Browsing Tag

Leonard Cohen

Nick Cave Meets the National in Harry White’s Latest Feat of Melancholic Liberation, A Way to Go

Posted on 17 March 2024

Harry White’s single, A Way to Go, extracted from his seminal LP Elvera, released on February 23rd, is a profound exploration of introspective lyricism and eclectic soundscapes.

The London-based artist embarked on a new musical chapter with his third album. A Way To Go, in particular, stands out as a vivid illustration of White’s artistic evolution. The influence of Nick Cave permeates through the keys and the gravelly drama of the vocal lines, while the introspective and intimate lyrics carry the magnetic flair of Leonard Cohen.

White’s venture into a more eclectic sound palette is evident in the fusion of electronic effects and the inclusion of a scratchily turbulent backbeat, hinting at The National’s influence. This backdrop is more than just a sonic layer; it’s a canvas for White’s philosophy that the world’s end is inevitable, regardless of individual actions. This theme, rather than being oppressive, is presented with a liberating twist, making A Way to Go a paradoxically uplifting anthem of melancholy.

The track is a compelling blend of styles, reminiscent of the transcendent zeal of ELO, yet amplified with a gothic romanticism unique to White. As the singer-songwriter gears up for live performances, A Way to Go solidifies his position as a seminal artist on the London circuit.

Stream A Way to Go on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Jack Cade – The Glitter Around Your Eyes: Achingly Affecting Americana

Posted on 21 February 2024

Bewilderland by Jack Cade and the Everyday Sinners

If you always turn to Cohen, Waits and Nick Cave for sonic solace, redirect your quest for sanctity toward Jack Cade’s folk-meets-alt-country LP, Bewilderland.

His gruff baritone notes against Helen Muggeridge’s glassy-with-soul harmonies create a heart-wrenchingly sentimental dynamic in the standout single, The Glitter Around Your Eyes. Like all of the most affecting love songs, the alchemic feat of Americana lyrically locks into the minute details of affection to elucidate how deep in the veins the affection runs.

Around the bluesy guitar bends, honkytonk piano keys that give the track a touch of the 70s and the roots-wrapped tones as a courtesy of the slide guitar, the two vocalists portray a hesitant yet fervent testament of passion which reaches the epitome of compelling. Slow dance to it, cry your heart out to it as you mourn lost loves, or make it a playlist staple; whatever you do, don’t pass up on this timelessly touching serenade from the UK-hailing conduit of candour.

The Glitter Around Your Eyes was officially released on January 26^th; stream the single and Jack Cade’s seminal LP, Bewilderland, on Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Some Kind of Poison: Bobby Fire found her body with buzzing flies for company on Hounds Hunting Me

Posted on 15 June 2023

With a truly sad single which will cause tears to flow like the rains coming during the winter, Bobby Fire drops a cinematic tree-climbing single which will summon our deepest emotions from the basement on Hounds Hunting Me.

Bobby Fire is a UK-based indie folk/Americana storyteller who makes the kind of real music which is massively memorable for its outstanding authenticity.

Inspired by greats such as Leonard Cohen, Roky Erickson and Sixto Rodriguez, Bobby Fire has created one of the most eye-opening singles of modern times. This is real to the core. It shows us deep inside the nature of current days with money, greed and poor decisions in such a kind world, which is currently caged by evil deeds from invisible suits.

Hounds Hunting Me from UK-based indie folk/Americana artist Bobby Fire might be a classic which might only be appreciated in decades to come. That’s the point. This is a single made with so much love and care. Each word means something. The vocals are hauntingly beautiful and the melodies will make many think deeper, about where our planet is actually headed.

They’re killing us baby.

Listen deeper to the truth on YouTube.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Malcolm Duff & Maristela Da Silva shared a message of hope and connection in ‘People’

Posted on 1 June 2023

The latest folk sonnet, People, from the singer-songwriter duo, Malcolm Duff & Maristela Da Silva, is a sombrely enlightening lesson in universal compassion.

Stepping out into the fray of the world, it is hard to contemplate the lives led by everyone you encounter. But in the intimacy of this timeless piano ballad which finds itself between the repertoires of Cohen, Waits and Nick Cave – on a sentimental day – the beauty in the shared experience of sentience shines through the delicate piano notes that spill arcane resonance beneath Malcolm Duff’s contemplatively honeyed vocal lines, which compel you into mindfulness.

People also resonates as a message of hope, conveyed to everyone who feels alone, regardless of how many people surround them. As The Legendary Pink Dots once said, it’s a loveless world, so what’s the point in looking? The point lies in the soul of this profoundly succinct release.

Stream People, which debuted on March 15, on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Gathering Dust: Adrian Fahy couldn’t keep to himself on Idols

Posted on 28 May 2023

Wondering why everything feels like hell right now, Adrian Fahy guides us through the conquered hate which can consume even the happiest souls with the movie-like soundtrack, Idols.

Adrian Fahy is a Tipperary, Ireland-based indie alternative singer-songwriter who makes melodic soundtracks to enlighten many minds about where the truth is hidden.

Inspired by legends such as Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen and Bob Dylan, Adrian Fahy takes us through the blindly followed path as we all find the right route, amongst the noisy news designed to confuse our precious minds. Performed with pure poise and an abundance of skillfully poised layers of excellence, we are stunned to the core by an outstanding creative.

Idols from Adrian Fahy is a rather magnificent single all about trying to find a real home in this rather strange world. Sung so authentically and sending us into a natural vortex of discovery, this is a stunning song made for our tired eyes to consume so wonderfully.

Listen up to this fine track on Spotify.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Growing Boi made a malady of sentimentality in his psychedelically experimental single, Overflow

Posted on 24 February 2023

After years of success as a touring artist, session musician, songwriter and producer, Chris Matthews obliterated the notion of genre with his exploratively alternative single, Overflow, under the moniker Growing Boi. The artfully melancholic track makes a malady out of sentimentality while exhibiting the same instrumental alchemy and ingenuity as the Legendary Pink Dots and the vocal gravitas of Leonard Cohen.

The spacey amalgam of psych, folk, electronica, trip-hop and 70s pop is devilishly clever, but never to the detriment of the accessibility of the intimately bold score that will stay with you for long after the complex chords have faded into silent obscurity. From honkytonk piano keys to motifs you’d expect to hear in a Tame Impala production, Overflow is a treasure trove of artful beguile that allows you to drift to a higher plateau.

Overflow will drop on February 24th; hear it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Sanchez. delivered an off-kilter folk-rock confessional masterpiece with his latest single, Feeling

Posted on 2 March 2022

Following his debut 2022 album, Burgundy, which was produced by the legendary Pete Maher, the already iconic singer-songwriter Sanchez., is here with his latest single, Feeling. With that title, the artist set the evocative bar high; he heart-wrenchingly transcended it with his folk-rock-inspired confessional.

In the cavernous intro that consists of little more than rugged folk-rock pulls of acoustic strings, names like Cohen, Waits and Dylan spring to mind. Yet, Feeling steadily grooves into its own distinct and artful gravitas as the soundscape is enriched by ascending melodies, raw and off-kilter choral sonic power and blisteringly luminous organ notes. It’s Richard Hawley meets Pixies. It is also the aural evolution that melancholic outliers have been waiting for.

Feeling is due for official release on March 2nd; dive into it yourselves by heading over to Spotify.

Connect with Sanchez. via Facebook and Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Bluebyrd cut through the static in their latest alt-folk single, Too Much Noise

Posted on 5 February 2022

Too much noise by Bluebyrd

The Wolverhampton, UK-based alt-folk duo, Bluebyrd, has aurally triumphed once again with their latest single, Too Much Noise, which cuts through the static in our cacophonous existence.

For anyone that acquired a new level of overwhelmed anxiety as a parting gift from the pandemics and other chaos that leaves us feeling powerless, Too Much Noise should be considered an essential release. Not only do Bluebyrd deliver resonance hand over fist, but they also create a cathartic indie-folk soundscape that sits somewhere between Cohen, Billy Brag, Semisonic and the Levellers. I couldn’t think of a better new release to drown out the world to.

Too Much Noise was officially released on January 28th. It is now available to stream and purchase via Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Laurel K Adams has released her artful country-pop crossover single, Dancing in the Eye of a Hurricane.

Posted on 20 October 2021

The 17-year-old singer-songwriter and instrumentalist Lauren K Adams has released her debut alt-county-pop crossover EP, The Introduction. The standout single, Dancing in the Eye of a Hurricane, carries the coveted gravitas of an artist that has dedicated their life to honing in on their craft, but discernibly, the melodies that her poetic lyrics breeze through are as natural as breathing. If you could imagine a hybrid of the best parts of Cohen, Stevie Nicks and Kate Bush, you’ll get close to imagining the ingenuity on offer here.

You’d be seriously hard-pressed to find another up and coming artist with such succinct talent when it comes to capturing the multifaceted complexities of the human experience. The airwaves are an infinitely better place for her debut. The motivation for it goes beyond the yearning for accolades; it stems from the far less factious inclination to empower her listeners.

Dancing in the Eye of a Hurricane is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Award-winning alt-folk artist Colin Clyne has released his latest single, ‘Within Hindsight’

Posted on 22 June 2021

Award-winning Scottish alt-folk singer-songwriter Colin Clyne’s latest single, Within Hindsight, takes you back to the time when ballads were tender and minimal instrumentation carried alchemically profound magnetism.

The tones in Within Hindsight are enough to evoke synaesthesia as you drink in the sepia colours weaved into the acoustic guitar progression and soft neo-classic-style meanderings of the piano. The gravelly whisky-soaked vocals hit the high notes with soaring ease, allowing Clyne to exhibit both his arresting vocal range and emotional range. They say that there are 34,000 possible human emotions, Within Hindsight resonates as capable of evoking most of them.

After spending ten years in California collecting accolades, including being a two-time winner of ‘The Best Acoustic Act’ at San Diego Music Awards, and featuring on a list of the best singer-songwriters curated by NBC that listed him alongside Tom Waits, it is safe to say that he made quite the impression. There is no reason why he can’t celebrate the same success on this side of the pond.

Within Hindsight is due for official release on June 25th.

You can check out Colin Clyne via his website, Facebook and Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

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