Some ideas are everywhere. They spring up all over the world; crossing oceans, defying language barriers and spanning centuries. With so many unconnected people sharing the same beliefs it’s tempting to think that it’s because there’s some underlying truth to it all. Take for instance the idea that when and where we’re born can dictate who we become and the course of our future. All throughout history mankind has wondered if our stories have already been mapped out in the stars. With his latest single ‘My Love is a Hurricane’ David Ramirez is the latest mind to ponder this great mystery. Born just days after a hurricane swept through his hometown, Ramirez was left wondering after a tumultuous break-up whether he had chaos running through his veins. Whether that storm was a sign of things to come and that he was destined to forever leave havoc in his wake. The song itself however, the title track of his new album out 17th July, is far from being an untamed tempest. Instead ‘My Love is a Hurricane’ is a sumptuous slow burner: with a soft psychedelic sheen adding an air of mystery, fuzzy guitar tones growling menacingly from the darkness, powerful gospel arrangements offering a grand sense of scale, and with David’s stunning soulful vocals at the centre of it all. Being born under a bad sign can’t be as bad as they say if it means being able to create such impressive works of art as this.
music
Album Review: Aesthesys – Alignments
Aesthesys – AlignmentsTop Tracks: sym fera – little things
Long time readers will know that I’ve often been an advocate for the idea that sometimes less is more. This is true in all media, and in wide variety of situations. In horror we’re more scared of the unknown than by what is right in front of us, for a mystery to work you need to keep details obscured until just the right moment, and in music the empty space between notes is just as important as the notes themselves. This philosophy manifests in a couple of different ways on ‘little things’. Firstly the band/artist sym fera in the first place; one of the most mysterious submissions I’ve ever received. With little more than a monochrome symbol to go on, this act lets the music do all the talking. ‘Little Things’ takes full advantage of this as it slowly and purposefully says its piece. With the melancholic piano melody, soft choral hums and little splashes of orchestration all striking out before fading into the void, you get a grand sense of scale from the lightest of touches. It’s like a single candle flickering in a vast inky abyss beckoning you to come closer. This dramatic slow burner pulls you in step by step, building up tension and anticipation, before finally offering sweet release with some sublime fuzzy guitar and stunning soulful vocals that will give goosebumps to anyone with even half a heart.
Album Review: Caligula’s Horse – Rise Radiant
Caligula’s Horse – Rise Radiant
Progressive Metal | Heavy Metal | Progressive Rock
70%
Album Review: The Amazing Devil – The Horror and the Wild
The Amazing Devil – The Horror and the WildTop Tracks: Moscow Apartment – Halfway
I’ve written many times about the therapeutic power of music. Both as a listener hearing words that you can connect with and relate to, and for artists expressing their thoughts and feelings in song and the catharsis that comes with sharing them with the world. Listening to this latest track from Canadian duo Moscow Apartment however, and remarking on the story behind how it came to be, I’m struck by another therapeutic quality of music that hadn’t occurred to me before. Written when Brighid Fry and Pascale Padilla were still in the early days of both their friendship and their time as band mates, ‘Halfway’ was the product of an argument after some growing pains in their relationship. Half a letter of apology, and half a letter of forgiveness, this is a song that shows the unique power of making music with other people. The way that creating something together can break down walls, help you see things through another’s eyes, and potentially help build a strong foundation for a life-long friendship. Taken from their forthcoming EP Better Daughter, this bittersweet slice of dream pop (perfect for fans of Snail Mail and Soccer Mommy) is simply swimming in gorgeous melodies and reminds me of the myriad ways that music can bring people together.
Top Tracks: Grizzly Coast – Catch & Release
It should go without saying that this period of isolation that we find ourselves in can be very lonely. Being apart really puts into perspective who really matters in our lives. The flip side of this however is that it shines a light on all the ways in which we can thrive on our own, and how we can build ourselves up given the chance. ‘Catch & Release’ is about the freedom that comes with turning your back on the people that take more than they give in your life, and realising you’re better off. It’s a song all about finding happiness in yourself rather than needing another person to complete you or seeking the approval of people who don’t deserve your time or attention. This bright and breezy track from Toronto’s Alannah Kavanagh, under her moniker Grizzly Coast, carries the feeling of a weight being lifted. With a bounding carefree bass line, gorgeous dream pop melodies, an energising earworm chorus, and some killer guitar work in the closing moments, ‘Catch & Release’ feels like watching the sun rise on a bright new dawn. One free of the expectations of others holding you back from living your best life.
Album Review: Transcend – Balance I
Transcend – Balance ISpotlight!: Natalie Shay
It seems odd to think that we’re only now writing about Natalie Shay’s debut EP. Ever since we covered her stunning single ‘This Feeling’ back in 2018 she’s been part of the furniture here on the blog, an unquestioned Belwood favourite right from the off. With just a handful of singles to her name she’s not only won us over, but has also become one of the UK’s most sensational rising stars. With each new release she has generated major buzz in the indie pop world, added to her ever growing legion of fans, and has also grown ever more assured as a songwriter and performer. Her previous releases have seen her sound grow and change, only to finally bloom on Naked as a glorious fusion of nostalgic day-glo 80s vibes and effervescent indie pop energy.
Shimmering synths, bright melodies and irresistibly danceable grooves are the order of the day here, and the infectious carefree spirit that pervades the record knows no bounds. ‘Not The Girl’ and ‘People Like Me’ boast manic wailing guitar solos, the title track ‘Naked’ has a delightful dash of retro sax, and the new stripped back version of ‘Yesterday’ adds so much depth to the track. Beneath the buoyant enthusiasm of the music however lies lyricism that details how messy and uncertain relationships can be; all the fear, temptation and conflict. The end result is a bittersweet record that feels, in more ways than one, like a John Hughes film – defiantly fun and uplifting in the face of unresolved struggles and emptiness. For most artists a debut EP is a shaky first step into the wider world, but for Natalie Shay it feels like a culmination of everything she’s worked hard to build, and a promise that this is still only the beginning.
Fans of Fickle Friends, Clean Cut Kid and 80s pop should check out Natalie’s Naked EP
Top Tracks: Francesca Louise – Out Of Sight (Out Of Mind)
“It’s a funny feeling when you feel you’ve lost your mind” – doesn’t that just capture love in a nutshell? Falling for someone can really change a person; like a spell cast over you, like some phantom possessing you out of all your control. Love can make the most steadfast person succumb to impulse, cause the most logical mind to be ruled by passion, make the hardest of hearts yearn for openness and intimacy. The sway that love has over us is what makes it so beautiful in the long term, and also so terrifying when it first blooms. When you find yourself falling your emotions get caught in a daunting Catch-22 situation, one that’s captured brilliantly in the soulful folk of ‘Out Of Sight (Out Of Mind)’. This sincere new single from Francesca Louise, taken from her forthcoming debut EP Melancholic Antidote, shows how embracing love and avoiding it are equally difficult paths. It is no easy task to willingly be vulnerable, to give someone the power to either destroy you or build you up and trusting them to choose the latter. Nor is it any easier to bottle everything up, to have a secret on the tip of your tongue longing to be free, to have someone occupy your thoughts night and day alongside the ever present question of “what if?”. Francesca’s candour, earnestness and enrapturing vocals make this track really shine. I’ve chosen my path, I won’t let my love for this song go unspoken.
Belwood Music 