Jinx The Fox – “Homeopaths and Saints”: In less than two weeks since its release, the latest single by the Columbus, Ohio-based alternative rock outfit has amassed close to 3,200 streams on Spotify alone. In the follow-up to the much acclaimed “The Whole World”, Nick Meyers (vox, multiple instruments), Alex Adams (guitar), and Gabriel Coffing (drums) show their songwriting and performing chops are sharper and will continue to impress in the future. Everyone is on point in their role with oral output that is a perfect fit range and pace-wise with the guitars, synthesizers, and drums. This fantastic fusion leads to a wonderful chorus full of sound advisement for those in search of empathy and hope in life. With articulate musicianship, meaningful lyrics, and astounding arrangement, “Homeopaths and Saints” is an alt-rock bop that would be near the top of the charts with the right amount of backing. Making their debut as a group slightly under three years ago, the blokes were great back then but listeners are hearing the maturation process with each release and there is not much that will stop them now.
Lonely Fossa – “Wake Up Call”: Clocking in at exactly four minutes is the newest single by the Columbus quartet, who just released a four-song EP Empty Glass House prior to Christmas. With every new piece of recorded material, the lads Miles Miller (guitar, vox), Trevor Voigt (lead guitar, backing vox), Luke Blackwell (bass), and Adrian Alter (drums) get bolder and more confident. “Wake Up Call” contains sharp guitar work, precise drum play, bombastic bass, and crisp vocal output that puts this single on par with anything released by the likes of Arctic Monkeys and Vampire Weekend. On the night the tune dropped, Lonely Fossa performed a live set at one of the town’s up-and-coming outlets Half-Baked and they as they continue to ply their trade in the studio and onstage, the guys will continue to impress with every morsel of experience. Their latest is slickly produced with even more slick musicianship showing that the time the guys have put in thus far has been well spent.
Dick Nixon – “Caprice”: Produced by Kevin Rutherford, this indie rock gem starts off with raw and distorted vocals, but a minute into the song they come to life. Take the sensational emo rock singing along with the top-of-the-line guitar work and the dynamite drumming and Nixon has himself a damn good ditty worthy of play on terrestrial and online radio. Nixon and Rutherford make for a wonderful team that put the work in to create indie rock done right. Credit goes to the outstanding song arrangement and the precise instrumentalism that fits the vocals very well. The musical project is still relatively new, but “Caprice” is a great match to what Dick Nixon has released in the past, including the debut EP Coming Down and the previously released single “Mad Dog”. He likes to keep the songs short to the point as nary a dropped song is over three minutes in length. Nixon has a method and a pattern and it seems to be working and if he stays this course, success in the local scene will continue his way.
Lost Droid Records f/ Kristin Gramza – “Nowhere”: LDR is the brainchild of Columbus songwriter Andrew Comers, who recruits terrific talent to showcase his art. This time around, eclectic singer-songwriter Gramza takes the spotlight as she is no stranger to her own string of sensational songs receiving high praise. On this collab, Gramza’s vivacious vocals are an excellent match for the song’s synth stylings and these folks have themselves what ought to be a Top 40 pop entry. The song is about a relationship’s dissolution and comes off a band-aid ripper. The edict is powerful coming from Gramza’s solid singing combined with the poppiest of pop beats. It is rather peculiar to have a breakup song sound so offbeat, but it works and its poppiness draws attention to it for sure. Comers and Gramza make a terrific duo here and here is hoping LDR has more where their latest came from in the months to come. With Gramza’s expert pipes belting out Comer’s blunt, but insightful lyrics “Nowhere” is a song that has a chance to go far.
TJ From Beyond – ‘Synthetic Dreams: The former Beyond Pluto mastermind T.J. Brown returns with a tune that displays earnest lyrics set to scintillating new wave stylings. The presentation consists of mostly raw lyrical output that has a brief, yet on-point rap portion right before the chorus. On “Synthetic Dreams”, the Columbus-based artist also tinkers with some appropriately placed guitar sounding parts throughout the synthesizer and beat-heavy track. Brown’s social media followers will know that he is huge on the 1980s culture and science fiction in general and his latest offering is certainly one that could be in an 80s flick about a reimagined futuristic society heavy on technology. Think of the original ‘Total Recall’ featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger released in 1990 and the song fits like a glove. T.J From Beyond also has an instrumental version of “Synthetic Dreams”, which, too, is absolutely perfect for sci-fi films. Brown has gotten his groove back and the passion is there in the music. A live performance was posted to Facebook and while T.J. admitted it was a difficult task, he was up for it. It had been a while since his last single “Flood” dropped and being full of marvelous musicianship this was certainly worth the wait.
Xioma – “25”: Cellist and scholarly blogger Aubrey Liston is back after releasing the well-received sleeper “Haunted House” with a song about one’s life expectations. Although this is a tune reflecting Xioma’s specific experience with expectations in her mid-20s, the song will cause listeners to think about their own lives at that milestone. Xioma has a dove-like voice and it shines in a way that shows that she could become a breakout star much like Regina Spektor and Dido did in their heydays. The soul-baring vocals combined with cool and crafty cello play plus properly placed pop beats make for an atypical tune worthy of the mainstream. Xioma is quite self-sufficient, but this go around she recruited a couple of pals to perform. Furthermore, she included Matt James, who produced her debut EP, to handle the song’s mixing and mastering. Ever the philosopher who will make readers analyze for days with her intelligent journal entries, Liston is also just as intelligent and talented as a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist on the cusp of making a major splash.
Shape Of The Sun – “Have You Had Enough?”: Coming off the highly regarded single “Built To Destroy”, alternative rock multi-instrumentalist Nate Linek is back in a big way. His latest effort picks up where his previous release left off with vivid vocals and amazing song arrangement. “Have You Had Enough?” includes riveting riffs and dynamite musicianship throughout making this one destined for the radio. Linek has done an incredible job in blending the amazing drums parts with the precise guitar work to come up with an excellent and relevant alt rock tune that will resonate with a lot of listeners. Given the lyrics, the song is about the commitment to overcome adversity in a partnership, which makes sense given how major events over the past three years have threatened otherwise healthy relationships. Kudos to Linek for creating a terrific sounding song about a sensitive, yet relatable issue that hopefully will help couples on the verge of throwing in the towel find a path to resolution.
TRUSS – “Drown”: Although the Cleveland hard rock quartet dropped this massive banger last summer as part of the album Reset My Head, the band recently bestowed the music video upon the public. The song itself is impressive on the ears with the astonishing vocals presented by Hannah Crandall. In fact, Crandall won Frontwoman of the Year honors courtesy of the voting public through Mic1park (pronounced “Midpark”), one of the fastest rising outlets for unsigned and independent artists. Guitarist Eric Kennedy shines on guitar providing excellent melodies and roaring riffs from start to finish. Bassist Thomas Rastatter is a blast as his performance on “Drown” as he shines through complimenting Kennedy’s accompanying guitar to the letter. Holden Szalek on drums matches the enthusiasm and professionalism of his bandmates as evident on what listeners will hear. Viewers will be blown away by the energy TRUSS gives off in the video, which was directed by Geno Oradini. The videography is excellent with everyone playing their parts beautifully from start to finish. They carry themselves like stars and this vid will bolster their profile for years to come.
Island Parkway – “Believe in Yourself”: No stranger to the Rock Rundown, Columbus-based musician Pat Miller returns with quite an inspirational jam that will do the world a lot of good. His latest is a straightforward, no frills tune chock full of positive statements designed to improve one’s mood. Miller shines with a tremendous combination of keys, guitar, and profound vocals that make this a ditty one that makes for quite the morale booster. Throughout “Believe In Yourself”, Miller is joined by Lexi Miller to give the single some soulful flavor. Island Parkway has carved out a niche of well-constructed music that is difficult to contain to one category, yet is easy for listeners of any generation to appreciate. With mental health being a focal point these days, songs like this are what society needs a lot more of. There is an opportunity to license this tune to multiple PSAs that will not only increase the public’s awareness of what Island Parkway is all about, but help make the universe a better place.
Ugly Flannel f/ Sam Cook-Parrot – “Laundry”: The latest single from the Grand Rapids, Michigan indie rock outfit makes terrific use of bassist Kate Zacharias’s vocals, who takes the lead this go-around whereas some tunes guitarist Ben Nguyen is the frontman. Keeping every part on point is drummer Athen Erbter, who does a bang-up job in his role. Nguyen’s guitar work is spot on here and is a brilliant match for Zacharias’ delightful bass playing and factor in Erbter’s work and “Laundry” is a splendid indie rock darling. The single is part of the band’s upcoming record Goodbye American Dream, due out in March. Ugly Flannel likes to collaborate a great deal as that can enhance their already robust music, but help make connections as their profile increases. On “Laundry”, Sam Cook-Parrot adds some additional vocal work and his contrast to Zacharias’ stylings makes for a great combination. The band busted their humps and earned themselves a record deal for distribution with Young Heavy Souls, which is a very appropriate name given that this describes the Ugly Flannel members in a nutshell.
BRAVADO PRESS 