Anya Marina “Spirit School” EP
After a pretty good debut, Anya gives us a taste of her next album with this EP. Anya relocated to Portland, OR and really does a great job with the slow grooves on her lead track “You Are Invisible.” Her vocals still have that sensual half whisper, and the last part of the song uses dramatic strings. A standout here is the gritty dance rocker “Whatsit,” a collaboration with Dandy Warhol’s Courtney Taylor-Taylor. But my favorite is the title track, a note-beat perfect single that hits hard. Hopefully her next full length will take this approach, as “Spirit School” bounces along a killer bass rhythm with the catchy kid chorus “We’re rubber and you’re glue, and no matter what you say we’re gonna stay here right for you.” Anya is an artist that continues to grow and create great music with an attitude and depth that I haven’t heard since Sam Phillips.
Tōmn “Tōmn” EP
Tōmn (pronounced “tome”) aka Tony Maiella is a North American musician based in Boston who fuses rock and Brazilian music, creating lush pop arrangements. This rich combination of influences is really apparent on the melodic opening track “Primeiro Encanto.” Tinkling keys, flamenco rhythms and subtle guitar strums blend together quite nicely here. Tony also knows his way around a ballad as “Will I Still Call You Friend?” is very John Mayer-ish. The forceful “Off The Map” is a bit like Rick Altizer, with multilayered guitars and forceful vocals. Some of the quieter songs have nice little jazz touches, but they seem a bit half baked at times. Enough good stuff here to recommend though.
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