Fishes is a post-prog-jazz fusion project from three top New York musicians – drummer Daniel Dor, who is a founding member of Dadalon and has played with numerous other well-known musicians, guitarist Nadav Remez’s whose debut album So Far was released in 2011 on Brooklyn Jazz Underground Record, and keyboardist/synth bass player Steve Brickman who was an integral member of the band Emil & Friends and who has toured internationally. The trio’s album Fishes in Space is affectionally described as “a high-speed, post-prog-jazz, galactic exploration of the unknown, a crusade of cosmic sounds and classic influences that brings listeners on a journey through the earthly and the ethereal, from the band’s home turf, the industrial warehouses of Bushwick, to deep outer space and beyond.” Well then, get me on the rocket ship, ‘cause I’m ready to go!  As a whole, the recording mixes the band’s love of ‘80s music with indie rock and jazz. It was recorded by Vishal Nayak at Black Lodge Recording in Brooklyn, NY, with additional recordings at Remez’s home studio. It was mixed by Jacob Bergon and mastered by Alex Deturk at The Bunker Studio in Brooklyn.

“Metallic Mobility” starts off with a surge of shocking synth sound and fast fingering on the guitar. In a futuristic style, this opener reminded me of a mix of great progressive bands with a theatrical twist here and there – Yes, Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Manheim Steamroller, Tangerine Dream. Midway the trio breaks things up and brings things down in a more nuanced style that builds up again to how the song started out. Overall, this one rocks pretty hard, more on the progressive side than jazz. “Help Is on The Way” features a very live sound of the acoustic and then bang! – an energized surprise I wasn’t expecting. Drums come in along with a “magical” sounding keyboard. This one definitely had more quiet moments of just the guitar playing, then back to the synth, rather than just an all-out rock fest. More of a songwriting instrumental narrative with no words being sung. The repeating melody toward the end was a nice feature as well.

“Avator” offers a diverse arrangement of new and old styles – a retro style that mixes cutting-edge experimental stuff of the ‘70s and ‘80s to jazz fusion. There was something about this one though, that made me think of those old film strips documentaries I would watch in grade school class, but Fishes work here is ten times cooler than the sappy music most of those old films had playing in the background. Anyway, this was one of the band’s more complex numbers by far and I absolutely loved how they ended this one, too. Listen to this one for sure. “The Miracle of Methuselah” creeps along in a slower speed with mysterious and ambient styled instrumentation. Dor’s drumming is more jazz like, while Remez’s and Brickman’s instruments offer a spacious, jammy feeling kind of what Pink Floyd might have done. In the end, I thought this number’s main feature was its energized dynamics – loud and soft, slow and fast, theatrical and bombastic.

The band’s last tune is “Anthem of the Hyacinth” and it’s by far the group’s longest, but, no complaints here. The song starts off sounding dreamy and ethereal and the guitar established early on a melody that’s lightly flavored and likable. The synth follows suit, but then the song’s structure and chords take on a more terrifying sound, as if a story is being told through instruments where the “hero” or protagonist, finds that he or she is in a predicament that they must overcome. The band continues on for a few more measures and then a few lines of “ahhhh ahhhh” singing occurs, lending to the song a light, inspirational feeling. Towards the end Brickman’s synth goes wild as the song fades out.

​In my view, if you enjoy listening to progressive instrumental music that mixes in a little jazz fusion, theatrics and indie rock, you can’t go wrong with Fishes. It was clear that these guys enjoy what they do, and they do it quite well. I’ll be looking forward to their next galactic exploration.

official website

For my previous review of Andrew Neil  and his album Merry Go Round I spent some time explaining his unique situation. I’m not going to spend more time explaining it but encourage you to check out the previous review so you can learn more about the artist.

Freak is his most recent release which is a fourteen-song album that for the part continues to shape and sculpt the song that he created with Merry Go Round. The songs still have an alternative rock vibe to my ears and Neil’s vocals and guitar skills are still the focal point to the music. On that note, there are some areas he has expanded on.

Take for instance album the highlight “Kentucky Whiskey” which contains great vocal melodies and guitar work. In addition to that, the song contains some bells and whistles which don’t feel like unnecessary fluff. The production is well done and reinforced the emotion of the song.

There are a number of standouts which show Neil evolving as an artist. The song “Hope” isn’t just a name. It sounds hopeful but is also quite musical. He explores burning love on “Overdose” while the meditative and melancholy “Help” is also inspirational. 

On the song “All Over” he shares vocal duties with Savannah Walker. This song in particular sounded very pop oriented. It felt like a song for younger kids in a lot of ways. Songs like “Drunk Tonight” and “Put Me Back Together” felt a little more aligned with the sound I started to associate with the artist.

The last three songs were very strong. I especially enjoyed the grit and attitude of the closer “Disappear.”

​Freak is a solid follow up. Neil has sculpted another impressive set of songs which feel heartfelt, and genuine while also containing infectious hooks and creative performances.There is no doubt he is an emerging artist who is becoming prolific. I'm sure it won't be too long before we hear from him again. Take a listen.

It was 1993 and three of my favorite bands at the time were Nirvana, Nine Inch Nails and Guns N' Roses. It’s amazing how much reach these bands have had over the decades. For Zoey Baker a.k.a. Zoey The White Lioness, NIN and Nirvana seem to be have been an integral factor when making music.

Zoey mentions that the music on the release The Down is “for that angst you buried as a teenager.” I definitely felt that when listening to the music. The lyrics and the delivery as well have this sort of isolated youth feel. It can be tough for younger people to connect coming up through high school. That’s a major reason music like NIN and Nirvana were popular in the first place. A band like Nirvana seems like it would resonant more now than ever with all the reports of younger people feeling isolated through social media.

The EP starts with “Lead Me To The Sun” and it definitely has a Nirvana vibe to me mixed with an early 00’s post grunge feel. It consists of distorted guitar chords, drums and very subtle synths. The lyrics certainly have the goth inspired journal feel. Zoey sings, “Life in this world is so uncomfortable when you see devils becoming pharaohs, / And oh it's just so hard to stay alive.”

Up next is “Keep Out” which is a hard hitting song about feeling ostracized. That being said, it also seems to be about a couple who shouldn't be together. The song even mentions physical violence. “Echo” is the arguable highlight. It’s a jagged song that features an intense outro that adds on to the guitars and drums with other effects. “Under The Ice” is another good song and one of the more melodic and catchy out of the batch. Last up is “Red” which is a solid song but very lo-fi.

The recording quality is lo-fi but also very varied in terms of frequencies, volume and more. I would encourage Zoey to consider working with a mastering engineer at some point who can comb over these intricate technical discrepancies. That being said although there were different sonic imprints on the songs there was enough of a common thread in the songs in terms of aesthetics I was able to appreciate it.

​Although I no longer have teenage angst I can certainly appreciate it. I’m glad that an artist like this is keeping the flame alive.

Foxhall is the personal project of Keith McDonald, who is based in Ottawa, Ontario. It started halfway through the artist’s music production course in college and now, the result is the debut EP Shoreside. Parts of the album were recorded at Algonquin College, but all the mixing and mastering was done at home. The album is a blend of mostly folk elements – lovingly called “folktronica” – with a lot of emphasis on reverb and roominess. According to the artist, every song had a different writing process; "Flood" for example, was first written for the piano, "Albatross" started with drums, "Ebb" started with guitar, and "Trees" started with synths. Foxhall tried doing mostly everything on his own, just to test his musical abilities after colleg. ith that came some help from a few fellow classmates on tracking.

“Flood” starts off with an echoing piano and guitar, like a rushing water of sound, like the name suggests – a flood – and the two instruments keep the song’s rhythm going till the end. The lyrics maybe hint towards a struggle with life “Please hold me while I drown” and as a young child being told “wait ‘til I’m older” and “please don’t cry.” But everyone interprets lyrics differently. The arrangement of instruments, and especially the song’s melody, are what grabbed me the most – just beautiful!

​“Albatross" is more electronica focused, but not overbearingly – “full-on electronic art pop” as the artist describes it. I call it fresh and captivating. Again, I think it’s the melodies and feeling within the music and lyrics that are really grabbing at my emotions. The kind of stuff I’m hearing is often hard to put into objective terms, so with only two songs in I encourage you to listen to this EP. “Ebb” is the only instrumental on this short recording. Filled with echoing piano that sometimes sounds off key, this tune also brings in synth and a bit of the harmonica, if I’m not mistaken.

The last tune is “Trees” and it features sounds from the outdoors, more electronica effects and poses the question, “would we all gather round, commemorate under moonlight, if a tree fell in the universe tonight.” A very short EP indeed, that begs the artist to give the listener more material – at least this listener. In the end, it was hard for me to make any comparisons to other bands or artists. Off the top of my head, Radiohead and The Verve did come to mind. For Foxhall, The Antlers, Electric President, Sufjan Stevens, The Microphones, Syd Matters, Foals, The Oh Hellos, Sweet Trip and The Books are among the artist’s influences. Give Shoreside a listen. I think you’ll enjoy what you hear.

Wanderlux is a pop artist originally from Seal Beach, CA, who is now currently based out of Leeds in the UK. Earthen is her first official EP. Mainly an experimental project, the EP is an exploration of the ethereal. According to the artist, she wanted to create experimental music that she felt came from an unseen world of fairies, dragons and gods, etc.

​Earthen launches with some soaring synths on “Blanket.” With very ethereal sounds, the vocals evoke the mystical filled with reverberation. “Blanket” brings up imageries of the celestial as we look for the sky for answers. The strings are lush and trace the gamut of this track. Towards the two-minute mark listeners will feel the full impact of the music, as the sound grows more dramatic and hard-driving.

“Full Moon” has a darker cadence than the ethereal soundscapes from the previous song. The vocals come across as ghostly and haunting. A monotone piano melody trickles in towards the beginning. Next, heavy bass lines provide a pummeling rhythmic backbeat. It is hard to discern the vocals since the singing is layered with an echoing cadence. I can’t complain since the mystery behind the vocals added to the enigma of the music overall. With its atmospheric wash of cadences, the track sounds a lot like something Enya would produce.

“Safe & Sound” asks us to be kind to ourselves as well as extending that kindness to others. The artist has struggled with mental health in the past and the track is about her promise to herself to take care of herself and be kind to herself no matter what. “Safe & Sound” is about the self-love you need to give to yourself, turning that inner voice into a friend rather than a bully. The soft lilting cadences has a comforting sound like a lullaby. This eludes a peaceful and a soothing quality. Her pleasing vocal will envelope listeners in a cozy cocoon of solace. The layered vocal harmonies sound ethereal and otherworldly.

“Lord Of The Wild Wood” embraces a rich layering of cadences with echo-y vocals alternating in and out of this song. A melodious piano tune courses through this track. ‘Lord of The Wild Wood’ is another name for the Green Man, a forest deity, and explores the artist’s love for paganism. The song is about the ways humans are attached to the earth force and have a way of worshipping things they cannot see – that need for enlightenment in the abstract form is innate within us.

“Lady Greenwood” has elements of Irish music in this song with lore and a mystical sound. The drumming beat is dramatic and played with flair. Dreamy and ethereal, the cadence is atmospheric and soaring. Adamant whispers fade off into the ether towards the close of this track.

On this innovative pop record, Wanderlux experiments with a decadent electronic production to create layers of ambience and dreamy reveries of sound. Beautiful, bold and mysterious, the spiritual component in these ethereal and highly atmospheric soundscapes cannot be ignored.

Earthen is as much an inward journey as well as an outward one. In “Full Moon,” Wanderlux asks us to search within ourselves for answers for our spirituality. While we may keep our spirituality a secret, when we are alone we are able to explore these topics freely.  According to the artist, when we are alone it is like we are unleashing our true, full selves (if you will our “full moon” selves), while “Lady Greenwood” is the female counterpart to “Lord of The Wild Wood” and is about the experience to explore things beyond the mundane. The track asks us to go beyond our comfort zones in order to fully experience life.

Dreamy and haunting washes of sound, Earthen is both ethereal and otherworldly. Be sure you have a listen today!

Giant Chess Men is Japan-based Scottish producer Michael Wheeler. Formed in 2017, after Wheeler moved from Scotland to Japan’s Wakayama Prefecture, the project has become Wheeler’s main outlet for an anything-goes musical experimentation. Two years in the making, Wheeler’s debut album was released on October 11th. According to the artist, “The Adventure of Schrödinger's Cat is an electronic concept album which follows the title’s furry feline on a perilous journey through time and space, accompanied by an eclectic soundtrack of intricate chiptune, techno, rock and ambient music.”

​As a concept album, the tracks depict the journeys of Schrödinger's Cat with level up video gaming adventures linked by a surreal story encapsulated by the artwork cover on the record designed by American artist Kevin Kilcoyne. This only scratches the surface of proverbial thought. A colossal project, the music is truly a journey through the mines of imagination.

The Adventure of Schrödinger's Cat opens up with “Sealed Shut” a pure instrumental interlude. It starts off with some ominous sounds. A tearing cadence escapes through. The sounds of cats yowling and doors shutting intermittently fills this interlude that launches into an electronic sound turning on. The reverberating then pans out.

The electro-based music on “Inside The Box” is an exhilarating ride. Sweeping synthesizers sound off. It has an ‘80s-inspired feel with soundscapes that evoke a video game vibe. Glitchy cadences trace with cats yowling weaving in and out of this recording.

On “Kaleidoscope,” the sounds of the oceanic waves wash to the shore on this track. More chiptune with an electronic backbeat fills this song. The synths oscillate with a gritty industrial cadence. A scheme of sounds and light, the track has a Mario Brothers-inspired tone. Shooting cadences flare in and out of this music.

“Catnip” starts off right away to cascading synths that evoke a soothing sound except for the dissonance evoked in the glitchy electronic beats, giving off a Pacman-influenced vibe. There is evident an amped and fully charged cadence that needs to be rebooted near the two-and-a-half-minute mark. The music is then jumpstarted again to a harder and more excitable sound.

“Forbidden Ritual” has a funky groove where wonky guitars and bass lines pave this song. The synths give a ‘70s-inspired vibe. A real groovy electronic track, a sax solo soars with jazzy flair. A sizzling feel simmers on the backdrop of this techno song. The scratchy sounds of an old record fizzles through – staticky cadences overlaid over the sounds of melodious synths.

A choppy electronic beat fills the rhythms section layering “Valley Of Straw Cats” with discord, while dark guitars riffs rip through the ambience on “Split Milk,” pulling forth an aggressive sound with the same melody repeating itself near the close of the track that eventually becomes an intense ringing. “Reality Collapses” conjures up an epic endgame feel, perfecting a dark and somber vibe with metal-tinged guitars.

The closer “Ninth Life” is probably the highlight. The only song on the album that features vocals, Wheeler collaborates with Japanese singer-songwriter Suna. The closer sees ‘the cat’ at its last leg, currently at its ninth reincarnation. The song was entirely sung in Japanese. Although I couldn’t understand what the lyrics were saying, I thought the vocals were very pleasing and soothing. Suna’s singing is very smooth and has an almost jazzy flow. The background instrumentals were another highlight. The cello playing in the backdrop hones a lush sound.

The Adventure of Schrödinger's Cat evokes soundscapes that speedily traverse the terrain of video game sonic discourses with chiptune melodies and electronic music in the traditional synthesizer music vein. Music meant to encompass the avant garde and experimental, this is also something great to have on the background as you play some video games. With more than one life at its disposal, I look forward to seeing an incarnation of The Adventure of Schrödinger's Cat or new material from the artist.

Pick Pocket is an indie rock three-piece from Salt Lake City, Utah that consists of Arcadio Rodriguez (guitar/vocals), Scott Stevens (bass) and Aaron Merry (drums). Pick Pocket dips into a wide range of sounds from “aggressive fast-paced to slow melodic indie rock” on their latest EP entitled (Living) Room.

​Aptly conceived at a music store, one of the cruxes to where minds and art melds, “the band’s chief aim is to write music that brings people together while satisfying the songwriter’s longing for creativity and growth.” With a commonality for “community and music’s role in it,” Pick Pocket unearths in their music realms of chance and possibility. An exhilarating ride, the music is immediate and in your face.

And like the sleight of hand the band is named after, Pick Pocket’s latest EP resolves to steal your attention. Anthemic and melodic, this six-track EP is a balance between aggressive and soft. Coveting both spectrums with finesse, Pick Pocket performs these set of songs with attitude and flair.

Reverberating guitars played in an off-kilter manner is played at the start of “Where You Are.” Next, the vocals and a rush of sounds come from the guitars, bass and drums. The cadence is overall soft and melodic. The music is played in a fast tempo with a sound that is similar to Modest Mouse. This is a dance-worthy track that is also repeat worthy.

On “Before I Die,” noodling on the electric guitar starts off this track. Next, guitar riffs reverberate into the atmosphere on this rock song. The guitars are definitely highlighted. The vocals are also spotlighted. With showmanship, Rodriguez spews out the lyrics in the punk rock spirit that is filled with energy and vigor.

Gritty guitar riffs crank out an industrial cadence towards the beginning of “It Started.” Next, a wall of guitars storm through. The vocals make an appearance supported by noodling on the guitar. This is a softer sounding ballad. A departure from the heavier sounds from the previous song. The EP slows down here to give us this slower sauntering track.

Following is “Shadow Seeking,” where hard-driving guitars rock out this song. This track has a hard-edged feel that gives it a metal-tinged feel. The vocals are pitted against the fast music. Rodriguez keeps up with the pace with vocals that are executed in nearly rap-like style. The guitars spiraling overhead is atmospheric and soaring.

“Interlude (Zonai),” is an ambient sounding instrumental interlude. This song gives a much-needed breather within the collision of sounds evident on the previous tracks. Not just a filler, this adds another arresting element to the EP. The track fixates with a jazzy atmospheric vibe that chases a bluesy cool lounge feel.

On the closer, “Not Too Hard,” melodic guitars jumpstart this song. The drums set the pace with an upbeat tempo. The combined vocal layers spring forth a harmonious dynamic.

The recording is very lo-fi with a garage rock feel to the vibe. Even with the minimal arrangements, these compositions are played loud. With their aggressive playing, the band sounds bigger than the three members - more like a four-piece or five-piece band. Imbued with the punk spirit, these energetic tracks match the band members’ hunger to rock out.

With some hard-hitting riffs as well as taking a more ballad-esque route with songs like “It Started” and “Interlude (Zonai),” Pick Pocket shows their penchant to color outside the lines.

Filled with melodic hooks and a great indie rock vibe, fans of Modest Mouse and The Strokes will really dig this sound.

After three EP’s Kevin Costa released Lost in Time. His songs are sparse, heartfelt and somewhat meditative.

​The first song is called “Lost.” I immediately noticed the lo-fi bedroom style recording. The guitar sounded very raw in a single mic type of way. Costa starts with a simple but hypnotic guitar pattern. This lasts about a minute-and-a-half. You can hear the recording stop and start back up again when he begins strumming his guitar. It’s about two-and-a-half minutes where we first hear his voice. He laments into the microphone “Don't let it get you down cause I’m around.” The song ends up with guitar harmonics.

“Without Florida” gets the words going a little sooner. He sounds really sad and dramatic throughout and I think he finishes about half the sentences with the word “Florida.” All things considered I was bummed. He seemed so down about this girl that he had some kind of relationship with who moved to Florida. She must have meant a lot to him was the impression I had.

“Lost in” is a short track coming in a little over two minutes. Up next is the ten-plus-minute “Gasoline Blues.” He strums a classic blues progression that’s about as old as time. It sounded similar to Bob Dylan in some way and the like-minded bohemian folk artist that came from the late ’60s. I have to admit the ten-minute run time seemed excessive. The song progression doesn't change much and if it does it’s very subtle.

The tile track “Lost In Time” comes in a little under twenty minutes. The song is a very slow burn. He strums a couple major and minor chords and soon enough starts singing. I liked his vocal best here. He didn’t sound so sad and in fact there was a little hope and gratitude mixed into his inflection. There is a lot of space between the words however where he continues to strum instead of exploring poetic lyrics. The part after this goes into sparse guitar picking that lasts for about eight minutes before going back into the strumming.

There is certainly a sense of introspection as well the cliche of the suffering artist type that goes back to the late '60s. This reminded me of an artist like The Tallest Man on Earth or Joe Dillstrom. The guitar work isn’t nearly as technical as you might hear on an album like The Wild Hunt but I don’t think that was what he was going for. As I mentioned there was a meditative quality almost as if the artist wanted you to join him in the simple beauty of a single note. There is something to that. Take a listen. I'm excited to hear what's around the corner.

Every week we mention a couple of artists that are worth your time to check out that were not featured in our weekly reviews.

Artist                     Album                        Rating
​Thirsty Curses     Thirsty Curses            3.9
Moon Rabbit
Retreat                  Watering Hole            3.9
Dog's Tale             Boiling Point                3.5
Tilly Dent               EP #1                           3.9
Penelope Scott     Goblin Hours             3.7