Each month Alyssa Rashbaum (MTV, SPIN, VIBE) of Rebel Spirit Music will bring you new music reviews!

Send submissions to:

Alyssa Rashbaum / 446 E. 20th Street, #4C / NY NY 10009

Or email us at rebels@rebelspiritmusic.com

music reviews

Alexa Wilkinson

Lullaby Appetite

Alexa Wilkinson started playing music at age 10 to get closer to a grade-school crush, so it’s no surprise that the bulk of her lyrics tend towards the love found/lost/found again theme. Rather than being all lovelorn and melancholy though, her first album, Lullaby Appetite (co-produced by singer-songwriter Josh Kelley), is emotionally mature and optimistic with poetic lyrics about bouncing back, instead of retreating. Album opener “Good Fight” ponders human nature (“Even the best souls / They got big holes / That need filling / Now and then”), set to an edgy, blues-rock riff. “Every Inch” is provocative and seductive (“I’ll tell you how I’d love to show you / Every inch of my body tonight”) delivered with breathy vocals and synth-infused melody, while “Heaven Won’t Mind” is a rugged rock ride. There are mellower moments – the tender first single, “Of Graves,” the piano-driven “Waterline” about starting again on her own, - but Wilkinson is never weak, which is what makes this first effort so appealing.

Casey shea Take The Bite Casey Shea has a knack for taking heart-wrenching themes and somehow making them whimsical. Melodies are candy coating over tart reality as in album opener “Lartigue” with its head-bopping rhythms, sweet harmonies and a seemingly silly story of a man who falls in love with a French maid (“I love the way she used to dust during tea”) - until he delivers the devastating line “How am I supposed to grow old without you?” “Life in a Cube” similarly uses melody to make crushing reality palpable – jaunty guitar picking helps Shea relate the realization of time racing past (“run run run / it’s never stop”) and “watching my life pass me by as I die in a cube.” “Lazy Saturday,” ostensibly a song about spending a day getting over a hangover, features hoots and hollers echoing in the background as if from the bar the night before, but also has the repeated line “I’ve never been so far from turning water into wine.” Through a series of catchy and complex songs, Shea manages to show both the beauty of everyday life as well as its sad truths – making the former seem more stunning and the later less painful.

the weight EP The first thing you’ll notice about The Weight’s EP, is lead singer and songwriter Paul Dawson’s hugely emotive voice, which channels Ray LaMontagne and David Gray in its weathered hoarseness and desperation. And then there are the surprisingly big, lush, and layered melodies. On “Tired of Trying,” Dawson vocals ache with exasperation (“I’m getting tired of trying / I’m not ‘bout to fold and choke / But inside I’m quietly dying”), while dramatic keys provide empathy. On “These Hands,” delicate organ work opens the track, until Dawson’s screaming guitar solos emote with him as he sings about the end of a relationship with someone who looks “shattered / beaten by everything.” “Awkwardly Tall” puts the focus squarely on Dawson’s vocals as he sings about realizing the need to give in to loving someone (“You whose everlasting patience makes me see / I should accept defeat and give to you all you’ve given to me”). The Weight’s EP is a project that screams for repeated spins to uncover all its layers.

the kin Rise And Fall “Sweet simple pleasure loaded with thrill,” Aussie duo The Kin sing in hushed tones on the first single off their latest release Rise and Fall. It’s a fitting description for their sound – haunting melodies with resounding harmonies that exhilarate the listener by erupting into epic orchestral drama. Album opener “Nowhere to Now Here” slowly starts with eerie atmospherics, until the line “she opens my eyes” is delivered, when the song is hurled forward with a single powerful strum. Wailing strings buttress aching lyrics like “Now she’s beside me / I feel I could die tonight / It feels like this love keeps me alive.” A driving snare marches the song forward and leads into the next song, “Together” which opens with the rolling drum and sparse, soulful keys. The sustained harmonies and “Blue on Blue” minimalist guitar picking is both theatrical and optimistic. The Kin’s dark, enduring melodies and devastating harmonies are a testament to their enviable partnership.