Taylor Dukes‘ voice is smooth like your favorite silk shirt- assuming you own a silk shirt. Other things one could compare her voice to include polished wood, or cinnamon ice cream. Not only does the singer bless us with her warm (and at times sultry) vocals on her new song "Gravity," but also with an incredibly tasteful arrangement including a mellotron flute, a gorgeous acoustic guitar, a soulful rhythm section, and layers on layers of harmonies. I even hear a little bit of Elton John in the piano-infused bridge. Simply delightful. Catch Taylor Dukes live at the Basement on 8/30. –Geena Kloeppel

 Demo Love’s tagline really spoke to me: "Remember your favorite high-school bands? Remember major chords and rockin’ jangle-pop?" Yes. Yes I do. The band’s debut, self-titled album is a real winner- it’s lush, full of hooky melodies and choruses, and is superbly arranged with guitar riffs and a well-executed rhythm section. Two highlights are "You & Me" and "Evelyn" that almost feel more like rock than pop- but then again, back in the day, that’s what our favorite bands sounded like. Final track "Stay" is more wistful than the rest of the batch, but equally lovely. The whole record is carried by the warm and caring vocals of Chris Banke and Benjamin Lusk. If the new "it" genre is throwback, I’m down. –Geena Kloeppel

The other day I was listening to Crosby, Stills and Nash, and wondered what they’d sound like if the trio were on the scene today. Lo and behold, today I stumbled upon the indie/psych/pop group Rainsticks on Bandcamp. Fronted by Asher Horton, not only does the band bring back the best of old-school pop, using the same layers of vocal harmonies and basic instruments as the Beatles and the Beach Boys, but there’s also a hint of psychedelia. This album is one to listen to from front to back, preferably through a stereo, on a Sunday. The music will wash over you like the afternoon sun. –Geena Kloeppel

 Whoever (or whatever) Digyphus is- I’m here for them. Digyphus is described as the digital version of Sisyphus on Bandcamp, and is apparently fronted by one D. Andersen, who wrote and played all of the instruments on the project’s new record, Escapism. To give you an idea of just how diverse that body of instruments is, I’ll list a few: synthesizers, glockenspiel, electric guitar, and ocarina are all present in this album. "Digital Sisyphus" starts with an plucked acoustic guitar and piano arrangement, reminiscent of the "Call Me By Your Name" soundtrack. It builds into something a bit noisier, but not intrusively so. The whole record is awash in various reverbs and almost unnameable sounds. I could hardly pull myself away. –Geena Kloeppel

 Can someone please put more rock’n’roll ladies on our radar? Thanks. I’ll start you off- with Amy Darling’s debut EP Rock’n’Roll Woman, a four-song exposition that fuses your favorite classic rockabilly textures (Jackson Browne, Steppenwolf, a dusty saloon…) with a heap of female assertion and power. The title track is the edgiest of the four, but the slightly slower "Flip the Bird" is just as sonically stunning, if not even a little more interesting. My only qualm about the record is its length: if only there were more songs! Looking forward to a full length in the future! Catch Amy Darling’s EP release show on 9/5 at American Legion Post 82. –Geena Kloeppel

 "Help Me" is the existential rock jam you’ve been waiting for. It’s the end of summer, and, let’s face it, the hot August weather makes us all wonder what the heck we’re doing and where on earth time went. Jon Worthy perfectly articulates the existential dread many a millennial seems to experience these days. Who needs a mid-life crisis when you can have a quarter-life crisis, right? With rawness and honesty, Jon Worthy tells that story, and listening to him sing it will make you feel just a little less alone in your own anxieties. Catch him and the band live at the Springwater on 9/5. –Geena Kloeppel

 Folks- you’re in for a wild ride in Edan Archer’s new music video, "Bad Imitation Of Something Good." The song is a light-hearted folk/rock song with crunchy guitar riffs and a double-clap drum rhythm, but it’s the video that really shines. Though filmed entirely on an iPhone, according to the press release, this visual is far more stunning than you might imagine. Archer hits a diner, an arcade and a tattoo parlor (don’t worry, all the tattoos in the video are temporary). "You want a good woman by your side / who puts her toothpaste cap on tight" sings Archer in the chorus, and honestly, it makes me want to hit the town with her even more. Edan Archer plays the Rhinestone Cabaret on 8/28. -Geena Kloeppel

"No more dancing in the evening / you are free, no longer mine" is one of many bittersweet images in Five Islands’ new single "No More Dancing." A fiddle skillfully weaves in between lyrics like a third singer or a memory, threading the different sections of the song together. The whole thing makes you wanna sit back, reminisce and let out a little sigh. Be sure to catch Five Islands when they play the Local on 8/19. -Geena Kloeppel

On her new song "You Love Me," pop artist Sereena accomplishes two things: she sings her heart out with a ferocious yet sweet intensity, and blends jazz, R’n’B, and pop into a backbeat jam. There’s a lot of interesting textures- a wash of synths, trap hats, a bold bass sound, and Sereena’s intoxicating voice sits atop it all like royalty. The chorus is, simply put, anthemic, and will have you singing along in your head all day. Describing "You Love Me," Sereena says: "I have trouble accepting love…if you can’t tell." And I’ll bet a lot of folks out there can relate. –Geena Kloeppel

 What did I say about male songwriters having a moment? Will Pellerin, who was the Deli’s artist of the month back in June, released a single called "Ain’t Got The Heart" back in June that demonstrates excellent storytelling, emotional complexity and humility. If you’re looking to be shattered into pieces by a song, this is the one for you: "I’m not asking if you’re coming back/ ain’t got the heart for that," he sings, with a strange blend of fearlessness and sorrow that is simply painful. In a good way. Like, you won’t be able to stop listening. Pellerin plays the Basement with another one of our favorite Nashville songwriters, Charli Adams, on 8.13. –Geena Kloeppel

 Saint Nomad may be Nashville-based, but, by-and-large, the band is international. Nikita, Ruslan, and Yan Odnoralov were born in Russia but raised in the US, which perhaps helps to explain the incredibly unique and complex set of electronic textures incorporated in the new singles from their upcoming LP Memento Mori. There is a rigidity in rhythm and tempo, but a playfulness in arrangement and vocals. "River" is pop, yet somehow not quite. There is a chorus hook to sing along to, yet I almost felt like a spectator throughout the song, watching three great musicians do their thing, thought without being invited in to participate. This listening experience was much different than with most bands, and to be quite honest, I loved it. Saint Nomad could play may me anything, and I’d be glad to just sit back and take it in. –Geena Kloeppel

 Male songwriters are having a moment right now- or at least, I’m hearing so many good ones these days that when a particularly fantastic one comes on shuffle, it takes me by surprise. Hank Compton is one of those surprises. Kill What We Love, the songwriter’s new EP, demonstrates an extraordinary depth of character and emotion in his calm yet intensely vivid vocal performances. Every song is accompanied by a delightful and unique neo-folk arrangement. It wouldn’t be a bold suggestion to place Compton in the same category as artists like New England’s Henry Jamison and the UK’s Lewis Watson. I’ll be waiting anxiously to hear more from my new favorite young male songwriter, but until then, you should do yourself a favor and out Kill What We Love on repeat. –Geena Kloeppel