Charmaine Wohlmann
Avalanche
London
 
Unifying music and personal struggle, Charmaine Wohlmann has perfected her skills while ironing out the creases in her personal journey. Building character and making amends where others have fallen short as well as getting the notes under her personal command, this culmination of time and work is Avalanche. The title suggests a heavy downpour of nature and brightness that can smother us and bury us under its weight, so light-footedness and a nimble mentality are going to keep us above the flow. Known for her dramatic style with surges of powerful emotion, we can expect to see live performances in the new year. Until then, we can get a dose of Charmaine Wohlmann with this new single.
 
It begins with choppy guitars and a thumping drum. Charmaine begins to sing, her Mo-town style projection drapes contours and feeling over the dynamic flow of music. A bluesy and sudden progression keeps bringing the energy as the meandering vocals keep us enchanted. Delicate inflections of jazz give an intriguing colour to the musical style, and sing-along lyrics give the sound a catchy and inviting sense. Keyboards add vibrancy to the chords as electric guitar playfully streaks through the sky. It’s instantly recognisable and delivered with a particular class we can’t ignore.
 

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Gramercy Arms
Yesterday’s Girl
Magic Door Records
 
Indie power-pop from New York, Gramercy Arms are a collective of like-minded and ferociously talented musicians. The song Yesterday’s Girl delves deeply into the feelings and emotions of losing love but gaining a friend. A taster of their Deleted Scene album, due on Magic Door in 23, Yesterday’s Girl warms the room and opens the mental landscape in preparation for the record. Originally written for a Darlene Love album, Gramercy Arms frontman Dave Derby put pen to paper alongside esteemed songwriter Lloyd Cole. Mixed and recorded by Ray Ketchem who’s worked with Luna, Guided By Voices, and Elk City, the engineering of the album was taken up by award-winner Greg Calbi whose worked with John Lennon, David Bowie, Tod Rundgren, Patti Smith, (eBay links) and many more. The whole album has made perfect use of an entire army of local skillsmiths who bring a diverse and astonishing array of styles and frills to the entire record.
 
Thumping bass and guitar hit the drums on cue as the music saunters into the first verse. Acoustic guitar chords thunder in time to the marching beat as we stroll at an easy pace through smooth and story-like lines. Male vocals change to female as a second part brings another dimension to the drama and flow. As the chorus brings a duet, the strumming speeds up and melodic electric guitars shine through like sunbeams on a cloudy day. We’re able to sit back and enjoy the light on our faces as the music dreams on with a universal relatability. Grown-up and yet full of innocent excitement, Yesterday’s Girl reminds us that life is sweet and if we’re lucky, it doesn’t go cold. 


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A Cloud Of Ravens
Nature Of Artifice
Brooklyn
 
New York is not big enough to hold the sound of local alternative rock group A Cloud Of Ravens. Summoning the forces of music through inspirations taken from the likes of Killing Joke, ACTORS, Soft Kill, and White Lies, (links to eBay) the band release their latest double a-side. Nature Of Artifice is followed by the equally as enchanting The Blackest Mantra. A small sample of the awaited album that’s due on Berlin’s Nexilis Records, these two tracks incorporate the roots of influence with a modern and up-to-date mentality of song writing.
 
A pulsing synthesiser opens the music with a spooky edge. Harmonies and drums enter on cue and build the music from the ground up. As we ascend the stair, a barrage of guitar and vocal enters with a deep bass that throbs to the groove in the riff. A truly gothic rock sense cloaks the music like shadow garments, clinging to the shapely chord progressions. Keyboards and vocal work with a melodic passage that evolves and shifts under the stormy sky. A rhythmic guitar pushes various chords and progressions along the track as the rocketing beat surges onward. Catchy and delightfully dark, Nature Of Artifice catches the breeze with aromas of cinder stone. 


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Rob Munk
Youth
From Phased Out
 
Twenty years after leaving the music business to follow a career in acting, Rob Munk is back with an even more personal record. Written and recorded during the pandemic and the following months, Phased Out offers a great selection of indie rock masterpieces that we’ve been waiting for all this time. Recorded alongside two friends, who just happen to be writer, artist, and performing musician Daniel London of Old Joy, Manhattan, and Minority Report, plus drummer Joe Ventura of Tinsel who’s also a writer and director.  Finding a happy home on the Magic Door label from the New Jersey independent scene, the record was mixed by Oakland’s Chuck Johnson at Cirrus Oxide. The midway mark for the twelve-track record, Youth offers a sense of the whole with a dose of explicit lyrics. This radio edit is safe for the family.
 
It starts with a crack of snare and cymbal to bass rhythm. A sunshine guitar opens with a steady strum-beat that elevates with progressive melody. A wave of vocal washes over with an indie-folk composition as the lyrics rise and fall in semi-familiar melodies. The evolution of music steadily builds with passion and feel as the guitar revolves on the rock n roll chords. Extra layers of melody thread through the mix that mirrors the vocal line with hand-in-hand development. Youth is a happy and breezy song that chugs along at an easy street pace and lifts the spirits with a fun video.
 
 

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