After a slow-building, atmospheric introduction, 'I Fall To Pieces' explodes into a slightly unexpected, but pleasing bright burst of pop goodness the moment the vocal kicks in. Unexpected, in that the lyrics are quite sad, so it is an interesting mix. The hooks capture your attention instantly, almost away from the music, but then it fights back courtesy of a guitar solo front and centre. By the end, the main lyrics have stuck in your mind. Bright delivery of a sad song. I like it.

There is no turning your ear away from this one, such a wide variety of sounds keep things interesting right through. No pigeonhole suits that's for sure. There are moments of The Black Keys, You Am I, William Elliot Whitmore and even a hint of Arctic Monkeys, all with a unique twist. From the calm, to the super gritty, it is all covered here. It certainly smashes down the barrier of what you'd expect when you hear 'Cello' mentioned. Really well produced tracks that sound great with volume.

Picture a lazy Sunday afternoon out in the sun, a few drinks on ice and good company. You'll need some tunes for that, and the soundtracl to your afternoon is here! Smooth, easy listening tunes jumping between male and female vocal with a cool storytelling vibe about it all. 'Latest Regret' and 'Crooked River Sojourn' would be my highlights, both showing off the variety of sounds on offer that hold your attention. Now, where'd I put that wine and picnic basket.. I'm taking this outside!

A classic take-no-prisoners hard rock sound with this album. Production is heavy on the bottom end, as all good hard rock should be, but not at the expense of other parts. Everything blends together nicely here. Take a few parts Danzig, a splash of Rose Tattoo and a shot of Alice In Chains, then drink straight if you want an idea of what to expect. It's raw, may not go down easy, but you'll remember the after effects and come back for another. A refreshing take on a classic sound, well played!

Solid intro sets the tone for this one, easy to nod the head along to. A real big sound production wise, bass nice and rumbling and the vocals not lost in the mix which is great. Just when you think you know where the song is going, all hell breaks loose in the final minute, an awesome twist to the track which I'm picturing is all kinds of fun watching it played live. Nice and heavy with hooks in all the right places. Solid track.

A welcome return from the band with this new single. Crunchy riffs, soaring vocals and a blazing solo. All the right ingredients for a solid rock track. The production is on point with a real powerful bottom end complimenting the vocals, given volume it'll give the speakers a nice tickle for sure. The hook has no problems sticking in your mind, and if you don't bust out the old air guitar or give the head a bit of a bang while listening you are a hard one to please. Well played!

Whole lotta noise for a three piece going on here, just the way I like it! If pushed, I'd place this somewhere between bands like We Lost The Sea and Pelican, but with a nice unique flavour. Very easy to get lost in the wide soundscapes and unlike a lot of instrumental stuff it never just disappears into the background as there is quite a lot going on. In fact it almost commands repeat listens, and each time you go back, you discover something new. Very high quality production too.

This is a great chillout album that is great to have handy in those times where you just need something that doesn't always demand full attention. The production is great and the way the tracks are sequenced makes for a great flow. Variety is what I love most, 21 tracks is alot, but there are no moments where the quality drops, or you want to hit skip. Obviously very personal in nature which adds to the charm of these well crafted pieces of music. Listen loud or softly & it just works. Quality!

A nice warm and raw sounding album that has quite a bit going on beneath the surface proving you don't always need slick production values to deliver a great song / vibe. From the energetic 'Starlight' to the slower tracks like 'Feeling Lost' there is a nice amount of variety on offer style wise. My highlight is where both bleak and bright combine in 'Danger Lights' to provide a really hypnotising sound, almost Bowie like. Give it a few spins to let it grow on you.

On here you get well crafted melodic hard rock in the mould of Dead Letter Circus, 10 Years and The Butterfly Effect. Production is a key element in this genre and the results on this EP are up there with the best of them. Packs a punch with a real warm and expansive sound. Best given good volume. Each track creates its own strong case for favouritism so it was hard to pick just one, the memorable hook in 'Digital Echoes' got me though. Can picture these going down a treat in a live setting.

Feels strange using the words 'classic sound', but for my generation it was now some 15- 20 years when out tastes were defined, and these songs do take me back a bit to that 90's era when I was first exploring this genre. It's a direct & raw sound, not so often heard nowadays as everything gets over produced and lacks that real feel. Variety is strong in both music & lyrics, a track for all tastes as no two songs sound the same making repeat listens a breeze. Solid!

Adding to her diverse award winning catalogue, Maini teams up with Magneto Dayo a second time on this track. New York Hip Hop mixed with Swedish Pop. On paper it probably shouldn't work, however it only takes one listen to stick in your head, and when the instrumental version starts playing - you will be singing. Be it the upbeat party style music, or the hook filled infectious chorus. You''ll have no troubles remembering this one.

Great music! R.I.P. is my favorite song

There's nothing like raw and honest lyrics to slap you around a little. Pay close attention on these tunes because they are driven by the vocal lines right from the get go. Closer you listen, the more you will take from it. Sure, there are no shortage of hooks musically, but I think you'll get the most out of these songs by listening closely to the numerous stories being delivered. Production wise everything is well delivered and sounds a treat, nothing hogs the mix and given volume works best!

Well crafted arrangements are the order of the day here. Alot of instrumental guitar rock is very 'solo focused' which can get repetitive. While still front & centre, guitar doesn't hog the mix on here. Bursting with melody & delivered by talented players, there are no shortage of hooks on offer to have these songs stick in your mind & cry out for repeat listening. You don't always need a voice to construct a story & Synergy is hard proof of that. Listen close & see which path it takes you on.

I love keeping an eye on the sounds of various underground scenes around the world & this well crafted compilation showcases selections from the Berlin label. The fact that a lot of these are unreleased cuts makes you want to dig around more as everything on here is high quality & sequenced in a way that it flows perfectly. A unique mix of beautiful sounds that you can just sit back and get lost in. Close your eyes, create your own 2.5hr journey guided by these pure, emotional & quality sounds.

A very productive unit, this album sits in the grungey, slacker rock, shoegaze type pigeonhole, but isn't really typical of just one main sound. Lots of variety on offer and the opening two tracks are probably the best place to start to get an idea what you are in for. I love that they can produce a real crushing / heavy and almost uncomfortable sound without it going for the kill, a sign of great musicianship. You'll need to give some tracks more time than others, but it'll be worth it.