Browsing Tag

Jazz Folk

Lara Eidi crafted a jazz-folk remedy for modern malady in her latest single, Breathe Love

Posted on 10 August 2023

Semblances of hope, empowerment, and freedom may be scant in our malady-rich modern era, but the jazz-folk soulstress Lara Eidi more than made up for the shortfall in her latest single, Breathe Love.

By complementing her profoundly powerful with ethereal soul vocals, which become a guiding light towards self-actualisation and acceptance, with orchestrally-layered vibrant jazz-folk motifs, the record comes to life under the duress of her accessibly inviting stylings. At the centre of this sonic universe lies the message that when you embrace your entire being, idiosyncrasies and all, you can freely breathe love into the universe and receive it back tenfold.

Breathe Love is the first single to be released from Lara Eidi’s debut LP, Sun, which will be released via Pastiche Records on the 4th of September. If you found yourself emboldened by the artfully sun-bleached gravitas in Breathe Love, stay tuned for it.

Stream the official music video for Breathe Love by heading over to YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Charlie O’Brien walks us through dreamy jazz pop nostalgia on ‘Ingrim Street’

Posted on 20 October 2022

Taken from his forthcoming fifth album, Fire and Foam, Charlie O’Brien’s mellow pop folk serenade, Ingrim Street, is a jazzy amble through sepia-tinged memories that allow you to revisit your own sentimental destinations of nostalgia.

His fifth album is Charlie O’Brien’s first departure from his trad Irish roots. The melodious ease of the dreamy soundscape has no obvious connotations of experimentalism through its delicious entrenchment in unbridled soul, noted through the lofty 50s pop vocals and the brass section, which came as a courtesy from the Mexico-hailing artists Luis Zautla and Alejandro Cristobal.

In a time of such rampant disillusion, records such as these are worth their weight in gold. We can’t wait to see where this album takes O’Brien and his achingly beautiful talent.

Ingrim Street will be available to stream from October 20th, along with the rest of his album, Fire and Foam. Catch it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

There’s something in the arcane air in Lara Eidi’s latest folk single, Summer Winds

Posted on 26 August 2022

Bask in the blissful aural accordance of Lara Eidi’s latest single, Summer Winds. The Athens-born, Lebanon and Canada-hailing, and London-residing artist is known for her genre-transcending style, which invites the listener into storytelling catharsis. Summer Winds is no exception to her resolving rule.

The soul and presence of an artist will always make a world of difference before talent is brought into the equation; it is impossible not to get caught up in the romanticism of her vivid vocal dynamism and ever-ascending melodies crafted on mandolin, guitar and cello.

In the course of her career, Eidi has played at iconic venues, such as The Barbican, garnered critical acclaim from across the board, and perhaps most pertinently, healed listeners with the candour in her lyrics. With Summer Winds, she crafted one of the most uplifting expositions on anxiety that you could care to listen to.

The official music video for Summer Winds premiered on August 7th. Check it out for yourselves by heading over to YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Imagesong becomes the Patti Smith of this era with her protestive easy listening song, A High Vibration

Posted on 17 March 2022

For her latest single, A High Vibration, the up-and-coming artist, Imagesong, pulled together an impressive roster of world-class professional artists, including arranger and bassist Jon Burr, jazz vocalist Alexis Cole, saxophonist and woodwind doubler Marc Phaneuf, cellist Mairi Dorman-Phaneuf, and pianist Mike Eckroth.

Don’t let the track title and the smooth jazzy timbre of the instrumentals fool you. A High Vibration is far from your average good-vibe inspired song. It contains bruisingly broadsiding lyrics that would start a revolution if the world tuned in.

“How long will we accept the tyranny of power and greed” would be an empowering question if it fell from anyone’s lips. Stemming from Connie Marotta’s elegant chanteuse vocals, there’s a certain magic to them that invites you to imagine the possibility of artists shaping the world instead of capitalists.

The Jazzy ethereal work, A High Vibration, is now available to stream on all major platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

E.G. Phillips has released his riotously infectious Timelord-inspired jazz single, Brave Heart, Luna

Posted on 26 February 2022
E.G. Phillips

We couldn’t get E.G. Phillips’ Doctor Who-inspired jazzy folky big band single in our ears fast enough. Brave Heart, Luna took inspiration from the reassurances made by the 5th doctor to his companion in times of intergalactic strife. Yet the single itself was written to quell fears of a friend; we can only imagine how gratified she was to inspire such a triumphant affirmation of her resilience.

Brave Heart, Luna obliterates the notion that only weak minds suffer by celebrating the strength of those battle-scarred by adversity while the vibrantly almost riotous progressions get the dopamine flowing.

If anyone could give Jason Webley’s rampant imagination a run for its money, it is E.G. Phillips.

You can check out Brave Heart, Luna for yourselves by heading over to E.G. Phillips’ official website.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Paul Bidault – Who Do You Think You Are?: Dark Swinging Murder-Folk

Posted on 20 August 2021

If you cranked That Handsome Devil’s sex appeal up to 11, you’d be left with Paul Bidault’s latest swampy, swinging, dark-jazz folk track, Who Do You Think You Are? Which experiments with a more maleficent side of the sound that Tom Waits made iconic.

With swing band percussion rattling around trombones and consistently evolving guitars in the richly dark and eerie soundscape, Bidault’s whiskey-soaked murder-folk vocals that wouldn’t be out of place in the Psychobilly scene have the perfect atmosphere to fall into.

The Paris-born, Mexico-city based artist is one to watch for anyone that gets their kicks from stumbling into tracks that carry familiar themes while completely reinventing them through the artist’s vision.

Who Do You Think You Are? was officially released on August 20th; you can check it out for yourselves by heading over to Spotify or the artist’s official website.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Ariane Mamon goes into the wild with her arcane jazz fusion single, ‘Dangerous Trees’

Posted on 14 May 2021

For her latest EP, ‘Vertical Seas’, Jazz vocalist, performance artist and composer Ariane Mamon pulled inspiration from across the globe and created arcane feats of jazz fusion. The instrumental roots in the lead track, ‘Dangerous Trees’, vastly pre-date western genres as Mamon simultaneously carries the air of an 18th-century mystic and a Parisian chanteuse in her operatic highs and rhythmic non-lexical vocals.

We can’t fast-forward from 2021, but we can escape into our collective history, appreciate the power in the natural world and feel a part of it, that is exactly what Ariane helped her listeners to do here. With gritty funk in the basslines and fiercely tribal percussion against glassy vocal notes, the extended single captivates you through every improvised progression; allowing the energy to flow naturally, serenely, intensely.

The official video to Dangerous Trees released on April 20th. You can check it out for yourselves by heading over to YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Brian Perrone makes a powerful Dark Folk apology with “Sorry”

Posted on 23 August 2020
Brian Perrone

Brian Perrone’s latest darkly moody Indie track “Sorry” is one of the sincerest apologies I’ve ever heard. Any Dark Folk/Murder Folk are sure to be as enamoured and evocatively bruised by Sorry as we were.

From the first verse, you’ll be hooked in the lovelorn narrative tale of regret and longing. The progressive single holds plenty of space for the artist’s seamlessly unexpected evolutions in tone and style which consistently uses complex time signatures. From delicate Neo-classical keying to Jazz-style improvisation, Sorry has a smorgasbord of inventive ingenuity to throw your way. Yet, in its essence, it remains a transfixing resolving soundscape with plenty of soul on offer.

Sorry is due for official release on August 28th, you’ll be able to check it out via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Submerge yourself in the concordance of Jack McKeever’s latest single “Here We Go Lifting”

Posted on 14 January 2020

If Jack McKeever’s single “Here We Go Lifting” had been produced in the 70s, gained international acclaim and allowed plenty of time for nostalgic appeal to kick in, people would still be spinning the record today with the same enthusiasm they reserve for the likes of Leonard Cohen and Tom Waits.

Here We Go Lifting is a stark reminder that accolades are no indication of what a soundscape can offer. Jack McKeever’s ability to submerge you in the concordance of his unique aural creations is unparalleled. Through whiskey-soaked vocals and an ethereally light Indie Jazz-soaked Folk nuanced arrangement, Here We Go Lifting is captivating from start to finish.

There are also faint reminiscences of Nick Cave, Bowie and Elton John to be uncovered in the truly cathartic single. The warmth of the wistful tones will stay with you for long after the track has gently faded to a close.

You can check out Jack McKeever’s single for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast