“White Lie: Carolyn’s Story” highlights the ongoing battle for equality and free speech, underscoring how acknowledgment of America’s racist history is under threat. Originally inspired by a friend’s poem, the song came to Oledude in “violent waves,” with lyrics and melody crafted by Christopher R. Owens (ASCAP) a/k/a Chris Oledude, alongside contributions from singer-songwriter Lindsey Wilson. The arrangement was also prepared by Oledude. Lead vocals feature longtime collaborator Dr. Wendy A. Ward with Lindsey Wilson, backed by Elijah Dixon Owens and Oledude. Ad lib parts were added by Wilson and Oledude, while electric guitar was performed by Oledude’s brother, actor Geoffrey Owens (known for his role as Elvin on The Cosby Show).

1 of 4

Vocals and guitar were recorded at Steve Addabbo’s Shelter Island Studio in Manhattan, engineered by Ray Aldaco. The mix was completed by Mark Dann at his Woodstock studio. An accompanying devastating video, originally released in 2022 and created/edited by Oledude using NCH Videopad software, amplifies the song’s message. Oledude envisions a future orchestral accompaniment to the video to further elevate its impact.

In Oledude’s words: “February is Black History Month in the United States. Acknowledgement of America’s problems with equality is now a cultural weakness—and a political battle is underway to protect free speech AND the truths about the racism and violence that formed this nation. ‘White Lie: Carolyn’s Story’ is a wild attempt to present a perspective possibly held by the white woman who lied about a teenage Black boy, Emmett Till, and got him killed in 1955. The intensity of this piece is real—and the listener will like the beat, but also need to listen a few times to take in the lyrics. I am proud of this work. There is a devastating video that was made for this and one day, I hope to have an orchestra accompanying that video! Help us spread the word that truth is truth—and truth cannot die.”

The single pays tribute to Emmett Till’s mother, Mamie Till, whose courage turned her son’s murder into a catalyst for the Civil Rights Movement, preceding the Montgomery Bus Boycott by months. It serves as a reminder that the “tree of liberty” is often watered with the blood of innocents, urging listeners to confront historical and ongoing injustices.

Available now on all major streaming platforms, “White Lie: Carolyn’s Story” blends Oledude’s signature old-school pop, funk, and R&B influences with urgent social commentary, making it essential listening for these times.

Based in New York, Chris Oledude, formerly Chris Owens, is a Puerto Rican artist with a lifelong dedication to speaking exactly what is on his mind, and for ‘White Lie: Carolyn’s Story’, what he has in mind is the unspeakable social injustice faced by black communities in the United States, and the collective inability to address those issues. Oledude chooses to tackle this with a rhythmically dense, danceable anthem with a litany of tolling bells, battering drums, and synth horns.

Adding up, and taking into account the song’s near 6-minutes runtime, we end up with a rather intense and challenging listen that is amazingly executed. Simple in composition, but complex in intent and delivery, the song features the fantastic lead vocals of Wendy A. Ward, and Lindsey Wilson, together delivering the main vocal motif that defines the majority of the song’s calculated mayhem.

With his mission of blending pop, funk, and RnB, with modern electronic hastiness, Chris Oledude’s ‘White Lie..’ is right on point with its massive synth bass, ominous bells, and doom-calling vocals. A deliciously full meal.

This is musical theater. It’s not just a typical post-rock soundscape concept album. It feels weird to even call that genre typical, but the genre does have its tropes, and you can tell when something is executed with no passion and is just a husk of tropes dressed up to sound nice. But here it’s the complete opposite of that. This is an incredible use of music to tell a story, giving Carmina Alegrìa her record and providing closure for a whole life to complete her story. 

“Desaparecer” serves as an intro, combining motifs from multiple tracks yet to come, ultimately crescendoing and landing us back down for our main entrée. The title track starts out beautifully with these dreamy arpeggios, which we revisit halfway through this movie of a song. The sound production and harmony choices, along with the voice of Carmina herself as a texture, create a warm, endearing atmosphere of remembrance. 

The title track established our home base, so now “Coágulo de un instante” begins our journey to somewhere far from it, like a flight close to the surface of an ocean of passing souls. We then ascend to the heavens as we enter “Volver al aire”. This is where the musical theater description from earlier really comes through. Beautiful operatic vocals weave themselves through rich tapestries of colorful harmony in grief to guide us back down to earth. 

“Siempre (la mano en el fuego)” definitely feels like a song back down on the earth, a continuation of those neo-classical theater influences, with grounded thunderous percussion making a reappearance, and the whimsy of the flutes here and the energy of the backing guitars. To me, this represents the human spirit’s survival. 

“Los muertos siempre son verdad” is the same song as the title track, with one key component missing: Carmina Alegrìa herself. It’s gut-wrenching to revisit it with her voice being gone. Like revisiting a home with no one there, it’s not home anymore. The song transforms; its warmth disappears with her absence. This is the kind of storytelling only music as a medium is capable of. 

In “Decirlo a veces sin palabras” bowed strings and airy textures take us through one last time in remembrance, as we revisit an element of each song, each chapter of this story, and end with an a capella recording of the family singing and chanting “Carmina Alegrìa” a beautiful touch to end on. 

“Levantando las manos” is the bonus track on the album and feels like a final moment in musical theater where the spotlights shine down on a character for an encore of powerful drama. Although it’s short, it is powerful and effectively delivers that closing curtain moment that the album needed.

Borrero also writes poetry and has won awards for it, which tracks when you listen to how this album unfolds. The way he revisits the title track later without his grandmother’s voice is the kind of move that only works if you understand narrative structure beyond just sequencing songs. This is a complete narrative arc and a beautiful work of storytelling, best experienced with full immersion to really be able to reflect on it and how it relates to your life.

In this hauntingly beautiful ambient track, orchestral percussion thunders as the various airy textures carry us over an ocean of mourning. The layers of music here really allow you to let yourself and your vivid imagination go. We are taken on a ride across this ocean, and you can hear the vocal choir like layers, almost like they are trapped souls underneath said ocean. Traveling alongside us in every moment. Where else would they go? They can never leave, and neither can you, because we are all one, we are part of this magnificent creation and reflecting on death like a song, and ultimately, this record does make you re-realize that.

“Coágulo de un instante” works as both a standalone piece and a glimpse into what Carmina Alegría will deliver. Yo’s carved out something that refuses easy categorization, mixing art rock, post-rock, and ambient elements without being trapped by any of them. The full album drops November 21st, and if this single is any indication, it’s going to be worth the listen.

Anchored by a bassline that bounces with swagger and drums that snap like a livewire, “Jumping Around” rides on a rhythm section that refuses to sit still. The groove is irresistible, tight but unforced, slick without losing its raw, live edge. There’s a natural chemistry between the musicians that makes the track feel alive, like it’s unfolding in real time.

On top of this rhythmic bedrock, Gianfranco’s guitar glides and stings in equal measure. He doesn’t just play, he converses with the music. His tone is clean yet bursting with personality, offering playful licks one moment and soulful phrasing the next. It’s a masterclass in control and flair, where melody doesn’t just accompany the groove, it dances with it.

The electric organ and keys layer in a dreamy shimmer, bringing warmth and spaciousness to the sound. One moment you’re vibing to earthy funk, the next you’re floating through jazz-tinged stardust. Subtle touches of percussion color the background, while a bold trumpet line slices through with bursts of brass brilliance, never overdone, just enough to make the track sparkle.

What’s striking is how fun this all feels. There’s nothing calculated or over-produced here. Instead, Gianfranco offers a snapshot of joy in motion. No lyrics, no gimmicks; just finely tuned musicianship that lets the instruments do all the talking. And the story they tell? It’s one of freedom, movement, and groove-soaked happiness.

“Jumping Around” is a promise of what’s to come in Gianfranco’s upcoming Giomané album, due this June. Thirteen tracks, all grounded in live instrumentation, all radiating this same DIY charm. For those who crave music that feels human, textured, and joyful: this is it! 

“Jumping Around” is mood-shifting, soul-lifting, body-moving Giazz. If this track is the preview, the album is bound to be a full-on celebration of rhythm and liberation.

Stream it. Dance to it. Let it soundtrack your commute, your kitchen dancing, or your spontaneous groove breaks. And if it moves you? Head to 96gfn.ch, support the artist, and keep this independent musical force thriving! 

Confusion Inland is the last in this series of 5 single releases by The Beatroot Road, with a break until the release of the album ‘Humanimal’ later in 2025.

“This song is about traveling to a funeral. It’s mostly images and textures; struggling to come to terms with a disorienting loss, with no real message other than that life goes on, and the confusion will fade. Words are by Demmy James, with music by Mark. This is sung by Maddie Session from Austria, with backing vocals by Ramy Zhang from Canada. Hazel plays rhythm fiddle and violin effects, with Mark on drums, bodhrán, tambourine, bass, organ and piano. Also featuring a piano solo by Stuart Atkins from London. Samples used were a recorded Cambridge Samba band, a tuned cranial bone saw, and a cow…

I’m particularly fond of this song, though I’m not sure exactly what to call it. The video includes real brain synapse behaviour – both confused and calm – in amongst the clouds and candles. Made possible by Pixabay contributors who are also sharing their art without monetization. Credits are at the end of the video, with sincere thanks from us.”

The Beatroot Road have persevered on their bold, fearless and wholly unique brand of musical expression, which humbly pays tribute to a literal cornucopia of human experience and artistic traditions. An ambitious multi-genre collective spearheaded by Mark Russell and Hazel Fairbairn, the scope and influence of this alternative and world music fusion project continues to widen due to the wide open minds involved.

Typically, I enjoy releases that feature a variety of collaborations, as they bring a wonderful diversity to the overall result. However, Daniel de Boer has truly surpassed all my expectations with this collaborative effort. Honestly, I haven’t encountered such an impressive release showcasing such a range of styles in 2025 up to this point. Allow me to explain why below…

⇒ WATCH “BESIDE ME” MUSIC VIDEO HERE!

Based in Adelaide, Australia, Fundamental Shift is a musical vehicle birthed to convey the ideas of its founders Andrew Peter Sunter Muecke and Andrew Allan Rasheed. Together, the duo’s music is -as mentioned earlier- visceral. An enriching journey based on nuanced instrumental journeys that are tightly performed then neatly packed together into ambitious songs with raw and attractive instrumentals and provocative, smart lyrics.

A generous listen that rewards multiple listens, the music on the album crosses genre boundaries, hopping between experimental, progressive, and alternative rock, with psychedelic and stoner elements being a mainstay in this deeply whimsical and philosophical listen that Fundamental Shift have crafted. ‘The Crux of Potential’ is the album’s first grandiose piece of work, in runtime and in ambition. After the conventional and catchy psychedelia of the starter ‘Incandescent Grace’, which does a great job introducing the listeners to the group’s sound, organic grooves, and liquid vocal flow, and the ambient, Slowdive-like sophomore cut ‘You Know Better Know’, which would gladly call Pygmalion home, a cut that segues rather elegantly into the song in question, ‘The Crux of Potential’ starts. A lengthy cut with a wealth of musical and arrangement ideas, going from classic rock tinges, to psychedelic ones, to far eastern handpan melodies and syncopated rhythms, ‘The Crux of Potential’ is an engaging listen gorgeously dreamt up by the duo.

Rock returns either a twist on the next cut. ‘I Really Should Do More Dishes’ its sweet words, whimsical and out-there, but grounded and heartfelt, and its inventive guitar motif based on a challenging reverse delay effect, this song is another effortless shapeshifter that utilizes warm and crooning strings to keep everything together. Upbeat, intelligent, and interesting. The drumming mayhem joined by manic vocals on ‘Just These Crumbs’ helps create one of the album’s most compelling and outstanding musical atmospheres. Fantastic guitar work and terrific song building, modal licks and mysterious melodies, ‘Just These Crumbs’ is a wonderful, eerie, and gorgeous listen.

The expansive ambience on ‘Broken From the Inside’ makes it another cut on the album with no matches. Led by the soulful and lo-fi vocal croons and harmonies, backed by pads and a few instrumental flairs, this cut reminded me of the work of legendary Scottish band The Blue Nile, if it were on steroids for a more experimental edge. The ambience is then abruptly interrupted by the groovy ‘Pack for Mars’ which sounds exactly like its title suggests. A terrifically exciting adventure to an unknown, frightful destination. With its crystal clear groove and shimmering pads, its easy-to-follow chords and the preached vocals which sounds exactly like a higher register Nick Cave, ‘Pack for Mars’ is another effortless shapeshifter exquisite listen that is easily among the best on If Seven Was a Number.

‘Phantasmagoria’ follows. After one the album’s most experimental and involved intros, the song introduces Bowie-esque vocal cues, Flea inspired bass and steady grooves alongside borderline-rapped vocals. A song that sounds like RHCP on a psychedelic trip, ‘Phantasmagoria’ is an infinitely memorable listen with its funereal trumpets and bone chilling intro and outro, wrapping some of the album’s nicest and tightest grooves.

The swirling and groaning pads on ‘From the Dream to Here’ offer a stark point of respite at the penultimate spot on the record. A rather serene and cozy intro not devoid of its weirdness and off-kilter charm, the song features a groovy later half that’s become customary at this point on the record. The song’s latter half is sludgy and slowly-paced, with layers of syrupy pads flowing like sticky molasses all over the arrangement. The album’s finale, the beastly 13-minute long opera ‘From the Dream to Here’ sounds like an actual final boss level of sorts. Featuring instrumental highlights met at various points earlier in the record, ambience, eerie handpans, charismatic preaching, whirring ethnic drones, and of course, a solid and reassuring groove in the latter half. A modal and open ended piece that bookends the band’s rather ambitious work on the album, ‘From the Dream to Here’ is like a greatest hits record all on its own.

This album sounds like if Pink Floyd sounded nothing like Pink Floyd. With its expansive atmospheric song building and focus on organic instrumentation, ‘If Seven Was a Number’ is an arresting listen with an endlessly ethereal feel that’s unlike anything else. Fundamental Shit are a talented duo with a sound that stands out and a songwriting talent that kept my ears and senses glued to this rewarding 1-hour listen.

Mick J. Clark’s release, “Glory Glory Hallelujah,” is a heartfelt Christmas song that transcends the festive season, delivering a powerful message for humanity. The song cleverly blends traditional Christmas themes with an urgent call for unity and love, a sentiment that feels deeply resonant and almost timeless in today’s unfortunately fractured world.

The song opens with timeless imagery of goodwill and gifts beneath the Christmas tree, immediately evoking the joy and warmth of the season. The chorus, “Sing glory glory hallelujah,” reverberates like an anthem, capturing the essence of hope and the collective yearning we all feel for a better world and a better tomorrow. 

Each verse builds on the central message, weaving biblical references such as the journey of the three wise men to Bethlehem, as well as adding a heartfelt prayer for peace and harmony. The poignant lines in the third and fourth verses, “A silent night when the world don’t fight is what we’re all praying for,” and, “Give us hope one day that the world can say that hatred is no more,” are also indeed striking a chord; offering a vision of what humanity might achieve through compassion and understanding. Asserting that we, collectively, have enormous power and potential, and we should absolutely keep that in mind. 

Clark’s deeply heartfelt vocals lend sincerity to the track, while the arrangement of the music complements its lyrical depth, balancing traditional Christmas tones with a universal appeal. The chorus is almost an anthem, inspiring listeners to not just hum along but also think and reflect on its meaning.

What makes “Glory Glory Hallelujah truly stand out is its ability to be both a festive celebration and a global plea for change. The lyrics emphasize that peace is the greatest gift we can give to our children; a sentiment that Santa’s sleigh can’t deliver but humanity can indeed achieve through love and unity. 

This song aligns with Clark’s reputation for music with purpose, as seen in his past works addressing global issues like bullying, self-harm, and environmental challenges. With this release, Mick J. Clark adds another timeless gem to his repertoire, a song that not only spreads festive cheer but also inspires listeners to dream of a better and a more harmonious world.

A song of hope, faith, and love, “Glory Glory Hallelujah”  reminds us that the spirit of Christmas is about more than gifts and warm gatherings, it’s about creating a legacy of peace for generations to come; a message that’s bigger and deeper and much more resonant. So let this timeless anthem guide you through this holiday season this year,  with its powerful message of unity, hope and joy. Let it remind you that there is still hope in this universe, and together there is always hope for a better world and a better tomorrow..

Happy holidays, everyone, and Glory Glory Hallelujah! 

From Ziad Hisham, a London-based musician and producer with roots deep, deep in the Egyptian folk soundscapes comes ‘On A Personal Level’, a 6-track EP with 5 amazing features from well established names in the Egyptian and North African musical scenes, including Egyptian indie darlings Doaa El-Sebaii and Luka Salam, and the Moroccan phenomenon Sara Moullablad, to name some. The musical directions taken by the EP’s songs changes considerably from one cut to the next, while remaining consistently infused with witty, balanced production and detailed mixes filled with as many granular synth pads, as heart-rending oud leads, as unpredictable rhythmic chops, and as intriguing harmonic choices.

The entirely compelling titular track, sitting strategically to kickstart the EP’s second half after the laid-back fusion ballad ‘Mesh Hekaya Awi’, featuring Mohamed Abozekry’s voice, is a sublime collection of solo performances divided between the gentle, buttery, and melodic guitar leads, a mezmar (traditional Egyptian flute), and a rhythmic pattern that shape shifts as smoothly as the harmonic center does. An all-too-gentle triumph of an arrangement featuring Wiwii. And from the usual powerful delivery of Doaa El-Sebaii on the EP’s sophomore cut, the Sa’idi- inspired ‘Waraq El Fol’, to the delicate and arresting leads of Luka Salam on the penultimate ‘Eza’, we are faced with a beautiful duality that effortlessly displays the wide range of dynamics Ziad Hisham is capable of working with, producing music that oozes with character and color. Featuring Sara Moullablad’s haunting, twisting voice on the album’s final cut ‘El Ghayeb’, we have on our hands another shapeshifter that quirkily moves between acid disco funk and indie arab jazz with what seems like a snap from Hisham’s fingers -a snap that takes the shape of a rhythmic shift at times, and a wonderfully written guitar lead at others-.

From the moment the EP starts, with the only featureless piece, titled ‘Flying Solo’, and the introduction of Ziad Hisham’s buttery smooth, clean guitar leads, that are way too cozy, balanced, and delightful, it was clear that Hisham was a musician with delicate sensibilities who’s easily capable of weaving an atmosphere that would ensnare you if you just let it. And I did let it, and I emerged from the other end a changed person.