This year was pretty damn incredible for music. The top 40s had nothing but awesome number one songs. However, I managed to find plenty of black sheep from pop to hip hop to shoegaze. Here we go! Meghan Trainor – Dear Future Husband Oh boy…first off, I like Meghan Trainor. I think she’s a talented vocalist who made some
Read moreFar too many people in Milwaukee hip hop don’t know the name Rusty Pelicans. Even if everybody did, it still wouldn’t be enough people. 20 years after their formation, the group that paved the way for a lot of artists locally, and toured nationally, are back with a new single. Appearing sporadically for the last decade, this is one of
Read moreAfter an exodus on good terms from Higher Education Records, Sean Smart has branched off into his own creative circle, essentially rebranding himself and further crafting his sound. Fast forward a little bit, and you have “Sean Smart: The Mixtape”. The tape still features Sean’s ruthless style, but something feels just a bit askew from the HER days. That feeling
Read moreFile this under the “Allen Slept On It For Too Long” category. A few weeks ago, Uni-Fi Records put out their “RapLords” album, featuring the likes of Dana Coppa, SPEAKEasy, and producer Mammyth. The album also includes features from Signif, Skyzoo, Von Alexander, Haz Solo, and a whole host of others. In an era that lacks a lot of substance
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Higher Education Records can proudly boast that they currently have two of the hardest working DJs in Milwaukee, and just about any given night, you can catch Annalog or Moses spinning somewhere around town. Annalog, however, is emerging in her own right, as a very talented DJ, and her first mix, “Fall Feels” is nothing short of a 22 minute
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Von Alexander has gone through a lot of changes as an artist over the past few months. Shedding a moniker, and rebranding his style ever so slightly, he unleashed “Von”. Essentially the EP is the debut of Von Alexander’s new sound and style, and in typical fashion, both come on strong. “Von” has a very cohesive sound, with a flair
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Ray Nitti is a very busy man in Milwaukee. While he made his name through music, namely the pop radio single “Bow”, he is also involved with several other organizations that keep him occupied outside of music. However, Nitti recently graced us with a new track via SoundCloud, “Boss City”. The track was produced by Elusive Orkestra, and showcases a
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Everything that New Age Narcissism does lately seems to be turning heads in Milwaukee. The movement, quarterbacked by WebsterX, is known for expanding their sound, regardless of genre, into something completely different and unique. Enter “KidX”, the EP from WebsterX and Q The Sun, which is in part an homage to Radiohead’s “Kid A”. In a post on Facebook, Q
Read moreRecently, Milwaukee indie group Tapebenders premiered their visuals for “Easy Eyes”. The video follows the journey of a Jamus Andrest illustrated stick figure, set to a smooth, brooding score from the band. The video is in preparation of Tapebenders’ album, “Set Your Life On Fire”, to be released in the coming weeks. In the meantime, “Easy Eyes” makes for the
Read moreYoung Milwaukee emcee IshDARR is doing things his own way, and generating a lot of love both locally and internationally. The 19 year old rapper is currently touring Europe, and found the perfect location in Luxembourg to film the video for “Somebodies”. Short and to the point, the track goes extra hard in under two minutes. Ish definitely isn’t wasting
Read moreMissy’s back, and in prime form. Her return is “WTF (Where They From)”, and the Pharrell accompanied single is definitely a signature sound of both artists. Missy’s never-quite-the-same flow (and visual presentation) is matched by Pharrell’s flawless production, and we even get a flow slightly reminiscent of the early N.E.R.D. days. Check out the video below:
Read moreReggie Bonds is definitely back at it, in the new visuals for “Mad Scientist”. Directed by the always talented Cody LaPlant and Damien Klaven, Reggie carries the torch for true emcees, spitting bars through a series of dark, ambitious settings. Arguably better than the rest of the video, Bonds switches up the flow and absolutely kills it, so make sure
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Get the tracking ready on your VCR, because Soul Low are back with a new music video, this time for “Always Watchin’ Out” from their Sweet Pea EP. The video, in all of its lo-fi glory, features Cat Ries from NO/NO and Rio Turbo harassing the nerdy Soul boys. With some awesome visual work via By Matt Plain, Dan Black
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Milwaukee garage-pop outfit The Royal are back with a new single, “In My Sleep”. It’s been a while since we’ve heard from the guys, but luckily for all of the Royalists out there, the new track is everything they’ve been waiting for. As always, you can expect to hear some ever-so-catchy lyrics, and a hook that you won’t be forgetting
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Chicago’s Super Fresh Bros. are constantly busy, whether it be as a duo or on respective solo projects. The latest offering is a solo track from C Money, with his verse over Drake’s “I’m The Plug” from What A Time To Be Alive. The track is one of the first slices of a project entitled “$$$ Wave” that we can
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One of the more interesting stories in Milwaukee hip hop is that of Klutch, an up and coming artist with a pop song, influenced by almost everything under the sun. While some may label him as a Christian artist, and others may say that he is strictly a pop act, the blending of his different styles creates something uniquely it’s
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One of Milwaukee’s most buzzed about bands right now is GGOOLLDD, an energetic dose of electro-pop with a touch of glam rock. The group both recently announced and subsequently released their “For The Night” EP within the past week, and it definitely lives up to the hype as the follow up to their impressive “$tandard$” EP that helped create their
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Vincent VanGREAT is establishing himself as one of the breakout players in Milwaukee’s notoriously talented SAFS Crew. His latest offering, released in conjunction with Uni-Fi Records, is more of that high quality product, with the awesome visuals for “Killer Steez”. Encompassing everything that’s great about summertime Chicago, Vincent VanGREAT raps his way through the loop, accompanied by his own smooth
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There are few bands in Milwaukee that truly create the hysteria that The Living Statues do. There’s something to be said about the group of dapper indie rockers with a flair for all things retro. If you’ve seen them live, you’ve experienced the edgy pop-rock with the energy turned up a notch or two. Also, if you’ve seen them live,
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The frontwoman from the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s, Karen O, is no stranger to strong, dramatic vocal performances. If you look at just about anything in her career, you can tell that there’s a huge level of emotion poured into her work. Naturally, her vocals fit well in the soundtrack to a dramatic video game, so it’s fitting that “I Shall
Read moreLast week Alex DeLeon announced a new project called Bohnes. Seeing as how he was the last remaining member it’s safe to say that The Cab is officially dead. How unfortunate cause The Cab were incredibly underrated. They found this happy mix between pop rock and straight pop. From DeLeon’s powerful voice to Ian Crawford’s shredding, I thought they were
Read more“Folk” is not a word I lovingly throw around. A genre that once symbolized American tradition and roots, it now leaves a bad Mumford-ized taste in my mouth, and seemingly, the mouths of many. The ebb and flow of trends, the social and cultural relevance behind the manifestation of them fascinates me. Folk music is no exception, as it has
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