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.
My Top 5 Record Labels
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It’s easy to think of terms like “the music industry” and “record labels” in the same vein as some evil faceless corporation that plays the role of the villain in a spy thriller. In fact, there are probably plenty of big labels that are thoroughly deserving of such infamy. But it’s not all just businessmen in suits looking to make money, there are plenty of smaller labels out there that are dedicated to helping artists grow and sharing great music with the world. Normally I don’t pay too much mind to labels, but when you see the same name pop up time and time again besides artists you love you suddenly start to sit up and take notice. I spend plenty of time writing about the music I love and the artists I admire, so I thought it was high-time I gave a shout out to the labels that keep the wheels turning and make sure all that great art reaches our ears. Continue reading
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.
Album Review: Dan Owen – Stay Awake With Me
Dan Owen – Stay Awake With MeAlbum Review: The Pineapple Thief – Dissolution
The Pineapple Thief – DissolutionAlbum Review: There’s A Light – A Long Lost Silence
There’s A Light – A Long Lost SilenceTop 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.
Belwood Music 