Ambient Aftermath

New UK Electronic/Dub-Step group “Nero”

Nero is a hot new Electronica group from England that brings a lot to the table. They present tracks that can be a dreamy mix of ambience and soft synth pads only to turn into this intense landscape of heavy electronic beats and hints of fantastic dub-step that will even have dub-step haters rocking their head to this thrilling one-of-a-kind album.

Say goodbye to Skrillex and pretend you never listened to Deadmaus. As Nero jams and beats its way into your ears, you will wish you never enjoyed other dub-step, because Nero raises the bar

Welcome Reality is non-stop intensity mixed with infectious vocal lines and ultimately fantastic, heavy bass and truly epic string synths tied together with face melting beat drops. They are like a heavier and darker Flux Pavillion blended with elements that mysteriously allude to the Tron: Legacy score by Daft Punk. The album can’t accurately be put to words. In a genre like dub/step where it is hard to present new beats and find new ways to capture a unique electronic sound, Nero is the answer to fans prayers. 

Recommended Tracks:

Unfortunately due to copyright claims, I could not upload the tracks to sound cloud, but here is a youtube video! Sorry I couldn’t give you a high-quality version.

Here’s “My Eyes” off of Welcome Reality

Bombay Bicycle Club

Featured in WSBU FM’s The Buzzworthy

Presenting their third studio album in three years, Bombay Bicycle Club’s A Different Kind of Fix shows just how talented the group is. Featuring an impressive lineup of melodious, foot-tapping tracks, the English band continues its upward climb to show the world they have the skills and temerity to be on top.

Made up of a familiar arrangement of two guitars by Jack Steadman and Jamie MacColl, a bass played by Ed Nash, and a drum kit through the talents of Suren De Saram, Bombay Bicycle Club’s musicians exhibit a beautiful array of musical integrity, melodic audacity and ambient blissfulness that is both wonderful and deep.

Their new 13-track album dropped last August and already it has made waves among the group’s fans and dramatically increased their following from their last album, Flaws from 2010.

A Different Kind of Fix is a superb concoction of ambient and spacious sounds with the sublime complement of guitars and a noticeably talented drum kit to tie it all together. The tracks are dream like. Each one sounds as if the instruments and melodies are floating around the listener, creating an atmospheric and one-of-a-kind musical experience.

The vocals blend into the sounds of the instruments and, while you can easily distinguish the lyrics from the music, generate this single being of sound that is as addicting as it is an all around pleasant and heavenly resonance. Lyrically and melodically, the album is great. The contingency of the two elements work with each other in a seamless scheme, and their dependency on each other gives A Different Kind of Fix an identity that can turn heads.

Let the riffs assault your eardrums as the Bicycle Club tells you its story. Let the melodies take you up and beyond, but let the vocals be your mooring to the earth.  A Different Kind of Fine is truly a fantastic album that will cause you to forget where you are for a while as you let yourself get caught up in a modern polyphonic symphony. 

Recommended Track:

“Shuffle”

Stuff I don’t like

There are a lot of bands out there, millions. There are new CD’s from hopeful bands that pour into our radio station daily. Here and there I will group together the ones that shouldn’t have left the case.

Bands not to listen to:

“Rival Sons” with Pressure & Time

 Reasons- Too simple, really. They have a sound that has been replicated hundreds of times over. Nothing special happens in their album, nothing makes them stand out. My head didn’t bob to the rhythms they presented and nothing could truly get caught in my ear.They weren’t very original and the whole album just seemed, well, half assed. Couldn’t even think of enough for a full-length review.

“The Beautiful View” with Life is Beautiful

 Reasons- Sound like a cheap indie knock off of Kings of Leon with a lead singer that just doesn’t make the cut. His voice isn’t bad, but it is not the voice that should be the fulcrum of a band. Their guitars were pretty impressive. Hopefully the players will start a new project someday, but Life is Beautiful, should be forgotten.

But, my opinion isn’t by any means the word of the Lord, so please, research them further! 

Seriously, Hit this band up: SleepMakesWaves

A DJ JMULL FAVORITE

SleepMakesWaves raises the bar with their new EP. Their sound is one that is right up there with Explosions In The Sky, only at times they give a broad and tastefully intense side that never sounds out of place or overdone.

A lack of vocals give the group a chance to show the power a bass, guitar, and a drum kit (and a violin on track 5) can produce. They create a modern, amped-up rock symphony with elusive bass melodies, drum fills, guitar riffs and solos that echo the reverb of Jimi Hendrix.

SleepMakesWaves is a joy to listen to. They have all the right qualities for addicting and infectious melodies. They can be dark and heavy, they can be noisy, or they can be fun and   The chords they create over their inventive rhythms pulled together by a hint of ambient sound surrounding the creative layers of every track, you cant help but enjoy the wonderful music.

There are bands out there that try to get the style Explosions In The Sky create, but credit given where credit due, SleepMakesWaves is above the rest. They are on cloud nine, as this album is fantastic. It is a great blend of intense, chill and fun straight up rock. Hit this band up. Whether you listen online, or buy the EP, they are worth it.

Recommended Track:

“One Day You Will Teach Me Not To Let Go Of My Fears”

Caveman with “CoCo Beware”

From New York, Caveman is an indie band who have a Decemberists-esque style with a Youth Lagoon resonance.  

Their debut album, CoCo Beware, dropped in late 2011 and there are many strong and genuinely good tracks. They incorporate a lot of four-part harmonies on top of their guitar, drum kit and synth setup, all recorded in a spacey, distant and hollow-sounding manner.

Caveman create a real mysterious vibe throughout the album. The synth is used as a dissonant and eerie effect to fill the space surrounding the guitars and drums, almost like an overtone at times. It’s really engaging sound, but at times it may seem over done or out of place on some tracks. The vocals can sound washed out at times, making it hard for the listener to understand the lyrics, but as for vocal talent, the harmonies are on point and concise. They do a really clean job vocally and that deserves respect. 

According to a review in the NY Press, they write their music to what they would want to listen to. The group has been somewhat together for a few years under various other band names and are finally making serious strides to further their musical career. They have played in many venues in NYC including a few in the Lower East Side and have opened up for a multitude of artists ranging from Here We Go Magic to Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeroes.

CoCo Beware is available off iTunes for $8.99 and you can download the track “Thankful” off of their website for free.

Check out their Myspace Page too!

Tracks to Check Out:

“December 28th” (Favorite off the album)

December 28th by AmbientAftermath

“Great Life”

Great Life by AmbientAftermath

“My Time”

My Time by AmbientAftermath

Check this group out: Makeshift

I’m proud to present, Makeshift. A jam band hailing from Chicago. They have an impressively familiar sound thats like listening to O.A.R.’s the Wanderer.

Their first EP, These Days, gives a really strong island vibe. Makeshift features a two guitar, bass and drum kit setup with a keyboard and saxophone on top, giving them a lot to work with in terms of style. They have a really cool reggae side to them that they play with and blend in rock elements. They do this very well and a lot of the elements they introduce to each track have a really cool way of presenting the mood of the song and truly making the group stand out. The lyrics are very impressive on this EP. They are clear and they have a nice flow to each line, immediately noticeable in “One Day”

These Days was a really strong EP and after one full listen it is truly worth a second and third.

Their second EP is called On the Horizon and was just released on the 15th and with it they brought back the same sound and talent as they did on These Days only every track is fresh, new and well mixed. The quality of recording increased dramatically between the two EP’s and it only makes you like the band more. 

In On the Horizon their style changes just slightly to include a Slightly Stoopid kind of guitar melody. It’s fantastic. They have elements from a lot of the greatest jam bands out there like Dispatch, O.A.R., Sublime and SOJA. In their track “Pure Imagination” they even feature a vocal style that sounds like a Mighty Mighty Bosstones tune. And then out of nowhere in On the Horizon, “Out of Control” sounds like early an early Dave Matthews Band. Bassist Joe Messersmith gives a real display of talent on this EP.

After just one track, you will want to listen to another, and then from there you gotta at least listen to a whole EP. They have a solid sound and a really chill quality to them. They are fresh and new and they are good. Tt will be really great to hear more from the up and coming band. Check them out on their Facebook fan page. They could be big.

Follow them on twitter: @makshift_IL

Seriously, hit these tracks up:

One Day- off of These Days

One Day by AmbientAftermath

Island Song- off of These Days

Island Song by AmbientAftermath

Pure Imagination- off of On the Horizon

Pure Imagination by AmbientAftermath

What We’ve Done- off of On The Horizon

What We’ve Done by AmbientAftermath

Check this group out: Kartica

Kartica is fresh and crisp. They are a nice break away from the norm but don’t spend their time trying to come out with the next crazy unique indie sound. You won’t find a synthesizer or a weird casio organ effect. They play straight up indie/alternative and, believe it or not, it works for them.

Like previously mentioned, their sound is just a classic indie sound. Acoustic and/or electric guitars playing nice and smooth riffs that easily get stuck in your head and a relaxed calming drum beat. Kartica does it right every time. The group doesn’t have an album yet, but you can download some tracks on their Facebook page. Take a listen to their tracks and keep an eye on the blog for when they release more, as I am looking forward to it.

Hit this track up (and then go to their facebook for more!):

“Back In My Seat” (A DJ-JMULL FAVORITE)

Back In My Seat by AmbientAftermath

Red Herring with “Chasing Windmills”

Red Herring is an indie-rock trio that has a similar sound to Yuck, but with that solid indie rock sound they blend in elements of blues that, when used right, honestly sound sublime. 

The guitar melodies with the indie style vocals that Chasing Windmills offers seem like enough, but then they hit you with a folksy-esque, distant and hollow sounding harmonica. The harmonies they present take awhile getting used to, but are really impressively interesting.

The tracks are loud as the vocals are recorded around the same volume as the instruments. This respectable style of recording really gives the Red Herring a natural and classic style. By merging the traditional and scratchy sounding recording with a modern indie rock sound they create a space that can only be filled by the truly unique vocals. The track “Cities Under Siege” offer this exact scenario. The duet harmonies by the female vocalists are superb. While the band may seem basic sounding, they are truly separated from the rest with their vocals. 

I recommend giving their whole album a listen. At times they have guitar melodies and riffs that could have Kings of Leon cancel another tour. It’s rare to find a modern blues band that you can tolerate for more than three tracks. Blues are a dying art and Im happy to say there are still people out there innovating and bringing more music to the table. Don’t get me wrong, Chasing Windmills isn’t the the greatest album out there, but if you’re looking for somebody to tell you a few stories, nod your head, or chill out and lose yourself in infectious melodies, then I highly suggest the Red Herring.

Check out these tracks, they get better and better every time you listen:

Cities Under Siege

Cities Under Siege by AmbientAftermath

Valhalla

Valhalla by AmbientAftermath

Hit This Up- Matty Sheehan

Matty Sheehan is a very talented young artist. He hasn’t released any original songs, but has a few covers that were featured on a music blog last month, Good Music All Day.

You can download his tracks off the link above or take a listen to his covers here!

Also, check out his Youtube Channel! Im serious, this kid has got talent. His voice is addicting. It’s a voice that you can’t help but stop what you’re doing and hang on to every last note. It’s soft and soothing, but powerful when it needs to be and he has amazing pitch quality.

Matty Sheehan’s Covers:

Name (Goo Goo Dolls Cover)

Name (Goo Goo Dolls Acoustic Cover) by AmbientAftermath

No Sleep/Free Fallin’ (Wiz Khalifa/Tom Petty Cover)

No Sleep and Free Fallin (Wiz Khalifa and Tom Petty Acoustic Cover) by AmbientAftermath

Undiscovered: Daniel B. Marshall with “Same Old New Beginnings”

Undiscovered new artist Daniel B. Marshall puts down a strong start with his album Same Old New Beginnings.

Marshall puts truth behind his lyrics and heart in his songs. His sound is simple; with a bass, drums, piano and an acoustic guitar on top he gives a slight unique touch to the routinized acoustic sounds of today. His overall sound is laid back and calm. While his range may seem limited, he has a very talented voice that is blends nicely with the sound he is going for; almost like a more talented and better quality Drake Bell to a Donovan Frankenreiter style music.

Same Old New Beginnings as a whole doesn’t quite make the cut for today’s artist. His talent undisputed however he lacks a sense of originality behind his sound, but don’t let that fact deter you from paying attention to Daniel B. Marshall. The way I see it, the talent is there he just needs to mold it until he finds the right shape. Daniel B. Marshall could be the next big name in the music industry. He is currently a local favorite in Florida making regular appearances in bars and radio stations.

Find out more about him:

http://www.danielbmarshall.net/

http://www.twitter.com/danielbmarshall

http://www.myspace.com/danielbmarshallmusic

Check these tracks out

Broken Mess of Me

Broken Mess Of Me by AmbientAftermath

Everybody Else

Everybody Else by AmbientAftermath

What She’s Gotta Do

10 What She’s Gotta Do by AmbientAftermath