Sometimes the simplest songs can be the most moving, and this latest track from Canadian singer/songwriter Kane Miller is a prime example. There’s no need for big flashy production as the song’s powerful message speaks for itself: “all we are is all we need”. When times are tough, such as when going through a breakup, sometimes all we can do is scrape together enough inner strength to see a new day. This is reflected beautifully in the stripped back video of Kane and his guitar in a worn down old room, with just a single lamp to fend off the darkness. It’s not pretty to struggle on when everything feels like it’s crashing down, but it’s still important to cling on to what small joys and little victories you can to keep going, so that you can see brighter days further down the line.
top tracks
Top Tracks: Edward and Jane – Hold Your Own
I’ll let you into a little secret: no one has a clue what they’re doing. We’re all facing our own demons, and we all struggle to maintain this facade and convince the world that we actually have our shit together. All too often we look up to those that bottle everything up and present their life as some perfect bubble, when really we should take inspiration from those that don’t shy away from their problems. Just think how better life would be if we were brave enough to tear all our walls down and be there to support the people we care about, rather than pretend we’re strong all on our own. That’s the kind of loving community depicted in this new single from Edward and Jane, taken from their upcoming EP Too Early To Tell out 28th September. Recalling the likes of The Lumineers with their blend of classic Americana and contemporary pop hooks, ‘Hold Your Own’ offers gorgeous melodies, inspiring lyrics and a glimpse of a better world.
Top Tracks: Larry And His Flask – This Remedy
Oregon based band Larry And His Flask are back with their first new music in five years with ‘This Remedy’, the title track of their forthcoming album out 12th October. With the soft acoustic intro of the first 30 seconds I can picture walking alone through golden fields beneath a glorious sunset. When the spirited mandolin and banjo, and the uplifting harmonies, burst onto the scene breathing new life into the song, suddenly you’re no longer alone. That empty field is now the site of some joyous celebration with everyone that you hold dear. This is a song that’s made for sharing, the kind of song that feels as though it’s been passed down for generations. There’s an age-old magic here made to bring people together and put a smile on every face. Mixing rollicking gypsy folk with a dash of swing, ‘This Remedy’ is the perfect cure for whatever is bringing you down.
Top Tracks: Valley Maker – A Couple Days
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.
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.
Top 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.
Top Tracks: The Pineapple Thief – Try As I Might
Taken from The Pineapple Thief’s forthcoming album Dissolution, ‘Try As I Might’ is an exciting taster of what’s to come. Exploring darker territory than 2016’s Your Wilderness, this new single offers a glimpse into the album’s concept surrounding our hyper-connected modern world, the lack of privacy and anonymity it brings, and the consequences that follow. The Black Mirror-esque video sees frontman Bruce Soord caught in a dystopian world of in-eye cameras, struggling to deal with the implications of this brave new world. Gavin Harrison once again brings his transcendent drum work to the fray for this new record, but it’s the expressive bass tones that really shine on this track, particularly in the latter half. I’ve often looked on The Pineapple Thief as prog’s dark horse, but if the rest of the new album lives up to the standard I’ve heard thus far then they may be the clear frontrunner for the best progressive record of 2018.
Belwood Music 