Top Ten EPs of 2021

December 29, 2021December 24, 2021 / James Fenney

Delving into a given year’s finest EPs often feels like gazing into a crystal ball for a brief glimpse of the future. It’s with releases such as these that many up and coming artists first make their mark on the world and become the name on people’s lips. It’s often here that the brightest stars of tomorrow are forged, and so this list in particular is one of our favourite ways to sing the praises of the wealth of talented new artists on the scene, alongside outstanding projects from old favourites. Continue reading →

Top Ten Songs of 2021

December 28, 2021December 24, 2021 / James Fenney

Hitting the mid-way point in this year’s list season, and it’s time to leave the industry’s most stunning visuals behind and dive headfirst into the music that most delighted our ears in 2021. The tracks that had us hitting repeat; the most anthemic singalong choruses, the most memorable earworm melodies, and the biggest bops that had us up and dancing. Here’s Belwood’s most loved songs of the past twelve months. Continue reading →

Top Ten Album Covers of 2021

December 26, 2021December 10, 2021 / James Fenney

How has it been a year already? Somehow the last twelve months have just flown by! But before we get thrust forward into the brave new world that is 2022, we have just enough time left to look back on some of the dazzling artistic highlights of this past year. That’s right, list season is upon us! And as ever we’ll be kicking off our week of celebration and reflection by delighting in some of the most visually arresting album artwork of 2021. Continue reading →

Belwood Music Awards 2020

December 31, 2020December 30, 2020 / James Fenney

It’s time to celebrate not only the blog’s 6th birthday, but also the chance to say a wholehearted “fuck you!” as we finally leave 2020 behind. It’s been a deeply challenging year, and the road ahead is still rough and uncertain, but if there’s anything we can take away from our time in quarantine, it is learning to better appreciate the little things in life. Even a music industry left battered by the impact of Covid and incompetent governments has still been able to produce some incredible releases for us to cling on to. Before we put this crazy year in the rear view mirror, let’s take one last look back at the music that helped us through it all. Continue reading →

Top Ten Albums of 2020

December 30, 2020December 22, 2020 / James Fenney

As our list season draws to a close, it’s time to look back on the very best albums of the past twelve months. In spite of chaos reigning in 2020, creative juices have definitely been flowing, as Belwood has been bombarded with more new music than ever before. There’s no way we could ever cover it all, and there have been a lot of records that we never managed to get around to, but these ten releases are absolute must-listens in my mind. They represent some of the most enthralling music that has kept our spirits up in this most trying of years. Continue reading →

Top Ten EPs of 2020

December 29, 2020December 19, 2020 / James Fenney

The medium of choice for rising stars, an invaluable tool for up and coming artists, EPs are the oft overlooked lifeblood of the music industry. It’s always been our most hotly contested list as the wealth of great EPs often represents the very best and brightest new acts on the scene. In a music industry decimated by Covid-19 however, these artists are amongst those hardest hit. So as we reel off our favourite EPs from our least favourite year, if you stumble across a release that resonates with you, we ask that you do your bit to support the artists in whatever way you can. Continue reading →

Top Ten Songs of 2020

December 28, 2020December 16, 2020 / James Fenney

If this year has taught me anything, it’s that no matter how crazy things get, there’s always a song out there to keep you grounded. A little musical oasis to take sanctuary in when you lose your way. Each track here has in some way provided just the escape I needed at some point this past year, and hopefully they can offer you the same: Continue reading →

Top Ten Album Covers of 2020

December 26, 2020December 11, 2020 / James Fenney

To say that the past twelve months have been utterly bizarre and incredibly challenging would be a massive understatement, but in a few days time we’ll finally be able to put 2020 behind us. There’s no better time then to look back at all the golden moments of joy and beauty that have kept us sane throughout it all. Once again we’ll be kicking things off by looking at the most striking album artwork to have caught our eye this past year.

Continue reading →