If we think of the process of writing a song as being like cooking a delicious meal, often the greatest recipes come from blending different flavours together. Combinations that perhaps you wouldn’t have first thought would work but end up complimenting each other in unexpected ways. It’s in that contrast, in refusing to compromise and allowing two extremes to flourish alongside each other rather than compete for attention, that you can often happen upon something special. By this measure the new single from Dublin’s Brass Phantoms is a delicacy well worth sinking your teeth into. ‘Hurricane’, taken from their forthcoming debut album Holding Out For Horrors out 18th September, is a brilliant example of light and shade at work. Juxtaposing a dark and intricate post punk rhythm section, with snaking bass lines and sharp expressive drum work, against light and breezy indie riffs, soaring solos and anthemic earworm melodies, serves to ensure that both sides of the coin shine brighter than they would do alone. ‘Hurricane’ shows two styles working in tandem; the dark writhing storm clouds and low rumbling thunder, and the energetic lightning racing across the sky; to create a real force of nature.
Author: James Fenney
Top Tracks: Henry Nozuka – Into The Wild
Sometimes you just hear the perfect song for a particular time and place and it’s as though the planets have aligned. Being snuggled up warm in bed as I write these words, whilst the wind and rain batters against my window, somehow feels like the ideal setting for Henry Nozuka’s ‘Into The Wild’. With a contemplative autumnal folk sound drawing influence from Nick Drake, this first single from the Canadian singer/songwriter’s forthcoming debut album Ember of the Night offers an enchantingly idyllic refuge. It’s the kind of song you listen to as a form of escapism, a role it fulfills so well that you’ll lose count of how many times you’ve had it on repeat and time itself will feel as though it’s lost all meaning. Each time you press play and truly listen, closing your eyes and opening your heart, you’re gifted with one of two different escapes. Either you allow the vivid imagery to whisk you away to a serene and surreal dream world, or the intimate arrangement will have you feeling that Henry is right there in the room with you. I can’t tell you how long I’ve been laid here listening to this song, how many times I’ve indulged in each escape it offers, but I can tell you that it was worth every second.
Top Tracks: Kane Miller – Kings and Queens
Life in lockdown has resulted in a new-found appreciation for so many things that I’d have otherwise taken for granted, chief among them being the great outdoors. Growing up in the countryside has often left me feeling detached from the world, stuck in a quiet forgotten corner, and subsequently drawn in by the allure of action and excitement offered by the big city. But with so many friends trapped in cramped apartments on dreary grey streets, I’ve seen the rolling fields around me in a new light. It doesn’t always take something as drastic as a pandemic however to come to such a realisation, sometimes all it takes is some time away to realise what you’re missing. That’s the exact epiphany Canadian singer/songwriter Kane Miller describes in his new single ‘Kings and Queens’. Going from small town life to living and working in the hustle and bustle of Toronto left Miller longing to escape the rat race and experience the open air again. The buoyant folk pop of ‘Kings and Queens’ perfectly captures the overlooked charm of country life. The dreamy harmonies drifting by like leaves in the breeze, the warm melodies like sunlight shimmering upon the lake, and it’s jaunty joyful arrangement and carefree atmosphere a million miles removed from the stresses and struggles of city life.
Album Review: The Killers – Imploding The Mirage
The Killers – Imploding The MirageAlbum Review: Chiara Dubey – Constellations
Chiara Dubey – ConstellationsInterview: Francesca Louise
It’s important to look for silver linings in times of uncertainty. They say that when a door closes a window opens, or words to that effect, and it’s just a matter of finding it. There’s a lot that we’ve been lacking in this year, but one thing we have no shortage of right now is time. Time that can be spent discovering new music; finding records to get lost in and absorbing every last note, stumbling upon artists whose words resonate in the deepest recesses of your soul. One of my favourite such discoveries from this year has been the incredibly talented Francesca Louise, whose debut EP Melancholic Antidote delivers just what its title promises. Her earnest lyricism and the welcoming embrace of the soulful folk arrangements offers the perfect sanctuary to escape to. Having nothing but time also meant I was lucky enough to chat to Francesca about her stunning new record. Continue reading
Album Review: Marsicans – Ursa Major
Marsicans – Ursa MajorTop Tracks: Simon Alexander – Heading Nowhere
We all feel a little lost sometimes, now more than ever. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by all the uncertainty that surrounds us. To be kept awake by the endless string of unanswered questions, to have no idea what kind of world awaits you tomorrow, and to be left directionless and just sleepwalking from one day to the next. Rather than search harder for meaning and stability, sometimes the best course of action is not to fight the current. Sometimes the only respite when feeling lost is choosing where to lose yourself; being able to shut out the world and dream of something better. That’s exactly the kind of escape offered by ‘Heading Nowhere’, the latest single from Swedish singer/songwriter Simon Alexander. Taken from his forthcoming debut album A Place Called Home, the airy folk arrangement, hazy ambient soundscapes and haunting harmonies transports you to idyllic dream world. The perfect blissful sanctuary from a world gone mad, a calm and comforting respite from the storms that rage both without and within all of us. Having already wowed us with his In The Rust EP at the beginning of the year, and now with this serene slice of his debut album, Simon is far from “heading nowhere”, instead he keeps on proving to be one of the most consistently brilliant songwriters in 2020.
Album Review: Biffy Clyro – A Celebration Of Endings
Biffy Clyro – A Celebration Of EndingsSpotlight!: Camp 8
Everything is a beautiful contradiction. The debut EP from Melbourne based artist Reuben Apirana, released under his musical moniker Camp 8, has got to be one of the finest EPs I’ve ever heard. Written following a devastating break up, each track serves as a window into a different part of the journey. Starting with the seeds of doubt that something is wrong, through all the loss and anger and pain of the breakup itself, closing with the fresh doubt that comes with new love forming and finding the courage to trust again. Every aspect of the story feels suitably cinematic with its entrancingly emotive orchestration and crisp vocals. A truly immaculately produced baroque pop record. But while every aspect of the artistry at work here is grand and finely crafted, it somehow flows in a way that feels natural and effortless. Musically this release feels very polished and precise, but it also carries an emotional weight that feels raw and uncompromising. Continue reading
Belwood Music 