Wiklund vs Wiklund - Split
Folk, Rock, Roots
Red Deer, Canada
Overall Impression: Masterfully combining elements from ska, pop, folk, and rock, "Split" is a highly original and tremendously striking piece of music, filled with brilliant performances, ample feel, and heaps of personality. Wiklund vs Wiklund has conjured up a deeply assured and endlessly playable tune that has both great swagger and character, as well as enough groove for days, this was a joy to come across, and I look forward to hearing more from Wiklund vs Wiklund in the hopefully near future, brilliant!
Strongest Point(s): The way in which different genres have been seamlessly intertwined and fused together makes for a fascinating listen, one that contains both great depth and immersiveness. From the ska tinted rhythms and wah-infused guitar to the epic rock-based outro, it makes for a unique combination that is deeply engaging. Talking about performances, they are stellar, you can really feel this is a group of musicians that gel extremely well, and there's a definite shared musical vision that brightly shines through the music, the assured and confident lead vocals, the chunky and groove-laden bass, the strong rhythmic backbone provided by the drums and strong reggae-tinged guitar parts all combine to make for an exceedingly accomplished arrangement. The way the instrumentation is stripped back at 3:34 makes for an interesting change in texture and sets up the bombastic and undeniably epic rock outro perfectly, I admit I wasn't expecting it and it works extremely well, the lead vocals let rip and dazzle with spectacular range and tonal control. Also, whilst I loved the whole track, I was particularly fond of the riff first heard at 1:05, now that's what I call a meaty riff! Excellent!
Target Audience Appeal: This will appeal to a wide range of listeners, with its elements of ska, rock, pop, and even folk in places, there's a lot for audiences to love.
Artist target suggestions: Fleetwood Mac, The Eagles, Neil Young, Sublime, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, The Bangles, Pat Benatar, Van Morrison, Jackson Browne, Pretenders, Crosby, Stills, & Nash, Janis Joplin
Interested in having your Song Reviewed by our Professional Staff? Head to your RadioAirplay.com dash and click Song Reviews under the Special Offers menu!
About the Reviewer:
Andre Avanessian is a freelance session musician, composer, and sound engineer based in the U.K. Having studied music production and composition at degree level, he has taken his passion for all things audio-related to a level that has allowed him to become both a competent musician and performer. Being a self-confessed "Guitar Nerd" Andre has been continually studying the guitar, as well as teaching it, helping students both learn the instrument, develop their songwriting, and how to become proficient in home recording.