The best things in life are often fleeting. The radiant glow of golden hour illuminates the world for mere minutes before fading into twilight. The playful innocence of childhood, a brief blissful reprieve before adult responsibilities begin weighing us down. Some days even a whole lifetime doesn’t feel enough to do everything you want to do, be the person you want to be. The best parts of our lives burn out in a blaze, and we’re left trying to fan the embers to keep the moment alive. “We’re far too young to fade, Let’s light these fires again, we’re burning“. ‘Balancing on the Horizon Line’, the latest track from Transatlantic folk duo The Greatest Endangered Thing, holds a yearning to rekindle all those moments left on the road behind. Taken from their forthcoming EP Phosphenes: Volume 1, out 1st May, its message is echoed in how the arrangement burns bright in its brief runtime. With its gorgeous vocal interplay, rich welcoming violin tone, and the dramatic way the drums build, rumble and fade like distant rolling thunder, this track is a stirring spark of greatness that leaves you longing to relive it again.
Author: James Fenney
Album Review: Amelia Coburn – Between the Moon and the Milkman
Top Tracks: Ella Cicely – One Day
One snippet of wisdom that comes with growing up is accepting that there isn’t really an answer to that voice in your head asking “why am I here? What is it all for?“. Most of us don’t have some grand destiny that our lives have been building towards, no singular meaning of life which defines our existence. Instead of looking for a bigger picture, the key to a happier life lies in finding meaning in the small details. There’s just as much purpose in a life lived one day at a time. Yet even taking this wisdom to heart, there are countless ways to spend a day, a myriad of places and people to share them with, and only one life in which to live them. ‘One Day’, the debut single from Ella Cicely, is a tapestry of uncertainty that reflects on whether you’re living each day as well as you could be. Flitting between new places and new experiences, but none of them quite feeling like home. Being stood at a crossroads wondering if the happiest path is the one you left behind, or one still waiting to be discovered just beyond the horizon. Ella’s tender vocals and bittersweet piano balladry imbues her introspection with a haunting wistful haze, yet never obscures the silver lining at the heart of ‘One Day’; that feeling of home is still out there to be found, and there’s no mistaking the calm in your heart when you finally find it.
Album Review: Bleachers – Bleachers
Live Review: Holly Humberstone, The Engine Shed Lincoln, 10th March 2024
One live music hill that I’d be proud to die on is that more acts should play gigs in forgotten corners of the country instead of just the same handful of big cities. Creative minds don’t just make music in London and Manchester, nor are they the only places where music lovers reside. Music lovers and makers can be found in every town across the country, so why should live music be any different. That philosophy is just one of the myriad of reasons why I was excited to see that Belwood favourite Holly Humberstone was playing Lincoln as part of her latest UK tour. Not that the show would have been all that surprising to anyone that’s been following her career. Holly’s always been proud of her home and family in Lincolnshire, never forgetting where she came from and the people that have been by her side. In fact one of the greatest strengths of her delightful debut album was how it felt so earnestly true to herself. Freshly armed with an album full of heartfelt homegrown alt pop, her gig at The Engine Shed seemed like a triumphant, home-turf victory lap in the making. Continue reading
Top Tracks: Ålesund – Thrive
Nostalgia is deeply woven into human nature. Maybe it helps us build a home, a sense of the familiar to pull us back to safety, or maybe looking back at better times helps keep us grounded when times get tough. Whatever the root, we’re all prone to reflecting and reminiscing; perhaps moreso now than any other time in history, given how much of our lives we’re able to document. We can pull up a picture and bask in memories of brighter days contained within with the mere swipe of a finger. Yet given that we never know when a new happy memory is waiting just around the corner to be made, it’s all too easy to miss it entirely by dwelling too long on the past. ‘Thrive’, the latest single from Bristol band Ålesund, offers a warning not to coast through life daydreaming about days gone by, but to instead live each new day to its fullest. ‘Thrive’s compelling, pulsing bass lines and snappy drum work echoes a relentless march forward to seize the day, while Alba Torriset’s soaring vocals strive to reach new heights of grandeur. A welcome reminder that when we make every day one worth reminiscing on, then we’re “not just living, or surviving, but we thrive”.
Top Tracks: Gown – In Your Head
Running a site dedicated to highlighting new music, you would think it would feel exciting being ahead of the curve, discovering something special before it takes the world by storm. While I have been lucky enough to experience that sensation a few times, more often such discoveries leave me strangely frustrated. Imagine hearing a transcendent piece of music that truly connects with you, followed by the sudden realisation that you might be one of just a handful of people in the world to have heard it. Nice as it is to have a little oasis all your own – and it’s a beautiful notion that every piece of art, no matter how obscure, will mean the world to someone somewhere – I want the art that resonates with me to reach as many people as possible, so that they might share the same connection I feel. Enter ‘In Your Head’, the debut single from LA based outfit Gown, an astonishing piece of dream pop far too beautiful to be wasted on me alone. Its wistful haze, the tender plaintive vocals, the cathartic release of emphatic drums and haunting guitar that it all builds toward. It is a perfect paragon of the genre at its best, and it deserves to be heard the world over.
Top Tracks: Charm of Finches – Clean Cut
Probability has no memory. It doesn’t matter how many times a coin may have turned up tails, the next flip has just as much chance of showing heads as any other. Every flip of the coin, every roll of the dice, is a world unto itself; what happened before has no influence on what comes next. When times get tough, we can view our lives in just the same way. Every day has the chance to be a fresh start if we wish, free of all the baggage that preceded it. ‘Clean Cut’, the new single from Melbourne based sister duo Charm of Finches, applies a similar way of thinking as a way to move on in the wake of a break-up. Leaving the misfortunes of the past behind, and letting the new day bring with it a fresh roll of the dice. Taken from their forthcoming album Marlinchen in the Snow, out 19th April, its rich harmonies, understated strings and bold emphatic drums make this one truly charming slice of baroque pop. With its memorable self-directed music video, interpreting the cut ties as the strings of marionettes come to life, further deepening the track’s bewitching appeal.
Top Tracks: Oliver Hohlbrugger – Velveteen
Thrilling as it is to hear something entirely new, music that makes you think “I’ve never heard anything like this“, sometimes it’s just as thrilling to hear music that makes you think “I didn’t know they still made music like this anymore“. Hearing a track that so perfectly embodies the vibe of a by-gone era, while still managing to add its own unique twist, you can almost imagine being flung back in time to hear a classic song for the very first time. With his new single ‘Velveteen’, Norwegian artist Oliver Hohlbrugger astutely captures the protopunk spirit of acts like Iggy Pop and The Velvet Underground. Raw and rough around the edges, boasting unrelenting energy and unassailable swagger. Its gutsy driving pace, akin to Bowie’s ‘Suffragette City’, ignites something within you with a kind of zeal that almost feels like a forgotten art. And just when you think the tank must be running on empty, it pulls a spirited sax solo out of reserve as one final parting gift.
Belwood Music 