I can’t deny, I’m the kind of person who shuts down and zones out when overwhelmed. When there’s a dozen things that I should be doing I will end up doing none of them. While that does nothing to shorten my to-do list, somewhat counterintuitively when you’re at your busiest is when you’re most in need of a break. To my mind, ‘It’s Getting Late’ follows a similar philosophy. When thoughts dwell on the unrelenting passage of time, how the days of our lives pass like grains of sand between your fingers, the way to soothe your spirit is not to frantically try to make every second count, but to dream the day away. Capturing the lush reflective reverie of acts like Flyte and Billie Marten, the debut single from Yoshika Colwell sees her delight in the pastoral beauty of her surroundings. Afternoons spent basking in the sun, watching birds flit between branches, the contentment of simply being; those moments are every bit as fleeting as the hustle and bustle we stress over, and far more worthy of cherishing. A day devoted listening to ‘It’s Getting Late’ on repeat, watching the world pass by, sounds like time well spent in my book.
Top Tracks: Julia Logan – Top of the World
One of the surest signs of great songwriting is when a track works on any level. You can strip it back to its barest essentials, down to its most sparse and intimate incarnation, and it is still every bit as compelling. Likewise a talented songwriter is able to build upon a strong foundation, expanding the scope and ambition of the arrangement, without reaching too far and losing sight of the great idea that started it all. Within the dreamy folk pop of ‘Top of the World’, Swedish artist Julia Logan is able to exemplify both ends of the spectrum. Adding and removing layers on a whim from a gorgeous central framework, creating a captivating rise and fall in the process. At its most intimate it’s just the rich piano tone, the sweetness of Julia’s Carole King-esque vocals, and a melody that recalls ‘Crosses’ by José González. Yet at its highest peaks it rises with the kind of lush groovy warmth of Fleetwood Mac. The stunningly expressive rhythm section managing to somehow feel intricate and understated in equal measure.
Album Review: Vampire Weekend – Only God Was Above Us
Top Tracks: Dover Lynn Fox – When Youth Was Wasted
There’s something special about songs that hold that certain cinematic quality. How you can close your eyes and vividly picture a movie scene playing out before you. Some tracks just seem tailor made for setting the tone and eliciting emotion in film. But to me, there’s something about ‘When Youth Was Wasted’ that goes a level deeper. It makes me think of movies that feature fictional bands, with their own in-universe hits; think Almost Famous, O Brother, Where Are Thou?, or That Thing You Do!. Sometimes the musicians making the soundtracks nail their assignment so perfectly, that it’s hard to believe that these weren’t the hit songs they pretend to be. You can so easily imagine a world where people grew up listening to these songs, playing them on jukeboxes, dancing to them at weddings. ‘When Youth Was Wasted’ to me doesn’t just sound like the perfect song to soundtrack a film scene, it feels like a hit song from one of these other worlds that has had pride of place in countless playlists and movies scenes over the years. The bright folk intro, the hopeful piano tone, the expressive rhythm section, that uplifting build towards the big brass climax, the irresistible melody of its titular refrain. Somehow it’s so easy to slip into the belief that there’s a world out there where this was a classic song I grew up loving.
Top Tracks: Club Kuru – Gone Like A Flower
How long does it take for a song to truly grab you? Sometimes it takes a few spins for a chorus to bury its way into your brain and take residence there. Sometimes it only takes a single listen for it to dawn on you that you just heard something special. With ‘Gone Like A Flower’, all it took was a single note, that first Gilmour-esque bend, for me to know that a truly mesmerising track lay ahead of me. Club Kuru delivers on that promise with every note that follows. The spaced out Pink Floyd-ian guitar tone growing to integrate a sense of warmth and soulfulness to its melodic expanse, in a way that’s reminiscent of Michael Kiwanuka’s ‘Cold Little Heart’. The dreamy wistful vocals, the rich refined drum work, production about as close to perfection as human minds can muster; all culminating in an emotional and evocative solo channelling a slice of the spirit of Funkadelic’s mind-bending ‘Maggot Brain’. Such an exquisitely crafted journey from the first note to the last.
Top Tracks: Durry – Teenagers Forever
When do we grow up? At what point in our lives does everything fall into place? At what age will we finally feel settled, feel that we have things figured out? For many of us the answer may be never. Many of us will never be able to afford a house, or raise a family. The way the world is now, there’s a whole generation that will never know that kind of peace and security, never able to put down roots of their own. ‘Teenagers Forever’, the latest angsty anthem from sibling duo Durry, captures the sense of aimless frustration that many of us know all too well. The feeling that the people around you were the lucky ones who managed to escape, while you’re still walking a path that leads to a dead end. Stuck in that liminal space where you’re still clinging to the hobbies and dreams of youth to give your life some joy and meaning, while pretending you have it all figured out, pretending that the happy ending you were promised truly exists. This hard hitting new single reins in the duo’s wry self-deprecating wit in favour of a more unflinching dose of reality, offering some small silver lining in that at least there are many of us stuck in the same boat together.
Top Tracks: Miccoli – Night
Never trust anything your mind tells you after 10pm. There’s something about late night introspection that seems to lend itself to worry, self-doubt and melancholy. I’ve learnt that thoughts like that are a sure sign to call it a night, and just hope that the world looks a brighter place in the morning. But there are other schools of thought. Belwood favourites Miccoli make their triumphant return with ‘Night’, their first new single since 2020’s Arrhythmia. Showcasing their unmistakable command of melody, entwined here with heavier alt rock elements, ‘Night’ preaches a different path to deal with your inner demons; let loose and dance through the darkness. Drown out that doubtful voice in the back of your mind with the sound of laughter and music, replace the ache in your heart with something that will make it soar, find something to fill the void by embracing the world with arms wide open. With its infectious hooks and striking visuals shot on the Sicilian coast, this resilient escapist anthem sees the talented sibling trio firing on all cylinders.
Top Tracks: The Greatest Endangered Thing – Balancing on the Horizon Line
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.
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.
Belwood Music 