One of Britain’s most celebrated modern songwriters is back with one of his most electrifying tracks yet. Frank Turner’s new single ‘1933’, taken from his forthcoming album Be More Kind out 4th May, sees him firing on all cylinders as he sums up the incredulous rage that most people feel towards the recent rise of the far-right. Seething both at the perpetrators and at those willing to stand back and do nothing, this fired up number is packed full of lines even Bob Dylan himself would be proud of. It’s always hard to pick favourites with his lyrics, but the lines “If I was of the greatest generation I’d be pissed, Surveying the world that I built, slipping back into this, I’d be screaming at my grand kids: “We already did this”” hits the nail pretty squarely on the head. If you’re not angry then you’ve not been paying attention, and if you have then you’ll know that this is exactly the song we need right now.
top tracks
Top Tracks: Raye Zaragosa – American Dream
With this thought-provoking new track, singer/songwriter Raye Zaragosa has perfectly summed up the sense of dissociation that is plaguing the US. With Trump’s reign in full swing, with hatred, dishonesty and a complete lack of empathy becoming the new norm, many decent folks feel like strangers in their own country. This new face of the nation stands in complete opposition to the America they once knew, and the good that they see in ordinary people each day. It’s all too easy to get stuck in sorrow and think that things are only gonna get worse, that one person can’t make a difference. ‘American Dream’ acts as a reminder that there are millions of people out there feeling exactly the same. One person can make a difference in that they can rouse others to stand up and be counted, and this song is the perfect catalyst to inspire people to be the change they want to see in the world.
Top Tracks: Holly Miranda – Golden Spiral
It’s rare that I find a song so baffling as to defy classification, and yet here we are. The foot-stomping ‘Golden Spiral’, the latest single from Holly Miranda’s upcoming album Mutual Horse out 23rd February, doesn’t need to be understood when it sounds this good. This track boasts elements of folk and blues, electronic flourishes and futuristic funk, and yet somehow makes it all work in perfect harmony. They say that Dark Side of the Moon lines up perfectly with The Wizard of Oz, well this track proves that there is some combination of Kid A era Radiohead, Metals era Feist, and St Vincent at her most vivacious that fuses together to form this bewildering beauty of a track. If the planets align like this for all of Holly’s project then her new album will certainly be one to note in your diary.
Top Tracks: Steve Hewitt – Pushing Me Away
It’s rare to find a song that leaves you awestruck a few mere seconds after pressing play, but ‘Pushing Me Away’ does all that and more. The complex acoustic guitar work, elegant strings and Steve’s gritty vocals are more than enough to make this an early contender for song of the year. By the time you’ve thrown the Eastern influences, airy backing vocals and expressive percussion into the mix, the song just ascends to a higher plane. There’s something mystical about this track, like Steve is channeling some ancient spirit, and just by listening to it you can feel somehow connected to the world around you. Far from pushing you away, this track draws you in deeper under its spell with each listen as you bask in this incredible display of artistry.
Top Tracks: The Minnesota Child – Stay With Me
Don’t be too deceived by the dreary days, spring is just around the corner, and there’s no better song to announce its arrival than ‘Stay With Me’. With this track Ethan Buckner (aka The Minnesota Child) cuts through the gloom like the first rays of the rising sun as the ethereal folk intro gives way to bright and uplifting pop. Taken from his latest EP Fireflies, released 2nd February, the song boasts the kind of rich imagery that instantly carries you away. Picture yourself on a road trip through forests and by mountain streams with someone you love, unsure what you are more thankful for: to bask in the bountiful beauty of nature or to have someone special there to share it with. Wherever you feel like heading, this is the song to take you there.
Top Tracks: Oh Malô – Don’t Look, Don’t Stare
As time goes by the once firm boundary between genres blurs more and more, to the point where electronics are a key element for bands seeking to explore new territories and even create their own. With their new single, Brooklyn’s Oh Malô utilise electronic flourishes alongside alt rock and post punk instrumentation to build a glitchy, frenetic tension that is perfect for fans of Radiohead and newer Bon Iver. ‘Don’t Look, Don’t Stare’ keeps you on edge with its panicked percussion and anxious angular riffs. It feels like a song of restrained chaos, ready to let loose the tempest but instead letting the pressure build. You can practically feel a frenzied mix of apprehension and anticipation prickling at your skin as it teases a release that never comes. The release just isn’t necessary when the build-up is this good.
Top Tracks: Monti – Cowards Castle
We all build emotional walls around ourselves to a certain degree, but some people find it all too easy to take things too far. They keep building brick by brick, pushing you further and further away, and before you know it you realise they sit atop some lofty spire while you’re left out in the cold. There’s no point beating bloody fists at the gates of the citadel, when you can barely even recognise the person atop the tower as someone that you once cared about. This stunning new track sees Monti walk away dignity and purpose as the walls crumble to dust behind her. Full of pop sensibilities, boasting passionate soulful vocals and a cathartic guitar driven climax, ‘Cowards Castle’ is one of the first big stand-out songs of the year.
Top Tracks: Annachristie Sapphire – Cut The Line
I always take delight in discovering tracks that blur the line between genres, but I’ve yet to come across a song that blurs a decades long divide in styles the way that this does. Kicking off with a hazy 90s melancholy that recalls the likes of Jeff Buckley or the Smashing Pumpkins, before bursting into dreamy 50s doo-wop, ‘Cut The Line’ shares a superb interplay of light and dark. Not a combination you perhaps consider, but it sure as hell works. Lyrically the song takes the old adage about there being “plenty of fish in the sea” and takes it a step further, as Annachristie contemplates reeling in her love. I feel like this song is ahead of the curve, like it should be the next big trendsetting track. Needless to say, Annachristie is on to a winner with this one.
Top Tracks: Percival Elliott – Forever
It’s happened to me more times than I care to admit; you see some beautiful stranger and suddenly it’s like your eyes have opened for the first time, and in that moment you see your whole life together. Some blissful parallel world of lifelong love and devotion enthralls your day-dreams, before they disappear never to be seen again. This gorgeous track from folk duo Percival Elliott captures that same fateful spark. With its elegant orchestration and vocals reminiscent of Five For Fighting, ‘Forever’ carries an ineffable air of charm and romanticism. This poignant track from their forthcoming debut Save Your Soul feels like a song from another time, a precious relic long since forgotten, reminding us that there is still a place in this world for hope, innocence and romance.
Top Tracks: Parmy Dhillon – Friend or Foe
The latest single from this Melbourne based singer/songwriter may follow a well-trodden path, but Parmy Dhillon still leaves his own unique footprint. The acoustic driven Americana of ‘Friend or Foe’, recalling the late Tom Petty in his road-weary vocals, has plenty of heart. This track is like a place of comfort and dependability that you can take with you wherever you go. When we need reassurance in life we return to the familiar; we treat ourselves to lunch at our favourite cafe, we curl up and watch an old film for the hundredth time. That’s what this track is, it’s an everyman song; sometimes you don’t need something big and clever, all you need is a song offering warmth, familiarity and a little piece of home.
Belwood Music 