Quality Not Quantity - Three To Enjoy

Totally Mild - Down Time - 'Street Date', August 7th, 2015, Bedroom Suck Records.

Promo words - Totally Mild are a four-piece based in Melbourne, Australia. Fronted by Elizabeth Mitchell, a woman with an exciting tendency to sing in a falsetto not many can match, the band perform absolutely perfect, skewed, disjointed pop music that sounds as though it was handed down from the heavens. Zachary Schneider (Full Ugly, The Great Outdoors) follows close behind on lead guitar, his lines interlocking with Mitchell’s to form a structural frame. This is matched by Lehmann Smith (Kes Band) and Ashley Bundang’s rhythm section, an enigma in itself. The playing is sparse, accentuation perfect. The end result has got us wetting our pants.

Since developing out of Mitchell’s solo project of the same name, Totally Mild have put Melbourne into a spin. They perform to fans who know the words to every song, and have been singled out to support the likes of Real Estate, Laura Jean and The Harpoons. The band also have an armament of Australia’s finest talent behind them, with album artwork courtesy of Darren Sylvester, and music videos produced by Geoffrey O’Connor, Xanthe Dobbie and Nina Renee. Down Time will be Totally Mild’s full-length debut, and is sure to rock the metaphorical boat of Australian music.

The physical release or should I say 'street date' is upon us for the very fine music of Totally Mild. The featured track is first on the album and so let it be our introduction too, lot's to enjoy.

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Jessica Domingo - Masterpiece (EP).

Promo Words - Jessica’s latest single from Masterpiece EP is “Everything Just Wasn’t Enough” and it’s one of her best genre-busting songs (available on iTunes). A vivid mix of passionate left-of-center pop with urban passion and realness, the sweetness and strength of Jessica Domingo freshly redefines the boundaries of commercially-appealing music. 

Jessica’s You Tube channel is extremely popular for a performer in this region, due to her amazing original tracks, as well as a superb Kendrick Lamar Medley, and a cover of Frank Ocean’s “Thinking About You” — which has garnered more than two million views. ‘Masterpiece’ was recorded by multi-platinum Grammy award-winning producer Mikal Blue at Revolver Recordings in Los Angeles. Jessica has also already toured the West Coast to packed houses. While on the road, Jessica was invited to the YouTube Space Headquarters to film, a rare opportunity offered only to the YouTubers who have over 10,000 subscribers. Jessica got qualified and accepted by Vevo to have her own channel now.

On a day when a certain 'new PC operating system' has been trying very hard to ruin it, the soothing passionate voice of Jessica has been calming me down and providing a welcome distraction. 'Everything Just Wasn't Enough' is a beautiful song. Website (here).

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Conor Mulroy - 'The Last Circus Act' - Album.

Promo Words - The Last Circus Act  is a spiritually-led musical  journey in its entirety - one that was prompted by an unexpected, near-death skiing accident that left Conor in an ICU for 5 days and with a broken hip.  This happened in the Beartooth mountains of Montana. He draws the lyrical material on The Last Circus Act from this experience, using a different lens from his well-received 2012 mandolin-focused release “Foxfire.”  

The Last Circus Act features keyboardist Patrick Warren (Bob Dylan, Tom Waits), pedal steel/dobro player Dave Easley (the Brian Blade Fellowship), vocalist Lindsay Paige Garfield and drummer Tom Arey. Feingold also wrote string arrangements for the record. Lewis mixed The Last Circus Act and Lurssen Mastering put the final touches on it. Composer and Multi-Instrumentalist Conor Mulroy is a student and explorer of music since he picked up his first guitar at age 8 and began shredding solos to Metallica’s “Ride The Lightning.”

Conor has traveled the globe leading groups in performance halls and recording sessions with ensembles ranging from solo instruments to orchestras.  He plays the mandolin, guitar, 5-string banjo, piano, and bass, among many other instruments.  He has written music for orchestra, film, the concert hall and ensembles ranging from acoustic to metal and everything in between. Conor also received a master’s degree in music composition at the University of Maine where he studied with Dan Sonenberg. He also owns his own record label, Melmac Records, through which he has independently released four records: Salinger (2009), The Glass Ocean (2010), The Unwinding Path (2011) and Foxfire (2012).

A case of 'better late than never' with this album which has been about since early July. It's to good to miss out, the musicianship is superb, the songs match that craftsmanship both in melody and style. Take a listen to 'In Winters Wind' chosen at random, as the contenders to feature are many. Website (here).

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