Royal Holland got tired of people not knowing or seemingly not caring about music from amazing musicians who don't have the marketing power to make you want to get their music. Often times, the music being posted is free, it only costs a small amount of your time, and could change the way you look at creativity. Support the ones close to you and they will sprout wings. Royal Recommends is a way to showcase these bands.
mr. phylzzz
I'm listening to mr.phylzzz's 'Sound Like Everybody Else' EP right now. I can honestly say, while it does contain some elements familiar (I can definitely hear a little Foxy Shazaming, maybe a dash of Pile and surprisingly maybe even a smidge of Stone Temple Pilots). This definitely does not sound like everybody else.
No, welcome my friends to the exciting and new. Welcome to the Cincinnati kids doing what they do best. Polling a dramatic range of influences, internalizing them and then producing music from their hearts that compounds and exemplifies the best qualities of these influences.
I feel as a scene we're steadily producing artists of this fine a caliber. We're not the biggest for sure, but often times growing up in the Midwest, possibly on the outskirts of societal norms, we 'Natis have a tendency to dive into artist pursuits full on, I mean what better is there to do? I can't think of anything really. I feel the folks in mr.phylzzz might have had a similar experience, however I do not know for sure.
Lyrically, they are also pressing boundaries, singing about messages on the fringe of our current societal norms and hopefully bridging some gaps that will make that less and less an issue as they march forward. I do wish they posted their lyrics on their band camp page, but you can pick out the sentiments if you try hard enough. No one said everything would be easy.
The music is heavy, and driving sometimes. Sometimes it's melodic and soulful. There are really no in-betweens, but that's what makes it so compelling. You're along for the ride because the vocal delivery draws you in so perfectly. The zig zagging riffs and rhythms toss you one way and another, but it's never unpleasant. You want to experience it fully and let your body and mind move in whatever direction Clinton Jacob and Ray Redmon want to take you. Just give in for a little bit. You'll dig it.
My favorite track off of the Sound Like Everybody Else EP is number 2. NO PLANZZZ. Listen HERE. Start there, get hooked, listen to it all, give them moneyzzz, get dirty, rinse, repeatzzz.
Oh, and then go and see them TONIGHT at Urban Artifact and again on Friday, February 24th at MOTR Pub.
