Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Serenity Calling... by Gurl Crush



1.  Remind Me (prod. by d e t e n t e)
2.  Blind to Choose
3.  On My Own
4.  Satellite
5.  Don't Go To Waste
6.  Remind Me (Jeremiah Meece Mistake Mix)
7.  Blind to Choose (Schwarz Remix)
8.  Don't Go To Waste (d e t e n t e remix)


              With an artist like Gurl Crush it's hard to resist falling head over heels and forming immediate romantic attachments.  The first track 'Remind Me' will heal your soul if you've recently been involved with a miscommunication resulting in a "break-up" and will break-down the blues to bring you solace and much needed musical healing.  This track comes back as a remix later and is worth hearing a couple times until you've worked up enough courage to confront your insecurities and call your lover back and make up.  Similar themes reappear on this album and it's hard to escape the pure bliss of listening to someone who knows how to truly express their feelings eloquently and efficiently while staying on top of stylistic aesthetics.   Gurl Crush will save you at your darkest hour and bring you to the light of understanding what well composed and excecuted electronic dance music actually sounds like.

             Nina Pop record label based in Baltimore has a glorious set of releases of which 'Serenity Calling...' is an obvious standout work of brilliant synthesis of sound design.  Electronic pop has never been more refreshing to listen to and find sanctuary from the accumulated stress of society.  This album will improve the quality of your day and allow you to find out how to have a good time in spite of the oppressive circumstances.




Written by:  Alroy Mellor


9 out of 10*
Echo Options - Review - 2015

Saturday, October 17, 2015

Shedio LP by The Snuggalos


1.  Shoelace
2.  Wrestlemania
3.  Life is Butt a Dream
4.  I Seen a Ghewst
5.  My Channels

                   With a name like the Snuggalos you can rest assured you will receive a quality product.  Sure enough, here are some of the best songs ever written and recorded in 2015.  The levels of bliss which result from listening to Shedio LP are off the charts.  Right from the start you hear a delicious rawness combined with masterful taste arrangements under the radar of potential aliens in the distance.  The melodies will instantly stick in your mind and the instrumentation will amaze as the synthesizers support the addictive sound organization.  Only problem is the ending, I'm very sorry to hear the end of this album but looking forward to listening to this over and over again.  

                  I am happy to be haunted by these songs for the rest of my life and will always remind me of beautiful summer moments and all the ghosts I used to sleep with in the cemetery.    

Written by:  Alroy Mellor

10 out of 10*
Echo Options - Review - 2015

Real Virtual Unison by Negative Gemini



1.  Real Virtual Unison
2.  Forget Your Future
3.  Red Rose
4.  Hold U


                   Lindsey French's solo project Negative Gemini has been consistently impressive throughout the years and has now come to be recognized the world over.  This is an invigorating moment for 100% Electronica and a brilliant synthesis of hard work and genuine talent.  

                   This work borders on industrial pop in a dream factory set in a romantic fantasy reality tv-show drama while still capturing the essence of what makes chill & vaporwave music so enjoyable.  The smoothness and the simplicity make the focus much more distinguished thus you are more able to appreciate the vocals which are much more developed and dynamic, also perfectly leveled which put these songs in a league beyond typical sub-categorizations or parallels.  It's a contemporary transcending of the limitations of genre and results in a gorgeous and lush assembly of refined electronic aesthetics.   The overall affect of 'Real Virtual Union' is basically as breath-taking as taking a vacation next to a waterfall of synthesized vapor smoke in slow motion, in the best way possible.  Experiencing Negative Gemini in a live setting is a rare treat and always very memorable due to the high-quality of Lindsey French's immaculately conceived emotive abilities through phenomenal vocal performance skills.  Her newest single 'You Never Knew' has become immensely popular in only 5 days has almost 24,000 plays on Soundcloud.   

Written by: Alroy Mellor 




10 out of 10 *
Echo Options - Review - 2015

Sunday, October 11, 2015

Fuel by Rhino Fight


1. Fuel
2.  Successors
3.  Bloodruns
4. Down with the Thickness
5. Backfire
6.  Afternoon Mood
7.  Mr. Runaway
8. Spent the Days

                Fuel is an eight track power-house under the control of the rambunctious Philadelphia pioneers of underground and basement D.I.Y. rap/hip-hop: Rhino Fight.  They have a mesmerizing quality which is evident in the excellent mixing and mastering by Mark Rascati.  Each track has a bouncing balance of beatific visions dirty dancing with some silly some serious concepts and shared experiences.  Marcus Clarke delivers dynamic and dramatic lyrics which can't help but bring on a smile and a good time.  Soulful backup vocals carry a lot of these tracks provided by Rascati and his multi-instrumental compositions and Clarke drops in the most cleverly cognizant creations of consciousness composed of vividly cinematic imagery.      
  
               Full of bass and sex-appeal, the lyrics don't always distract from the high quality musicianship but compliment each others layers of carefully composed symphonies of urban craftsmanship, poetically and tonally.  Rhino Fight makes it's case to be a leading force in the contemporary Philadelphia hip hop and rap scene with the potential to hit a wider audience of people who appreciate alternative/indie R&B and Hip Hop.  Only thing missing are the lyrics which would greatly add to the experience.  
   
Written by: Alroy Mellor
{Rhino Fight, original artwork 2015 by Marcus Clarke)
8 out of 10*
Echo Options - review - 2015

Blind and Bloodshot by Debrider


1. Quarters 
2. Never Leave Me
3. The Wait
4. Insomnia (interlude)
5. Love Song

           It's no doubt that this EP by Debrider will be cherished on a wide scale and across generations.  The crystal clear vocals and beautiful mastering by Jack Hubbell make this album an unforgettable experience.  The soothing vocals are a breath-taking wonder to behold and only get better as the songs progress.  Focusing on the passage of time, the ambience brings peace to impatient minds and changes the vibrations to a more grounded pace and flow.  Everything dissolves away and you can hear the pure quality that Debrider successfully displays in all five tracks on this EP.  There is a theme of intense relaxation and curious mystery, the commentary verifies in 'Insomnia' (interlude) which is a classic teaser leaving you wanting more.        

         The overall atmosphere of this album of that of a beautiful dream.  Thanks to the artist Lia Pisa-Relli we are blessed to be welcomed into a sonic serenity and a comforting yet haunting zone of pure bliss.  Making delicate sense of dramatic topics the nightmare becomes embraceable and manages to almost draw tears to the tender-hearted.  One can almost hear a resemblance to some of Camera Obscura's best moments, mixed with Neko Case in the most unique way.  This is a very musically masterful work bordering on a gentle line between dream pop and pure americana.    

Written by: Alroy Mellor

{Lia Pisa-Relli ~ DEBRIDER}

9 out of 10*
Echo Options - Review - 2015

Feel by Woven In

 {Feel, by Woven In}

1. Apathy
2. Ninety-nine Percent Wet
3. Done Nothing
4. Love is the Land
5. Teenage Waterhole
6. Night Vibrations
7. Shallow
8. Hate State
9. Feel
10. Shannon
11. Gimme


               Woven In's album is an excellent showcase of surf and shoe-gaze sensibilities with a hint of pure soul.  Like early morning mist or an evening sunset, these songs are organically mysterious and dark while still retaining the elements of solid chord structures and rhythms.  Woven In's vocal range is what really stands out on this album going from deep alto to high pitched exclamations for emphasis on emotional transitions.  The cut 'Feel' is a standout track mostly for it's rawness and it's smooth transitioning to the next track 'Shannon'.

              This album is like a gentle quilt which must be handled with care and hand washed only while marveling at it's spaciousness and ability to expand and contract.  There is so much to hear between the lines on these pieces since the arrangements are very minimally constructed yet it achieves a universal fullness that could only be accomplished with this particular style/genre.  Exploring this album will take you through a time warp to all the garage/basement shows you've ever attended or wanted to attend.  Ideal music for road-tripping and/or dwelling about an ex or trying to escape a stressful job situation.      


 Written by:  Alroy Mellor

9 out of 10 stars
Echo Options - Review - 2015