Kevon Carter - Hey Alice

Kevon Carter - Hey Alice (song review) |self-released, single, 2018| 4/5, pop

So far, many artists have paid their tribute to the imaginary Alice of Lewis Carroll's famous story and her dream-like trip into the unknown followed by discoveries have been interpreted differently each time.
'Hey Alice' by Kevon Carter is an easy-listening, rhythmic song where the accent is put on building a memorable melody. The composition follows classic rules. The arrangements repeat and sound flexible so that the song could easily exist in its original (pop) space, but could also have a more guitar or drums driven version (which matters in case of using the song in other media).

The song speaks of a romantic relationship – the titular Alice is being encouraged to come into physical contact with the one who wishes to please her: (…) I'll show you magic, working wonders with the palm of my hands / Won't you please come and play with me (…) This invites a comparison between Alice's icy innocence (expressed by the piano/electronics) and the man's experience - he's trying to build trust by gently knocking on her personal igloo door (represented by a non-invasive beat in the composition). The details of their encounter are what listeners may want to work out on their own.

The mood here feels fragile, almost on the verge on breaking like a layer of thin ice at times, yet it's solidly grasped by the composition. The softness results from instrumental arrangements (written mostly for the piano and synths), led by Kevon's vocals for the most part.
Speaking of which, Kevon’s voice is high, melodious, and youthful - in some tones may resemble that of Michael Jackson's and Mick Hucknall's (Simply Red). Kevon grew up in the Caribbean Island of Trinidad & Tobago and later moved to NYC. Inspired by a variety of famous voices (Prince, Bob Marley, and John Lennon to name a few), he gained musical experience in both singing (lead vocals) and performing live with several tribute/cover bands. Lately however, Kevon has been focussing on making solo music - recording an album, mastering his voice, and song writing in general.

The target audience for 'Hey Alice' may vary, as it could seem to be a track meant for teenagers, but due to its accessibility it can be easily picked up by others. It's a memorable song that any modern radio station should appreciate, but it lacks any ground-breaking, unique attributes - that's why it may become a seasonal hit only. It fits the current trend of modern pop songs to be performed live, supported by a team of dancers and flashing stage lights. It’s easy to imagine ‘Hey Alice’ played for a large crowd singing along with the artist. Movie, advertisement, and TV entertainment execs are always on the lookout for songs based on light notes and romantic themes, so Kevon would be right to submit his single for their consideration.

(Reviewer: Katarzyna 'NINa' Górnisiewicz, Fabryka Industrial Rock & Metal Encyclopedia, January 22nd, 2018. Proofreading: Mike 'Vesper' Dziewoński)

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Reviewed by Fabryka Industrial Rock & Metal Encyclopedia

Ghost in the Machine - Broken from Binary

Ghost in the Machine - Broken from Binary |self-released, 2015| 5/5 industrial rock, metal, pop, electronic

1. To Be Zero, 2. Crazy, 3. Estranged, 4. Lost, 5. What It Is, 6. Perfection, 7. Today is the Day, 8. Memories, 9. Hammers, 10. Samurai, 11. American Hero, 12. Feedback, 13. Drive, 14. Pressure (Billy Joel cover), 15. Time to Go Gently

The people behind Broken from Binary are a duo based in Florida, using the Ghost in the Machine moniker since 1996. We know them only by their stage names: Face (bass, programming, vocals) and C4 (vocals, guitar, programming).
The newest GITM's album brings over an hour of music that should definitely be checked out by fans of catchy cutting-edge industrial rock, metal and pop - but avid video gamers, too. Purists however, need to open their minds to enjoy the surprising concept better. The arrangements don't often repeat within a composition, but veer off into unexpected directions, as if based on bridges mostly rather than a traditional rock song structure. Therefore, expect your ears and brainwaves to be challenged frequently with this release. Here comes music dripping with seriousness, intelligence, groove, and sense of humor - all mixed together.

The album opener, 'To Be Zero', brings a lot of industrial rock references (think Gravity Kills and Die Krupps thanks to groovy bass lines and slightly mean yet seductive vocals as found in PIG's music), but that’s not all. The chorus includes a complete mood change - a nostalgic pop line you'd probably never expect to hear in a track based mostly on guitars & sampling. Once the chorus passes over, the heavy drumming gets back into the limelight.

'Crazy' and 'Drive' are comparable, since not only are they the two most coherent songs on the album overall, but also very rhythmic, even danceable. The arrangements in 'Crazy' are very well written, operating within a tight space for every instrument and vocals. The mood and tempo change at times to avoid repetitive monotony. 'Drive’' brings the industrial metal feel in vein of Rob Zombie's hit songs. The bass, guitars, and drums deliver pleasant heaviness and collaborate very well. Vocals and synths bring melodious lines in the chorus. Both tracks are potential hits, great for headbanging and stomping, and thus industrial/goth radio & dancefloor-friendly.
'Hammers' makes for a good match with the two aforementioned songs, but it adds sugared pop melodies and less tense arrangements.

'Estranged' and 'Samurai' let listeners take a break from high energy tracks thanks to a much slower tempo. The guitars are still heavy in 'Estranged' but the track seems to be mostly written to underline the lyrical content of the song. It sounds truly memorable with its anthem-esque vibe.

'Samurai' brings a nostalgic yet romantic feel. The lyrics tell a short dramatic story of an iconic Japanese warrior and his beloved woman who was killed due to a stealth attack while he was winning a war. Vocals sound extremely radio-friendly but the overall arrangements are not deprived of heavier moments. When you hear the ending verse: 'Now I pray for her' - James Hetfield's characteristic accent may come to mind.
The last track, 'Time to Go Gently', also brings a more delicate, almost a lullaby-like vibe - at least at start. Since GITM excels at musical surprises, the arrangements begin getting heavier in the second, then even more intense in the third part of the song - thanks to the increased tempo, the loud drum beat, and the imposition of angry, hateful vocals.

'Lost' brings a distinctive melodic line and mixes heavy and soft tunes. The arrangements fit perfectly into the overall composition, carrying a danceable, electro-music feel at times. Despite such repetitions, there are plenty of interesting irregularities to keep the track fresh for your ears.

'Today Is The Day' shows a skillful mix of alt-metal and electro sounds, through the nicely down-tuned guitar riffs with melodic choruses. The composition is somewhat complex and offers plenty of space for many different arrangements that don't interfere with the original leitmotif.

When 'What It Is' starts off with its synth lines, experienced listeners may second-guess what’s coming next - the song is going to explode with rhythm any second now. Surely enough, it does bring a lively groove and a lot of elements straight from pop. There's a big dose of fun as well, with additional gap fillers such as rock riffs or even a flute. It sounds like a great track for an anime, for listeners of all ages, ranging from little children to grey-haired elders.

In a similar fashion, 'Perfection' includes a plentiful dose of techno & EBM dynamics. Fans of KMFDM will feel at home thanks to a well known vocal effect and the method of aligning vocals with the beat. There's a great balance between verses and choruses - each appear at the right moment. This purely electronic song is another potential hit on the album.

'American Hero' also qualifies for that, thanks to its pop-disco rhythm and sound effects. It is a '2-in-1' composition though, built upon two matching parts which are then separated with a bit of silence halfway through the track. It may turn out to be popular in the movie or gaming industries thanks to its beat driven, memorable choruses.

GITM's original music is perhaps best represented by 'Memories'. It's a guitar driven track which is built upon a fast but not monotonous rhythm, melodious arrangements, and a dominating drum beat. On top of that, it clearly proves that not only can these musicians write twisted yet mature compositions but also apply a specific instrumentation through their craft. Vocals, bass and drums are such as mostly heard in metal music. The rhythm guitars match rock, whereas background synths are usually heard in pop and electro.

With so many songs on the tracklist it’s obvious that any smart band in a similar situation would challenge themselves to come up with a stand-out composition. Thus, the standard and the modern meet in 'Feedback'. At first, a classic hard rock reference (think Led Zeppelin or Pink Floyd) may come to mind - GITM may have even used a Hammond organ in this one. Then, all of a sudden, a digitally beefed-up drum beat and modern rock/alt-metal vocals arrive. Fans of Nine Inch Nails won't go wrong with this track either, when they hear the unexpectedly fitting lines: 'Nothing, nothing, nothing will get me to testify / No way, no way, no way that you'll get me to lie'. This, along with characteristic guitar riffs and bass lines make for an unmistakable tribute to Trent Reznor's 90s music. The instrumental versatility, slow but still rocking tempo, and overall professional production make 'Feedback' an extremely memorable track.

Finally, a cover song. GITM have chosen 'Pressure' by Billy Joel, however their version is rather a close cousin of Joel's original despite the addition of a digitally improved beat, a bit of sampling and heavier guitars. It would be awesome to watch a smart video single accompanying this cover, that pointed out contemporary social pressures resulting in fear and frantic overreaction.

Broken from Binary is a well-thought out, masterfully executed, and highly entertaining cross-genre mash-up. Face and C4, blend several and typical sound effects or arrangements borrowed from trivial urban pop, chunky industrial dynamics, or vintage hard rock like true alchemists. The duo don't let themselves go astray in spite of utilizing a wide variety of different musical options, because their compositions are based on steady motifs. This technique remains the band's 'specialty of the house', whether it is an attempt to challenge their own song-writing skills, to please multi-subculture listeners, or to have ready-made arrangements for various commercial uses (ads, jingles, TV shows, video games, etc.) In fact, GITM have already successfully submitted music for a variety of major TV networks, brands and independent films.
The album's excellent audio production and mastering indicate that these musicians not only write and sell their music successfully, but can also provide other professional, studio-related services.

(Katarzyna 'NINa' Górnisiewicz, Fabryka Music Magazine, December 22nd, 2015. Proofreading: Mike 'Vesper' Dziewoński)

Source: http://industrialrock.net/php-files_en/articles.php?article_id=568

Interview with GITM - read here




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While U Were Out - It's Always You

While U Were Out - It's Always You (song review) |self-released, 2014| 4/5

While U Were Out (also known as TWPHMusic) is a composing and recording British duo founded in 2013 and consisting of Trevor Wiles (keyboards) and Paul Hadler (vocals & guitar). Both musicians however, have already been writing music collectively for over 10 years.

While U Were Out’s debut single titled 'It's Always You' was released in mid-2014. It’s a pop-rock song with hit potential. It begins with a grungy-dirty rhythm guitar riff that is soon joined by another riff, tuned up higher to build a contrast. Drums and bass come next. The vocals are rather high, clear, initially quite gentle, getting emotional in choruses.

Most listeners prefer music they've already heard before in terms of melodies or arrangements. Thus, they are more eager to learn about and buy songs recorded in a style similar to the ones they already know. The composition and arrangements here were written with a classical approach. This kind of songwriting has resulted in an easy listening song. 'It's Always You' turned out reasonably short - it makes for an excellent radio, movie trailer or TV ad track. The rhythm however, is the same for verses and choruses. With a bit of additional diversity, slightly more intriguing arrangements could have been created. The atmosphere is light and friendly, possibly directed towards the teenage listeners, though it’s not definitely a teen-chart-product type of song.
The production is very good and underlines the importance of vocals and guitars at first, while drums and bass are placed in the background. This way, the song sounds more emotional rather than heavy, yet it keeps being rhythmic.

While U Were Out write music for other bands as well, not limiting themselves to pop or rock alone. It is worth mentioning that Pink Floyd's Nick Mason played drums on their track called 'Loves Forever'.
If you're looking for non-intrusive music that talks about relationships between people, this single is certainly for you.

(Katarzyna 'NINa' Górnisiewicz, Fabryka Music Magazine, November 9th, 2014. Proofreading: Mike 'Vesper' Dziewoński)


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SLOWtheIMPACT - Pleasantly Amused

SLOWtheIMPACT - Pleasantly Amused (song review) |self-released, ...and Those We've Left Behind, 2012| 4/5

SLOWtheIMPACT began as a solo project of Steve Cockayne (guitar, vocals) in Portland, OR in 2007. Presently, the band is a quintet - the line-up includes Amy Smith (keyboard/back vocals), Zach Barnum (bass/vocals), Brad Buttram (guitar) and Mark Matocha (drums).
The newly released "Pleasantly Amused" track comes from their 3rd album entitled ...and Those We've Left Behind. It starts off with vocals and bass bringing about the flavour of old school goth music (for instance The Cure).

As for the main theme, "Pleasantly Amused" is a love song. The lyrics talk about missing a partner when spending time away from one another and the desire to meet again. The band shows a lot of experience in handling the subject matter of saving or improving a relationship under such duress. This song may work really well for teenagers and 20-something couples who most often fall into a turbulent love life head-first.

Musically, from the very beginning, the bass builds a solid but dynamic core of the track, enriched with drums and keyboards later on. The bass line sounds simple and quite typical for 80s goth rock music. "Pleasantly Amused" doesn't bring along any dramatic moods, though your ear may detect a bit of impatience or even anxiety. A balanced share of instrumental parts, including peaceful guitars together with lightly accented drums make the whole a rather ear-friendly composition. Repeating arrangements and vocals easy enough to sing along work really well for the track, giving it a strong hit potential. The musicians play their parts very well and Steve's neat voice matches the overall mood of the song. Everything falls into place without stirring unexpected controversies within the song. Furthermore, it’s evident that considerable production, mixing and mastering skill were employed to polish the track, something that’s usually a problem for many self-sufficient bands.

Still, aside all this alternative-pop-rock compositional correctness, "Pleasantly Amused" lacks a bit more of an original approach, a touch of spirit to drag and shake the listener. Since a lot of listeners prefer a familiar sounding vibe, it should not be a big problem in terms of the band's success, though.
The song is as easy-listening as memorable, and one can definitely imagine "Pleasantly Amused" in movie trailers, commercials or popular radio playlists. The length of the track (almost 4 minutes) and its easy to adapt structure (thanks to repetitions) perfectly supports such purposes.

It should be also noted that SLOWtheIMPACT seems to be doing a good promotional job for their new, independently released album. They have an interestingly designed official website and frequently updated social profiles, which you should definitely visit. The song is available for purchase from the majority of popular digital distributors and the band also offers various merchandise in their own store.

(Katarzyna 'NINa' Górnisiewicz, Fabryka Music Magazine, July 4th, 2013. Proofreading: Mike 'Vesper' Dziewoński)

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Alex Von Z - Drawn

Alex Von Z - Drawn (song review) |self-released, Implicate Order, 2012| 4/5

Spiritually driven music usually sounds pleasant to the ear as well as radio-friendly. Alex Von Z, an American musician from Colorado who sings in tenor as well as plays an acoustic guitar says he's inspired by artists such as Chris Cornell, Tom Petty, Blind Melon and Counting Crows. You will undoubtedly hear these influences in both the song arrangements and vocals.

"Drawn" carries with it a blues vibe, but also features songwriting ideas that are characteristic for both rock and pop genres. The arrangements are simple although very solid with a dreamy mid-tempo time signature that is supported by light rhythms. Not only are the choruses memorable, but the verses are very catchy as well. This is not a song which demands a lot of mental concentration or analysis to understand the message, however nobody is screaming, destroying instruments or causing noisy experimental sounds. On the contrary, this acoustic composition brings soothing, positive moods to your ears from the very beginning to the end of the track. Having said that, if "Drawn" were to be performed by a female singer it would sound as good as the vocals recorded by Alex. Perhaps a male and female duo would sound extremely well on a live version of "Drawn" or should at least be kept in mind and utilized on a new composition with this sort of dynamic and vivaciousness on a future release.

There is also a promotional video for "Drawn" available on YouTube. The video features interesting paintings by Laurie Maves and Joanna Whitney because the lyrics of "Drawn" tell a tale of a woman painting a picture of a man. "I can’t change the way I am / So I’ll just love the way I am drawn / That’s how she’s drawn" followed by "It’s just the way she loves to play, helps to pass the time along / She’s a muse that can amuse remind its perfect how we’re drawn". The focal point of the video illustrates a message of self-affirmation to "be yourself and love yourself". Otherwise, it could be an analogy of how a woman in love portrays a man in her mind, but also that he doesn't want to change himself (for her), so he just accepts her observations (to avoid hurting her notions and losing her feelings).

Implicate Order was released in November 2012, so this is a pretty fresh EP which lists 3 songs including "Drawn" along with a full length radio edit version on the tracklist. Each song is available for free download from the artist's website and social media profiles such as Reverbnation at the moment.
Finally, as a word of advice, Alex should consider submitting this song for radio-airplay opportunities as often as possible. Due to its pop-rock styling, "Drawn" has probable worldwide hit potential.

(Katarzyna 'NINa' Górnisiewicz, Fabryka Music Magazine, December 26th, 2012)



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Win The Day - Live Again

Win The Day - Live Again (song review) |self-released, Win The Day, 2012| 4/5

Here's a song with a positive pop rock or even modern gospel feel that has hit potential. "Live Again" opens this self-titled album that includes 14 other tracks by solo artist Charlie Gathe, who performs under the moniker of Win The Day.

The song brings very human-centered, optimistic and simple dynamics. The arrangements were written for guitars (Charlie owns a Rickenbacker), drums and vocals. You will also hear some neat repetitive choruses as well as a few nice guitar solos present in the verses.
"Live Again" has an epic, yet light atmosphere that may fit a short film that illustrates people fighting against the odds, an illness or struggling with other unfortunate life events and ordinary day to day issues. In fact, Win The Day made a high quality promotional video for this song which should give you a good impression of the direction their music is taking.

Charlie's voice sounds pleasant. The weight of his vocals are light, so he can sing with a high voice in upper octaves, but at the same time his voice never goes out of tune. Moreover, there is a gospel-esque choir mixed into the arrangement towards the end of the track. You may think Charlie hired a few back-up singers to record these vocals, but you would be incorrect in this assumption. Charlie multiplied his own voice on several tracks and layered them to make it sound as though there are many other voices singing in unison.

A lot of creative people are known to receive inspirations and brighter solutions to their ideas in a deep state of relaxation. This is typically when the brain is generating alpha waves while either in a state of REM sleep patterns or semi-conscious dreaming. Although some people experience this state of mind before they fall asleep, others experience it when they first wake up or must achieve it by meditation. Having said that, many sensitive people have lucid dreams, but artists usually have vivid dreams about music, graphic images and motion pictures. Artist tend to make use of their dreams in their work, so it is not a rare thing that these pieces of art someday become valuable or famous.
Charlie admits that the idea for this song came to him in a dream, but he still had a chance to make a rough draft of it when he woke up before it faded into oblivion. He performed and recorded the basic elements of the tunes acoustic elements on his iPhone and this is how we got "Live Again".

The song was recorded, mixed and produced by Charlie Gathe and mastered by John Vestman. I would only pin one suggestion to the ending of the song, which is that it didn't seem to match the dynamics utilized in the beginning of the track. Other than that, the overall composition sounds very successful for a completely DIY release.

(Katarzyna 'NINa' Górnisiewicz, Fabryka Magazine, September 18th, 2012)
http://industrialrock.net/php-files_en/articles.php?article_id=449

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