'UP IN THE AIR' / DISCO SHRINE: SINGLE REVIEW


BY EMMA SCHOORS

Indie/electro pop artist Disco Shrine recently released a track titled Up In The Air, proving the high and low energy contrasts of the different realms of pop are very much alive and well. The song contains gloomy yet intriguing verses leading up to explosive choruses. It tells the story, quite literally, of her parents immigrating to America from Iran, painting a picture of flying from place to place. It’s accurate in the struggles that face the current state of America and its views on immigrants, heading straight on into the topics that need to be talked about in today’s music and art. It’s catchy yet meaningful and perfect for anyone facing the backlash of today’s society, or wanting a better understanding of it. Disco Shrine’s social media’s + music whereabouts can be found below.

 
 

FIND DISCO SHRINE ONLINE

WEBSITE     TWITTER     INSTAGRAM     FACEBOOK


'CLEAR BLUE' / ELESA MARMO: EP REVIEW


BY GABRIELA F. JIMENEZ CARRILLO

image1.jpeg

Backseats, winding roads, and boys whose names you’d rather forget are all the scenery that  Elesa Marmo’s four track EP bring to mind. The young singer’s first foray into becoming a one person act after her indie duo project The Wilts comes of eager and fresh faced. It could easily be dropped into a coming of age movie soundtrack. Although Clear Blue is split into two different genres, pop and indie, it is truly in the indie songs, such as Swimming Pools, where Marmo’s voice and talent shine. Not unlike her previous work in The Wilts, the indie tracks are soothing and yet relay a relatable message. Clear Blue is definitely worth the listen and we look forward to hearing more from the aspiring singer.

 

FIND ELESA ONLINE

TWITTER     INSTAGRAM     FACEBOOK


'ONE MORE LIGHT LIVE' / LINKIN PARK: ALBUM REVIEW


BY COLIN X. BIRKMIRE

20171115_175140_10272_1023287.jpeg

Linkin Park… Where do I begin? Numb, In the End, Crawling, and so many more are modern classics. More so, they are anthems of a generation of people who know that in the end it doesn’t even matter, life continues around us. Linkin Park has become a global phenomenon, so it came as a shock when lead singer Chester Bennington, father of six children, and musical genius, tragically died in 2017. While Chester had suffered from many issues throughout his life, it was still a shocking death to his followers. To celebrate his life and music, the other members of Linkin Park released a live album of their final show with Chester.

The album, One More Light Live, opens with Talking to Myself, a song that truly highlights Chester’s vocals while also producing addictive song lyrics which exhibit many emotions that he must have been experiencing. Next up is Burn it Down, another song highlighting the lead singers vocals, which never gets old to listen to, and never disappoints. Onto Battle Symphony, a song that makes one mentally prepare for their own battle, all the while hearing Chester tell the listener to, “… never back down.” This message from Chester gives the listener the feeling that he is speaking to them. The album continues with a selection of other great hits, including Invisible which highlights Mike Shinoda’s vocals which listeners rarely get to hear. Finally, the last song on the album is Bleed it Out, a great way to end the album, which really highlights the style of Linkin Park. The whole album is a great way to celebrate the life of Chester Bennington, and the legacy that he leaves behind. His music will outlive him and the rest of his band. Rest in peace Chester, and thank you for your beautiful music.

 

BELLE MT: INTERVIEW


INTRO BY MELISSA TUCKER

INTERVIEW BY CAMI LIBERTY

PHOTO COURTESY OF SIDEWAYS MEDIA TEAM

PHOTO COURTESY OF SIDEWAYS MEDIA TEAM

In a world filled with great talent, it can be hard to stand out from the crowd. One way to make an impression is by making music that is authentic. The lead singer of Belle Mt does just that with his latest song “Loving You.” Matt Belmont found his angelic sound in a friend’s unfinished family home in the French Alps. After collaborating with award winning Nashville-based producer Femke Weidema, the London born indie artist began releasing awesome tracks like “Hollow” and “Let Me” in 2017. As Belle Mt enters 2018, fans can expect more captivating lyrics and beautiful vocals to echo deep in their hearts and minds.

 

When was the moment that you first realized that you wanted to pursue music?

"I’ve always worked towards making music my career, for as long as I can remember I’ve been convincing people that I would make it happen. I don’t know where that internal self-belief comes from but I’m so grateful to have it. I guess part of it is trying to prove doubters wrong, everyone has those early on and it’s something you have to get used to because it seems that the more doubters you convince and get onside as you pick up momentum, the more you seem to pick up along the way!"

 

In your own words, how would you describe your music?

"I’ve thought about this one a lot and currently I’d say it's atmospheric, cinematic, lyrical indie folk-pop... when I use the term ‘pop’ it's such a wide genre encompassing everything from the Beatles (Rock Pop), to Marvin Gaye (Soul pop), Bob Marley (Reggae pop) that it without a doubt encompasses what I do. If you’re writing music that connects with enough people, you’re writing some form of pop. It’s not a dirty word it just means ‘Popular'."
 

At one point when you first started this project, you retreated to your friend’s unfinished family home in the foothills of the French Alps to experiment with your music. How do you think this environment helped you as an artist?

"It gave me a distraction-free space where I could be simultaneously inspired and bored enough to find that spark. I wrote there at the end of an 18-month period where I'd banned myself from writing songs for my own projects until I was overflowing with ideas. After a while the ideas started to come out in my dreams... daydreams and night dreams. At this point I drove a car full of recording stuff to this house in the south of France in Autumn and locked myself away in one of the least finished rooms known as ’The Batcave’ ...because of the bats. In 7 days, I came up with new songs, the basis of a sound and the name of the project - Belle Mt [Beautiful Mountain]. It was a total relief after all of that time."


 
You recently released your song Loving You. Can you tell us a little about the song and the inspiration behind it?


"It happened in the middle of the night after an argument, a pretty heated one. My girlfriend slammed the bedroom door and went to sleep and I sat in our living room wide awake, eventually picking up my guitar and playing around some chords I had, just to get out of my own head a bit. The lyrics that came were based around what I wanted her to know at the point when I’d calmed down and escaped the heat of the moment, but now it was 4am and she had work the next day so all I could do was to write them in that song. I didn’t ever think it’d get released at that point, it just felt like therapy but then my producer Femke heard the song and loved it, we edited it together and added the falsetto bit at the end of the chorus and suddenly it was a real song."


What lyric of yours would you say you are most proud of/has stuck with you the most?

"I love the line "Lonely is her favorite place to be" from 'Hollow'. It somehow manages to be melancholic and dramatic and to paint an all too familiar picture in just 7 words. Those types of lines seem to just be delivered up by your conscience and because of that they’re certainly the purest. I also like “…oh I can’t even help myself, so how do I handle someone else?” from 'Loving You'… complete vulnerable desperation."

 

What do you hope people take from your music?

"I hope they connect with it and feel something. Sometimes that should be elation, sometimes reflection and sometimes sadness, those are all healthy emotions! I don’t really think about other people and what they may think when writing but I’m so grateful when the music connects." 


Is there anything else that we can expect from you in the near future?

"There are two tracks coming in January and many, many more in the rest of 2018. Also, LIVE, we can’t wait to bring this music to you live!"

 

 

FIND BELLE MT ONLINE

WEBSITE     TWITTER     INSTAGRAM     FACEBOOK


THE BAD BEES: INTERVIEW


INTRO BY MIKAYLA LAWLESS

INTERVIEW BY CAMI LIBERTY

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE BAD BEES

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE BAD BEES

The Bad Bees, an indie rock band from Philadelphia, has recently dusted off some older songs previously created and has revamped them with harmonizing vocals and raw emotion. The EP, titled “Big Pretty,” reflects the spirit and liveliness of each band member. In this interview, we ask the band about fun behind the scenes and what brought them all together to create this once in a lifetime journey. Enjoy!

 

How did you guys first come together as a band?

"After college we all would get together and have jam sessions in Jake's grandma's cold, dirty, and slimy basement. It wasn't until a few months later that we began to get more serious with our playing and formed what is now known as The Bad Bees."

 

How would you describe your music in three words?

"Fast Paced Space."

 

You recently released your EP titled Big Pretty. What was the process like creating it?

"Writing music together is always a blast. We all try to be as open minded as possible. So wIth Big Pretty a lot of the songs were created a while back, but we kind of revived them, shook some dust off, and made them into something that we thought related to the sound we are aiming for."

 

Out of the songs on the EP, which are you most proud of and why?

"The Canyon is the one we are most proud of. It has so much energy, and emotion which relates back to when we wrote it and where our mindsets were at the time."

 

Before the EP was released, you released a music video for the lead single BooWho. Do you have any favorite memories from filming that video?

"During the weekend of the music video we stayed at Antonio Esposito’s place who is our photographer and the person who made the music video. He also has two cats in which Jt is very allergic to, so every night when we were trying to sleep we heard Jt slowly dying due to his throat closing up. Boy do we love a good ole Jt almost dying story."

 

Is there anything else that we can expect from you in the near future?

"New music, more shows, and nice sounds."

 
 

FIND THE BAD BEES ONLINE

WEBSITE     TWITTER     INSTAGRAM     FACEBOOK     YOUTUBE