Browsing Tag

Alt Folk

Bay Bryan’s debut LP is a reverie of ubiquitous art-folk revelation

Life often imitates art, but LPs which emphasise realism and naturalism to such a vivid degree that you find yourself open to the purity and vastness of reality on this 1,000-mph spinning rock are a little harder to find, making the debut album, The Meadow, from Bay Bryan a ubiquitous revelation.

With vocals as diaphanous as the quiescent folk motifs, the omnipresent grace of the 10-track release becomes a paradox in its freeing yet arrestive proclivities. With sounds of the forestland flourishing in the same vein as Cosmo Sheldrake’s nature-sampled work in the opening singles before the LP embraces some folk traditionalism and elevates it through tantalisingly minimalist guile, The Meadow unravels as a release you should consume whole so that the euphonic album can return the favour.

There may be a lot to lament in this Anthropocene. Yet, as euphonically alluded by the Colorado-born, Manchester, UK-based artist, beauty still exists in the totality of our existence. Allowing the release to spill the solace of resonance; around the brushstrokes of pure rapture are conjurings of pensiveness, which give the LP as much soul as the euphoric dream-like layers.

The concept album may portray the tale of a protagonist trapped in an endless daydream, but with the infectious flower child celestiality, you may just find the inspiration to forego reality too, if only for the duration of The Meadow.

The singer-songwriter is often gratifyingly guilty of bringing their theatre-making talents into their imaginatively cinematic soundscapes, which have garnered rave reviews and airplay from BBC Radio 3. In an era when there is so much hate and fear, artists able to implant us in the sanctity of a daydream away from the waking terror are worth their weight in gold; Bay Bryan may just be the richest artist in the UK.

“I want you to stop. I want you to breathe. And for the next 30min I hope that you let yourself go —immerse yourself in world of the meadow —and get lost with me in it’s golden hue. The adventure is yours for the taking.” ~ Bay Bryan

Stream The Meadow via Spotify

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Piano and Vocals with Orchestral Energy: Laura Loh Takes Off!

Laura Loh is a singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer hailing from Hampshire, UK. Her background in classical and jazz music, combined with her inclination towards pop and alt-folk, has resulted in a unique and versatile sound. Loh began her musical journey at a young age, classically trained in singing, piano, and violin. At 13, she picked up a guitar and started writing songs. She has since released her debut EP “Sunrise” in 2020, which featured two BBC Introducing Tracks of the Day. Loh has also performed at prestigious music festivals such as Weyfest, Westival, and ValeFest, and even recorded vocals at Abbey Road Studios.

Loh’s latest single, “Cold Morning,” co-produced with MUNBOI, is a lovely piano-centered ballad that showcases her captivating vocals. From the first note, her voice draws you in with its sweet and genuine tone, displaying impressive range and control. The simple yet beautiful piano melody serves as a perfect foundation for Loh’s lyrics, which depict a heart-wrenching story of longing and loss.

As the song progresses, the addition of drums and backup vocals build in intensity, leading to a climactic finale that will leave listeners moved and inspired. The backing vocals, in particular, add an extra layer of depth and emotion to the song, perfectly complementing Loh’s vocals and the overall sound.

“Cold Morning” is a prime example of Loh’s ability to blend different genres seamlessly. The song captures the essence of alt-folk while incorporating elements of pop and classical music. The result is a track that feels both fresh and nostalgic at the same time, showcasing Loh’s mastery of melody and lyrics.

Denim Dan has released his blissfully bitter-sweet folky pop-rock serenade, 3AM (I Call You Up)

Denim Dan is fresh from the release of his fourth studio LP, 3AM; the 70s folky pop-rock album is one you will want to while away the small hours with to keep at bay the nefarious thoughts your mind summons when it hits the pillow.

The dreamy, spacey sincerity of the title single, which proves die-hard romanticism will never go out of trend, takes a break from the trippy colourful psych tones to serenade with an ardent rock riff that stands as a testament to the creative power and talent poured into the blissfully bitter-sweet serenade.

For any Bob Dylan fans, Denim Dan has also recently debuted his cover album, Denim Dan Meets Dylan… A Tribute. No matter how much you think you know Dylan, you’ve never met him quite like this before. Denim Dan’s quintessentially affable vocal command and his swanky yet innocently sweet instrumental style are cutely visionary.

Hear both albums via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Californian solo artist, Beau James Wilding, put the grit in folk with his reverently fervid single, SET MYSELF ON FIRE

With the choppy discord in the acoustic guitar strings against his gravelly punk blues vocals, the Californian solo artist, Beau James Wilding, orchestrated a roots rock masterpiece with his latest single, SET MYSELF ON FIRE.

We didn’t need his bio to inform us of his intense emotional relationship with sound and music. But learning that the relationship was strengthened after he was left legally blinded by a disease at eighteen made the fierily ardent passion in SET MYSELF ON FIRE burn with even more reverence.

Any fans of Dogs D’Amour and The Quireboys won’t want this fervidly impactful single to pass them by. The dark poetic imagery in the lyrics paired with the frenetic pace of the guitar rhythms that consume the instrumental arrangement with their ragged timbre is a sobering multisensory experience that reaches the pinnacle of gritty folk.

SET MYSELF ON FIRE will officially release on January 13th. Stream it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The UK orchestral folk duo River Knight is on melodious form in their sanctuary spilling single, Unsprung

The folk duo River Knight has been fairly quiet since their 2021 album, Grow. They are back on melodious form in their latest orchestral folk single, Unsprung, which borrows fractions of the melody to Take on Me, but with such a stunning orchestral string ensemble and hints of the Verve and 90s Britpop in the verses, who is complaining?

The earworm brings the ragged and rough timbres through the acoustic guitar strings and percussion while the smooth can be found in the gloss of the orchestral crescendos, which are as close to heaven as the impious are likely to get.

Each new progression is a brand-new opportunity to fall in love with the duo who banded together in 2017 as a form of therapy for Darren Knight after the tragic passing of his wife. Stone River was there for unwavering support and to offer the Ying to Knight’s songwriting Yang. The duo are well known on the London, Portsmouth and Southampton live circuit, but it’s only a matter of time before they take their international-level approach to indie folk rock to the status it beckons.

Unsprung officially released on December 16th. Catch it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Joshua. orchestrated the ultimate Lynchian love song with ‘WALK BY LOVE’

Mike Patton walked so the ethereally scintillating alt-folk artist Joshua. could ‘WALK BY LOVE’ in his latest music video.

Only an artist as iconic as he could get away with a mononym *and* allowing haunting tones to creep out of a ukulele in the production that wouldn’t be out of place in the Eraserhead soundtrack. He could never be accused of writing ‘just another love song’.

The disconcertingly cinematic single allows his sonically ephemeral vocals to drift atop the minimalist instrumentals that envelop you in their wistfully nostalgic sepia tones. In the space of just two minutes, the originator made an ever-lasting impression that definitively proves everyone’s interpretation of love is as individualistic as they are.

The official music video for WALK BY LOVE is now available to stream on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

49 Burning Condors are arrestingly ablaze in their Southern Gothic album, Seventh Hymnal

49 Burning Condors released a strong contender for the album of the year with their latest tribally awakening release, Seventh Hymnal. Penned during lockdown, the 7-track release traverses some tender topics; with the sonorous amalgam of goth rock and occultist alchemy, it is as bewitching as it is emboldening.

It isn’t often I’m left speechless. But considering the very nature of Seventh Hymnal is to express what can never be portrayed through words alone, the arrested daze that 49 Burning Condors left me in speaks volumes of their ability to run with an powerful concept and take you along for the visceral ride until you’re subsequently soothed by the sonic vernacular.

The album opens on the swampy stripped-back bluesy single, Bayou, before Little Death delivers a haunting ode to frailty through baroque strings, sparse vocals and hypnotic percussion. Track 3, Willow Tree, lets the compassion pour through the gentle folkish melodicism before Red Drum Skin will make you want to lead a sacrificial lamb to slaughter. Track 5, Noonday, one of the previously released singles stands as a profound testament to the vocal soul from Kimber before the album concludes on the sorrowfully sublime title single, which is just as cinematic as Ramin Djawadi’s work on Westworld.

Here’s what 49 Burning Condors have to say about their latest release:

“Seventh Hymnal was written during the pandemic; a time of abounding uncertainty, where death loomed around every corner, and chaos lingered in our world, homes, and veins. Our songs are dripping with stories of grief, bodies floating down the river, men drowning to a siren’s song, and of the gods worshipped, who ultimately turned calamitous.

Seventh Hymnal is not only an outpouring of all the things we wanted to say but couldn’t express in regular words to those we loved and even to ourselves, but a benediction and examination of a woman’s role of power in the world of men.”

Seventh Hymnal will stream across all platforms from September 7th. Hear it on SoundCloud and Spotify.

For more info, head over to their official website or follow them on Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Deep Sea Tourist explored our embitteringly perplexing world in his alt-folk single, Bodies

Scottish singer-songwriter, Deep Sea Tourist, channelled the melodious evocativeness of Frightened Rabbit in his alt-folk single, Bodies, taken from his 2022 album, Everything Will Be Okay, Probably.

The loss of Scott Hutchinson left a massive empathy-shaped hole in the Scottish indie scene. If anyone has the astute compassion to fill it, it is Deep Sea Tourist. He dove deep into introspection to pull out comforting melancholy and blissfully resolving acoustic melodies accentuated by folky strings.

Bodies almost unravels as an intimate conversation on the confusion that transpires when we try to excavate an understanding of our human experience in this ever-perplexing and imbittering world. Bodies is genuinely one of the most stunning singles I have listened to this year. If I wasn’t on so many antidepressants, the floodgates would have undoubtedly opened to the tune of it.

Everything Will Be Okay, Probably is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Intuitively spiritual rhythm meets sensual folk in DORA GOLA’s latest single, Dance with Danger

If any track is going to tempt the weary and wary out of their comfort zones after sanity diminishing lockdowns, it is the artfully fierce electronic folk-pop earworm, Dance with Danger, from the spiritually magnetic singer-songwriter, DORA GOLA.

With the intuitiveness of the rhythm, you scarcely need her bio to tell you that she’s a dancer. Her connection to music is enviably strong, but at least she’s had the grace to share her natural gift with the world through emboldening hits that tease your rhythmic pulses as much as they stir the soul.

Following the release of Dance with Danger, the Poland-born, West Ireland-based artist will continue to make her discography a rediscovery of ancestral roots, mystery and sensuality. We can’t wait to hear what follows. She shines luminously bright in a sea of ego-driven artists.

Dance with Danger will hit the airwaves on June 17th. Stream it here.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Robin Lewis speaks for the malaised in his Waitsy Americana acoustic rock single, No Light

Armed with his trusty resonator guitar and Gibson 63, the BMI published folk singer-songwriter & producer, Robin Lewis, has released his Americana acoustic rock heartbreaker of a Waitsy release, No Light, taken from his moody and retrospective lockdown-born album, Everyone Has a Story.

No Light was compassionately composed for listeners all too accustomed to the days which become signified by malaise. In all sincerity, it imparts solace in the reminder that the sun sets on even the darkest of days. Lockdown releases may often get tarred with the same trite brush, but No Light will be resonant for years to come. It’s a stunning exposition of the collective state of our consciousness; now that we know the ‘new normal’ generally blows and there’s no putting the gloss back on the facade of our modern existence. We honestly couldn’t be more psyched to have Lewis on our radar. We’d advise that you reserve him space on yours.

No Light, taken from Robin Lewis’ album, Everyone Has a Story, was officially released on May 16th. You can check it out for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast