If you’re looking for some new beach music, check out the latest from these artists, who are changing the game on their latest albums.
FDLER
“FDLER”
So Plaid Music/Linus Entertainment
FDLER is the collaboration between out award-winning singer-songwriter and fiddler Ashley MacIsaac and producer/DJ Jay “Sticks” Andrews. They mash up dance and EDM with Celtic music; call it “Riverdance-floor,” but somehow, some way, it works.
The atmospheric synths and mechanized beats keep the vibe grounded, allowing the string instruments to soar with virtuosity, giving the music an almost other-worldly feel. When vocals come into play, they usually come in the form of bombastic rhymes, which give songs like “The Drummer” and “Gravel Walk” a modern hip-hop swagger. Other tracks like “Phillip’s House” and “Hubert’s Story” have a darker ambient vibe infused with world-music flourishes. The tracks that work the best are the ones where the frenetic violin soloing alternates with other instrumental solos, both analog and electric, like in “Foggy Dew” and “Devil in the Kitchen.” Also good are the tracks that pull back a little on the heavy electronics and lean more towards traditional violin jams, like the ethereal grooves of “Masters” and “Low See You.”
“FDLER” is an interesting take on EDM and definitely worth checking out if you are looking for something a little more eclectic and deep in your electronic music.
Livvie Forbes
“Chronic”
Indie
When listening to this Wayne native, you’d never think she’s still in her teens. She sounds confident and experienced as a singer far beyond her 18 years.
This CD chronicles the singer’s battles with health, bullying and depression and she delivers soulful, powerful and oftentimes uplifting performances throughout. Overall, the album is grounded in acoustic-driven folk rock on breezy and loose numbers like “Small” and “Budapest.” Think Sheryl Crow with a better voice. Forbes also throws in some nice stylistic curves with modern electric-percussive flourishes on the brooding pop of “Until the Bitter End” and the synths that bolster the celebratory “Love is All.”
A few covers are thrown in to keep listeners guessing. Forbes’ somber electro-drenched cover of Stevie Nicks’ “Edge of Seventeen” is a killer version of the song that takes the classic in an interesting direction. Her country-rock take on Coolio’s “Gangster’s Paradise” will grown on you after a few listens.
“Chronic” is a solid and impressive album and Forbes is definitely an artist worth keeping tabs on.
Shura
“Nothing’s Real”
Polydor Records/Universal Music
The out U.K. singer-songwriter gloriously channels glossy throwback ’80s sounds with modern dance and synthpop on her debut album — way, way better than Gwen Stefani and a lot of other pop singers are doing right now.
Existing in a space somewhere between classic-era Madonna (the track “Indecision” is pretty much a Euro-pop “Holiday”) and eclectic-cool Robyn, Shura’s aesthetic and style are relaxed enough to feel fresh among the energetic pop bombast and overreliance on cutting-edge technology that seems to plague her peers.
Shura delivers sexy, ethereal and seemingly effortless synthpop on tracks like “Tongue Tied,” “Touch,” “2Shy” and “White Light.” She then switches gears to deliver a darker new-wave disco vibe on the title track and a punkish urgency on the up-tempo guitar-driven “What Happened to Us?”
Shura’s debut album is pretty much flawless. If you need another versatile pop pixie goddess to provide the soundtrack to your neon-drenched life, seek out this album.