Do you remember the old Terminator movie? Are we living in Terminator times in the music industry? Nowadays there's AI this and AI that... Even AI based mastering software. Bullsh*t... Music is being made by humans for humans, no algorithm will replace that. Music carries emotions and creates emotions. No computer algorithm will replace that or even come close to understanding what emotions to emphasise in the song to make it work better. No AI based mastering software will come even close to bringing out the feel of the song and creating it. Period. Some popular AI based automated mastering platform shouts on its website: "There’s nothing quite like hearing your song polished and ready for release, and thanks to AI, this can happen in an instant. Using machine learning, genre-specific mastering options ensure your audio files always sound best-in-class, with no need for expensive mastering studio rates or complex audio processing software. Say hello to the future of music mastering." I call it bullsh*t... Here`s why... Mastering for example a very complex operation is probably the most human aspect in audio engineering (apart from production and writing the song itself of course). Mastering is not just slapping a few limiters, pushing the track and calling it a day. Mastering apart from emphasising micro and macro dynamics, preventing the tonal balance of the mix is about psychoacoustic. The way we hear and more importantly feel the song. It's about listening. Mastering is about 70% listening, listening and listening again. Your job is to work on the feel finding little magic bits and bringing them out to work for the song, not against. Loudness always comes second. With AI based software the algorithm picks LUFS target, analise the EQ spectrum and tweaks both to achieve some sort of a match with specific template, Mastering is hard not because it's an obscure part of music production, it's hard because of the level of concentration and attention to details required when listening to the material. Mastering is mostly listening, tweaking hardware gear or plugins is only a small part of it, same as focusing only on the frequency balance and LUFS metering (which can be very very misleading with judging the loudness but that`s another story) Mixing and mastering is not only about technical aspects (although it's still important). It's about the vision and feel of the song. Automated mastering uses AI to simulate the decisions made by a mastering engineer. It’s a computer making its best guess about what to do with your music... yes... best guess... How good can it be? Another thing I would like to mention is that mixing doesn't work on compartments. I`m afraid that all AI based software works like that. Your low end will be right only if your mids and high frequencies will be right. Frequency mirror effect is a real thing, not many realise that working on high end actually has an impact on your low end too. Looking mindlessly at LUFS and/or RMS meter without having your mix well balanced frequency wise and with a good crest factor without huge transient spikes is pointless and useless. LUFS (even integrated) is NOT ultimate loudness guidance. So that proves that all algorithms aiming for specific LUFS while doing automated mastering are not a good idea. Don't get me wrong, this software can be useful for preparing a quick rough mix or preparing a quick reference master. Nothing more in my humble opinion. So... A TRADITIONAL MASTERING ENGINEER WILL ALWAYS BE THE ULTIMATE OPTION. Lucas/LUMIC Studio

What elements do we focus on while listening to music? Well... It really depends who you ask, an audio engineer would probably say 'all of them' but the average listener would say something a bit different though... And we all make music for people to enjoy, all people, not only audio nerds (sorry guys, just kidding... ) So what does the average listener, the general audience, focus on the most while listening to music? The answer is simple... vocals and drums. I`m not sure if you`re aware of 'focus points' theory in audio engineering. Basically it says that throughout the entire song there should be focus points that grab listener attention, the elements that stand out at the particular moment of the song. Of course they change as the song develops but mainly they are built by vocals and drums (lead instruments take over when there is no vocals at the moment). That`s why it`s so important to focus on those 2 elements while mixing. If you analise majority of songs, you`ll notice that other supporting elements like guitars, synths, pianos vary from song to song. I`ll focus on guitars as I`m a guitarist (but that applies to other instruments as well)... Let`s take guitars. if you`ll take 10 songs you`ll have 10 differently sounding guitars (even in the same genre), and if they work for the song and more importantly work nicely with the bass guitar then the job is done. When listening to the song we hear that the guitars sound good but our main attention is focused more on both vocals and drums. In this blog post I would like to focus a bit on vocals (it`s a part 1 of well... thousands of future posts about vocals). Us humans, we`re so used to the natural sounding human voice as we hear it on a daily basis. When EQig vocals we should pay attention to the range between 1k and 2.5k Hz as this region is where the frequencies which are sensitive to your natural vocal perceptions live. Messing up them usually leads to unnatural sounding results and our ears will pick it very quickly from the reason stated above. Well… there’s a few things you can do, but let’s not talk about the magic plugin chain or the next cool blinky light to make the vocals sound better. Let’s talk about a great EQ process to get your vocals to clear up and sound amazing in the mix while still sitting nicely in the mix. First thing (after comping, tuning (if necessary), gain staging entire performance, deesing is removing any ringing frequencies. Considering proximity effect and comb filtering, there are usually some ringing frequencies in low mids (I`m not mentioning HPF as this depends on the vocals, song and the way they are recorded), then the next region where ringing frequencies appear is the region around 2,5k and little above. Often vocals sound bad around 700Hz, so that`s the next place to look at. I always cut the very top on vocals, but I do that at the very start. There's nothing nice above 10k (12k tops) - anything up there is just noise. Just be aware of the slope of the filter - a LPF at 10k could be affecting frequencies down to 5k or lower, depending on the slope (the "corner frequency" i.e. 10k of a filter is the point at which it is attenuating the signal by 3dB). The point about those "air" EQs is that they have very broad shapes. The 40k band on the Maag EQ for example affects frequencies down to 3-4k, it just has a very gentle slope, so it's barely noticeable and there's a subtle lift in the audible top end. It's all about the shape of the EQ curve. I will especially cut the high-end on vocals that have been recorded with cheaper microphones because the sound of those high frequencies is usually really nasty! So, LPF vs. air boost.... I might use both to sculpt the tonal balance of the vocal to where it needs to be. Of course numbers mean nothing as every single voice is different but those regions are quite problematic quite often and slightly vary from recording to recording, Also please remember that vocals like dynamic EQ to process the track only when necessary. Let`s go back to tuning... Use it with caution as every pitch tuning brings artefacts and remember not to tune sibilants (separate them from the core part of a particular phrase as this is the first sight of amateur tuning. Remember that autotune was invented in 1997, before that there were countless epic songs where singers could actually sing without depending on technology... And still creating timeless anthems. Just depending on their talent and voice. With all parts being in tune remember this... In the studio we do have a button for pitch correction, we also have a timing button... But we do not have an emotions button. And if the vocal recording is lacking that... there is nothing we can do. Sorry. All good but how do I get my vocals to stand out? Often, we lose the vocals because we are masking the primary frequency. When I say the primary frequency of the voice, I mean the frequency that when you look at an EQ analysis is the high spike. So… let’s say you bring up your vocal track and look at the frequencies with SPAN or your EQ or whatever, and you see that the most pronounced spike is at 1.7 kHz . You want this vocal to stand out…so do this… boost 1 to 2 dB at 1.7 kHz but boost 3 dB at 850 Hz as well. The second frequency is 1/2 of the primary…which will be an octave below. Here’s what will happen. When we hear 2 notes together, in a chord on a guitar for example, we naturally hear the higher note more than we hear the lower note. What we don’t realize though, is that the lower note if actually giving our ear a frame of referenced to interpret the higher note with. The presence of the lower note helps us hear the higher note better. By taking ½ of the primary frequency of the voice and boosting it a touch more than you did the other, you are using the exact same principle. In another post I'll focus on how to make the vocals stand out in mastering and the mix itself by using sidechain and other techniques. Saturate the magic... Saturation very often is the secret weapon when it comes to vocals (either used subtly or for sound designing). I'll generally always put saturation straight on vocals to some extent and have that as the "raw" sound - so the saturated version would go out to parallel channels if they exist. That just comes from my purely analog days where a recorded vocal always came through at least one outboard compressor (sometimes 2), a pre-amp, the analog console, then on to tape - that's a lot of different types and levels of saturation from the gear (not to mention then coming back off multitrack tape, through the console, and out on to stereo tape at the mix!). It's the vocal sound we`re used to, along with most of the general public. Parallel channels then provide support if necessary and the difference between styles and songs is really just a difference in the amount and type of saturation/distortion/compression applied. Generally though, denser mixes would call for a more focused vocal sound, so that means keeping it really controlled - so more compression/saturation directly on the vocal. More open mixes would favour a more parallel approach, so you're keeping all the dynamics of the vocal but using the parallel tracks to add depth/clarity in a more consistent way. Having different processing between sections is definitely a good option. I tend to split the audio on to separate channels though, rather than automate anything, when the changes are for whole sections (so I have a "verse vocal" channel and a "chorus vocal" channel, or whatever). We can write entire books about vocal processing, this was part 1 with some general thoughts There`s still so much to cover with compression, reverbs, slap back delays, paning, using the automation and many more... But that will be cover in another posts. Lucas/LUMIC Studio

What has the biggest value in your studio? Your ears, monitors, and your room are your real tools. Not the plugins or hardware... These only help the real tools to work properly. While many of us focus (or get even obsessed...) with chasing new flashy plugins or buying more and more sophisticated and expensive gear, often forget or neglect aspects that have the biggest impact and biggest value in the music studio. Ears, monitors, and the room itself. We often hear ' Your entire mixing/mastering setup is as good as its weakest link'. In many cases it`s the monitoring environment. Although it`s not the most exciting and sexy thing, we should always focus on that first. Getting new gear and collecting new plugins believing that they will elevate our mixes to the next level sounds like fun but in reality it has much less of an impact than getting the monitoring environment right. Your studio could be lying to you... Room modes cause a null at your listening position, so effectively the room is EQ-ing around that frequency to make it a bit quieter, so that means you make it louder to get it to sound right to you. The top end has the same sort of problems too - speakers not reproducing the frequencies well and flutter echoes in the room masking things. If you’re not getting an accurate representation of the frequency response coming out of your speakers from the listening position, you’re not going to make the right decisions when mixing. A track may seem like it has too much in the low-mids, so you cut and cut and cut but you just can’t seem to get rid of that build-up at 200Hz or something. It's hard to pin it down to one thing without actually hearing the mixes vs. masters and not knowing your room etc., but I think monitoring and room treatment would be the first things to get right. If you can't hear it, you can't fix it. Even in a less than ideal room but with some basic treatment killing some room modes, you can get a long way with just spending a lot of time listening to really high quality commercial masters so you get used to the sound of the room. It can really help to be very careful about what level you are listening to things at too, because even a small change in volume can affect how we perceive the frequency balance. Before you get any new toys make sure your playground is right. Before you get any new toys either analogue or plugins (yes, it also applies to plugins) make sure your room is right. Cover at least the basics when it comes to acoustic treatment, it should be your priority first. Your entire mixing/mastering setup is as good as its weakest link. Even the fanciest gear will be good for nothing when your monitoring environment is not right. And sometimes even basic room treatment makes a huge difference killing some room modes. Same applies when your ears are not trained well enough. All the plugins and gear are only the tools, and even the best tools are good for nothing when you don't know how to use them. The other thing worth mentioning is your ears and how 'experienced' they are. The more you mix and the more experienced you're getting the more you realize that throwing millions of complex techniques into the mix or using plenty of flashy plugins is just pure bullshit. You develop your taste and train your ears. 'Less is more' becomes your technique. These days I think that people focus too much on thousands of superb and complex mixing techniques seen on YouTube and new flashing plugins rather than focusing on what's the most important... Art and the song itself. The message and emotions it carries and how to emphasise them. Just to show you that your ears and talent have the biggest value in your studio take a look at this.... You can have the most modern DAW and dozens of new flashy plugins but still the best mixed and best sounding album in music history is Michael Jackson's 'Thriller'. Mixed nearly 40 years ago, on a pair of Auratone 5c speakers. It shows that nothing beats talent and good ears. So... focus on the most important things first... Your ears, monitors, and your room are your real tools. Make them work... Happy mixing! Lucas/LUMIC Studio

The way your song is mixed, how it sounds is the first impression. Extremely crucial these days when it takes a second to press skip button and your song is gone probably forever. We all want our songs to be perfect, to sound perfectly so they will stand out among the other comertially released songs. Yes... perfect... but hold on... Does perfection even exist in audio world? I said it millions of times. There is NO such a thing as perfect mix. You can always fix, change and tweak something. To know when to leave it and move onto next one is real professionalism and when you show real experience. Can mixes done by the best guys on this planet who charge thousands of dollars for a mix be tweaked and improved? Of course! Also mixing is an art form, kind of performance and it's totally subjective. If you give your song to 5 professional engineers to mix, you'll get 5 different results. It's not even possible to mix the song exactly the same twice. It's a performance. Mixing and mastering is not only about technical aspects (although it's still important). It's about the vision and feel of the song. And we all feel differently. The final result depends on how you feel about the particular song at that moment. It's nearly impossible to end up with two mixes sounding exactly the same. Mixing is not like matching puzzle set. The more we fear and obsess over perfection in mixing and mastering, the less attention is given to making music in a way that actually connects with the audience. So eventually we miss the whole point. Another thing to consider is that it's all subjective, so what would perfection mean in audio world? Even I would call it a perfect mix, it could be only a mediocre work for someone else as this person hear things differently and might like different sound, has different taste. So my point is there is no such a thing as a perfect mix. We all chase that and spend days and months on a mix but it can be always tweaked somehow even after 10 years of working at it. And how does perfection sound? No one knows. Yes, there are standards we should follow and aim for but they are changing all the time. Well... if something sounds really bad it sounds bad (like digital clipping or low end overpowering the rest of the spectrum for example), but we`re not talking about extreme cases. Just listen to the songs from 80s and today's music. All sound different and both songs were mixed to the best of engineers abilities at that time. But because of different trends they sound completely different. Both sound good right? So which one is perfect? Another thing worth mentioning is the fact that many artists deliberately make their records imperfect, including the few cracked notes and slightly rushed rhythms here and there. Good example is Red Hot Chilli Peppers or artists such as Miles Davis. So stop chasing impossible, focus on capturing the essence of the song and it's overall vibe making it sound good instead of chasing perfection. That doesn't exist in audio world. The art of letting go is baked in in the art of music. Be ready for the moment, don`t chase the impossible. Lucas/LUMIC Studio

And we`re all one big family here but starting out the whole new series 'From mixing tips series...' I would like to know how many of you mix/master your own music? What do you struggle the most with? Although there's no such a thing as never or always in mixing... It all depends on both the source material and the song itself but we might encouter some common problems... What are they?

My name is Lucas Michalski, music is my world, my path... I bring considerable 20+ years as a guitarist, composer and musician, my wealth of experience and passion for music. After a long journey as a guitarist in many different bands I decided to start my own solo project which is slightly different from the music I used to play for last years. Then I didn`t stop there.... Few years ago I started LUMIC Studio which finally became my day job as a sound and mixing engineer. What is LUMIC Studio? LUMIC Studio is a fully equipped professional Audio Production & Mixing/Mastering studio to help you elevate your music to new levels. We`re all artists deep down. LUMIC Studio, thanks to its professionalism , experience and providing the best sound possible, helps to emphasize all aspects of your sound and helps you elevate your music to new levels. Providing the best and the most professional service possible to all clients, LUMIC Studio is always welcoming new and existing clients. Every client is always the biggest value being also the key element of the business. This was, is and always will be the priority. Why choose anyone else? While working for dozens of truly amazing artists the biggest achievement of LUMIC Studio is working with Ran Ballard, LA based producer/engineer who in 90s worked with names like Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, Eric Clapton (to name a few). While being mentored by Ran and developing the craft of audio engineering under his wing for quite a long time, LUMIC Studio had an opportunity to re-master one Michael Jackson and two Janet Jackson songs. (this specific portfolio is only available on request). Doing work on this material for Ran and having an opportunity to work on the material of biggest names in music history, definitely gives a firm an edge over what others in the field are offering. If you have music you truly care for and want to give it the edge of iconic artists, LUMIC Studio should be your first choice. LUMIC Studio apart from offering mixing/mastering services also offers custom/exclusive guitar samples/loops/riffs/songs for clients. Thanks to 20+ years of experience as a guitarist, all guitar samples are recorded to client`s specific requirements to fulfill all musical needs and to add the tone and touch to any production As I always try something different, in my own I blend two worlds of rock guitars and atmospheric electronic music, trying to create and capture my own style and own unique sound. By working full throttle I always keep on working on new music, hoping to create enjoyment for my listeners and hoping to bring some emotions and value. Here, in this blog I would like to invite everyone to the new blog where I will share deep (and useful I hope...) knowledge of Mixing and Mastering plus other relevant subjects surrounding music production. I also plan to run some Q&A in the future as well and more importantly hope we all have some music fun here! You can always email me either just to say hello or book you mixing session: lumicstudiomix@gmail.com Lucas/LUMIC Studio

I've been a fan of David's for many years now. He has been among the select few greats that have shaped my own sound since the very beginning of my own journey. So I can say with total honesty that his previous album Rune has been my all time favorite of his. Free Dive from Rune really transported me to new dimensions and I consider one of the best pieces of ambient world building of all time. However... with his soon to be released IN album on April 15th, he has most definitely raised the bar to the stratosphere and beyond! Everything about this album, from the absolutely stunning artwork to the sonic environments crafted with absolute precision, elevate this to a level beyond what us mere mortals hope to achieve. This is inspired work crafted by a true master of his craft, and in my opinion, sets the bar for everyone else to follow, including the greats that influenced it! The first single to be released from IN was Waves Dream of Breaking. Before I heard a note from it, I was struck by the title and what it could mean. What a fun and interesting turn of phrase to start the album off with! It immediately sets the creative mind loose to wander and dream while the music plays, giving you a platform to really launch from. The next single he released from the album was This Burning Sky featuring one of the most amazing vocalist I've heard, Nidhi Bhatmuley. Again, the chosen title and music continues the breathtaking creative journey we embarked on earlier, and gives it wings as we sour into the heavens. What I love most about this song is it reminds me so much of some of the biggest influences of my youth: Enigma, Deep Forest, and Delerium. It is Epic Ethno Ambient at its finest! This Burning Sky (orcd.co) The full album is scheduled to be released April 15th 2022, which is just a few days away! https://orcd.co/helpling-in "These are the melodies and sounds of a child still dreaming and of a man finding endless wonder in the tiniest of places. There are sites where one square inch of forest holds a world of color and life. And complex scenes laid out near the water's edge which inspire so much in David. Peering in to this macro world is at the heart of every piece on the record. The fullness of the concept takes us inward within ourselves and sitting in stillness with the beauty of the self." - THE MUSIC OF DAVID HELPLING For fans of: Patrick O'hearn, Enigma, Ryan Farish, Erick Wollo, Amethystium, Carbon Based Lifeforms, Steve Roach, Ulrich Schnauss, Tony Anderson, Hammock, Thom Brennan, Michael Stearns, 7and5, Brian Eno, Saint of Sin, and many more in the Ambient, Chillout, World, Electronica genres Find David's Profile page here on Blackett Music as well https://www.blackettmusic.com/member/a9988804-c879-4755-a8e1-c3abd9e2c7e0

I am very excited to announce that my good friend Lucas Michalski, owner and founder of LUMIC Studio, will be joining us here as a contributor on the Blackett Music Blog space. Lucas will share his deep knowledge of Mixing and Mastering with us, plus other relevant subjects surrounding music production. Personally speaking, Lucas has been my go-to Engineer for several years now. He mixed and mastered my latest singles and his contributions were profound. I am a big fan of his work. His posts can be found here: https://www.blackettmusic.com/blog/categories/lumic-studio Follow him on Twitter: https://twitter.com/LucasLumic

The first time listening to this record felt like finding a hidden treasure. Why had I never heard this music before? It's that good. It reminds me of the great rock music from the 90's and early 00's, with bands like R.E.M., The Jayhawks and The Replacements or the swedes in Atomic Swing. Even though Fendahlene definitely has their own unique sound and expression. This is a double album released in 2005, combining 13 new tracks with 13 of the bands previous recordings. As the title implies, they were repeatedly close to reaching out to the big masses. Luckily for us, the music is available on all streaming services and on Bandcamp. The opening riff in "Autopilot" sticks in your mind immediately. The stonesy "Drink it down" feels like the song with the highest hit potential, but all songs grow with every listen. "Lost for good" has a chorus with an unstoppable force and makes you sing along. The vocals and storytelling in the lyrics is a vital part of the music, and it's an impressive australian trio that performs these songs. Paul Whitely on guitar and vocals, is backed up by Ashley Hurst on bass and Ben Felton on drums. The backup vocals make the choruses powerful, and in some songs a female vocalist helps turn up the intensity even higher. The second half of the double starts with Glebe Point Road, a powerful rock song with soaring lead guitar. The chorus is a real killer. The band performed this as they headlined the Glebe Street fair in 2004. A curious thing I find is that many of the songs are called something completely different than what you expect. This makes it a bit hard to remember which song you have in your mind at the moment. The last track “Ballad of the Buick Man” is more experimental with a disco-like groove, extended guitar solos and vocals reminiscent of Billy Corgan in Smashing Pumpkins at times. The album has a great variety of songs, from acoustic ballads with americana flavour to riff rock, disco grooves and even gospel like hymns as in the beautiful “Something To Get By”. Fendahlene has a new album out called “High and Low and Back again”, recorded in 2018 and 2019 at Urchin studios in East London. It might even be a better place to first listen to Fendahlene. Then you have the gold mine of this album to discover afterwards. Up to you of course, but you don't want to miss out on Fendahlene. Listen below. Niclas Linde

Back in the late 80's when the landscape of music was changing into the Grunge era and The #Synth sound was on the rise, A new star began his journey into the realm of sound design and music production. Receiving his first midi piano from his parents as a bribe to continue playing piano Ben Blackett continued his quest for musical excellence. Influenced by the sounds of U2 ,Pink Floyd, and Tangerine Dream he developed a sound of his own and pursued a dream. Studying Audio Engineering and Graphic Design He is now a 30 year veteran in the game. His accolades are well deserved and his knowledge is obvious and apparent just by listening to his musicality and creations. Right now I am listening to the spectacular track "Quiet Stillness" https://songwhip.com/ben-blackett/quiet-stillness Jumping right into the #ambient synth progressiveness I can tell you it is one song not to be missed. I love all of the textures enveloping you into the realm he creates. You can almost feel the music as it draws you in closer to hear the changes as it unfolds. It relaxes as it excites all of the synapses in your brain and evokes an overall feeling of Hope, Mystery and the evolution of Sound design. A shining star in the Music world and an amazing friend to all that cross his path. Be sure to like, Subscribe and stay tuned in for all of his genius creations.

As soon as I heard Ania sing the first few notes in her song, "Tuesdays", I heard Gracie Slick of Jefferson Airplane. But Ania adds edge and attitude to this psychedelic hard rock style. Her singing is hauntingly beautiful and tinted with darkness. Listen for 1:28 in the song, where the tempo picks up and Ania' belts out the song's anthem. Not only does Ania deliver an outstanding vocal performance in this song, but her band sounds tight and demonstrates their excellent musicianship.. The superb mix fills all the sonic spaces to create a true rock masterpiece. Ania is an up-and-coming artist and rock singer based in Chicago and LA. Be sure to check out this new track and her other music as her unique style evolves. https://www.blackettmusic.com/song/e5556884-003f-4051-92f4-bff6b5164ad0

Seth Jones’s latest album, “Whiskey Attitude”, brings country nostalgia to the table while simultaneously carrying notes of joy and loss. Jones indulges his audience with an abundance of slide guitar, fiddle solos, and references to heartache, drinking, guns, dogs, and Texas. “Whiskey Attitude” is an ultra-album of sixteen well-written, -performed, and -produced songs. The first four songs of the album are simply terrific. It kicks off with the racing intro to “Lonely, Lonely Self” with a masterful fiddle solo and lyrics that juggle inner despair and outer confidence. The title song, “Whiskey Attitude”, sums up the suffering and guilt that come along with a recent breakup. “Some Do”, arguably the strongest song on the album, reaches out to multiple generations of listeners, from “Pancho and Lefty”-listening parents to their line-dancing children. The song rocks in a style reminiscent of The Eagles with the defiant attitude of Toby Keith. “Better Off Alone” contains a hooky sing-along chorus that one can imagine a barroom-full of inebriated patrons lifting their beers and crowing, “Hope it stings you like a scorpion. Pray it bites you like a snake. And the poison that you gather gets you good, for goodness sake!" The album picks back up with the love song, “You know what I mean”, full of innuendo. “These Dreams” includes a couple of excellent guitar solos. “The Mess” and “I Blame Her” could be about the same person on a different day or a different year, two sides of a flipped coin. Jones really reaches back into country’s roots with “The Better Half”. The intro channels Bob Wills & The Texas Playboys while the chorus and bridge could have been written by Willie: “Even though my life hasn’t gone as I had planned, I’ll keep fightin’ hard to make it through. I have yet to do half the things that I want to, but I plan to do the better half with you.” “When I can’t pretend” is the album’s most lyrically wrenching song full of soul-searching and agony: “How can I love her when I don’t love me”. “High and Mighty” deploys expert storytelling and relatable blue-collar imagery. “Tumble Down” contains more first-rate fiddle-work and vocals that evoke Waylon Jennings. #country #countrymusic #willienelson #waylonjennings #tobykeith #bobwillsandthetexasplayboys #panchoandlefty #sethjones #whiskey #whiskeyattitude #texas

Flashpoint Run’s “Don’t Leave” marries 20th-century rock and 21st-century EDM-pop in a parlance suitable for live performances and dance floors. The song owes markedly to pop with its assumption of electronics, but it also incorporates a spirited guitar solo and driving drums injecting a gritty rock edge. With lush chordal progressions, particularly in the chorus, “Don’t Leave” contains catchy and ambitious songwriting that is both poetic and piercing. Flashpoint Run formed in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 2017. The band consists of lead singer Danny Rossi, guitarist Brian Bastos, guitarist/keyboardist Seth McClaine, bassist Brice Taylor, and drummer Jared Humphrey. Similar to The Cure, Bastille, Simple Creatures #rock #pop #FlashpointRun #TheCure #Bastille #SimpleCreatures #Pittsburgh

Bayat's new song will grab your attention from the moment the music starts. The melodious intro sets the massive Rock tone and lets you know that you are embarking on One Hell of a musical journey. As the Guitar's swing into full effect and the Vocals kick in, you get pulled into a lyrically thought provoking track with Infectious riffs, Banging drums and Vocals that soar throughout. Bayat has created a song that you can actually feel, when the " Madness " ensues. Be sure to follow Bayat on their epic rock journey below. https://www.blackettmusic.com/member/90b7f2de-b6af-4717-9907-44c8ef9852ef

Los-Angeles based Whitney Tai is a singer-songwriter whose music blends pop, rock and electronica. Even though Whitney’s music is technically pop in that it has verses and choruses, it sounds nothing like the bubblegum Top 40 music you hear on the radio. It’s more like the lush, electro-fusion sounds of Moby and Massive Attack. Whitney’s deep, ethereal and silky voice fits perfectly with the cinematic instrumentation and sound design of her backing tracks. Each of her songs sounds like a full movie, and maybe that’s because she lives near Hollywood. Within Whitney’s distinctive sound, she introduces a diversity of styles. For example, “Meet Me on Melrose”, with its guitar and live drum feel, has hints of rock. However, “Electrified”, with its choice of synths and electronic instruments, is more reminiscent of New Wave. My favorite songs in Whitney’s catalog are “Scolded” and “Starfish”. I love “Scolded” because of its dramatic chorus, lush strings and epic vocal harmonies. I love “Starfish” for its clever lyrics. In one part of the song, Whitney references writing a real-life story with her partner: “I guess I like the twisted plot we’ve created”. Plus, I’ve never heard a singer compare her lover and herself to starfish. Bonus points for that one. Whitney Tai is an artist whose complex and imaginative world is definitely worth exploring! https://www.blackettmusic.com/member/6124f741-5241-4462-b15e-33a610ee399d

Well, I felt it was appropriate to begin my review journey on the Blackett Music page with the host! This track has a soft flow at the beginning and the rhythm reminds me a bit of a subdued U2-style underlying energy. Cool piano tones follow to help add interest to an already relaxing mood. This could easily be #soundtrack material and could certainly go well with a #yoga flow. It fits well in the classroom environment and I find myself with a little half smile as this calming feel emanates out into my room. Top notch #ambient music here!