Locksley

Artist: Locksley

Album: Don’t Make Me Wait

Grade: A+

Genre: Garage, Pop, Rock

RIYL: Supergrass, The Beatles, The Kinks,

Good Tracks: 2, 5, 9, 11, 12

The Skinny: Take the classic vocal style of The Beatles and mash it together with a garage band and you have Locksley. They utilize the time tested formula of airy backup singers, drums, guitar, and bass; and they use it well. Somehow they have become masters of both 60’s British invasion and modern US garage styles. From the moment the first track starts up you’ll want to get up and dance. Each song is energetically engaging and fresh. Locksley, without a doubt, will get you on your feet and rocking out.

Odessa Chen

Artist: Odessa Chen

Album: The Ballad of Paper Ships

Grade: C

Genre: Indie, Folk Rock, Ambient

RIYL: Shannon Wright, Cat Power, Jeff Buckley

Good Tracks: 6, 7

The Skinny: Chen combines hauntingly gentle finger picking guitar with a singing voice that alternates between wail and whisper. While her songs are filled with intricate lyricism, the entire album is comprised of lengthy ballads. Her subject matter focuses solely on heart break, bleakness and maritime clichés. Chen offers little variety in her song composition; in fact, the same chord progression found its way into several of the album’s tracks. If you are looking for and entire album of achingly slow songs to chill out to, look no further.