olivia rodrigo

Leave It Out!: In Defence of ‘Industry Plants’

/ James Fenney

The music industry is a bloody mess. From the absurdly broken state of modern charts, to artists’ obscenely miniscule rate of pay for Spotify streams, the modern music industry has a list of glaring issues as long as your arm. But, as human beings are want to do, we can’t help but keep adding new things to the list to complain about. The latest such talking point in music circles being buzzy up-and-coming bands such as Wet Leg and The Last Dinner Party being accused of being ‘industry plants’. Though the discourse I’ve seen online has raised some noteworthy points, I think the reductive label these bands have been assigned with ultimately fails to stand up to scrutiny. Continue reading →

Belwood Music Awards 2021

/ James Fenney

Before we come together to usher in the new year, it’s time for one last look back in the rear-view mirror at 2021. It’s a year that has both flown by and felt like a lifetime all at once. The ongoing pandemic dragging its feet has left us feeling more tired and weary than ever, but a few rays of sun have managed to break through the clouds in the past twelve months. We’ve seen a return of live music, alongside some stunning releases to cling on to when times got hard. Here are some of the moments that most defined our 2021. Continue reading →

Top Ten Albums of 2021

/ James Fenney

With the hours ticking away until we usher in the new year, it’s finally time to take a look back at the finest albums released in the past twelve months. 2021 is a year that left a lot of us feeling tired,  confused and frustrated; reflected I think in what feels like a rather lacklustre roster of new releases compared to the past few years. While not quite the hotly contested category it normally is, there were still some absolutely spellbinding albums vying for the top spot. Here are the ten records that burned brightest, touched our hearts, and breathed the most life into this past year. Continue reading →

Top Ten Songs of 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 →