If you could capture the sensation of daydreaming in a single song, this would be it. Mixing introspective indie with a dash of Americana, this latest track from Seattle based singer/songwriter Austin Crane, aka Valley Maker, carries a subdued yet cinematic feel. Taken from his forthcoming album Rhododendron out 12th October, ‘A Couple Days’ recalls the likes of Manchester Orchestra and The Amazing. Setting the perfect mood for the indrawn autumn nights that will soon be upon us, it carries a soft spoken melancholy that is tinged with a faint glimmer of hope. This song feels like taking an evening road trip when life gets a bit too much. Like leaving the world behind for a while and retreating to a quiet space, all the while chasing the last slivers of the fading sun on the horizon.
top tracks
Top Tracks: Jonas Källstrand – The House My Parents Later Sold
There are plenty of nostalgic tracks out there, but few as moving and bittersweet as this latest release from Swedish singer/songwriter Jonas Källstrand. It’s easy to have a rose-tinted view of days gone by, but while we may look back on the carefree days of youth as the best time of our lives, when living in those moments it often doesn’t feel that way. What makes ‘The House My Parents Later Sold’ so refreshing is that it places equal weight on the struggles and demons that our younger selves face. It’s easy to forget that the hard times and the mistakes that we make play just as important a role in making us who we are. ‘The House…’ seems to look upon both the good memories and the hard times with a measure of fondness and reverence, as both are responsible for setting us down the path we end up taking in life.
Top Tracks: Mercury Machine – Aurora
This latest track from Manchester quintet Mercury Machine has a deeply cinematic feel. To be specific, it reminds me of Blade Runner… not the film itself perhaps, more the world it depicted. A world of colourful neon, of bright and inviting distractions; all just a glamour that hid the dark underworld lurking just beneath the surface. The aptly named ‘Aurora’ lights up the sky with vibrant swirls of 80s synths, but beneath the enticing retro aesthetic beats a dark heart born of post punk, giving the track a more mature and thought-provoking appeal. ‘Aurora’ is like the musical equivalent of putting on a brave face, and pretending everything is perfect, when in reality it feels like it’s all crashing down. The track interweaves the light and shade brilliantly so that no matter what you’re looking for, shimmering synths or poignant post punk, it never fails to deliver.
Top Tracks: Chris Stills – Calling The Underground
Home isn’t a place, it’s a state of mind. It’s a sense of belonging and understanding that we’re all searching for in our own way, and if the journey to find it is long and difficult, then it just makes you appreciate it even more when you finally experience it. This new song from Chris Stills, son of CSNY’s Stephen Stills, captures that feeling of finding home, being with like-minded people, and being a part of something greater than yourself. Taken from the upcoming deluxe edition of his latest album Don’t Be Afraid, out 7th September, this animated Americana track builds the tension throughout to then release it in one of the finest guitar solos you’re likely to hear this year. Belonging and understanding may still be a little further on up the road, but this track still welcomes you in and ends up feeling like home, if only for a few minutes.
Top Tracks: Karine Polwart – Ophelia
Many artists channel their own personal experiences and feelings into their work, and in turn we who listen use that art to frame and understand our own emotions and the situations that we find ourselves in. It’s a beautiful thing, but sometimes we can get too caught up in ourselves, spend so much time looking inwards, that we forget that there’s a whole world out there. That’s what makes this new single from award winning Scottish singer/songwriter Karine Polwart so refreshing. ‘Ophelia’, taken from her upcoming album Laws Of Motion out 19th October, reflects on the hurricane of the same name; the awe of beholding it and the thought of the scars it left behind. Thinking on the impact it caused, the lives it altered, lets you empathise with the plights of another. Thinking of its indescribable size and power helps remind you how insignificant we all are. All together, ‘Ophelia’ is a lesson in how we’re all tiny pieces in big, complex world, and the differences that divide us matter little in the larger scheme of things.
Top Tracks: Steve Perry – No Erasin’
As a kid, Journey was the first band I ever loved. I had all their albums and while I may not listen to them as much anymore, their music such a big part in my life. So, while I can certainly sympathise, it’s always been profoundly disheartening that the golden voice of former frontman Steve Perry has been silent for so long. Having not released any new music since Journey’s 1996 album Trial By Fire, and having rarely made public appearances in my lifetime, Steve has at long last returned to the spotlight. Bearing in mind his age and his over 20 year hiatus from making music, ‘No Erasin’, the lead single from his comeback album Traces out 5th October, is nothing short of remarkable.
Top Tracks: The Pineapple Thief – Try As I Might
Taken from The Pineapple Thief’s forthcoming album Dissolution, ‘Try As I Might’ is an exciting taster of what’s to come. Exploring darker territory than 2016’s Your Wilderness, this new single offers a glimpse into the album’s concept surrounding our hyper-connected modern world, the lack of privacy and anonymity it brings, and the consequences that follow. The Black Mirror-esque video sees frontman Bruce Soord caught in a dystopian world of in-eye cameras, struggling to deal with the implications of this brave new world. Gavin Harrison once again brings his transcendent drum work to the fray for this new record, but it’s the expressive bass tones that really shine on this track, particularly in the latter half. I’ve often looked on The Pineapple Thief as prog’s dark horse, but if the rest of the new album lives up to the standard I’ve heard thus far then they may be the clear frontrunner for the best progressive record of 2018.
Top Tracks: ABQ – Takes So Long
Sometimes a song manages to do the impossible. Some tracks can draw from opposite ends of the spectrum and combine styles that seem otherwise incompatible. Some pieces of music can be both gentle and heavy, happy yet sad, in a way that is difficult to put into words. ‘Takes So Long’, the debut single from Belfast quartet ABQ, manages to be both a raw and honest rock powerhouse as well as a sing-along pop anthem. The distinctive vocals carry such passion, equally suited to both the soaring optimism of the verses and the gritty realism in the closing calls of “it takes so long”. The slick, cinematic video shows the band create inviting festival-ready melodies, albeit with a deeper tension bubbling away beneath. The song serves as a great mission statement of what ABQ are capable of. It’s an assured start that keeps you on your toes as to what to expect next from this promising 4-piece.
Top Tracks: Tiny Castle – World
I keep an ongoing list of standout songs of 2018 as the year ticks by, but in the end the best song on the list boils down to whichever track most makes my heart sing when I hear it. ‘World’ is one of the first major contenders for that title. Aussie outfit Tiny Castle are on par with some of the best Australian bands going right now, and given the high standards I’ve seen in recent years that’s no mean feat. ‘World’ combines the retro 80s synths and airy atmosphere of The Paper Kites with the soaring indie riffs of Holy Holy, and with some truly electrifying drums thrown in for good measure. A song all about not wasting your energy on negativity, that surplus spark is channelled into making this track an intoxicating thrill ride, like some high-speed chase along shimmering neon-lit highways. It’s the kind of song that makes you feel invincible; bursting with technicolour life and an inescapable aura of joy.
Top Tracks: SHY Martin – Lose You Too
Some of the greatest artists have started out by writing songs for other people, though the trick is to save the best songs for yourself. After penning big pop singles for the likes of The Chainsmokers and Ellie Goulding, the stage was set for Swedish songwriter SHY Martin to strike out on her own, and ‘Lose You Too’ comes as a thank you to all those who’ve supported her on the journey thus far. This stripped back ballad shows an exciting new side to her music, swapping commercial pop for plaintive folk. Her delicate vocals speak of coming to accept that sometimes we drift apart from the people who mean the most to us, like sand slipping through your fingers despite your best efforts to hold on. This spellbinding ballad is surely one of the most beautiful tracks of 2018, and I’m glad SHY Martin shared it under her own name, as I’m not sure anyone else could have captured quite the same magical feeling found here.
Belwood Music 