Review: Loyalty To Me – Clash // Coexist

Loyalty To Me - Clash Coexist

New Jersey emo quintet Loyalty To Me have burst onto the scene with their debut EP Clash // Coexist. With vibes and styles that range from pop punk sensibilities of Cartel to the punchy guitars of New Found Glory, this band has made a catchy collection of songs on their introductory record. Led by charismatic vocalist Wil Jackson, Loyalty To Me created a solid mix of alternative rock, emo and pop punk that is sure to give them a loyal following in the months to come. While not covering too much new ground in the scene, they still hone in on their influences and work with their strengths as artists for a pleasing and breezy set of five songs on this EP.

Read More “Loyalty To Me – Clash // Coexist”

Review: Jess Williamson – Sorceress

Jess Williamson - Sorceress

Something spellbinding occurs on “How Ya Lonesome,” the midway point of Sorceress – the fourth album from Texas-native, LA-based musician Jess Williamson – her already magnetic universe opens up before us in a kaleidoscope of hazy ‘70s cinema and meditative psychedelia, offering a story of love and uncertainty beside weaving pedal steel guitar, piano and synths. Sorceress sees Williamson remain true to her country roots while growing in ambition.

Williamson weaves untamed love letters to our confounding present and uncertain future – accompanied by musings on femininity (she questions what it means to be an aging woman in this society on “Ponies in Town”: “Am I aging well? Am I just an aging well?”), the pursuit of perfection; a search for meaning via Tarot, astrology apps and crystals; evocative critiques of capitalism and living online and details the lives and deaths of loved ones. Sorceress is an album about loss – lost innocence and facing mortality head-on – and self-assured insight. These reflections orbit around Williamson’s superb voice, a pure voice, a voice of might and vulnerability.

Read More “Jess Williamson – Sorceress”

NAV Tops the Charts

NAV has the number one album in the country this week:

NAV nabs his second No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart, as Good Intentionsstarts atop the tally. The album was released on May 8 via XO/Republic Records, and earned 135,000 equivalent album units in the week ending May 14, according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data. Of its total starting unit sum, album sales comprise over half of that figure — 73,000, with nearly all of the sales driven by merchandise/album bundles sold via NAV’s official webstore.