When an English professor puts together an album, one can expect some interesting twists and turns, as well as more depth than meets the eye (or perhaps in this case, the ear). John Helix’s Chronic Happiness has that. Set to be released in March, Helix writes retro-tinged pop rock he describes as “weltschmerz”, German for… Read More Music Review: John Helix – ‘Chronic Happiness’
Orange County trio Echo Sparks, featuring CC Kinnick on vocals and guitars, DA Valdez on vocals, guitars, banjo, and drums, and Cindy Ballreich on upright bass and mandolin, released last month a new full length album, Ghost Town Girl which brings together country, folk, and rock. The most striking feature of this album are the… Read More Music Review: Echo Sparks – ‘Ghost Town Girl’
The first book in the Seeking Happily Ever After series, How Do You Know? is Meredith Schorr’s latest offering, published in December 2014. It combines likeable characters, an engaging story, and a continuously moving plot that will keep readers going well into the night. Its only weakness is the unsatisfying exploration of the all-important question… Read More Book Review: ‘How Do You Know?’ by Meredith Schorr
What happens in Enchantasia, a.k.a. Fairy Tale Land, when you get caught for thieving? Sassy 12 year-old Gilly finds out for herself when she gets caught helping her parents (unbeknown to them) making ends meet. After all, one has got to do what one needs to do when one has five little brothers and sisters… Read More Book Review: ‘Fairy Tale Reform School: Flunked’ by Jen Calonita
Filled with contagious, riff driven sounds and raw vocals, the six tracks on Return for Refund’s self-titled EP combines elements of hard rock, punk, metal, funk, and blues. The last two songs are also clearly tinged with a southern twang. That members Drew Clementino (vocals, guitar), Sasha Molotkow (guitar, backing vocals), and Karlis Hawkins (drums,… Read More Music Review: Return for Refund – Self-Titled
Heather Powell’s song writing career began with her 2012 album Believe it to Life. With 2015’s A Haze of Grays and Blues, Powell add another ten tracks to an already impressive résumé, showcasing again her crystal clear vocals and relentless optimism. Tomás Doncker has not only signed on Powell through his production company, True Groove… Read More Music Review: Heather Powell – ‘A Haze of Grays and Blues’
The United Kingdom is now offering us Mark Maze, who pours his London attitude in this full album of pop, electric, pop rock, and R&B hybrids that speak mostly of heartbreak and individualism. This makes for particularly insightful lyrics in most of the songs in Uncomfortable Truths that could make for very interesting individuals musings… Read More Music Review: Mark Maze – ‘Uncomfortable Truths’
In this, the second edition of the very recently added feature on Sahar’s Reviews—a monthly round-up of my wonderful husband’s reviews—he brings to you four more reviews (which are also available on his blog and on Goodreads): Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal, by Eric Schlosser, How Soccer Explains the World:… Read More Sahar’s Reviews Presents: Borna’s Monthly Book Roundup Number 2
Long-time singer Liz Graham released last month her new single, “Charcoal on a Canvas”, a song about wanting to know a person on a deeper level. The metaphor is an interesting one, as charcoal is literally a hands-on drawing method the use of which gets the artist’s hands quite dirty. For the artist to be… Read More Music Review: Liz Graham – ‘Charcoal on a Canvas’ Single
The Torn Images released a full length album called Reviver last November. The ten tracks put together by this California based alternative, indie rock band come after two well received EP and hopefully marks the beginning of a long and successful career. The album opens with the electric guitar driven of “The Drifting”, the mid-tempo,… Read More Music Review: The Torn Images – ‘Reviver’