Kitchen Toonz

Happy 2020! To kick off the year I'm happy to announce that Kitchen Toonz will be transitioning to its own domain, sans blogspot! Once it's ready I'll create a post redirecting everyone to the new site. Until then, this site will operate as normal.

Illinois based punk band Static Choke released a three song EP earlier this year, Spicy. A DIY album, everything was done by the band — recording, instruments, mixing, mastering, and even the album art. It's a short listen, with the whole EP clocking in at under five minutes but it's a fun ride. Shrieking harsh vocals, fast and simple punk riffs, and some pretty nifty drumming define this EP. The audio quality is pretty solid considering it was DIY. I do wish the guitar tone was a little beefier, and sometimes the vocals feel like they can get lost in the same frequency as the guitars. The band also has some electronic segments which I think compliment the songs and don't wear out their welcome. As I mentioned before, the drummer is talented and is probably the highlight of the EP. He delivers some pretty interesting drum lines and a ton of fills. The song structure and riffs can be a little straightforward and the drumming really spices it up.  I think I would have...

Eric Terino's Champagne and Childhood Hunger is a passionate and intriguing journey into the despondent, lonely, and dark corners of Eric's mind. Released earlier this Autumn, Champagne and Childhood Hunger  is primarily a piano, vocal, and synth album. It's beautifully written, and the stripped down aesthetic helps you focus on the stories Eric is singing — and boy can he sing. He reminds me of a classic rock vocalist in his tone. With his choice of vocal melodies and inflections, he also provides a sort of whimsical, eclectic feeling to his singing. The piano work is solid, and combined with some well utilized synths create a great background for Eric to deliver his stories through. The lyrics are deep, heartfelt, and speak to emotions many of us can relate to — primarily loneliness and loss. He's not afraid to cut deep or mince words, yet even when he's being blunt he manages to keep it sounding poetic. Take this line from Annus Horribilis: " This shit h...

Elizabeth McCullough, also known as Alpha Cat, released her first album in over a decade back in August. Thatched Roof Glass House  was worth the wait - it's engaging, inspired, and lovingly crafted. Elizabeth's vocals combined with the reverb pull you in and put you into an almost meditative trance. The guitars create a really mellow background, and combined with the leads feels very 90s. The bass is nice and pronounced, and it's all held together by consistent drumming. The end result is a really unique package full of feeling. This is one of the best albums I've heard in the past few months. If you're into alternative rock that you can really get lost in, check this out immediately. Top Three Songs Mockingbird Opening the album up is Mockingbird, a really beautiful sounding tune about hiding your true colours. I love the shoegazey vocals over the relaxed instruments. I feel like I could fall asleep to this track - I mean that in the most positive way. ...

California based singer, songwriter, and producer Raymond Revel released the single Sunrise  back in 2018, but it has been gaining a lot of momentum recently. It was featured on Spotify's Discover Weekly, and has over 25,000 plays in the past three weeks alone. It's not tough to see why - it's a simple, fun pop song with a catchy rhythm. It's pretty stripped down, featuring Raymond's vocals, a piano, bass, some percussion, and a fun xylophone sounding instrument for the majority of the song. This was written, recorded, produced, and mastered by Raymond himself and it sounds great. Everything is clear and full sounding, especially the piano. It has a very warm sounding tone. Raymond's unique voice compliments this - he sounds really youthful and cheerful, helping create the positive, carefree feeling Sunrise  puts out. The lyrics are fairly average, discussing how he can't wait to see his crush/significant other and wants the next day to come - hence th...

Paul Pedana, an Italian born independent singer/songwriter is gearing up to release his second solo album titled A Sole Existence Reflects Eternity.  It's a dynamic album mixing alt rock, acoustic ballads, and full sounding theatrical compositions to create something that really sounds and feels like a passion project. It was written after Paul went through some personal issues, and you can tell it has a lot of soul in it. There's also a beautiful cover of the Johnny Cash version of Hurt near the end of the album. Paul's voice is filled with emotion, and his deep tone sounds excellent. I think Johnny Cash would approve of this one. I think the highlight of the album for me are Paul's vocals - he is front and center and sounds great. The album is really well produced, and mixes everything really well, even when the production gets filled with strings and guitar leads. My only gripe is that I wish the drums did a little more - they're pretty simple and feel very s...