Mastria

Back Is Rock is an expansive album, but its break out song, a song that makes you feel dropped into a dream-like state of the last Neanderthal, is Giù's Neandertal. Being the listener who has always pursued the songs which touch your soul and this song did that to me, that first distorted guitar chord hooked me right in, and created a feeling of loss that is achingly human.  GiU, the French craftsman of Embrun, filters his influences, the melodic flair of Elton John, the epic rock sweep of Kansas and the poetic introspection of Serge Gainsbourg, down to a story that can only be tragic and timeless, because extinction is not only the bones in the ground; extinction is the tale of dying echoes in our own blood. The vocals are unrefined and emotional, can be described as the burden of loneliness of a weary traveler, the instrumentation creates a multi-layered atmosphere: the sparkling piano is contrasted with the pounding bass and bouncing drums, the most sensitive moments are mixed ...

  God Help Us by Larry Karpenko sounds like a silent storm enveloping you in a blanket of bare emotions and spiritual desperation that keeps on haunting you long after the last note. Being a person who is always attracted by the music which sounds like a sincere talk, this song attracted me by the first step with its uncomplicated attitude- simple and yet very touching. Karpenko creates a song that is both intimate and universal, as he combines the themes of perseverance and optimism in a manner that reflects the most difficult situations of life and yet looks beyond them. It is the type of melody that you cannot forget, that you can very easily sing along to, the sort of melody that practically cries out to be sung around a campfire or at a party. It is available but not too slick which lends to its authenticity. Supported by gospel choir hums that grow in volume like a choir in full song, and barely noticeable ambient rain noises that lends an element of reflection, the productio...

Forgiveness by Blunt Blade engulfs you in a shroud of darkness and lures you deeper with each listen. A seven-song masterpiece by the Minnesota multi-instrumentalist, it is a deft blend of progressive rock, electronic murmurs and orchestral rises to make a sound that is as expansive as it is hauntingly intimate. Diving in, I experienced the tragic stories of the album as a series of confessions, with each song opening a portal into the human predicament and its challenges. Opener jaggedly intense, the baritone vocals chanting upheaval over the disquieting beats, it establishes an atmosphere of emotional unease that reverberates throughout the album. The next song is intimate in its synths and keeps you in thought, whereas the abstract structures and electronic flairs confuse your anticipation, causing you to listen more attentively. The title song, which takes ten and a half minutes to unfold, is a sprawling epic, one that touches the soul in equal measures of mourning and anger, and t...

  Having been a music lover all my life, I am always in pursuit of songs which I feel look at me, and Scansion feels the same way. It is a trance-pop/R&B song combined with Spanish infused rhythms that act as a heartbeat. Starting with the first note, it becomes obvious that Exzenya, is not just making music, but the experience, and that experience is raw, sensual and it is deeply human. Her deep and strident voice is that of an experienced woman whose life has been maintained over continents, cultures and emotions. Scansion is like courtship, it is that electric moment between two souls synching. The song is cinematic but friendly, the sounds are moody and the melodies are sultry that will take you into a world of bare connection. The vocals of the Exzenya is a lesson in itself- the perfect control of the Arabian scales with the play of the line by the steady and swift vibrato gives a texture almost visible. It is a song that you have to close your eyes and sway along with it....

  Intermittent Love by Exzenya is a soul crushing, blood boiling, trip to the bottom of the toxic love pit, and as someone who lives to existentially feel music that just reaches into my chest and tugs on my heart strings, this song left me breathless. This genre-defying artist born and raised in the global context produces a sound that feels whimsical and as unpredictable as it sounds and draws you into a world in which beauty and pain meet. With her voice, raw and unfiltered and sounding so heartbreakingly human, the weight of every note is felt, recorded with no autotune allowing all the emotion to breathe. The psychological drive towards the intermittent reinforcement and punishment, based on which the song was inspired, is like an eye-opener. It reflects the whirling nature of the depressing relationships of hope and heartbreak well, reflected through the dark and moody beat of the production. Exzenya has a siren-like voice, it is lush and hypnotic, and the high, ethereal back...

  Indie songwriter and producer H-dMan Such brings the chilling meditative incantation of Slovak DIY studio work, Room Thirteen (The Key You Hold) which is a lyrical treat taking an intimate confession and turning it into something enormous. This song does not simply sound but smothers and makes an atmosphere in which each listener becomes a witness and a participant of something extremely personal. There is a compelling intensity in the vocal style adopted by H-dMan Such. His gravelly baritone, allied with a finely tuned reverb, is able to render layers of emotional depth which, albeit distant, are always right there in front of you. They are all pregnant statements with implications of stories that one cannot count all but at the same time are made accessible to magnetize the listeners duly into the emotional essence of the song. It has a dreamlike melodic structure which is also melancholic yet resilient at the same time. The musical score is restrained on an advanced level. Atm...

There are times when you find yourself hearing a song and thinking that it is saying something to your soul and Colours of Time by Shyfrin Alliance is such a song. The essence of this group is Eduard Shyfrin whose mad career, as an award-winning mathematician, physicist and philosopher are spilled into a song that is really a thoughtful conversation with your deepest instincts. It is damn sure rock, but it is rock with a pulse, it is rock with crude emotions and learned lessons. The voice of Shyfrin is the stroke of a warm and bulky blanket. A deep baritone has tales to tell. Tales of love, loss, perhaps some regrets and you cannot but lean in, waiting to hear what comes next. It is not theatrical it is insular as though he has lived them all. It sounds like a memory you are holding onto, lingering, dreamy, drawing you under with a haze of feelings moving between the ache and the hope. The music itself is magic pure. The guitar is the little nudge of a friend, warm and comfortable, and...

Get Me There to Church by Michellar, the touching work of San Francisco-based songwriter Michelle Bond, is a country treasure, which envelops you with warmth and genuineness. Being a person who can always find comfort in music that touches the soul, this song is an easy drive through the small town, windows down, heart open. Collaborated with producer Tobias Wilson and featuring Harrison Black and Helen Walford on vocals, Michelle creates a song that is both intensely personal and yet one that many people can relate to as she draws on her own experience of love and commitment. It is Harrison Black's soulful, serious vocals that hold down the song and they are the bearers of the burden of devotion, with a sincerity that is like a promise fulfilled. The harmonies of Helen Walford elevate the chorus with tender almost sacred sheen that makes you experience the feeling of two hearts coming together. The song, which is constructed around a soft acoustic strum, is welcoming and friendly,...

It is like a hug on a peaceful night; Kelsie Kimberlin, Infinite Possibilities. This heartbreakingly beautiful acoustic song, a duet with her dad, is a celebration of growing up, family and the heart to take charge of the great unknown of life. The soft, but filled to the brim with emotion voice of Kelsie harmonizes beautifully with the rich harmonies of her father, creating a sound that can be compared to the heartbeat of two people. Their interaction is filled with the burden of a lifetime commitment, and the song is rooted in love, trust and the unspoken understanding. The music, performed by soft acoustic guitars, is not complicated but deep, and it enables the feelings to find their way. The instrumentation, a rich string quartet and her father on the emotional guitar, envelopes the song with a cozy feeling, as though it is a fireside chat in the night under a star filled sky. The Grammy-winning production (by Liam Nolan and Greg Calbi) is clean and close, heightening the song wit...

Being a music fan since my first memory, listening to the debut album of Rosetta West *God of the Dead* is like walking into a haunted cathedral and hearing all the corners buzzing with raw and uncontrolled energy. This Illinois blues-rock band, fronted by the gravel-throated soul-weary voice of Joseph Demagore, has created a 15 track journey that is as epic as it is mesmerizing. It is not an album, it is a ceremony, with sound that is gritty blues, punk-funk conflagration, psychedelic vortices and acoustic laments all interwoven into something that is both ancient and modern. Whether it is the snarling kick of *Boneyard Blues* or the chanting of *Tao Teh King*, the song has its own weight. The vocals of Demagore are nimble, swinging between the rough and rebellious on the one hand and sorrowful and intimate on the other, whereas the bass of Orpheus Jones and the two drummers Mike Weaver and Nathan Q. Scratch (including such guest musicians as Louis Constant and Caden Cratch) pound lik...