Browsing Tag

Leonard Cohen

Walker Tex delivers mesmerising grunge folk in his latest single, ‘Make Me Smile’

Posted on 3 June 2021

Under the influence of 70s folk and grunge, up and coming artist Walker Tex has made major waves since he started introducing his original material to the airwaves in 2020.

His latest release, and his most popular single to date, Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me), carries all of the soul of a track by Dylan or Cat Stevens and all of the sonic appeal as My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive.

The singer-songwriter carries the same hypnotic magnetism of Cohen with his whiskey-soaked vocals; when blended with alt-90s-inspired tones, Make Me Smile is simultaneously a shot of nostalgia and an introduction to the future of alt-indie folk.

Make Me Smile is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Hunter & Girton – Father Time: Solemnly Compassionate Alt Folk

Posted on 1 March 2021
Hunter & Girton

Rural Indiana-residing alt-folk duo, Hunter & Girton, are set to release their most haunting single to date, ‘Father Time’. The sparse and desolate soundscape leaves plenty of room for your own emotions to coalesce with the sentiments delivered through the lyrics which will hold a mirror to your personal relationship with melancholy.

There may be a crestfallen air to Father Time, but it’s anything but depressive. The solemnly meditative single parallels the levels of compassion found in the most tender tracks from Pearl Jam’s latest album while delivering tear-jerking tones which lend inspiration from 60s Folk.

Father Time is due for official release on March 5th. You’ll be able to check it out for yourselves by heading over to the artist’s official website.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Nathan Rodd revived old school alt-folk blues with their sonorously sonic single ‘Natalie’

Posted on 12 February 2021

How do you make old school alt-folk blues just as mesmerising as Tom Waits did in the 70s? You’ll find the answer in up and coming artist, Nathan Rodd’s, debut EP ‘Slowly’.

The standout single ‘Natalie’, finds the perfect balance of sonorous sonic power and delicate intrigue right from the intro. From there on out, pulled along by the tightly packed, intricately progressions which bleed nuances of jazz. But there’s nothing nuanced about the full-frontal emotion which unequivocally confirms that romance is still alive in 2021.

The distinctively raspy whisky-stained vocals give the soundscape an archaic touch while the masterfully dynamic production makes sure that Natalie wouldn’t be out of place on contemporary airwaves.

Nathan Rodd’s debut EP is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

P.B Ruck – Some Love: Sonorously Sentimental Americana Folk

Posted on 21 January 2021

Under the influence of Cohen, Waits and Dylan, Southampton-hailing artist, P.B Ruck, released their sonorously powerful latest single ‘Some Love’; the sense of romanticism is just as old school as the sepia-stained tones in the meditative Americana folk soundscape.

Through spatial effect and lyrical sparsity, Some Love is just as much about your introspection and amorous nostalgia as it is about the artist’s. With a touch of modernity on the production, folk roots are firmly implanted in the mix, but it blossoms through the tender vocals which resonate with a nuanced touch of celestially choral mesmerism.

Some Love was released on December 28th, it is available to stream via YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Vincent Sonder lights up our day with ‘Camel Lights’

Posted on 20 January 2021

In his day job, Vincent Sonder – the alter-ego of celebrated filmmaker Joe Connor – has worked with bands as diverse as The Rolling Stones, Sam Smith, Coldplay, Paul Weller, The Maccabees, and Placebo (among others), and that shoulder-rubbing pedigree has obviously stood him in good stead when it comes to his own creative flow. Recorded in 2017 but only now available across streaming services, ‘Vincent Sonder’ the album is a gorgeous, glorious affair, and ‘Camel Lights’ is a perfect introduction.

Beautiful, exquisite piano accompanies Sonder’s mellow storytelling vocal, the lyrical flow creating a perfect mood of contemplation and reverie, dreamlike and meditative, with a narrative feel that tells the story of ‘the memory of a man that I can’t find’. It’s bewitching, evocative, and anecdotal, made all the more memorable by the interplay with the second, female vocal intertwined between Sonder’s lead and those plaintive minor piano chords; you listen, and you can practically see cigarette smoke drifting from a discarded ashtray, monochrome, in the rain. It’s beautiful.

Follow Vincent Sonder on Instagram; hear ‘Camel Lights’, and the rest of the album, on Spotify.

Review by Alex Holmes

LEE DAVEY has painted a stark meta portrait with their swampy demonic folk rock single ‘Incubus’

Posted on 24 December 2020
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiW5g_71WHY&feature=youtu.be

We’ve all had spare time to spend with our demons in recent months, Alt Rock artist LEE DAVEY spent plenty of time mentally frolicking demonic spirits before penning their darkly hypnotic single ‘Incubus’.

Nick Cave comparisons are easy to make, especially with the ‘red right hand’ lyrical reference but allowing you to believe that Incubus is solely an assimilative work would be nothing short of criminal. The mythology-laden lyricism allows LEE DAVEY to transcend the Murder Folk genre and enter the realm of Demonic Folk Rock. Expect slithering rhythms, tinges of swampy Americana Alt Folk and searing solo work which affirms that LEE DAVEY’s prowess as an instrumentalist parrels their abilities as a lyricist. The dark imagery he paints with does more than just leave a macabre canvas behind. It exposes the darkest corners of our minds, the ones we can barely look into ourselves, let alone invite others to see.

You can check out Incubus for yourselves by heading over to YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Scott Albert Johnson offers an invitation to transcend the 2020 chaos with their Americana Alt Folk single ‘Float’

Posted on 17 December 2020

Mississippi-hailing artist Scott Albert Johnson lays down old school bluesy soul in their latest single ‘Float’ which unfolds as a timelessly cathartic feat of Alt Folk Americana. I’ll never quite get used to hearing Covid times references in a track which sounds like Cohen could have released in the 70s, but I’ll remain eternally grateful for the resolve all the same.

It’s hard not to believe Scott Albert Johnson when he tells you that the clouds are going to break someday. For your sanity’s sake, add the celestially-produced, chorally-upraising single to your playlists.

You can check out the official music video to Float which was released on November 30th via YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Michael Golden gives us a glimpse into his psyche with captivating new single ‘The Rhine’

Posted on 29 November 2020

Bloomington, Indiana resident Michael Golden began his songwriting career at the age of 16; now, after twenty years of honing his craft, he drops his debut album ‘Some Kind Of Holiday’, a self-produced 12 tracks of classic, folk-rock inspired eclecticism in the singer-songwriter tradition of the 1970’s.

Raw and heartfelt, autobiographical in the Leonard Cohen way, new single ‘The Rhine’ is a vaguely psychedelic, folksy little three minutes of earnest, sincere whimsy; it’s profound, pretty, like a trip back into the world of Cat Stevens and Donovan, naked and laid bare and altogether truthful. Golden has assembled a stunning collection of musicians across ‘Some Kind Of Holiday’, with swelling cello, organ, and guitars all underpinning his deep, rich vocal.

‘Some Kind Of Holiday’ is out now; view the video for ‘The Rhine’ on YouTube, and follow Michael Golden on Facebook or via his website.

Review by Alex Holmes

Get high with Michael Golden’s intoxicating Alt Folk single “Mr. Ecstasy”

Posted on 8 October 2020

Slip into the soul contained in US singer-songwriter Michael Golden’s debut album Some Kind of Holiday, it’s a candidly compelling narration of the artist’s experience navigating life, you’ll find plenty of familiar moments staring back at you.

The perfect introduction to their melodically haunting style is irrefutably “Mr. Ecstasy”. Any fans of Leonard Cohen and Tom Waits are going to get stung by the melancholy. Just like dropping a pill, there are blissfully radiant highs and soul-scraping lows. Yet, Mr. Ecstasy is able to offer far more than narcotics could.

The tender nostalgic comfort contained in Mr. Ecstasy is worth its weight in gold. Michael Golden has palpably succeeded in recreating the 70s sound with a modern digital folk edge.

You can check out Mr. Ecstasy for yourselves by heading over to YouTube now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

PB Ruck lays down some haunting soul with their latest single “One-Man Rodeo”

Posted on 1 September 2020

Up and coming singer-songwriter PB Ruck released his latest single One-Man Rodeo on August 24th. It’s pretty much safe to say that it may just be the most pensively raw single we’ve heard so far in 2020.

The hauntingly mellifluous soundscape possesses a timeless Alt-Folk feel which is sure to be a hit with any fans of the likes of Cohen, Waits and Dylan, but it’s anything but archaic. Thanks to the clever contemporary nuances in One-Man Rodeo, it rings with modernity, resonance and connectivity.

You can check out PB Ruck’s single One-Man Rodeo for yourselves by heading over to YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast