It’s always a great feeling when you stumble across a song that reminds you of the power that music can have. No matter how you feel, there is a song for it. Someone somewhere has had much the same thoughts running through their head as you, and they managed to find the right words to capture some abstract, indescribable feeling and shared them with the world so that people can find solace in the fact that someone out there understands. London based singer/songwriter is a fine example of this as he channels Jeff Buckley for his latest single ‘Stage Of Fools’. Taken from his new EP Cordelia out 15th November, the track superbly captures the sensation of drifting from one day to the next without purpose, the struggle of finding meaning in life. Ollie’s words acutely convey the languid and hollow sensation of it all, but the music is conversely bright and engaging. His soft soaring vocals spark life where there was none before and seeks to fill the void. Never has a song about emptiness been so fulfilling.
Author: James Fenney
Top Tracks: Martha Bean – Along The Lonely
There are two kinds of loneliness. The first is a deep-rooted need for companionship. Like many animals we are social creatures, we aren’t meant to be alone. We all need someone to talk to, we need to break out of our little bubble and feel someone else’s skin against our own. The first loneliness is a simple need for human contact, the second is something far more profound and spiritual. The second is a longing for a meaningful connection. True love, a soulmate, call it what you will, it’s the person that you feel in perfect harmony with. On her elegant new single ‘Along The Lonely’, taken from her new EP Here Comes The Snowstorm, Martha Bean shares how the two can work against each other. How in our eagerness to fulfil the first, we neglect the second. How our need to have someone to hold close can come before asking if they are the right person.
Album Review: Cattle & Cane – Navigator
Cattle & Cane – NavigatorTop Tracks: Alex Michael – Hear Me
They say you can tell a lot about a person by the company they keep. It goes much deeper than that however. The connections we make don’t just inform who we are, in many ways they define who we are. We are social creatures, we’re made to be a part of something bigger than ourselves. In the bonds of family, the friendships we forge, and in each new love that blooms, we give a little of ourselves and receive part of someone else in return. We give each other meaning, a reason to keep moving forward. ‘Hear Me’, from up and coming singer/songwriter Alex Michael, revels in the power of these threads that unite us – for better or worse. Spending time with those closest to us is the source of the greatest joy in life, while losing them or drifting apart is the source of the greatest sorrow. We spend each day caught up in our own bubbles when in reality so much depends on others. Our happiness, our purpose, our very identity. It’s both a blessing and a burden that those closest to us hold so much sway over our lives.
Album Review: Leprous – Pitfalls
Leprous – PitfallsAlbum Review: Bent Knee – You Know What They Mean
Bent Knee – You Know What They MeanTop Tracks: Noah Derksen – Lonely in America
I’ve never been able to grasp the fascination with New York. I’ve always seen it as somewhere hostile and unwelcoming, yet it rivals Paris as the most romanticised city in the world. Usually songs about the Big Apple are nothing more than a game of New York cliche bingo, so it’s refreshing to hear a song tackle the darker side of the big city. Canadian born singer/songwriter wonderfully contrasts the coldness of the city with the warm Americana glow of his new track ‘Lonely in America’. The age old adage of “if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere” neglects to mention how isolating and demoralising it can be for the vast swathes of people who risk everything for the city’s promises only to come up short. Noah’s latest golden track from his new album America, Dreaming stands in solidarity with anyone who’s ever felt like a spare part rattling around some vast and unforgiving machine.
Album Review: Bruce Soord – All This Will Be Yours
Bruce Soord – All This Will Be YoursSpotlight!: Margo Raats
In today’s music industry EPs are more important than ever. They have usurped the role of debut albums as a way for artists to make a good first impression, with some acts building up a massive following on the back of just a few EPs alone. At the same time however they are never given the respect they deserve. I’m a big believer in quality over quantity. Much like how a great actor can say more with just an expression than others can with pages of dialogue, an artist pouring their heart and soul into just a couple of tracks often makes a greater impact than most albums.
With her debut EP On The Run, Belgian born singer/songwriter Margo Raats hammers the point home with a handful of songs that are altogether more moving than perhaps any album I’ve heard this year. ‘Fly’ is as uplifting as its name suggests with its message of reassurance and comfort, while ‘Wondering Why’ wins you over with it’s off-kilter arrangement and bright folk melodies. It’s in the stripped back soul of ‘What Is It Like’ and ‘Remember Me’ that Margo really shines however. The sparse arrangements ensure that Margo’s gorgeous vocals take centre stage. It takes great skill to be so passionate and expressive, but it takes even greater courage to be so open and vulnerable for the world to hear.
Fans of Hannah Grace, Lucy Rose, Gabrielle Aplin and Freya Ridings should check out Margo’s debut EP On The Run.
Top Tracks: Black Calavera – Cigarettes
Now don’t get me wrong, I love a bit of bright and breezy indie rock. But when it lurks around every corner sometimes it leaves you longing for something with a bit more bite. You yearn for the sort of song you that makes you feel like a total badass whilst walking down the street. The kind of track where merely pressing play feels like it could conjure a leather jacket and a pair of shades into existence on your person. ‘Cigarettes’ is just such a track. Positively swimming in attitude, this gritty garage rocker from London quintet Black Calavera feels effortlessly cool, walking that indescribable fine line between fierce and nonchalant. There’s plenty of substance to go along with all that style however, with robust bass tones, a blistering guitar solo and vivacious vocals ensuring the band have you right where they want you; squarely in the palm of their hand.
Belwood Music 