This week's LITM Rock Picks Present New & Alternative Spheres with artists like Hyporadar, Lenny Jennings, and Matt DeAngelis.
Hyporadar - This Ain’t The Day I Die
Hyporadar is the passion project of Shane Duquette, an artist with a vision like no other. He makes the alternative realm as we know it even more alternative. ‘This Ain’t The Day I Die’ explores a razor sharp, minimal flow that details a fuzzy and disoriented headspace. The beats are raw and the grooves are mellow but you can’t ignore the presence that they bring. And the vocals, uninflected, and deliberately dry, forge a very detached landscape. The hooks keep on coming, sliding, funky, bluesy and underground smooth, nicely rounding up a retro vibe that you can just drift into. Its repetitive nature, nicely glazed with hypnotic calls.
Lenny Jennings - Phases
Lenny Jennings brings an atmospheric soundscape with latest release, ‘Phases’. With slow burning riffs, deep grooves, and molten guitar melodies, he forges heartache, sensuality, and love. There are alternative elements like hip-hop rhythms, emo, and pop that turn up the rock. We see modern electronica manifest as cerebral synth patterns, forming waves and ripples in the transition. And all of this, so vivid and varied, is contextually, stylistically tied up with the fluid vocal dynamics. We see deep rock core driving into the song, fuzzy and intense, but soft and softening in a way that songs about love often get.
Matt DeAngelis - For Better
Matt DeAngelis has put out his latest single, ‘For Better’. The singer-songwriter and acoustic rock artist has an incredible musical pulse. The kind that carries into you and keeps vibrating, stays alive for many days to come. This track is built with free flowing riffs, luminous grooves, grand guitar showcases, and a lush vocal line. There is a classic rock influence that takes you back to artists like Queen. But there’s also a new age rock and singer-songwriter flow that takes over and nicely balances it all out. That intimacy of the latter with the culture of the former makes for quite the listening experience.
Teika & The Raw Beat - Bones n Stones
Teika & The Raw Beat is an explorative banner of singer-songwriter, Teika. She expands across the spectrum of folk rock and blues, crafting it with raw acoustics and bare beats, all of it lifting suggestively into her vocals. Her latest release is the ‘Bones n Stones’ album, a collection that discovers moments, claims memories, and describes a life lived. The title track is made like a single shot movie, a slow-moving frame that dotes on details, feelings, emotions, and everything in between. Piano melodies, string work elevate the energy of the acoustics, forging them with dimensions as we flow into the climax.
Block - The Ring Slipped Off
Block is a singer-songwriter and alt folk artist who strives to bring new interpretation to the genre. The artist describes himself and his style as anti-folk, as he moves away from orthodox and traditional expression. In his song, ‘The Ring Slipped Off’, he leans into his lofi songwriting style, expansive textures, and influence of indie rock. The song forms in phases. First comes the soft, trickling, nostalgic acoustic folk. Plush melodic moments appear like mirages throughout the song. It is raw and rustic. And flowing into the later parts, we see a rush of indie rock, illuminating the horizon like a rising sun. That gleam and luminescence is intoxicating, so refreshing and leaves you wanting more.
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