Sam's Top 20 of 2016: #17

17.Coastless-The Way

What we have here is a case of a band that just kind of was there at one of my favorite shows of the year and just kind of decided to disappear into thin air which is kind of a shame because all I really had to remind me of this cute little synth pop duo was a set list and a lingering note about a song that they've yet to record being really good, but upon finding their soundcould account I was blessed to at least have a bad ass little well done original tune to listen to in the form of this sweet little synth pop number The Way.

This song is really simplicity at it's finest a simple duet of a tune with some light guitar work and a very steady synth line that all form together to make a tune that is really quite enjoyable and in the months since they've seemed to fall off the face of the earth this tune is a great reminder of what's likely to be a sleeper hit of an album on the horizon that I'll be definitely on the lookout to give a listen to.

Sam's Top 20 of 2016: #18

18.Psychic Heat-Stranger

So if I were to ever describe this band I'd have to say that they sound like Piper at the Gates of Dawn Era Pink Floyd played out of a basement with a shit load of swirling psychedelic guitar work and heavy garage rock tones this band puts on a live show so god damn spectacular that most of their recorded catalog seems to just feel hallow because it's incredibly difficult to capture the captivating nature of this bands live aura which will hook you from the first note and instantly sell you right there on the spot.

Although that statement about them not being able to quite capture the live aura is kind of wrong because near the later end of this year these guy's decided to put out this little 7 inch record with a song that managed to do the impossible be as awesome on recording as it is live and that's where today's pick comes to play.

Stranger is a swirling little garage rock number that gives off these very 60's rock and roll vibes and high pitched vocals that lead it to have a kind of Sgt Peppers era Beatles feel which translates perfectly among their more jammy numbers as a fast paced breath of fresh are to give you something to jump around and rock the fuck out to.

This song is so god damn good that it almost makes you forget that there's another side to that awesome record if you can BUY IT NOW! And if this band comes to your neck of the woods SEE THEM! Trust me it'll be the best choice you've made in quite some time.

Sam's Top 20 of 2016: #19

19.Coast Modern-Hollow Life

I saw this band open for the Wombats this year and I'm not going to lie I was pretty damn impressed with their laid back nature and found their show to be incredibly solid but of all the things that stuck most with me after seeing them was just how god damn dope this track in particular was.

Hollow life for lack of a better descriptor is a track that just begs for you to light a joint and let the groove just carry you all the way.

It's a very reggae tinged rocker with a chorus that's one part dreary and another part floaty as hell and when you hear them sing it it's most certainly bound to get stuck in your head and leave you playing it on repeat quite a bit.

It's not an overly complicated track that really needs too much explanation really it is just a fucking killer groove that's structured very well and goes just long enough to make you want more.

Sam's Top 20 of 2016: #20

So if I were to put 2016 in a blanketed statement in terms of what I heard on the radio I'd have to say that this was quite possibly the weakest fucking year in music I've probably ever heard and it's the complete lack of pure unadulterated quality material coming out my radio that lead me to more often then not just turn the fucker off and look around for new music the old fashioned way.

This years list will have a lot of local music because 2016 is the year my concert attendance and attempt to do something in the local scene fucking exploded and while I didn't ever seem to want to post consistent articles on here I didn't stop the creative process and in this year I've heard some spectacularly exceptional tunes that didn't get any fucking radio play what so ever and while there will be actual hits on this years list for the most part I'm sure you won't see a bunch of shit that you'd expect I know you definitely won't see any Twenty One Pilots, Drake, The Chainsmokers, or anything else that most popular media is likely to praise that's for god damn sure.

Now with that in mind let's not bullshit too long and let the music do the talking as we kick off Sam's Top 20 of 2016....

20.The Shameless Pursuit-Doubt

This band is one of many that I decided to give a chance after they decided to randomly follow me on Twitter and I'm not going to lie right from day one this song sold me on them and after all this time and the fact that I got to catch them for one show and see them play what was a fucking phenomenal performance of this very song only set it in stone that this was going to be on my list.

This song stands out in that it's a more electric rocking cut in comparison to the vast majority of acoustic kind of singer songwriter heavy tracks that occupy their Fail It Forward EP.

This track has a kind of old school 90's emo feel with it's lower end production that sounds like it was recorded in an open room which is actually a good thing because it gives the vocals and guitars a very echoing tone that perfectly accentuate the kind of dreamy nature of it's guitar work and dreary lyrics to help make a song that will make you take notice of this band for sure and if you want to hear what's probably the most pitch perfect set of vocalist around I'd very much advise seeing them live because I'm still blown away to of heard them play all these songs just pitch perfect live.

Sam Reviews an Album: Chris Crabtree, "Songs From the Edge of the Sky"

So occasionally I get reached out by some artist to cover their music and sometimes I actually manage to take the time to give their work a listen and that's the case with this release from local Singer song writer Christ Crabtree with his latest EP a follow up to his 2015 releases Counterfit Heart and Zen the Art of Killing Your Self a quaint little EP called Edge of the Sky.

From the opening title track you're greeted with a very dark and kind of ominous track that is ever so reminiscent of a Ryan Adams that's very focused on trying to express a series of complex emotions over some very simple and stark instrumentals that are often very heavy in acoustic guitar work and reverb heavy electrics in the background that are there to add atmosphere that's very strongly prevalent in the EP's first single the dream pop Easy.

With the opening and Title track you have a tune that's actually quite solidly good in a lot of way's really with it's steady pace and Crabtree most complimentary showcasing of his vocal range this song just moves along at a good pace and has just enough lightness to give things a bit of a groove to help not keep things from feeling too dark or broody once you give the lyrics a listen.

Since a lot of the tracks present on this EP are mostly acoustic lead folkish rockers with the occasional duet featuring a singer called Julie Sternman I'm given a feeling that the music here could work on a more Adult Alternative radio format marketed towards older individuals that are looking for music that is more introspective without being too in your face or overly rocking.

If you're a fan of later day Tom Petty or want a softer Ryan Adams this is a good collection of songs to be listening to especially in the fall because they're some very laid back and introspective tunes that are very approachable for a good variety of listeners and I'm sure upon repeated listens you'll find a tune or two to do the thing for you and for me Edge of the Sky and GFM are my own personal highlights.

If you're interested he'll be performing all of these tracks at his EP release show on November 29th at The Uptwon Arts Bar where you can see him perform all of these songs and a few other he's been working on and of course you can purchase them online that same day and at the show so if you have the time on a Monday night give it a shot the records solid and well worth the listen.


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Happy Halloween

So it's Halloween and I didn't go overboard on yearly spooktacular cuts like I've done in previous years but I sure as hell wasn't going to miss out on posting something today and in thinking of just what to post I realized I get to see one of the best new bands to come along in quite a while today and they also have a fondness for the horror punk deities known as The Misfits so with that in mind here's a fucking bad ass cover they did a few months back Happy Halloween people....

BOOOOOO!

It's a vacant ghost land here at Sam's Song of the Day but there's things on the horizon and for the most part the articles have been slightly better than in years past when I didn't plan shit and went straight off the cuff with my song of the day post but those day's have passed and now I try to put some thought it but with this being one of my favorite months to be festive with my song selections I've kind of decreased that over the past year or so and haven't really been too into the creepy vibes as yesteryear.

Well today I was listening to the radio and there's a Halloween show tonight so one of the programs today had a bunch of themed tunes to celebrate that and I was reminded of whenever I use to go gaga over that shit and that's a dope feeling because getting a bit festive here and there is pretty dope and while I'm not going on some ghoulish binge or seeing the awesomeness that is this show I figured I'd for old times sake just post a quick article with a great themed tune for you guy's to get your jam on so here's one of my favorite new acts Rachel Mallin and the Wild Type with a tune that's perfect for this time of year Something Wicked.

This song is a non-album single recorded for some How To Keep Dreaming project thrown by a local label known as The Record Machine and this track was from the first volume of that series back in 2015 and it's a very kind of creepy tinged moody tune that's filled to the brim with atmosphere that will give you a hallow feeling before Rachel comes in with some wonderfully echo heavy singing that helps give the song a wonderful tone.

They don't really acknowledge this tune much since the release probably because it's more in tone with her solo EP The Persistence of Vision with it's heavier electronic instrumentation and she's since grown from that into more of a surf rocking garage rock direction but this track still has a lot of charm for me personally and since I'm in the mood for some spooky jams I'll be rocking out to this bad ass little cut just before I throw in my Concrete Blonde cassette later tonight.

OH and on a lesser note they're opening for Phantogram tonight and to say that it's fucking awesome to be able to say that is an understatement great job guy's.