Browsing Tag

nick drake

Phil Coomer prescribed love as a drug in his latest release, All the Medicine I Need

https://youtu.be/eNRKiL6PZT0?si=2dDJrrguCrbBzFlA

The folk-pop evocateur Phil Coomer used all his award-winning song-writing stripes to decorate his latest single, All the Medicine I Need, with a sense of sentimentality that will see your soul swell with gratitude for everyone who sweetens your world.

As the orchestral strings quiver, the tenderly fingerpicked acoustic guitar strings amplify the warmth spilling from Coomer’s folky Americana harmonies which shine with crystalline soul as they emanate the soft and intimate folk vocal style of the late 60s and carry the same affecting mesmerism of Nick Drake.

Even when artists pen their own material, it isn’t a given that they will orchestrate something original; there’s never any danger of assimilative pedestrianism when you slip into a Phil Coomer folk score; just how it is possible for a salve for the soul to feel so expressively raw is an alchemic paradox that stands as a testament to his songwriting virtuosity.

All the Medicine I Need will be available to stream and purchase on all major platforms from 05/06/2024. Until then, you can stream the music video on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Culture Bloom harmonised to the nines in their spectrally raw acoustic indie & alt-rock synthesis, Nightmare

‘Nightmare’ is the first synthesis of acoustic indie and alt-rock to spill from the debut EP, Aren’t You Proud?, from Denver Colorado’s most nostalgically euphonic drop-dead stunning duo, Culture Bloom.

If Placebo penned bitter-sweet symphonies in the same vein as The Verve and mainlined a little Death Cab for Cutie into that vein, the alt-90s melodiousness would hit with exactly the same force of impact as Nightmare.

The emotional weight carried within the harrowed and haunted layers of vocal harmonies as they collide with the stabbing guitar lines resonates as infinitely more than the sum of all parts, allowing Nightmare to stand as a testament to the song-crafting capacities of the duo that should be on every alt indie fan’s radar.

Stream Nightmare on Spotify and stay tuned for the EP release on October 20th.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

UK singer-songwriter Kwun has made his spectrally soul-chilling debut with his single, Supernatural

On October 21st, the UK-based singer-songwriter and producer, Kwun made his melodious debut with the soul-chilling single, Supernatural, which fuses the songwriting styles of Nick Drake & John Lennon.

With vocals void of veneer flourishing in their own distinctive timbre instead of forced into assimilation, surrendering to the emotion in Supernatural, especially with the bitter-sweet vibrato, is non-optional.

Atop the trickling upbeat piano keys, shimmering motifs, gentle percussive fills, and orchestral swells, Pang’s spectrally sweet vocals lead you into catharsis; the healing propensities of Supernatural were no mistake. The single was recorded at 432 Hz, the frequency which resonates and harmonises with nature and the human body. While lyrically, Kwun provokes the listener into questioning adages old and new to become the greatest versions of their beings.

Mark Prentice (Johnny Cash & Bruce Springsteen), Sam Wheat (Pharrell Williams & Amy Winehouse) and Tony Cousins (Adele & George Michael) all put their deft finishing touches on this resoundingly promising release. We can’t wait to hear what his forthcoming album, Ancient Ageless & True, has in store.

The Radio Edit of Supernatural is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Roderick Jaynes take us to ‘The Bridge’ with his latest indie-folk single.

https://soundcloud.com/roderick-jaynes

San Francisco’s rising singer-songwriter Roderick Jaynes is set to release his most versatile single to date, The Bridge. With a grungy interlude that will make any fans of Dinosaur Jr prick up their ears, The Bridge is an indie chamber folk-pop track that keeps on giving.

As the progressive single picks up momentum and discord, the nuancedly psychedelic soundscape shunts you further down the rabbit hole as the descending piano keys and apathy-ringing chord progressions transgress into a form of aural gravity.

Any fans of Elliott Smith, Nick Drake Radiohead or Phoebe Bridgers won’t want to miss out on this evocatively haunting, stylistically artful release.

The Bridge is due for release on May 28th; you’ll be able to check it out for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Leopold Medley asks us all to touch his pretty ‘Picture On The Wall’

Laid back, trippy, vulnerable, gentle, arty, and honest – all words which could be used to describe Brooklyn artist Leopold Medley’s debut album of folk-pop, ‘Picture On The Wall’. This, the first single and title track, is a perfect introduction to Medley’s spacey, stream-of-consciousness lyric writing and calm fingerpicked guitar.

Anyone who ever played the teen-soap-cum-time-bending video-game Life Is Strange will know immediately the sound of ‘Picture On The Wall’, that sort of ‘Pooka-esque’ gentle Nick Drake-with-electronics, trippy bedroom-ness that’s questioning and calming all at the same time.

‘Picture On The Wall’ – the album – is ten tracks of soft, beautiful psych-folk that uplifts the soul and brings a smile to even the most jaded of faces; ‘Picture On The Wall’ – the single – is the perfect introduction to that.

You can check out ‘Picture On The Wall’ across all major streaming platforms from the 12th February, and follow Leopold Medley on Facebook and Instagram.

Review by Alex Holmes

Hampshire based Folk-Roots artist Megan Linford shines bright with truthful ‘’Lessons’’

Put in time and you will get the results. With a soothing piano to start the song, you know this is going to be good. Giving thanks to her parents, speaking about lessons learnt- no matter how hard the occasional trips and falls. 

Megan Linford’, is making her way on the UK Folk/Indie scene with her sun-kissed melodies and honest lyrics, that shows her humble and grateful attitude to life. She is an Indie artist, doing it herself with the love and support of friends and family. She hosts her own music night in Portsmouth and seems to be learning all the sides of the music industry, a very smart move indeed. 

After already pushing out 2 self- released EP’s and 3 singles, Megan is working hard on her first album set for release in 2020. I personally can’t wait to hear the new music and hopefully lockdown hasn’t slowed anything down for her.

From the little I know about Megan, I can tell that this is an extremely industrious and hard working woman who won’t let anything stop her. Her voice is absolutely breathtaking and I can’t wait to see her live at a gig soon. The local music scene needs people like Megan, someone with a positive message and self-awareness, in these troubled times.

‘’Lessons’’ and more stunning vocals from Megan are here on Spotify.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Accidental Allies Create The Perfect Union With Adorable Fever


What you really think Accidental Allies are all about depends upon which thread you pick at first. Start one end and they are a synth-pop act doing a spot of avant gardening, start somewhere else and they are an acoustic act building electronic platforms underneath deft, classical guitar lines. Others might think of them more as a dance band heading off into more progressive territory, or a soul band having embraced a futuristic vision of what the genre might become.

The reality is that they are all of those things or none of them, they might be a wide-ranging eclectic mix or a very singular roadmap towards their own musical destination. Not that it really matters, it is only when you try to write things down, to turn music into words that you come up against the limitations of language. Until they invent the right words to properly describe what is going on here you will just have to access their world via your ears and imagination. It is a world of interesting musical choices, mercurial stylistic blends, genre hopping and genre splicing, why would you try to capture that in word form?

Crow Quilled Confessions Release Fascinating Track ‘A Human Being on the Planet Earth’

A Human Being on the Planet Earth by Crow Quilled Confessions

I recently attended a De La Sol set at a festival in Queens. I enjoyed an interlude in which a voice from the trio said that sometimes you just need to let the beat play. It’s always nice to hear how artists feel about the things they make and how they make them. It’s also nice to see how artists whose styles vary greatly can agree on certain sentiments. Such is the case with Crow Quilled Confessions. Their track A Human Being on the Planet Earth perfectly demonstrates a group who know how to let the beat play when it needs to.

For the first half of the song, there are several elements introduced that seem to orbit around the catchy, strongly-mixed beat. You might miss some details along the way if you aren’t careful, but one thing is for certain, you will feel that beat. It doesn’t seem like a drum part that needs much elaboration. It may not have much to say. This doesn’t stop Crow Quilled Confessions from letting it lead the charge into the second half, which quickly but organically reinvents its status quo with fuzzy guitars and a bass that triumphantly makes its presence known.

From here, the track becomes a ride. Suddenly the beat has taken a backseat for the exploration of all the other themes that had previously been allowing it to lead. For such a dramatic change in priority to occur while holding onto the mood and tone of the song is a major challenge. Even as the song fades out in its last 30 seconds, you can’t help but feel the beat play on in your mind. This is a song that leaves the speakers and really does affect your mind for moments at a time. It’s not overly complicated, but it’s certainly a fascinating track.

-Paul Weyer

Blissful Red release low-key track ‘Catch’

As soon as I saw the cover artwork for “Catch Me” by Blissful Red, I know exactly that I was going to really enjoy this song. The album cover depicts some iconic records by some artists who happen to be among my all-time favourite acts: Iggy & The Stooges, Nirvana, Elliott Smith and more.

These influences can infect easily be traced by in this single. The whispered, soft-spoken vocals create a stunning mellow vibe that echoes the work of artists such as Nick Drake or Elliott Smith himself, but the sound production is a bit more upfront and upbeat, echoing the work of artists such as The Pixes, just to mention a few.

This song is based on stunning layers of beautiful vocal harmonies, strummed acoustic guitars, as well as a steady rhythm section that adds a nice edge to the music.

The song nears the 5-minutes mark, creating a low-key, yet rich sonic atmosphere. This track is actually a perfect example of how artists can actually create really far reaching works by using simple elements and seamless arrangements. In this particular case, Blissful Red managed to build a song based on some truly minimalistic elements, such as guitar, drums and vocals – you don’t need much else to make a good song if you have the right vision!

A&R Factory Present: Ross Nicol

Hailing from San Diego, multi-talented musician Ross Nicol has been actively at work in Nashville this past year. A classically-trained guitarist who began writing music at 14, Nicol has created a musical style that solidifies his place in the alternative spectrum.

Inspired by the creative story-telling and musical arrangements of Radiohead and Vampire Weekend, while drawing influence from David Bowie and The Beatles, Nicol fuses the analog sounds of the past with a modern, alternative twist. Under the guidance and label imprint of producer Jason Hill (Louis XIV, The Killers), Nicol has two huge releases planned for the year: an EP due for the end of May and a full-length album set for later this summer.

He is in good company, working with the creative minds behind Alabama Shakes, MGMT and Of Montreal, so we are confident this will be a successful summer for the new artist.