HOLOGRAM BOY™ FEAT. MISS VIRTUALITY - "SINAPSI ATTIVE"

Well CMT readers, if I do nothing else on this blog, I'm pretty sure I bring you things you might not ever see otherwise. Back story: OK, everyone here knows I'm a HUGE Italian synth fan - from Crumar to Siel and so on - and truth be told, Italy has never really gotten the recognition it deserves as a cultural hub for electronic music. Now, Ho studiato Italiano al'universita, e parlo un poco di Italiano (I really should have used Google translate for that but *whatevs*) still, the lyrics to "Sinapsi Attive" went a little too quickly for me to catch. 

Oh yeah, did I mention that we're talking about Hologram Boy's new thumping track "Sinapsi Attive?" This thing's bass hits hard and it's super catchy, very appropriate for late-night club movements. But maybe more than the catchy dance number, is the music video featuring the composer in increasingly amusing settings framed by a skimpy-bikini-clad beauty (can't imagine the guys will be disappointed here). Seriously folks, give it a spin. 

SUAVE_UK "MERRY DRILLMASS"

I think the global lockdowns have accelerated the degrees of oddities coming out of the internet.  It seems that postmodernism has taken on a completely new meaning where not only is every form of expression viable - but more so, the staggering reservoir of content that surprises me is endless. How does the old addage go? Once I think I've seen everything...

Suave UK, who we've covered a few times on this blog, is out with a new video titled: "Merry Drillmass." The song itself is a techno/hip-hop reworking of its parody namesake "We Wish You a Merry Christmas," but done repeatedly. The music video is whimsical (including Santa in an alley doing the "Kid n' Play" dance interspliced with cooking videos of a holiday turkey), which leads me to believe Mr. Suave is not taking himself too seriously on this - but one never knows about today's celebrities. 

Terry Blade "Unmastered - The Demo Sessions." EP

This week I was passed an advanced copy of singer/songwriter: Terry Blade's upcoming EP titled "Unmastered - The Demo Sessions," a heartfelt and meditative five-track album that's a little tricky to pin-down genre-wise (in the best way). Blade actually makes a point of this in his bio, stating that "his work is grounded in his experience as a black queer artist."

Songs like "Not Right Now" and "Ms. Understood" show us an intimate guitar-oriented ballad type of mood, whereas "Rude" has a quirky dance-music quality that seems to have a little hint of musical theater. "Stone" is a rhythm-n-bluesy slow jam, and "untangled" sounds like Blades take on indie-rock. Though the songs show great variety in style, the whole work is tied together by Terry Blade's luscious baritone voice.

"Unmastered - The Demo Sessions," as the title might imply, has a decidedly lo-fi quality to it. This style of recording/songwriting makes for a very familiar sound - like Terry is your friend and he's showing you his newest work, and in a world of perfect pitch-corrected, loop-based, sterility, this is a welcome attitude. I think more than anything, what we long for in our modern age is a sense of individuality from our artists and Terry Blade has individuality for days. 

Find more about Terry Blade, and listen to his music here. 

The Undecideds "Even the Losers" (Tom Petty Cover)

It was last week I was in rehearsal with a new Jazz ensemble and we got onto the subject of Billie Eilish and the role her brother has played in her music/success. I was remarking (being the only musician in my family) how nice it would have been to have a sister that sings/co-writes... etc. It was then that I remembered my two newest favorite brother and sister duo: "The Undecideds." I was equally happy to be alerted to their video, a cover of Tom Petty's "Even the Losers."

Of course, I could rehash how talented these "kids" are for their age, yadda yadda. But I think I'm more impressed with the fact that these two seem to have internalized rock music that is older than they are - which means that "the sound of a generation" is taking on a whole new meaning. If Tom Petty is still relevant 40 or so years after his heyday, in a time of infinite music to consume, I think it's safe to say that young pioneers understand objective quality in music maybe more than any other generation. 

Oh, and BTW, they also have great original tunes also.