Featured
Brooke Josephson Delivers Via New EP
Despite facing a ton of competition from across the underground, I think it would be fair to say that Brooke Josephson delivers one of the most cathartic records of the season in her all-new “Live & Let Live” EP.
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/brookejosephsonmusic/?hl=en
Steeped in positive vibes that transcend lyrics to penetrate both the sonic and melodic realms of every composition it contains, “Live & Let Live” is hardly your standard alternative pop record. In six truly telling songs, Josephson drives home a consistent narrative, reminding listeners that retrospection doesn’t have to mean regret at all. It’s exactly the kind of EP indie pop fans needed this season, and easily one of my personal favorites.
The instrumental parts are as pivotal to the mood of the music as any of the verses are in the progressive “Good Kind of Tired” and sublimely smooth-moving “Burning Journals.” Thanks to the crisp audio quality featured throughout the tracklist, there’s never a moment in which any of the string tonality winds up sacrificed in the name of pop polish, which is always a plus in my book. If Josephson’s ultimate goal was to allow us to feel this material as much as we hear it, saying she offers us a winner in this record might be just a little too much of an understatement.
There’s no bassline overindulgence to behold in this EP, and that’s a pretty big deal when taking into account just how common an issue that’s been in new rock records this year. The Athens-influenced “Eye in the Sky,” “No for an Answer” and the aforementioned “Burning Journals” are excellent examples of clean-cut equalization free of the excesses that frequently plague indie pop numbers, and although it’s not the heaviest EP you’ll hear this season, “Live & Let Live” scarcely sounds anything less than meaty.
You don’t have to be a professional critic like myself to acknowledge how awesome “Burning Journals,” “All We Never Had” and “No for an Answer” would be in a live setting. There’s so much potential still on the table for Brooke Josephson to tap into in future endeavors, but by and large, she produces an extended play here that gives us a wonderful insight into what she can accomplish when there’s nothing present to stifle her creativity. ‘Live & Let Live” feels more like an LP than it ever does a mixtape, and in its class of records, that’s half the battle.
If you need an uplifting melodicism skewed with honest roots rock compositional wit, Josephson’s “Live & Let Live” is an EP that you’ll want to check out before the year ends. Brooke Josephson is on fire from the opening cut “Good Kind of Tired” through to the closing number in “Eye in the Sky,” and while she’s a relatively new face to mainstream listeners, it’s obvious that she’s bringing a lot of industry experience into the studio here. I love what I’ve heard so far, and in the next few years, I think we’re going to see even more intriguing content from this brilliantly talented singer/songwriter.
Brent Musgrave
Album Review
Orshina turns personal grief into a powerful message of remembrance on “Requiem for “NOVA”” (album)
Orshina’s new album, “Requiem for “NOVA”,” is emotionally charged, turning personal pain into a message of remembrance, healing, and hope. The result is a blend of ambient and rock that explores the raw emotions of loss and reflection. The album is a journey through a very difficult creative process, crossing grief, rage, trauma, and collective pain, not forgetting the importance of remembering those who are no more.
The album was recorded mostly at Orshina’s home studio and features violinist Maianne Tur, drummer Roey Brosh, and vocalists Idit Eshel and Shiran Tzfira. Additional drums and mixing were done at Leon Sound Pro. The album opens with “Graveyard Blues,” which lays out the core themes of grief and loss. It serves as a reflective launchpad, drawing you into the project’s emotional weight.
“Bread & Circus” looks outward, exploring the dissonance between private grief and a world obsessed with entertainment. The song asks how easy it is to miss serious pain when the attention is elsewhere. With “Hell In Paradise,” Orshina explores the difficulty of carrying trauma in a world that can feel peaceful on the surface.
“Rest In Music” takes music to a place you can visit when it’s hard to understand or put feelings into words. The song is also about the creative process as a way to sit with complicated feelings and begin working through them. “Dressed up for the Devil” is a darker emotional journey, dealing with grief as well as anger, bitterness, and destructive thoughts.
The album moves from the personal to the historical tragedy with “Holocausts and Slavery,” the collective suffering. In a project of remembrance, Orshina places these subjects within a larger responsibility to recognize painful histories and link them to individual grief. Through “Requiem for “NOVA,”” the artist creates a musical statement about healing and the importance of keeping memories alive through a difficult creative process. “Requiem for “NOVA”” is a tribute to the lost, a reminder that hope can exist alongside sorrow.
Artist Spotlight
Map of the Woulds finds meaning in life’s passing moments with “Only For Today”
Life is rarely as we remember it, and Map of the Woulds takes on this uncertainty in “Only For Today,” a rock tune about impermanence, changing relationships, and the limits of human understanding. It’s not about repairing loss or compensating for loss, but about how life is happening. Here, dreams come to an end, memories aren’t so bright, and the things that are forever are gone.
The song is a meditation on life’s transient nature, love, and success. This idea creates a thoughtful atmosphere and a peaceful sense of acceptance. Map of the Woulds includes Andrew Woods (bass/voice) and Adrian Woods (homemade drum kit/voice). It’s a combination that puts the people behind the track at the center of the performance. It was mixed & mastered by Adrian Woods at Ed Shot Studio, all of which add up to a release that’s defined by a strong songwriting vision and a tactile recording process.
“Only For Today” is unique because it asks questions, and Map of the Woulds offers an artistic interpretation of life’s transient nature that ties personal experience to a broader meditation on life. The best line in the song is that change doesn’t make a moment any less important, and it’s even more special to be with those who count.
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