The Who's Who of Rotation

1. Artist: Marjua

   Album: Pain to Power

   Genre: Post-Rock, Jazz-Rock

   Overview: Maruja was first formed in2014 in Manchester, England by two childhood friends, Harry Wilkinson and Matt Buonaccorsi, as well as an unnamed drummer and a guitarist called Liam Laurence. Between 2017 and 2018, the band replaced their previous drummer with Jacob Hayes, introduced Joe Carroll, a saxophonist, and parted ways with Laurence, all the while producing singles and EPs in search of a sound that fit the message they were trying to convey. Pain to Power is their first full length album, which can really only be described as revolutionary. While the majority of their sound mimics nu metal, they often substitute the guitar in their solos for saxophone, which changes the tone of their music entirely. 

2. Artist: Wednesday

   Album: Bleeds

   Genre: Alternative Rock, Shoegaze

   Overview: Wednesday, initially a solo project created in 2017 by Karly Hartzman, is a more alternative band based in Asheville, NC. The band has produced 5 previous albums, making Bleeds their sixth. Hartzman describes the album as having a more southern gothic tone than her previous albums with the intention of refining the preceding album, Rat Saw God. Their sound is reminiscent, to me at least, of a mixture of Leith Ross and Sir Chloe because of their indie/folk-influenced vocals, just with a little more shoegaze sound to it. 

3. Artist: shame

   Album: Cutthroat

   Genre: Rock, Post-Punk

   Overview: Shame, like Maruja, was formed in 2014 and hails from South London. The band consists of Charlie Steen, the lead singer, Eddie Green and Sean Coyle-Smith, both guitarists, Josh Finerty, bassist, and Charlie Forbes, their drummer. Their sound is very consistent with British punk, but they have a distinct wit to their lyrics that makes catching on to the sobering messages in their songs a bit more light-hearted and casual. 

4. Artist: Braxton Cook

   Album: Not Everyone Can Go

   Genre: Jazz, R&B

   Overview: Braxton Cook is a renowned singer and alto saxophonist who also began his solo career in 2014. He has performed with a list of extremely popular R&B artists such as John Batiste, Rihanna, and Mac Miller, and his own portfolio of music is no less impressive. He has a vocal sample in Taylor Swift’s “Lavender Haze”, he performed with John Batiste in the soundtrack of Pixar’s “Soul”, and he had his own NPR Tiny Desk concert, which he performed solo using loops due to COVID. He also used his Tiny Desk concert as a platform to speak more on police brutality and racism, performing his song “Hymn (for Trayvon Martin)”. Everything I’ve learned about Braxton Cook and his discography is incredible, and I would highly recommend his new album.

5. Artist: Lynyn

   Album: Ixona

   Genre: Ambient, Electronica

   Overview: Conor Mackey, professionally known as Lynyn, has had an interest in producing since middle school, initially making music just for his own enjoyment. Since 2022, however, he has released two full albums and several singles and remixes that fully share his musical vision with the world. The tone of his most recent album, Ixona, balances very ethereal and delicate sounds with a heavier and more repetitive beat, fully letting the instrumentals shine as the forefront of his sound.