Marvlec – What Are You Waiting For EP Review (HevyPetal Review)

Posted by Sam in HevyPetal, Portfolio      No comments

May
29

US rock band Marvlec, based out of the glamorous location of Coral Springs in Florida, release their latest EP,What Are You Waiting For on May 14^th.

With a sound comparable to rock bands such as Seetheror Tool, Marvlec’s EP has a catchy, heavy rock groove that’s sure to win them fans. Vocally, it even has the capacity to really remind one of Pearl Jam, a pleasing salute to rock’s grunge roots of the early to mid nineties. It therefore has the ability to be refreshing, different and rather nostalgic, all at the same time, giving it a pleasant air of familiarity, even if a listener hasn’t heard it before.

Musically, it’s clearly taken masses of talent to write. It’s well mixed, recorded and produced, especially for an unsigned band. Marvlec seem to have approached creating this album with the air of ‘just writing songs and seeing what happens’, an approach that’s worked rather well. It’s a raw, purely musical release that really gives off the impression that writing and recording it was a lot of fun, rather than a means to an end.

It’s also a curious mixture of rocky, and yet more popular sounds, making this music excellent for radio-edits but packed enough of a muscular, rocky punch to keep the more hardcore fans happy, spreading the target fan-base over a wide area. The title track, What Are You Waiting For, is an emotive, uplifting and epic song that wouldn’t sound out of place at the end of a full length, studio album, let alone a three track EP. Marvlec have the ability to go far.

So overall, then, What Are You Waiting For is a punchy, rocky EP, but with plenty of elements working together to give it the ability to be popular. It’s a nostalgic reference to the nineties and early noughties rock and grunge scene, but refreshing enough to make it different and to work in the context of the times now. It seems like Marvlec have given little thought to the fact that their music has been done before, but rather to play what they enjoy playing, and that’s what makes it good.US rock band Marvlec, based out of the glamorous location of Coral Springs in Florida, release their latest EP,What Are You Waiting For on May 14^th.

With a sound comparable to rock bands such as Seether or Tool, Marvlec’s EP has a catchy, heavy rock groove that’s sure to win them fans. Vocally, it even has the capacity to really remind one of Pearl Jam, a pleasing salute to rock’s grunge roots of the early to mid nineties. It therefore has the ability to be refreshing, different and rather nostalgic, all at the same time, giving it a pleasant air of familiarity, even if a listener hasn’t heard it before.

Musically, it’s clearly taken masses of talent to write. It’s well mixed, recorded and produced, especially for an unsigned band. Marvlec seem to have approached creating this album with the air of ‘just writing songs and seeing what happens’, an approach that’s worked rather well. It’s a raw, purely musical release that really gives off the impression that writing and recording it was a lot of fun, rather than a means to an end.

It’s also a curious mixture of rocky, and yet more popular sounds, making this music excellent for radio-edits but packed enough of a muscular, rocky punch to keep the more hardcore fans happy, spreading the target fan-base over a wide area. The title track, What Are You Waiting For, is an emotive, uplifting and epic song that wouldn’t sound out of place at the end of a full length, studio album, let alone a three track EP. Marvlec have the ability to go far.

So overall, then, What Are You Waiting For is a punchy, rocky EP, but with plenty of elements working together to give it the ability to be popular. It’s a nostalgic reference to the nineties and early noughties rock and grunge scene, but refreshing enough to make it different and to work in the context of the times now. It seems like Marvlec have given little thought to the fact that their music has been done before, but rather to play what they enjoy playing, and that’s what makes it good.

Review: Giselle at Theatr Colwyn (Daily Post Review)

Posted by Sam in Portfolio, The Daily Post      No comments

May
15

VIENNA FESTIVAL BALLET AT THEATR COLWYN

Adolphe Adam’s romantic and tragic two-act ballet Giselle came to Theatr Colwyn on May 11, courtesy of the superb Vienna Festival Ballet, directed by Peter Mallek. The ballet tells the story of Giselle, a peasant girl who falls in love with the mysterious Count Albrecht, who is both betrothed to another and disguised as a peasant of her status. When he is found out, she is heartbroken and dies, but finds no peace beyond the grave either. It’s a story of love, betrayal, madness and ultimately forgiveness.

The performance last night (11 May) at Theatr Colwyn can be best described as intimate. The size of the venue meant that everyone in the audience was very close to the action, so  every lift, twirl and step was easily and clearly visible. Not that the audience were there to scrutinise, but this did make it very clear that ballet is very tough!

Despite the odd mishap here and there in the performance, it felt raw and emotional, and the dancers were clearly very much in character. The closeness of the performance and the performance of Giselle herself made for a very emotional show, and pulled at the heartstrings of the audience. Some believable acting coupled with some fantastic dancing gave the show a sense of electric urgency that was felt throughout, the wish for Giselle to rest at peace and not to suffer any more.

Overall, it was a wonderful show, hit by a couple of misfortunes that weren’t enough to detract from it at all. The size of the venue made the audience feel very close to it all, and it was very enjoyable.

The Vienna Festival Ballet’s next performance of Giselle is in Chester on May 14^th.

Read the original article here: http://www.dailypost.co.uk/leisure/theatre-reviews/2012/05/14/giselle-55578-30968007/

New Street Adventure – Say It Like You Mean It EP Review (Contact Music Review)

Posted by Sam in Contact Music, Portfolio      No comments

May
10

Styled as “the sound of young soul”, London’s newest indie-soul act New Street Adventure mean business. Their new EP, Say It Like You Mean It, released through Unmasked Recordings is release on May 28th 2012, and first impressions are exemplary. Let’s hope that first impressions are, in this case, everything.

First of all, and in no uncertain terms, there is literally no explicable reason as to why this genre fusion hasn’t been done before. It’s excellent, a fantastic cross-breeding of the old and the modern. The ‘wah-wahed’ guitars, funky bass line and excellently placed brass really gives the music a smile-inducing quality. When it comes to the singing, the Arctic Monkeys sounding vocals mixed with the curiously prominent-yet-background-based brass sounds really hits the idea of ‘indie-soul’ on the head. It’s like the idea of soul music has been taken out of context and completely modernised – brought into the 21st century. This is good – it means that the younger generation who aren’t exposed to soul music get a taste of it that they can relate to, and for those who already enjoy soul music get to hear something new and fresh. It’s win-win, especially for New Street Adventure, who should readily, greedily and deservedly lap up the attention that comes with success. Not many bands have the ability to take sounds that wouldn’t be out of place in the 1970′s and make them cool. Cue respectful applause.

Problems with the release? Not many. It’s got a little bit of everything. It’s a dynamic and varied release that keeps the listener entertained all the way through. It has a very ‘full’ and passionate sound – every song has a lot to listen to, but it doesn’t seem like too much. It just means that instead, a listener has to go around and listen again to make sure that they’ve heard all the elements. If one had to nit-pick, this could get tedious on the sixth listen in a row.

So, therefore. It comes as no surprise that this album looks set to shoot New Street Adventure to stardom. It’s very catchy, talented, upbeat and it presses all the right buttons. It will be very surprising if this band don’t become very big within the next year. If they don’t, it will definitely be a complete miscarriage of justice.

Introducing: Volente – Hollow

Posted by Sam in Other, Portfolio      1 comment

May
7

Newbie electronica artist Volenté releases her debut single, Hollow on April 30th 2012. Fusing R’n'B, dance, dubstep and electronica, it has a unique sound that will definitely grab a listener with its powerful, pulsating bassline and chilling electronica noises, which will leave one singing it in their head hours after it’s over.

It’s an uplifting yet oddly pressing release, full of haunting mystery and catchy infusions of synthesised noises that blend well with the thud of the bass drums and bass guitars.

When she isn’t spending her time being a full-time mum, Volenté is an extremely talented artist, with many many years of experience within the music industry. This single is a curious fusion of electronica and R ‘n’ B, with the heavy element of dubstep thrown in for good measure. It’s received good reviews from critics and listeners alike, and has been compared to the likes of Bjork or Kate Bush.

Hollow is a breath of fresh air for those who want to get past the mainstream electronic R’n'B genre of recent times and listen to something a little bit different.

It’s a powerful, anthemic release that’s soon to shoot the starlet to a high level of fame. This reviewer says, watch out for her, she’ll be back on the scene soon.