Tear in the Radio #2 - The Stolen Volume 2 | Page 20

TRUST CYCLES | MOONZZ This new EP stands on its own as a musical statement from an electro-pop artist whom I expect we’ll be hearing a lot more about. Her use of vocal manipulation, reminds me of Air more than anything, as do the occasional guitars and unexpected textures that interrupt the EP’s dominant silky synthesizer tones. If there’s a flaw here, it’s that the recording is maybe too silky, and Ms. Williams’ admittedly lovely vocals so effortless that the “raw emotion” her bio promises is not particularly in evidence. STATE I’M IN | BRANDYN BURNETTE I wasn’t expecting to like this guy as much as I do. First impression, I had a very much “Oh, another Aaron Carter” vibe going on. In any case, Mr. Burnette turns out to be not so much a Backstreet Boy as a spiritual heir to Jeff Buckley. His voice is delicate and highly trained, yet comes off as earnest rather than slick. His music is an interesting fusion of disparate styles including soul, hip-hop, and even elements of indie rock. And when he croons the title line of “Worship,” a song that is fundamentally about the same thing as every other R&B song, it somehow feels like it’s saying something new. THE HUMAN CONDITION | JON BELLION If you’d asked me yesterday if anyone was fusing alternative hip-hop with pop and R&B these days, I’d have said no. If you’d asked me if I thought that sounded like a good idea... likewise, no. But Mr. Bellion and his team have given us some remarkable musical moments out of just such a fusion. The beats are big and booming and surprisingly tricky. Odd vocal effects and a diverse palette of instrumental sounds keep the production consistently interesting and entertaining at best.