Back in August, we stumbled upon hip-hop instrumentalist Hikko Mori and his debut Self Portrait. Turns out, that was just the tip of the iceberg in terms of Hikko’s offerings and he’s since followed up with two EP’s – Sex in the Suburbs and GOODBYE. All three exist under the same umbrella of Beats Ready For Vocals but they’re a satisfying listen on their own.

While I’m no expert, most hip-hop beats keep a pretty persistent pattern, leaving a maximum amount of room for the vocals to be the showcase of the track. Since these EP’s have no vocals, that persistence could potentially run the risk of getting pretty boring, pretty quick. Fortunately, Hikko Mori peppers in plenty of samples and musical shifts to keep it interesting. There’s still plenty of time to let yourself be immersed in the openness of the song but it rarely drags.

Do yourself a favor and listen to “That Feeling When You Lose Your Virginity” which features everyone’s favorite loon losing his mind.

One might think that Protomen have a monopoly on Mega Man based entertainment but, turns out, there’s plenty of room for other creative endeavors. Composer Andrew Goodwin lent his musical skills to a Mega Man inspired short film simply entitled Mega Man X, the results of which are now available as a soundtrack.

As you might imagine, the short film itself has undergone all sorts of copyright infringement issues but you can still find it, with little effort. It’s an impressive technical feat for a new filmmaker – largely showcasing a choreographed battle between two humanoid robots. There’s a bit of plot bookending the endeavor but, on the whole, there’s not much to it.* Fortunately, where the film may feel a little empty, the soundtrack provides a much more fulfilling experience.

The writeup about the soundtrack creation experience adds another level of appreciation for the output. Have a look:

It was the first time I had ever used midi/VST instruments. I was also literally stitching audio string samples together by hand. I only had 2gb of ram and I had to play back the video on a separate netbook by clicking play on both computers simultaneously. But I didn’t care, I was just excited to be writing music. The video ultimately received 4 million + views before being taken down.

Given that the subject matter of Mega Man (in general) is about a dystopian future, it’s fitting that there would be some hardships in all parts of the creation. The track “Mad Robots” edges closest to the OutRun genre but the remainder of the tracks feel part of a broader, more desolate, landscape. It’s sweeping and dramatic without feeling cheesy.

* Look, WOTT is a Positive Energy Vibe Zone so it’s never easy to be critical of someone’s hard work but it’s also inauthentic to not be honest. This is only a subjective opinion, you may love the film.

Back in 2016, The Shadowtones posted some Demos over on Bandcamp and proceeded to play out regularly amongst the psych rock crowd, fine tuning their craft (as you do). Now there’s a full-length album on the horizon with the first single, “Goodbye“, now streaming.

The band – comprised of familiar names Meghan D’Amico, Rachel Warrick, Joey Dykes and Dave Cate – clearly has a penchant for the dark and foreboding. Not to put too fine a point on it but there’s a manic Jefferson Airplane vibe to this track, warped and ominous but absolutely soaring with the vocals.

If the bands Instagram is to be trusted, the album will be here before we know it, so expect more insight on the full-length when it arrives.

In the official bio for newcomer Kate Kelly, it states that her forthcoming album The Wonder Of It All was written “as a musical antidote to the dark energies circulating throughout the collective unconscious.” That’s a tall order but an admirable goal, particularly given the tumultuous political times we live in.

“The Book We Made” is a single released off of said album. So, how does it stack up as a musical antidote for dark energies? I’m happy to report – Not Bad. It’s upbeat, it’s backed by some pleasant horns and Kelly’s voice has a sweet, calming, vibe to it.

The kicker is that, lyrically, the song seems to be about a breakup in which the narrator burns the metaphorical book made together in a relationship. To quote: “…in the flames I say I goodnight, and when I get down to the heart of it, it was all just lovesick rhetoric.” While this could be delivered as a scathing disposal of a lost love, the song delivers the message as a freeing and optimistic opportunity.

The Wonder Of It All is set for a release sometime in 2018. The clock is ticking on the time remaining for the year and we all could use some more optimism.

Of late, Steelism has been on the road with Carl Broemel both as an opening band and a backing band for the My Morning Jacket member. This functions as double promotion for their latest album ism, available now via Intoxicating Sounds.

The real news here is that they’ve released an official video for the track “Re-Member” off of said record. The video depicts the duo walking through the desert, peering into abandoned buildings and generally performing in sparse, desolate locations. It’s a fitting environment for the song, which has a much more melancholy vibe than their previously released singles for “Eno Nothing” and the danceable “Shake Your Heels.”

If nothing else, “Re-Member” serves as a great reminder that Steelism is capable of covering a lot of emotional ground despite their (usual) instrumental nature. And it’s pretty to look at.