Promote This: Spencer Carlson, Tokki Bloom and Voxmirage
Promote This is a long-running NadaMucho.com feature wherein we write about emerging and unsigned bands. This installment includes Spencer Carlson, Tokii Bloom and Voxmirage.
Spencer Carlson – “Alien” and “The Universe is Screaming”
Title song from a long-percolating digital album from this Seattle singer/songwriter (pictured above). Low-fi production on gentle, catchy, acoustic-guitar-strum-heavy indie pop. Some well-arranged strings add to this song of isolation, but the muddy sound is distracting. ”
On “Alien,” acoustic guitar strumming opens with Spencer’s gentle, double-tracked vocals arriving to tell an autobiographical story of youthful angst. Clever, quirky lyrics and some tastefully added synths and a guitar solo bridge the tune midway through. Universal, but overplayed theme, but smartly done. – Abe Beeson
Listen to “Alien”
Listen to “The Universe is Screaming”
Tokii Bloom – “Pretty Grinding”
Tokii Bloom sent us the video for her cut “Pretty Grinding” and at first when the beat hit I rolled my eyes but then daaaahmm, after two minutes in this song gets hype. She kind sounds Like Nena Cherry had a Daughter with MIA. Plus, the hook is infectious and with lines like “Pop that pussy…shake that ass” how can I not get behind this song?
Cool video but it may be distracting me from how rad the track is so I am gonna just download the mp3.
Voxmirage – Voxmirage
Here’s the description from Voxmirage’s SoundCloud page: “In Voxmirage’s new album you’ll find a labyrinth of Beatlesque melodies and lush harmonies. The new wave influences of Depeche Mode and Tears for Fears can easily be heard in the synth sonorousness and the obvious influence of Fleetwood Mac.”
Sorry, but that’s just awful. You know who was Beatlesque? The Beatles. Just the Beatles. Even individual Beatles weren’t very Beatlesque, so what chance have you got? Also, there isn’t an obvious influence of Fleetwood Mac, there’s actually a Lindsay Buckingham cover (“Go Insane”). On the other hand, there really is some Depeche Mode and Tears for Fears influence, and Ken stringfellow’s (Posies, REM, etc.) influence as producer is clear and welcome, particularly on “Just a Fool.” Toss a little Material Issue into the rich chowder of influences. – Andy Bookwalter
Listen to Voxmod’s self-titled album
(Abe Beeson has been heard hosting Evening Jazz weeknights on 88.5fm KPLU since ’98. You may have also heard him hosting The Live Room on 90.3fm KCMU (KEXP) from ’93 to ’02 and he occasionally picks up a fill-in shift when they’re desperate. Andy Bookwalter is a guy we know who likes music that we send to Sasquatch every year. TBASA is the #HyperBully. To have these and other misfits listen to your music send submissions to @nadamucho with hash tag #PromoteThis.)