TUNED UP

13 Fave Hiphop Albums of 2023 by Alex Dye

It’s the most wonderful time of the year: the time for year-end music lists. Tuned Up has already published its list of favorite albums of the last year, from all genres. The following are 13 of my favorite hip-hop albums of the last year. There are new artists, veteran artists, collaborations made in heaven, and a whole lot of great beats and rhymes. Listen on and let us know what you think. - Alex Dye Click the link in our bio to check out the full article or visit: https://www.iamtunedup.com/13-favorite-hip-hop-albums-of-2023/ Follow us to stay #tunedup! Submit your music through our website. #love #hiphop #killermike #nas #besthiphop #blog #music #article #muiscreview #2023hiphop

Presented without comment, because the names speak for themselves, here are my (Ryan’s) favorite band names I discovered for the first time in 2023. They were chosen for their humor, boldness, and overall memorability. Remember, this is just about the names. Not the music. I’ll list the names and link the albums and socials below. Let us know if the artists sounded like you expected. And remember – unhinged is meant as a compliment! - Ryan Getz See more in our Instagram bio link or visit: https://www.iamtunedup.com/most-unhinghed-band-names-discovered-in-2023/ Follow us to stay #tunedup! Submit your music through our website. #washingmachina #crazybandnames #humor #bands #musicblog #discover #teenagetompetties #honeybunchesofdeath # #eroticsecretsofpompeii #dragoninn3 #chitinousmandible #cosmic #kitten #cosmickitten #cairoknifefight #awakebutstillinbed #WHTRBBTOBJ #squidpisser #russianlineman #chameleonlimewhoopiepie

Colliding with Kaleidoscope

Last night, in the heart of the vibrant city of Columbus, a handful of Kings Kaleidoscope enthusiasts were treated to an intimate acoustic pre-show performance along with an opportunity to ask the Seattle-based band anything they wanted to know. Most people asked routine questions about work-life balance and what songs were their favorite, but one man shared an incredibly powerful story of how their songs led him to personally encounter the love of Jesus and radically impacted his life before having each member sign the box of his custom steel and stone kaleidoscope with the lyrics of the song “Joy” engraved. That moment was definitely a cool segway into the full concert as the doors opened and general admission ticket holders poured in, filling both levels of the venue. Now imagine this. The backdrop is adorned with mesmerizing kaleidoscopic visuals that mirror the band’s name. - Gabrielle Solange Read the full concert review here: https://www.iamtunedup.com/meeting-kings-kaleidoscope/ Follow us and submit your music on our website. 🎥: Dubem Okpalaoka & Gabrielle Solange #kingskaleidoscope #kaleidoscope #christianmusic #christianconcert #ohioconcerts #artsmakecolumbus #arts #columbus #tunedup #tunedupmusic #blog #vlog #podcast

Only 2 days til Tuned Up’s Steadfast Festival takes over Natalie's - Grandview! Come out this Friday and Saturday (Sep 23-24) to see YOKE LORE, Bad Bad Hats, Husbands, The Cordial Sins, LeTrainiump, Abby Holliday, Cherimondis Johnson, A-Go-Go, Gabrielle Solange, Forever Unknown Band, Fashion Week, Greg Owens, & Glass Age! Get tickets 🎫 here: https://www.showclix.com/event/steadfast-music-festival-2022

📣CALLING ALL MUSIC ARTISTS!!! 🚨 During the month of February, the crazy talented @mark_abrams_audio is holding a contest to give away a FREE radio ready professional song mix to one lucky winner. Tag your favorite artist and don’t miss it! Entering is simple: 1. Follow him on IG 2. Click the contest link in his bio and enter your info! Good luck! #musicproduction #giveaway #protools #logicprox #lovemusic #livemusic #musicians #band #rockmusic #punkrock #randb #rapper #indiemusic #singer #mixingengineer #hiphop #hiphop #folk #popmusic #pop #coversongs #free #contest #vocals #recordingstudio #unsignedartist #unsignedrapper #unsignedartists

The music on the new Silk Sonic EP certainly has more substance than the lyrics for the most part, and it’s hard to tell what’s meant as humorous and what is actually a delusion of grandeur. But hey, you aren’t here for deep thoughts. You want some songs to cry to and hits to dance to. And this album has both. See the full review https://www.iamtunedup.com/i-listened-to-the-silk-sonic-lp-so-you-dont-have-to/ Follow us to stay #tunedup! Submit your music through our website. 🎥 credit: Silk Sonic Bruno Mars Anderson .Paak

What do you get when you mix elements of Weezer, The Beach Boys, mewithoutYou and Starfire 59 with a touch of #80s new wave and maybe a slight hint of #dreampop? The result is the latest release from Phantom Limb Pastoral. See the full review in the bio link! Follow us to stay #tunedup! Submit your music through our website.

Lyrically, Odd Ity tackles everything from (often-toxic) notions of what is expected of men, particularly black men, on opener “Mr. Tough Guy,” to the dangers of doing things to keep up an appearance on album highlight “Mindset,” to the vicious cycle of addiction on the fitfully-titled lead single. He even touches on the more-macroscopically damning subject of police brutality on “Can I Live?” Often offering up thought-provoking lines in his music, O.D.D.I.T.Y is no stranger to this sort of thing, having done it many times before, as early as with his debut ME. However, it feels more pointed on Impaired Vision, more emphatic, almost like listeners weren’t getting the picture before and he’s fed up with that. See the full review https://www.iamtunedup.com/o-d-d-i-t-y-exposes-impaired-vision-triumphs/ Follow us to stay #tunedup! Submit your music through our website. #Alternativemusic #fitness #rap #indiemusic #country #musician #sober #hiphop #folk #musicvideo #toxic #smallbusiness #podcast #mua #makeupartist #substanceabuse #beauty #recovery #overcomer #writer #filmfest #magazine #blog #business #inspiration #travisscottconcert #travisscott #hair #billieeilish

Check out the new site! 🔥🔥🔥 https://www.iamtunedup.com

Michigan Rattlers sophomore LP feels miles away from the North Michigan roots of the band; Marc Cohn-flavored piano and Nashville-grade drumming give a warm-yet-earthy flavor to these songs, for instance. And while the vocals have their own degree of southern soulfulness, they aren’t done without taste. Nothing here feels dishonest and much as it does displaced – these songs long for different pastures, you might say. See the full music video and review: https://www.iamtunedup.com/michigan-rattlers-that-kind-of-life/ Follow us to stay #tunedup! Submit your music through our website.

With punchy riffs galore and stories to tell, melodic pop punk band Those Without shoot for the stars with their record Bittersweet. It is an album of trials and tribulations too, exploring themes, pointing to the inner channels and challenges of heartbreak. The band, do not sugar-coat or mask their feelings either as they let them spike and cut through the thick atmosphere. And they have momentum and courage in droves, which aids them in delivering compelling music with twists. See the full review: http://www.iamtunedup.com/those-without-bittersweet/! Follow us to stay #tunedup! Submit your music through our website. #Alternativemusic #fitness #christianrock #indiemusic #country #musician #punk #hiphop #folk #punkrock #pop #smallbusiness #podcast #torikelly #makeupartist #fashion #rainbows #fashionstyle #billieeilish #writer #musicvideo #magazine #blog #business #inspiration #drake #studio #hair #thosewithout

SLOW CRUSH knows their voice, and is content to let that voice speak for itself without quenching it under the weight of ambition. Many of the tracks are subdued and intimate, leaning more into soundscape and balladry than pushing into what might pump up numbers on Spotify playlists. In fact, the album sometimes feels antithetical to the streaming ethos: song lengths regularly stretch past the six-minute mark, often bleeding into the track afterward, making for a frustrating and unrewarding listen out of context. See the full review: http://www.iamtunedup.com/slow-crush-hush/ Follow us to stay #tunedup! Submit your music through our website.

Each song from Kayo Dot is a journey through the realms of perception and reality—only two of the tracks are less than eight minutes long. Each song shifts in key, meter, and genre with an ease so organic that it feels like these songs, intricate as the compositions are, must have been written spontaneously. It’s the same sort of mind-altering sonic voyage that bands like Blood Incantation, The Mars Volta, and Rush guide their listeners through. That isn’t to say that it sounds like any of those bands, but they have a similar way of creating experiences instead of songs. See the full review http://www.iamtunedup.com/kayo-dot-moss-grows/! Follow us to stay #tunedup! Submit your music through our website. #Alternativemusic #kayo #christianrock #indiemusic #country #musician #theater #hiphop #folk #brands #pop #smallbusiness #podcast #metal #makeupartist #fashion #beauty #fashionstyle #author #writer #shoes #magazine #blog #business #inspiration #drake #studio #screamo #billieeilish

The almost telepathic interplay between the three women of Gypsum is testament to the origins of the group, which started as a weekly low-stakes jam session several years ago before establishing a formal project. This might be their debut, but the years of experience playing together is evident on the tape, which showcases a band that knows each other’s instincts as well as they know their own. See the full review: http://www.iamtunedup.com/gypsum-self-titled/! Follow us to stay #tunedup! Submit your music through our website.

It’s not every day you stumble upon a song that pricks the heart, breaking open an emotional dam that releases the powerfully healing flow of a father’s love. Haitian musical artist, Gregory Brunot, is a child prodigy turned singer, songwriter, producer, and worship leader of a thriving congregation in Orlando, Florida. In preparation to become a father for the first time, he created “Daddy,” the lullaby promise to his yet-to-be-born daughter. This project is a gem 💎. See the exclusive interview and hear the full song here: http://www.iamtunedup.com/gregory-brunot-daddy/ Follow us to stay #tunedup! Submit your music through our website.

Concert Review

Phoebe Bridgers took the stage with her band soon after, walking out wearing a suit and top detailed with pearls and a tie, along with a huge grin as “I Got A Feeling” by the Black-Eyed Peas played in the background, as if she already had a feeling tonight was going to be special. If you’ve been living under a rock, Phoebe has made monumental waves with her sophomore album Punisher. Since its release last June, Phoebe has gone from receiving four Grammy nominations, to playing Saturday Night Live, to headlining major festivals in the US. Punisher has truly been given the recognition it deserves, and I was excited to finally be able to see songs from this album come to life. See the full review: http://www.iamtunedup.com/concert-review-photo-gallery-phoebe-bridgers-reunion-tour/! Follow us to stay #tunedup! Submit your music through our website.

Founder checking in / Steadfast Fest thoughts / Corona / whatcha listening to?