When an artist’s natural talent matches their burning ambition to succeed, it is often only a matter of time before the shackles of reality give way to the realization of their dreams. Boasting an eclectic songwriting style, Lyna Galliara’s carefully crafted canon of songs effortlessly blends elements of jazz, retro soul and blues to create harmonious paeans to the sweet taste of triumph over adversity. Take the ascending chords that introduce the defiant ‘Rainshine’, over which Lyna croons her credo of continuing through pain that leads her to a joyous, life-affirming chorus that truly champions the underdog.
Lyna is entirely self-taught and plays many instruments herself, which makes the hook-filled piano melodies on the cinematic ‘Gangsta Theme’ all the more emotive; as the producer of her own songs, she has utilised an exciting range of synthesized sounds and drum grooves that lend her music a freshness bereft of many of today’s pop tunes. Displaying influences from a wide array of leading contemporary artists, she is unafraid to reference older, more established singers in her work, lending her music a rounder and more mature tone, unsurprising when you consider that Lyna has been writing songs since the age of five.
This maturity is never more clearly displayed than on the stuttered improvised introduction to the synth-heavy ‘Summer Sun’, that allows her voice to dance amongst the beats, skipping breezily around melodies that many vocalists would struggle to master. Lyna’s music is never pigeon holed to one particular style; the instrumental ‘Got No Rhythm’ is a masterpiece in composition that hints at her wide variety of influences whist never sounding anything other than utterly original. However, what really binds her songs together as one is her distinctive, soulful voice, a flourished signature written upon her musical creations. With an upcoming LP in the offing this summer, Lyna Galliara is a name that will soon become synonymous with success, no matter how hard she has to fight for it.
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Amidst the recent flurry of electro-pop bands that have appeared on the scene over the last few years, there shines a beacon of hope for any music fan who yearns for the days when dance music was all about having a good time, all of the time. Total Movement’s iconic front man and songwriter-in-chief Paul Mansford croons his vocoder-laced vocal lines that sail above the band’s pounding synths, syncopated drum patterns and stuttering guitar riffs as the perfectly crafted tunes fill your ears with the kind of frenzied, electric energy that will see any party through to the end.
prodigious drummer or a roof-raising front man, so many groups settle for just one main attraction, while the other members simply drift along in the background. If there’s one band that can be described as so much more than a sum of its parts, it’s Krona. Founded in Latvia 10 years ago, Krona’s recent line-up are now based in West London, with each member bringing a little of their background to influence the band’s sound…
Few bands have a name that truly represents their music and style as much as The Second Line; their moniker refers to the mourners in a New Orleans funeral procession who follow the band just to enjoy the music, dancing amongst the desolation and heartbreak of the funeral parade. True to this form, the four young musicians’ sound celebrates any emotion that the human heart is capable of feeling, leaning as heavily on joy as it does on misery.
getable oil-propelled second engine of their tour bus. “It’s the only way we can afford to do this, because the shows barely cover costs,” added bassist/vocalist Jonny Bell. “It’s a big struggle at the moment. Which is great. Struggle is great for being creative.”
On a roadie-free tour, little Amy LaVere has to rely on the kindness of strangers to help lug her heavy equipment out of clubs, where she has been purveying her unique blend of blues-country rock, sound tracking her idiosyncratic tales of everyday life.She won’t let anyone near her precious double-bass, but, “with the amps, anyone’s welcome…” she tells MOJO.
