Though this past year has had it’s fair share of ups and downs, 2018 has consistently delivered some killer songs. In previous years my number one song of the year was obvious, it would spark something within me, ignite a fire that would keep burning all year. This time round I’ve had that same feeling about half the songs on my list! Continue reading
top tracks
Top Tracks: Michael McArthur – Elaine
“Love is all you need”. Besides the obvious Beatles connotation, it’s a sentiment that has been attempted to be expressed in countless ways. The trouble is in trying to sum up a love so potent in mere words, or in the same chords that make up every song under the sun. Neither can really do it justice. True love is beautiful and baffling. It can weather the fiercest storms and only gets stronger with time while all others crumble and fade. This track from Florida’s Michael McArthur doesn’t capture that indescribable feeling, but it comes closer than almost any song I can think of. ‘Elaine’, taken from his debut album Ever Green, Ever Rain out 25th January, reminds me what it’s like to fall deeply and completely in love. That warm glow that outshines all else, that feeling that you could almost just close your eyes and float away.
Top Tracks: Skip Curtis – Wild Love
The debut single from Welsh singer/songwriter Skip Curtis is imbued with the spirit of adventure. ‘Wild Love’ is the kind of track that makes you want to shed all your responsibilities, leave your fears and insecurities behind, and just take off running. There’s an energy to it that compels you to keep seeking the next horizon in the hope that there’s a better place awaiting you on the other side. As much as the song calls out to you to get away from everything that’s holding you back, it manages to provide its own escape with its driving bass, emphatic chorus and infectious energy. ‘Wild Love’ whisks you away and reminds you that you can’t let a particular place or person to define who you are, sometimes you just have to take the plunge into the unknown and see where it leads.
Top Tracks: Averly – Patient
Belwood favourite Jonny Carroll has teamed up with producer extraordinaire Jon Class for new indie pop project Averly. It’s always rewarding to hear an artist you know exploring new ground and experimenting with new ideas, and there’s no better way to do that than collaborating with another artist. This duo has brought two different worlds together and each side injects their own ideas and idiosyncrasies into their debut single ‘Patient’. Detailing that familiar disheartening frustration when you feel as though you’re not making as much progress towards your personal goals as you’d hoped, ‘Patient’ dances with shimmering melodies. It’s rooted in an organic indie sound, occasionally reminiscent of Manchester Orchestra, albeit cloaked in an air of electropop that knows all the right buttons to push. It delivers all it promises and more, and certainly marks an assured first step for this new partnership.
Top Tracks: Opia Bloom – Side By Side
The spectacular new single from Brighton based rockers Opia Bloom (fka YOUTH) is an indie fan’s dream come true. ‘Side by Side’ boasts bombastic drums, soaring riffs, the nostalgic fuzz of super 8 film, and the kind of anthemic chorus that you’ll spend half the summer belting out at the top of your lungs. Even though this track veers pretty close to perfection, the same isn’t true of lot of things in life, like the kind of rollercoaster relationship that the song describes. When you both seem to find yourselves clashing with each other, a constant push and pull where you’re as much enemies as lovers, but despite it all you’d be lost without them by your side. Even in the depths of winter I can say with some confidence that this will be the soundtrack of my summer next year.
Top Tracks: Janet Devlin – I Lied To You
It feels like such a long time since we last heard new music from Janet Devlin, but this new single is worth the wait. With its breathy vocals, elegant strings and confessional lyrics, ‘I Lied To You’ is perhaps her most intimate and heartfelt work to date. In this image centred world we find ourselves in, where we constantly try to maintain the illusion that our lives are perfect, it’s hard to admit when things are wrong or when you’ve made a mistake. Doubly so when you find yourself in the spotlight. It’s an admirably open and honest track, though it’s the kind of song that people can attach their own meaning and importance to. With this taste of her upcoming album, I’m excited to see what else Janet has in store for 2019.
Top Tracks: Michael Jablonka – Papier-mâché
It’s not often that we get to gush about guitar solos anymore. Whether they’ve fallen out of favour, or it’s just harder to play a solo that really stands out as exceptional, whatever the reason it’s become an increasingly overlooked art form. Artists need look no further than the latest single from London’s Michael Jablonka for an example of how to truly shine. Equal parts Michael Kiwanuka and The Black Keys, ‘Papier-mâché’ features one of the best solos I’ve heard since starting Belwood. It caterwauls through the centre of the track, whirling at an unrelenting pace towards its eventual crash into the calm interlude that follows. It’s the musical equivalent of being strapped to fireworks and sent spiralling into the stratosphere at breakneck speed. Then, just as you feel like you can’t take the g-forces tearing at you any longer, you emerge above the clouds and become transfixed by the empyrean scene before you.
Top Tracks: Finn Andrews – A Shot Through The Heart (Then Down In Flames)
When you think of The Veils your mind probably goes to the bewitchingly dark and gritty sound that they’re best known for. The kind of songs that feel like they should be the soundtrack to all the devil’s future deals at the crossroads. It’s odd then that this live offering from frontman Finn Andrews draws you in for being just the opposite. ‘A Shot Through The Heart’, taken from his forthcoming debut solo album One Piece At A Time out 22nd March, is wonderfully refined and elegant with its lush piano and heartwarming swell of strings. Despite its less than cheerful lyrics, the simply sublime score that accompanies them, along with Finn’s smooth and soothing vocals, feels supremely uplifting. All it takes is one listen and you’ll be humming the tune as you waltz about your day.
Top Tracks: Dylan Aiello – Better Life With Me
Starting with a stripped back 70s singer/songwriter style deeply reminiscent of James Taylor, before lush American instrumentation sweeps in to offer a more contemporary spin, ‘Better Life With You’ simply radiates charm in everything it does. This latest track from songwriter and artist Dylan Aiello is a timeless break-up ballad, that is kept from being bogged down by the dejected nostalgia that comes with the collapse of a relationship, thanks to its heartwarming melodies. The accompanying video really adds to the storytelling and is so beautifully shot, albeit in an understated way. The way each section is lit and framed is impeccable and the gorgeous stop-motion animation interwoven into the middle is a great touch. ‘Better Life With Me’ displays a dash of that slick pop sheen while still showing plenty of heart and authenticity, getting that ever elusive balance just right.
Top Tracks: Ritzy Park – Spinning Head of Mine
The opening to this track from Berlin based outfit Ritzy Park has got to be one of my favourite musical moments of 2018. ‘Spinning Head of Mine (The Stress Song)’, taken from their debut EP What We Know, begins with a quiet and refined piano intro that shifts into maximum overdrive at the drop of a hat with a mighty roar of 70s guitar. I can’t remember the last time I heard a song go from 0 to 60 so fast. With a driving bassline and vocals reminiscent of Debbie Harry, this pressure cooker of a song details the struggles and stresses of modern life, whirling closer and closer to chaos until the dam breaks and a tempestuous torrent of pent-up frustrations break loose. If you’re having the kind of day where you feel like tearing the room apart like a human tornado, this is the song to tip you over the edge.
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