like a cinematic closing and almost like a montage of every angel that is featured in the album’s tracklist.

If “Angel Calling” is the opening of the book into Karen’s intriguing, biblically driven world, then “Angel Raguel” feels like a solid last chapter with a subtle yet satisfying ending.

Score/Good: With this album, Karen showcases her careful soundscape crafting and her ability to make music that offers the listener a unique, profound experience rather than just a few more songs for their playlist.

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[We rank albums on a scale of Poor, Mediocre, Good, Excellent, Outstanding]

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After spending some time in the shadows of the music world it feels like country music is slowly but surely making its way back into the airwaves of mainstream music palettes. The likes of Morgan Wallen, Chris Stapleton, and Luke Combs have been at the forefront of modernizing the genre and making it more than just the genre your parents listen to.

Even though they may not have the same degree of commercial success as the aforementioned artists, I feel Matt Mullins & The Bringdowns could be grouped into today’s scene of country revolutionaries looking to do more with the genre than just sing about drinking and trucks.

With that being said the band sure does nail the stereotypical country sound in a fun, groovy way, and the song “Hoot Owl Blues” is an example.

The song is upbeat, slick, and the embodiment of Southern fun. The guitar oozes personality and the instrumentation as a whole has a distinct Blues Brothers vibe that feels nostalgic and catchy.

Matt Mullins also gives a fantastically energetic vocal performance on the track and gives the impression that he’s performing the song in a dingy country bar out in the sticks (in a cool way).

Matt continues his vocal prowess on the follow-up track “Homesick” as he sings a brutally emotional song about longing for home and struggling to accept his changing life in a city environment.

The guitar steals the show a little bit around the 3:30 minute mark and almost feels like an emotional vocal performance itself.

“Appalachian Highway” has that slowed down, Chris Stapleton feel to it with echoey vocals from Matt that attempt to fill the track with a sombre, blues-inspired sound.

However, I feel like this song could’ve been better if it was stripped down to its bare bones. The vocal performance and lyrics feel very blues-like, but the instrumentation is more country and rock focused. I think this one would’ve suited more of a minimalistic acoustic take.

“Lucky Man” is easily the song with the most personality and is as slick and suave as a leather jacket. Matt Mullins absolutely kills it with a smooth, confident performance and an incredibly infectious hook that becomes an earworm on the first listen.

The band’s musicians are on point on this one and every instrument feels like they’re absolutely necessary.

The mixing is also quite notable in this one as everything sounds crisp and clear.

The band also takes an ambitious risk on the album with the song “45”, a political protest song that takes aim at Donald Trump and his role in the Capitol Riot of 2021.

Although the song isn’t one of my favourites, I think the ambitious songwriting and storytelling have to be praised as well as the band’s creativity in merging alternative rock with politics.

Score/Excellent: Monarch Sessions has a good run of tracks with 7 out 12 making my liked songs playlist. The album is well-produced and, in some cases, really well-mixed. Matt Mullins shows great songwriting and vocal ability and the musicians of the band can certainly play. Overall a solid alternative rock/country album.

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