The first I heard of Kelcey Ayer as JAWS OF LOVE was through his single, bearing the same name..and I immediately fell in love with the stunning emotive debut… and then comes along the release of album ‘Tasha Sits Close To The Piano’ – I had to check it out ; I’d be a fool not to.
The debut single that stole my heart, kicks off the album with a heart wrenching piano dominating the five-minute piece with a soft electro-synth bass joining in at a later stage, giving the production that smooth eighties pop feel.
As you get use to the mesmerising keys in the introductory single, Ayer – also a songwriter, vocalist and pianist for band LocaL Natives – pulls the rug underneath the feet and switches direction. ‘Hawaiian Licence Plates’ and ‘Everything’ up the tempo in the set, with its melodic and atmospheric drive reverberating throughout.
The heartfelt plucks of the lone guitar makes way and takes centre stage in ‘Love Me Like I’m Gone’, where Ayer’s lilting vocals goes down a treat – definitely a highlight of the album. Coldplay-esque electronic soundscapes follows in ‘Before The Hurting Lands’, before concluding on soothing on note with another Coldplay-esque piece ‘Nightlight’, featuring the return of that infamous rhythmic piano chords, this time working in unison of the near soaring violins.
‘Tasha Sits Close To The Piano’ is such a simple and pure collection which may not sound great on paper – but there are some real gem moments within the set – it’s really impossible to hate…head over to iTunes and have a listen for yourself.
Vinyl release of the album is on the 3rd November.
Must Listens: Jaws Of Love, Everything, Love Me Like I’m Gone, Nightlight
Roughly three months after the release of his mixtape, ‘The Blu Tape 2’, DIZZY RAMBUNCTIOUS is back with another body of instrumentals entitled ‘Cyberpunk’.
Continuing the theme from his previous mixtape, the producer from New Jersey drops the jazzy sensation in favour for the smoothness of modern soul working in unison of his trademark: that heavily dope bassline.
I reckon DIZZY RAMBUNCTIOUS is probably one of the most underrated producers in the underground scene – don’t let his hard work go to waste; check out ‘Cyberpunk.’
Must Listens: Ride, Comfort Zone, One Piece, All That I Want, Tokyo Ghoul(s)
J.A.S (Just A Star) returns to the blog’s spotlight and drops what could be his hottest jam to date…
The South African rapper and producer enlisted some of the most respected rappers from the US – Twisted Insane, Mickey Factz, and Emilio Rojas – for track entitled ‘The Massacre.’ Starting with a brief smooth intro, five-and-a-half minute banger launches into sporadically – dope arrangements, where each emcee effortlessly deliver a laid back flow.
J.A.S previously stole NEW LEASE MUSIC’s Song of the Month hot spot in June, with ‘Set Me Free’, a collaborative house track with fellow producer Mpho.
‘The Massacre’ is out today on via iTunes…but before you head out, you better listen to this bad boy production…and remember, you heard it first on NEW LEASE MUSIC!
Coming straight out of Huntsville, Alabama, RAYED R has garnered a lot of attention of late. His latest mixtapes titled ‘In Due Time’ and ‘The Real Quarter 6ix’ helped him to establish his sound and a solid fan base.
Since the release of these projects, the rapid emcee has been vigorously working on new singles, including killer track, ‘What Do I Do’. The banger was released along with a music video which will sure get RAYED R even more attention….check it out!
It’s Bryce Alvord (left) and DJ Celsius911’s turn – aka SOHO KINGS – in the NEW LEASE MUSIC hot seat. Hailing from the Big Apple, the duo dominated the blog with latest track, ‘Life of the Party’, stealing the blog’s Song of the Week title for three weeks running in August and for two weeks this month (check out the chart show on Instagram). I think it’s about time we find out more about these guys…
NLM: First of all, thank you for agreeing to do an interview with NEW LEASE MUSIC.
C: Anytime! We appreciate what you’re doing for independent artist and music overall.
B: Thank you so much for the support!
NLM: How did Soho Kings come to life?
B: Cel and I met back in the day when we were both young artists on a now defunct indie label here in NYC. We became friends and collaborators, and I used to front rock bands and Cel would perform with my band on stage. The label fell apart, and my band starting to head different ways so I started to produce myself. I was gonna make a solo pop album, but the very first track I made, it sounded like hip hop to me so I was like “Let me hit my boy Cel, the best rapper I know to get on the track”. It ended up being the easiest, most fun and best sounding track I ever made, all my music connects went crazy for it, and we just kept making records. Done about 50 together now I’d say….
C: Yeah it was just easy to collab with Bryce. It felt natural. Once we made that first song we just said we should be doing this more often.
NLM: Your track ‘Life of the Party’ went down a treat with NEW LEASE MUSIC’s readers. What’s the public response to the track beyond this blog?
C: It’s getting a lot of love and sounds great in the club. It was fun to record so I’m glad that people feel that energy and reciprocate it.
B: Yea people close to me and in the industry have said they think it might be our best yet. So, great!
NLM: You guys have a pretty electrifying discography. What’s your proudest work and why?
B: We try to progress every track. Honestly I think we both feel that every time we record it’s the best we’ve ever done. We have some unreleased stuff we’re sitting on and ‘Life of The Party’ is our most recent release. We’ve made some biting political tracks that I’m proud of that I wish would’ve gotten a little more attention, like “War”, “Who Will Save Us”, and “No Luck (Birds Chained to The Sky)”.
C: Those records are even more relevant now. We,ll always continue to speak our minds through music regardless of what people think.
NLM: How would you describe your sound to potential fans?
B: That’s a tough one. I’d say it’s a lot like what’s hot in hip hop now with the melodies and trap influence, but has elements of electronic music and alternative rock, and of course all with that Brooklyn edge.
C: We’re current because we love music but we’re also different for the same reason.
NLM: If you had to collaborate with ONE mainstream artist who would it be?
C: One is tough but I’d probably say Big Sean.
B: Damn, another tough one. I might go with Young Thug that dude is so sick.
NLM: If you had three wishes to change the music industry today, what would they be?
B: I remember being a little kid and really into music and the CD store was such a magical place. The artwork was more important, album releases planned meticulously, and you had to buy the cd or someone else had to show you the music. I wish there was more money for more people in the industry, there weren’t so many slimy dishonest individuals on the outskirts, and live shows had more musicianship.
C: More originality, less corporate . I also wish there were better music videos out there. I see a few independent artists and some major artists getting creative with visuals but overall there’s not too many good music videos out there.
NLM: So what are your plans for 2017?
B: Gonna hit a lot of college campuses and tour some this fall and winter, and release our best music yet. Hopefully you might hear us in some movies or TV shows coming up.
C: A lot of shows and a lot more music. We love making music and the process of continually trying to make better music. So look out for more music,shows, and more videos. Our best video yet is coming real soon. You heard that hear first!!
NLM: How can potential fans make contact with you?
B: @SohoKings everything, hit us up online, or come to our main hangout Pianos in the lower east side, we might be there!
NLM: Finally, if music didn’t exist, what would you do?
C: Something involving film so directing, producing, and writing. Though films utilize music so i don’t know if that’s the best answer lol.
B: I’d probably be concentrating on my acting. I love comedy and Improv. And nightlife, always partying!
