Velvet King - 'Nah'

 ALTERNATIVE ROCK

Who doesn't love to sing along to "nah-nah-nah"'s? I think my favorite part of this song are the weird phaser sounds that add a layer of tension and movement. 

I'm gonna take a moment to compliment the BADASS drums. They sound sooo good and recorded very well. I personally love the snare. It's tight and snappy. 

The vocal style is also energetic but with a slacker tone - which I personally love. The reverb is tasteful, but I would have liked to hear them a bit more up front.

Okay. Guitars. They have awesome fuzzy tones. I think the solo and rhythm parts are straightforward which pair nicely with the killer bass line. The song has a defined lower register that makes it sound dark.

Overall the song is a fun sing along. And clearly the band members had fun after hearing that little snippet at the end of the song. 

Single. 2020.

THE MONSIEURS - 'At The Hop'

GARAGE PUNK ROCK

This d҉i҉s҉t҉o҉r҉t҉i҉o҉n҉   gives me energy. The music style translates well with it. 😌 

It's a fun track to hop around to. 

"Burning Flame" is another bop.

Heck yeah.

from THE MONSIEURS "Deux" LP. 2017.

Official HIGE DANdism - 'SWEET TWEET'

POP ROCK

Nicknamed "Higedan" which translates to "bearded man" this band has a fun obsession with mustaches. The band members where cute mustache bow ties. 

This 2015 song hooked me because of Satoshi Fushiwara's vocals. They are bright and energetic. 

The track includes thick and heavy piano chords. But it's balanced with the light melodies and solo tones from Daisuke Kosasa's guitars.

Masaki Matsuura's drums are solid. His kick and snare tones actually sounds perfect for this style. I particularly like the auxiliary percussion of triangle in the chorus. It reminds me of Two Door Cinema's implementation of their triangle to add energy.  

After checking out some live performances, I noticed and admire bassist Makoto Narasaki's dance moves. Clearly his enthusiasm is translated onto the track adding funky tones to this dance-able song. 

2019 Higedan is also "amazing". I'll later talk about their wonderfully produced album Traveler. Then you'll get the pun. (Hint: track 3)

From  ラブとピースは君の中. LASTRUM Music Entertainment Inc. 2015.

From Love To Peace Are In You.  Official髭男dism. 

Coaster - 'Paralyzed'

GRUNGE ALT ROCK

Oh, the angst in those vocals! You can hear the emotion push through Matt Kissinger's strained vocals. 

"When you cry 

Don't set aside 

What is life 

Lonely nights 

Paralyzed 

Shaken"

I'm a huge fan of these guitar tones. The bass pops out nicely. And the drums add more energy behind those guitar hits. Or vice versa.

The point! Right... The guitar tones are heavy with distortion in a Jaguar sounding way. Not so much heavy metal distortion.

"Red Charlie" has a pretty awesome beginning that stumbles into the song.

from Slow Jams. by Community Records. 2016.

Hot Snakes - 'Six Wave Hold-Down'

ALTERNATIVE ROCK

Drive me. The song title and album art supports the surfing imagery felt by the guitars and non-stop music drive.

But this isn't surf rock. It's darker. The toms are full and rhythmic. The vocalist's strained yells remind me of Dave Grohl's raspy energy. 

I have this song on a running playlist because of it's constant energy. There is some space in the pre-chorus that leaves room to breathe. 

from Jericho Sirens. By Sub Pop Records. 2018.

Y LUV - 'Jacques Cousteau'

ALTERNATIVE INDIE ROCK

Bass line beauty with squealing guitars. Raspy yet clear vocals demanding more from life. Quite liberating.

Album: Elastic Summer EP ; Artist: Elastic Summer

Elastic Summer: Elastic Summer EP, 4 tracks

Assumed Genre	Pop, Pop rock
Album	Elastic Summer EP
Label	None
Bandcamp Link	http://elasticsummer.bandcamp.com/

Vocals	Rebecca Arrango
Guitar	Joe Schumacher
Drums	Michael Whalen
Bassist	Bryan Percivall

Elastic Summer is a great band from New York with a summery sound I've been enjoying this June. I stumbled upon this band on youtube doing a Strokes cover song.  A very good one, too.

The Band: Rebecca, Joe, Michael, and Bryan

The percussion choice makes me feel like I'm on an island listening to a local band. Snaps and steel drums successfully compliment the compositions.

The lyrics in all songs are absolutely wonderful through great use of figurative language like alliteration, assonance, and consonance. There's a lot of imagery in the lyrics, too. Here are SOME of my favorite lyrics to say because I love how they roll of my tongue.

"hurry like a hurricane" - "Disaster"

"coconuts and butter and black beans" - "Coconuts"

"sudden drizzle drops in my sugar spoon" - "June Gloom"

And of course, the lead singer Rebecca Arrango sings mellifluously. The quivers when she holds notes make her voice unique. Other singers do the same, but I think she's one of the few who pulls it off.

Unfortunately, I don't think Elastic Summer is still together. I did some research and found out that Arrango is editor for the LA Canvas. (http://www.lacanvas.com/).