Sons Of The Sea – ‘Sons Of The Sea’ [Review]

sons-of-the-sea-album-cover-2Incubus are a rare breed. Whether we’re talking about their seven studio albums or each individual member’s own solo projects (my favourite of which has to be Time Lapse Consortium, an Einziger / Pasillas / Kenney collaboration), that band has never recorded a note I didn’t love.

Until recently, Incubus frontman Brandon Boyd has remained relatively quiet on the solo project front, preferring instead to focus upon a wide range of visual and literary art projects. The release of his debut solo album The Wild Trapeze, intended to slake his creative lust during an extended Incubus hiatus, changed all that. Now, Boyd returns with If Not Now, When? producer Brendan O’Brien and a brand new album created in collaboration with said legendary hitmaker. Read more…

Posted on 12 April 2014

Natalie Ross – ‘The Thrill Of It All’ [Review]

We all know what it’s like to see an awesome live set, forget to check out the act’s recordings after the show, and rediscover them somewhere down the line. You know what comes next: You wind up kicking yourself, all the while berating your brain cells for allowing it to happen in the first place.

In this instance, that horrible sense of self-loathing was mercifully avoided. Having watched and reviewed Natalie Ross’s Independent Venue Week set at the Boileroom in Guildford, I set about searching and unearthed The Thrill of It All. Read more…

Posted on 11 February 2014

Bare Jams – ‘Beautys EP’ [Review]

In the depths of a freezing winter, even the smallest fragment of sunshine can be refreshing. With their new EP ‘Beautys’, Guildford-based acoustic duo Bare Jams offer a full day’s worth of shining light and upbeat vibes – and all listening ears are better off for it. Opening track ‘Good Times Roll’ is a fat slab of nicely orchestrated and funky acoustic pop that shifts gears into reggae for some satisfying variation; ‘Carry On’ is a backbeat-heavy tune made to make heads bob and necks relax; ‘Chase The Sun’ positions Bare Jams in direct opposition to the face-to-screen iPhone obsessed lifestyle so ubiquitous in modern British culture; and closer ‘Going Up’ features earthy acoustics and lyrics offering a level-headed take on youthfulness and the inexorable forces of aging. Read more…

Posted on 06 February 2014

Princess Slayer / Jamie Lenman / Natalie Ross / CeCe [Live Review – The Boileroom, Guildford, 31/1/14]

independent venue weekThe last couple of months have been a little quiet on the live review front – but this show marked the ideal moment to get back into the swing of things. As the Boileroom’s contribution to Independent Venue Week, it was guaranteed to be a stunner before the doors even opened; and it really goes without saying that the night was incredible, from start to finish. Read more…

Posted on 03 February 2014

Luciana – ‘All Of Me’ [Review]

Without Luciana Caporaso, The Musical Melting Pot would probably never have existed. Until my early twenties, I struggled to come to grips with the fact that my significant others were rarely into the endlessly intricate prog-metal I loved so dearly. I suffered through many nights soundtracked by mind-numbingly rubbish trance and dance mix CDs, all in the name of love, until the day I discovered this track. Overnight, it changed everything. It was the quickest acquired taste I’ve ever experienced, and it converted me almost instantly into an electronic music lover. Finally, I had a secret weapon in the musical battle between the sexes. Read more…

Posted on 28 January 2014

Chess – ‘Tuxedo EP’ [Review]

Those who have been following The Musical Melting Pot since the start are likely to recognise Chess from this review. On Tuxedo, her second EP, Chess has discarded the girl-power platitudes familiar to fans of Nicole Scherzinger and remodelled herself as the female equivalent of Justin Timberlake.  Read more…

Posted on 13 January 2014

A Guide To Project RnL – Part Two

project rnlWelcome to Part Two of The Musical Melting Pot’s Guide To Project RnL! Click here for Part One, where we looked at Project RnL’s YouTube-based output to date. This time around, we’ll be looking at the extracurricular work of Project RnL’s core members: keyboardist Eyal Amir, and vocalist Ray Livnat. Read more…

Posted on 04 January 2014

A Guide To Project RnL – Part One

project rnl

UPDATE: TMMP has been reborn! This video has the full story:

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Project RnL. Remember that name in 2014. Originally formed in 2010, it didn’t take long for this prog-pop juggernaut to rev its engines loudly enough to be heard by Dream Theater – the band still sitting prettily at the very top of the prog scene’s naturally complex hierarchy – and begin collaborating with DT keyboardist Jordan Rudess. That’s an impressive achievement, by anyone’s standards.

Read more…

Posted on 03 January 2014

Princess Slayer / Oh So Quiet [Live Review – The Boileroom, Guildford, 8/11/13]

Opinion

As the first Musical Melting Pot Top 10 demonstrates, I’m a bit of a fan of Princess Slayer. Their first EP is stunning, and their live set – their first show ever, as part of the launch party for said EP – was, frankly, even better. Read more…

Posted on 10 November 2013

Princess Slayer: ‘Life and After EP’ [Review]

Opinion

Princess Slayer – a Guildfordian producer-vocalist duo known by day as Vince Welch and Casey Lim – have managed to bypass the usual first-release jitters and put out a five-track EP jammed with slick and ultra-sexy electronic tunes. Read more…

Posted on 06 November 2013

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