Produced, recorded, and mixed at The Recording Studio London, “Ancient Angel” the album by Raphaela Gilla, “takes the listener on a journey to reunite with his/her own guardian angel” and reminds us “about the work that we do on earth and the help that we receive from the universe”. 

Raphaela Gilla is a singer/vocal-medium born in Israel and currently based in London. Inspired by the tradition of an ancient shaman tribe and influenced by the singing techniques of her Jewish-Bulgarian, Spanish and Polish roots, Raphaela Gilla aims to heal and remind her audience of the unconditional and eternal love.

“Ancient Angel” consists of four languages: English, Hebrew, French, and Lamoria; the language of light and is divided into three parts; Part One: The Ancient Call, Part Two: Coming Home, and Part Three: The Ancient Call. The album is riddled with echoing harmonies and emotive percussion that creates a sense of urgency and intensity and Raphaela artfully uses her voice to channel mantras of spirituality that put her audience in a listening trance. Using her gift and calling of bringing light and healing to the world, Raphaela’s pure intuition and channeled improvisation have created a wonderful piece of art that evokes feelings of warmth and joy in troubling times.

Dirty Snowman Society from Colorado has hit the nail on the head with their latest EP, Snowblind. The quintet created the project in the middle of the storm that was 2020, hence the name. According to the band, they found their sound: “hard but melodic, in terms of both the music and the topics.”

One of our favorites from the EP, “Kiss Me or Kill Me” is just one of the magnificent tracks on the EP. “Title says it all on this one,” says the band. Just in time for Valentine’s Day, DSS released an intense love song emphasizing thrill, danger, excitement, and all that comes with a new relationship. Lead singer Frank Constantini’s raspy, supported vocals in this track really reflect those ideas – it’s almost like he’s begging on his knees for his partner to “kiss” him or “kill” him.  

We’re never surprised by Dirty Snowman Society’s ability to turn a classic rock progression into something so unique and meaningful, but this time, they really went for it. The band consists of five musicians who share a love of classic rock. Their unique arrangements are helpful in creating a message – rock and roll should be reclaimed and shared.

This is just one of the driving, sulking songs off of Snowblind, and oh, is there more. This 5 track EP emphasizes multiple themes: yearning, love, hate, sex, and addiction; and those are just the basics. Snowblind is a 23 minute rollercoaster ride of emotion shrouded by rock and roll.

Motorbike James is a stream of consciousness writer; he writes through pure emotion and what he feels in the moment. What comes out the other side is a unique offering of music that is hard to pin under any one genre. Elements of electronic, indie rock, psychedelic, and R&B poke through each song.

“Automatic,” the brand new single from Motorbike James, is about the idea of not loving yourself enough to be real and honest with yourself and others. Instead of being rational, it’s this automatic emotion-driven reaction.

iskwē | ᐃᐢᑫᐧᐤ is, among many other things, an artist – a creator and communicator of music and of movement, of pictures, poetry and prose. And through it all, she’s a teller of stories that have impacted our past and will inform our future. Her third album, acākosīk, was nominated for a JUNO Award for Adult Alternative Album of the Year, while its single, “Little Star,” took home the JUNO Award for Music Video of the Year.  iskwē’s forthcoming full-length, The Stars (set for release on March 5th), is the inverse of acākosīk, starting with the title which is the English translation of the cree word acākosīk. Where acākosīk is a blaze of sonic exploration, The Stars is an elegant and intimate sharing of the collection allowing iskwē’s songwriting, voice and spirit to shine.

For the first year, live shows for Snacks Chapman were like games of musical chairs where between songs, members would trade positions. “We’d all switch off and we were all pretty good at everything. But it felt like a novelty and I really wasn’t good at playing drums at all,” says guitarist Ian Lozinski.  Now, three years later, during a global pandemic, Snacks Chapman continues to evolve and release new music. 

Before the pandemic the band had an active live schedule in NYC playing venues like Alphaville, Coney Island Baby, Berlin, Bowery Electric, and many more.

On “Snake Oil,” a tremendous amount of care and attention is brought into the production. The gleaming, shining cadence of the entirety of the track gives it a futuristic and hazy rock n’ roll sheen. There is so much depth and unexpected bursts of color throughout which will have you on the edge of your seat. By far though the thing that truly anchors the work are the ethereal vocals which seem to have been transmitted from another universe. So many different layers intermingle with the patterns matching up into a virtual stream of consciousness.

Many different elements filter in and out of the mix giving the song a kaleidoscopic, almost psychedelic in terms of how the sound evolves. Buildup occurs but this too goes for the subtle before it eventually branches in a giant wave of sound. Such tremendous spirit and joy radiate throughout the entirety of the piece, helping to lend it a slightly symphonic quality.

Aided by mentors Nick Blagona (The Police, Deep Purple, Beegees) and Mark Daum (inventor of the piantar), James Alphonse has been nominated for and won awards at the Hamilton Music Awards. His newest mentors are Andre Kaden Black (Fefe Dobson, Francesco Yates) and Tal Vaisman (working in a variety of capacities with groups like 21 Pilots and Imagine Dragons), who have produced James’ forthcoming debut solo EP.

It’s tough to know you’re ready for a real relationship – to find someone you think is your person, and to know they’re just not there with you. “Crazy For You,” the newest single from James, a bit like a cooking recipe. It’s one part “hey, I’m sorry. I was ignorant and couldn’t empathize with you” and another part “this sucks, now I understand.”