With 2019 two days away, I thought I would share one of my favorite songs from 2018. It’s a dreamy lo-fi number that falls somewhere between warm summer nights and first kisses. All I know is it brings a smile to my face each time I hear it.

Josh Hwang, who creates music under the CASTLEBEAT moniker, has been gaining some traction within indie music circles, and will hopefully gain more attention in 2019.

I hope you all enjoy this song and have a wonderful new year!   
 
https://castlebeat.bandcamp.com/

​Merry happy holidays everyone!

The advent of the Walkman changed how we experience music. Gone are the days of dancing next to the turntable only to watch the stylus skip to that Rock Ballad your mulleted aunt adored. Now you can walk around outside with your own soundtrack whispering in your ears.
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MUNYA is the solo project from Josie Boivin, whose calming voice and floating arrangements make the perfect passport to faraway adventures. “Hotel Delmano” is the first single from her second EP North Hatley, and it's a romantic getaway to Corsica or maybe just a Sunday drive to Chocolaterie de l'Ile d'Orleans.

If one were to pull out various records throughout the history of Ska, Reggae and Jamaican music, the name Ernest Ranglin would be found on many of the liner notes. From his pioneering work with Island Records and Studio One, to his compositions on the soundtrack for Dr. No, to his time with the Skatelites, Monty Alexander, and Bob Marley, guitarist and composer Ernest Ranglin is a legendary figure in Jamaican music.

The same could be said of Nigerian drummer Tony Allen, who’s drumming and musical direction helped catapult Fela Kuti to international acclaim. When you combine the two, you have music that sways between Africa and Jamaica, music that is warm and uplifting.     
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Modern Answers To Old Problems was released on Telarc in 2000 and is a wonderful record showcasing the talents of both of these fine musicians. It’s a cocktail fusion of jazz, Afro Beat, Reggae and Ska. “Many Roots” is the fourth track, written by vocalist Sylvia Tella and Tony Allen, and features Allen’s playfully funky drumming smothered in Tella’s delightful voice.
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I think Ernest Ranglin and Tony Allen are two of the greatest underrated musicians of their generation. They are behind some fantastic music and although not as popular in the United States as other “pop heroes” for their perspective instruments, they both make my top 20 list.

In the summer of 1988 Metallica released ...And Justice for All and changed the landscape of the American music industry forever. Not only was it the first underground Metal album to achieve chart success (reaching as high as #6), but it was also an album that both anti-establishment hardcore punks and extreme metal fans respected. It was aggressive and complex, with symphonic arrangements and dystopian themes that chipped away at Billboard’s pop music facade.

“Dyers Eve” is the final song on the album and a painful aide-mémoire of lead vocalist James Hetfield’s difficult childhood and relationship with his parents. It’s an intense number, both lyrically and musically, one that drummer Lars Ulrich still finds too difficult to play perfectly live.
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Time hasn’t been kind to this record and many feel (including members of Metallica) that Jason Newsted’s basslines were lost in the mix (which is true) and that the production lacks polish. I disagree, and feel that it is because of these production “errors” that ...And Justice for All stands out as a sonic achievement, and maybe the greatest Metal album ever created. Even better than Jethro Tull’s Crest of a Knave… :)