Showing posts with label Joseph Ray. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Joseph Ray. Show all posts

Friday, August 06, 2021

Enlightened Listening for August 6

It's that time again, time for another edition of our weekly new-music playlist, Enlightened Listening. The theme of this week would appear to be triumphant returns/blasts from the past. The first of those three thematic leaders is Fake Blood, who delivers 10 new tracks in the latest release centred around Ian Urbina's The Outlaw Ocean. Immediately after that in the playlist is TWRK classic "BaDinga," as refreshed and reloaded by DJ Sliink. Finally, Point Point make a triumphant return with their first new release in over 3 years. Staying with the retro trend, that's what The Weeknd delivers in his new single "Take My Breath," a spiritual successor to "Blinding Lights."

Of course, that Weeknd track is a standout, but there's plenty of others worth paying attention to. Both of the LPs from Monkey Safari and Lakou Mizik/Joseph Ray are incredible rides, just as the singles from Ben Böhmer, Franc Moody and Louis La Roche are utterly intoxicating. Finally, I just have to give it up to tails for an impressive EP on bitbird, as photos of the sun is brilliantly inspired. Stream the playlist, organized for maximum flow, below and find each individual release linked at the bottom. Enjoy!















Monday, May 18, 2020

Fickle & Vice - Don't Hang Up (I Want You Back)

Twitter really can be treat sometimes. Friday I noticed Nero make a rare appearance on the platform, retweeting an account called Fickle & Vice. The tweet was tagged #80s #1980s #YachtRock #synthwave #nostalgia, showcased a short video clip, and of course captured my attention. Turns out Fickle & Vice are at least partially related to Nero as they are made up of Daniel Stephens and Joseph Watson (whose name bears a striking resemblance to the Nero's other two members: Joseph Ray and Alana Watson). This retro synthwave appeal is not new to Nero fans either as the trio released 1988 and '92 remixes of their "Into The Night" and "Two Minds," respectively.

Originally debuting the Fickle & Vice project in 2017 with "One Time Thing," Stephens and Watson have slowly put out five singles with the most recent "Don't Hang Up (I Want You Back)" dropping this past Friday. Always infectious in their divine synth-driven delivery, this new single lives up to both the Nero benchmark for quality, especially in their vivid soundscape creation, and the carefree charm of Fickle & Vice. It is extremely well produced, putting an incredible number of instruments to use, deftly combining them into a slick slice of pop perfection. From the first glorious guitar lift through each subsequent synth swell and percussive punch, "Don't Hang Up" is an entirely awesome introduction for those who have been sleeping on Fickle & Vice. Dig into the duo's killer catalog on either Soundcloud or Spotify.FOLLOW FICKLE & VICE: FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD TWITTER

UPDATE: Joseph Watson is indeed part of the Nero family. He's Alana's brother, Dan's brother-in-law.