Album Review: “Hearing Colour” by Svrcina

I am back with another review for you! As you all know, I love doing these blog posts but unfortunately being able to find new full releases is tricky so when I find a stack of music, even if it’s small, I will try to talk about on here!

For today, I will be reviewing an album that came out in early June, by an artist that I have discussed on here before. She is Svrcina, and her newest album “Hearing Colour” came out on the 14th, and I found out about it on the 27th! Honestly, if I do end up writing all three reviews, I’m pretty sure all of them were released sometime last month.

Check out the review of her previous album simply titled “Svrcina” that came out in 2017 now!

We have firstly, the title track “Hearing Colour” and it is a gentle introduction of what is essentially to come. It has that synth-pop sound that she is sort of known for, so I really liked it. Finally, it’s with “Dragonflies” that starts the music journey. We have that little exotic flare that I really love about her music. It’s not too much or too little, just enough to give it that edge. The song itself is very upbeat with a pop-y tone. Great way to begin the album! Next is a song called “Pages” and here again, we have a happy but unique kind of beat going on. I was imagining myself relaxing at a Japanese spa, surrounded by a small stream and some waterlilies here and there. I can really see it while listening to this song, but I like the actual song too. !

When I first wrote out the list, I thought to myself, please be a ballad. From the moment it started playing, I instantly got excited because even though it wasn’t what I initially wanted I still enjoyed it anyways. “Insecure” has that light but mysterious sound that I love in her music, but it’s not too much. I think some people would consider this a House track just by the vibe of it. It’s pretty groove-y so I really liked that. It was better than I expected it, which was awesome! Next, we have “All I Wanna Do” and here we have what i like to think of a regular pop song, because there wasn’t really anything too interesting about it, but it was good anyways!

The album is coming to an end; “Back 2 Good” has a nice little upbeat tone. I really like the bubble popping type of sound in the verses, the reason why I say “bubble popping” is because it was literally the first thing that came to me when I focused my attention on it. I really enjoyed the song, despite not liking it the first time I listened to it a few months ago. It’ll put you in a good mood, I was humming and dancing towards the end of it so that’s always a good sign! And finally, we have “Come Together” and I thought it was a nice balance between her slower songs and a pop-y track. Out of all the songs on the album, I still love this one the most!

I think because she came out as a cinematic artist, working with Tommee Profitt for his cinematic volumes for the past three years, I’ve gotten so use d to that voice of hers in that thundering light that when she went in an another direction, I wasn’t necessarily ready for it. I’m not saying any of this release was bad, for a pop album, it was pretty good but not what I was expecting it to be. I also had a thought that since her first album was in a somber tone, this was bubbly and warm, perfect for the summertime! So, what I’m really trying to say is that it was a nice surprise.

Have you listened to Svrcina’s music before? If you have heard this release, what were your thoughts on it? A fan or not?

Album Review: “Svrcina” by Svrcina

Today’s review is about an artist that has lend her voice on Tommee Profitt’s music in the past couple of years! Svrcina is like many singer-songwriters of the age, where they don’t usually release a full on album, where it’s like 12 songs of brand new material, they only put out a few songs a year. It’s periodically, but it’s where we are in the music industry where people would rather buy one single at a time. She recently released an eight track album during the last full week of March, and I’m happy to talk about it with you!

On her Facebook, it says that she does “alternative, ambient pop, and electronic” and that has become a favorite combination of mine in the past few years, so she has the upper hand already! The first song is “Whispers” and I really like the pop-y beat, it’s light and airy, but not obnoxious, so right out of the gate you get a nice dance track with a soft voice and catchy lyrics. Next is “Steady” and you instantly get that ambient vibe with that introduction of popping, the first thing that came to me was it’s like bubbles popping! It has a chilled, ambient and electric beat to it that I found to be really fun! Svrcina has this voice where it sounds so powerful and sweet at the same time. You get this loving vibe all around on this one. It’s becoming one of my favorites!

Third is “Who Are You” which will come back to us in a remix later on, but now we have the original version and I absolutely this jungle or over-worldly sound you immediately hear when it starts. It keeps you guessing and it’s definitely a great cinematic track. I had to look back through my reviews of Tommee Profitt’s albums to make sure I hadn’t talked about it before, but nope, this is a new track. I can’t say for sure that Tommee produce it, just because it has a cinematic vibe going on, doesn’t always mean anything. And then after that heavy hitter, we slow it down with “Astronomical” and from the moment I wrote it out on my note pad, I knew this one would be interesting no matter what. I really love the gentle storytelling, her voice is very easy going and the piano matches it so well. It’s just beautiful!

Now we move on to “Deeper” and it has this zigzag beat that makes it seem like it could be a regular pop track. but then you have all of these different elements. You have the first sounds you were introduced to, and then you have an acoustic guitar with an light dance beat on top of it. What blows my mind that even though I wasn’t really hearing the actual words of the song, I was really into it and it wasn’t even overwhelming either! Sixth is “Island” and this was another one I was really curious about, and I really love it. You really only hear her voice, but it’s almost dreamy like she’s floating out into the abyss, singing out her troubles.  It’s absolutely gorgeous!

These will be the last two songs of the album, starting with “Sweeter Place” and this has another ballad, but as much as it does have that space-y vibe that the other two tracks had, this one is completely unique. You can hear her emotion, the rawness of it, is so loud. The beat itself does increase, but not in such a way that you lose the gentle atmosphere. I like it, but not as much as I thought I would, but I will grow into it. And remember when I said we’ll  be seeing “Who You Are” again, this is a remix of it by Russ Macklin and I actually don’t like it. I felt like he downgraded it from its original state, but I guess there’s only so many ways to remix such a jam-packed track like that, so I can’t say I hate it, but it’s definitely my least favorite out of the full thing.

I was very surprised with this. I didn’t think that I would like almost every song, but I do. Once I found out what kind of music Svrcina actually makes, it did make things easier to do this. I’ve also been in a different mindset lately, so I actually liked the ballads a lot more, I am usually a lot harder to impress but whenever I get in these moods I feel like I need all of the dreamscape-ballads I can find at that point of time. Overall, I thought it was a great release, and if you don’t mind I’m going to go listen to her other singles on her Spotify profile.

Have you listened to Svcrina’s debut album yet? If you have, what are some of your favorites? Are there any other alternative artists you think I should listen to? Let me know below!

Album Review: “Cinematic Songs Vol. 1” by Tommee Profitt

Today, I have something a little different for you. This isn’t your regular album review. No, this is totally unique  I think in the way that it all came together. I hope you like what you read in my review below and if you decide to listen or purchase the album digitally, as that’s the only way it is released right now, please tell me your thoughts on it as well.

If you are familiar with my music tastes, you know how much I love anything epic cinematic, it can mean “trailer music” as a lot of people seem to categorize it like that. I think my infatuation with it started while I was finding more and more symphonic metal bands. Epic cinematic music is more like alternative pop to me, as it’s not entirely pop nor symphonic either. It’s a nice medium and I just love it to pieces because it too, can tell a deeper story than a normal pop song can in my opinion.

The album is produced by Tommee Profitt. He is also a composer and songwriter. You might have heard of his music on different networks like Freeform, ABC and the CW. In the “Cinematic Songs Vol. 1” he has a mixture of both instrumentals and tracks that feature different artists.

The track that starts us off is “No Escape (Genesis)” and it is an instrumental and if you know me well enough, you know I like a good, powerful beginning and just as epic end to it all. This track is no different. It’s a perfect beginning to the album. I like the air-y dreamscape it delivers. Despite it having a clear, war scene type of image in your mind, it also has a beautiful body of various emotions you can hear within as you would be able to see if it was a movie. The second is “Caught In The Fire” featuring the first singer of the album, it is Sam Tinnesz, who is a singer/songwriter from Nashville and he is also the lead vocalist of Wave & Rome.  I think this one is fairly quiet compared to the first, it does built once the chorus begins; that’s what is so interesting with cinematic music, you might have a peaceful introduction but by the ending, it has erupted into this glorious fire of sounds. No pun intended.

Third is called “Who Side Are You On” and it features one of my favorite pop-cinematic artists, the main reason why I’ve been so interested in the genre in the first place: Ruelle! She has the power to make a song like this, choosing a side between right and wrong, and twisting it on its head a little. I really love the synth drums and strings throughout the end of the choruses, it gives a sense of chaos I think of figuring out which side you believe. I think the best part of this is at the end, I love the last two high octaves the choir gives before finishing the song completely. I like paying attention to details, especially in music. It always leaves me curious and wanting more!

Next is a track called “Free” that is performed by singer Svrcina, unfortunately I couldn’t find a lot about her on her Facebook page like I could with the others, so I’m just going to have to wing it. Sorry! This one has a different sound compared to the first 3 songs, which is always nice. Svrcina has a nice deep voice, she kind of reminds me of Birdy in a way. I think they should play this for the Pretty Little Liars finale. I don’t watch the show, but I think it would be perfect for the main characters! Anyways, the fifth track, we’re back with the instrumentals! It is called “Insurrection” and I love the ominous feeling in the intro, best thing ever! I love the sounds that horns tend to give off in these types of tracks, a sense of war on the way, so they’re preparing, getting their strategies just right, and eventually fighting with one another. Those are always my favorite sections and let’s be honest, they usually have the best music sequences too!

Afterwards, we have a slightly softer sound by an artist Wondra, for the track “I’m Not Afraid” but again, it builds as she begins to sing, because at first all you hear is Wondra vocalization, it doesn’t sound like the previous tracks. I like the soft piano at the beginning and end. It’s very beautiful! It has a pop atmosphere but I actually like it though. Next we have Sam Tinnesz back with a second song called “Glass Heart” and we have another piano introduction with Sam’s gorgeous, questionable voice. I like the chorus section mostly because of the zigzag sounds you hear with the high-pitched notes of the piano with subtle low, sort of deep drums give it a dramatic feel. Surprisingly, I thought it could do without the string section at the end.

This one is called “Soldier” and it is performed by Fleurie, she’s another artist that is featured on our favorite television shows like The Vampire Diaries and The Originals. This is very pretty. I like the soft beginning that her voice brings to the table. It’s not too much or too little. The song is also very catchy, so it’s an ideal pop cinematic track. The ninth track is another instrumental, it is called “Rising Tombs” which explains a lot, because within the first seconds of it, it’s very quiet and then you start to hear these sounds like somebody walking up stairs. All the while the orchestra’s power grows and it becomes very energetic. I want to say, this one has more of an electronic sound to it, which I know sounds weird but it does!

We are on the last four songs, starting “Sleeping With A Ghost” and this one definitely has an electronica vibe to it, probably a little more than the last one. The singer featured in this is CAPPA and she is an indie-pop singer from Nashville. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say most of the artists on this installment are from the country music capital of Nashville. I love the diversity though! Next is a track called “I’m Seeing Red” and I’m in love with the title! You know it’s going to be badass with that kind of title and it is! So creepy but light and air-y with Aron Wright’s voice, but of course everything needs to grow and become a massive beast and that’s the best way to describe how this sucker concludes. It’s pretty unique!

We have our last single to feature Fleurie and it is “Hurts Like Hell” and I have to say both this track and the other are both featured on her EP “Love And War” that came out in November. This is a very beautiful track, I love her soft, almost quiet voice and a piano together. I’m only just discovering her and she just takes me away from the pain in my daily life and that’s what I love about cinematic music the most, it has the power to do that to you. Anyways, my favorite section is the bridges, you still have this eternal sound but like a bubble pops and the sounds intensifies but then it calms back down again. The last track is a bonus, it’s “Carol Of The Bells” and this makes me think of Christmas when I first heard it, I’ll be honest, but it’s a classic. Everyone has heard of it in their lifetime. I certainly have, I’ve just never known the title of it. It’s so beautiful though and the perfect finish!

I will be honest, I found this whole album on accident one night. I had been listening to Ruelle and was on her “Related Artists” on Spotify and found Fleurie and I have been curious to check out her music for about a year and I finally did and this was included at the bottom of her overview. So I thought I would do a review of what I thought of it as a whole and this is the result. I think Tommee has a fantastic group of tracks and featured musicians, everybody did a great job! All I have to do is wait for Volume #2 now!

What do you think of cinematic music? Are you lover or unsure about the entire genre? 

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