After collaborating with Manic Street Preachers on ‘Divine Youth’ from their Futurology album, Welsh multi-instrumental singer/songwriter Georgia Ruth is back with her brand new single. ‘Cloudbroke’ is taken from her new album Fossil Scale, the follow-up to her 2013 Welsh Music Prize winning debut Week Of Pines. Featuring a sparse and echoing electronic ambience and interesting Eastern influences, it creates the perfect backdrop for Georgia’s unique vocals. The track’s curious video features three dancers emerging from their blanket cocoons and writhing on a lonesome windswept beach. The song and its accompanying visuals are full of character and sit worlds apart from anything else released this year. Georgia Ruth has confirmed with ‘Cloudbroke’ that she is one of the most distinctive and important rising stars in the Welsh music scene.
top tracks
Top Tracks: Oparu – Remember Me
There’s something incredibly moving and dramatic about the debut single from Oparu. This new musical project from LA based singer/songwriter Dianna St. Hilaire, a tireless and dedicated self-taught musician, is steeped in broody atmospheric tones pierced by her chilling operatic vocals. ‘Remember Me’ blends together electronica, dark 80s synth pop and classical styles to create a track that sounds like it should be echoing across some vast expanse of a breathtaking nordic landscape. The haunting and evocative track is brimming with pent-up emotion and gives an intriguing glimpse into the character of the artist behind it. If you’re looking for a stirring song that is simply bristling with passion, and with a tangible sense of catharsis, then look no further. There is an untapped well of beauty here just waiting to be discovered.
Top Tracks: Magic Magic Roses – Dusk
The latest song from San Francisco band Magic Magic Roses surrounds itself with a kind of mystical air of beauty, like a fine veil of mist clinging on in the early morning haze. ‘Dusk’, the title (and closing) track from their upcoming third album out 2nd December, will be sure to appeal to fans of such equally gorgeous and ethereal folk acts as The Staves and First Aid Kit. The sparse and wistful arrangement and the warm layered harmonies create a soothing lullaby to lure you away into a peaceful, dreamlike trance. The song’s aesthetic whispers to you pastoral tales of strolling through golden fields under amber sunsets, and of crackling fires on cold autumn nights. It’s the kind of music that you can get lost in and simply disappear for a while in some better place.
Top Tracks: Apherium – Resolve
Taken from their latest EP Embrace The Fall That Brought Us Here, the new single from Apherium really leaves a lasting impression. With ‘Resolve’ this Yeovil based band create the perfect balance between aggression and melody, like the hair-raising calm at the eye of a storm whilst chaos whirls all around you. The impassioned vocals and thrilling guitar interplay really get your heart racing and leaves you desperate for more. In the band’s own words the song is about “finding your inner strength, letting go of your past mistakes and doubts and moving forward with your life. It’s about learning to feel love instead of hate or fear and reigniting the flame in your heart” which I think is something we can all get behind. This is an undeniably slick and refined example of some of the best alternative rock that the nation has to offer.
Top Tracks: King Washington – My Reflection
With bold and cinematic tracks such as ‘My Reflection’ at their disposal it’s no surprise that LA natives King Washington are quickly becoming one of the hottest indie bands around. This latest single from their aptly named upcoming album Potential, out 27th January, puts a new twist on their signature sun-drenched 60s/70s musical aesthetic. With hints of psychedelica and layered electronic beats it bears some of the hallmarks of bands such as The Stone Roses and Primal Scream, albeit combined with the band’s own soaring harmonies and artful blues-tinged guitar tones. This combination of styles makes for a fresh and invigorating sound that will see the band populating people’s playlists in no time. King Washington are constantly evolving and it would be worth your while to try and keep pace with them, as one day soon they could well be at the forefront of the indie scene.
Top Tracks: The Urban Renewal Project (feat. Gavin Turek) – Armor Love
When it comes to music, bigger is usually better. This 13 piece musical collective, led by multi-instrumental songwriter R.W. Enoch, have created a grand and exhilarating sound with the wealth of musical talent at their disposal. This latest release with soulful pop powerhouse Gavin Turek on vocals boasts some hints of classic jazz from the brass section, an R&B rhythm that wouldn’t sound amiss coming from Booker T. & the M.G.’s, and the kind of infectious fun you would expect from disco legends Earth, Wind & Fire. It’s now wonder that their fanbase is constantly on the rise as this gold standard slice of vintage funk and soul is guaranteed to brighten your day and fill every available dance floor within earshot. Fusing together a range of dynamic and attention grabbing styles this new song from The Urban Renewal Project is the perfect way to banish the winter blues.
Top Tracks: Maggie McClure & Shane Henry – Christmastime Again
I know there are plenty of cynics out there that don’t want to admit it, but Christmas is just around the corner! No matter how much some people may complain, the truth is that we all love Christmas; the people, the lights, the presents, the food, and of course the music. This dynamic duo have put together an addictively catchy hit that celebrates the best Christmas music in a fabulously slick throwback 50s style. Shane Henry started out his career opening for blues legend BB King and Maggie McClure has shown off her songwriting skills by having her music appear in countless US TV shows. Their voices are a perfect match and together this brilliant singer/songwriter team have put their skills to good use to make the most wonderful time of the year just a bit more wonderful.
Top Tracks: BRUMBY – Leave a Light On
Hailing from Las Vegas, a city famed for it’s bright lights and big thrills, one would expect the new single from native band BRUMBY to follow a similar path. Instead ‘Leave a Light On’, the band’s first release since their 2014 EP The Westwind Kid, is a much more subtle and bittersweet affair. The synth-laden Americana vibe, the anthemic chorus and the bright guitar melodies make this song essential listening for fans of Bear’s Den and The War On Drugs. ‘Leave a Light On’ makes the perfect soundtrack for an introspective, late night drive or equally for carefree summer cruising. Whichever way you’re headed, whatever path you follow, the new single from BRUMBY is all the company you need. With tracks like this it won’t be long until the band are leaving the city lights far behind and are sharing their music with fans across the world.
Top Tracks: Heat – Lush
I’m a great admirer of bands whose music carries you away from life for a while, and I’m even more enamoured by those few acts that do so by taking you to a rich and vibrant world of their new creation. Montreal based band Heat certainly fit into the latter category, and their debut single ‘Lush’ undoubtedly lives up to it’s name. The bare bones of the track are built with dark post punk in mind, with the resulting musical landscape given new life with an array of bright dancing dream pop melodies. The track is like the musical equivalent of an explosion of colour in a world that only knows black and white. If the rest of their upcoming debut album Overnight, out 20th January, is up to the same high standard as this track then we may have found Canada’s next great music export.
Top Tracks: Baum Jr – When I Grow Up/Heroes
Whilst the 80s had a few stylistic dead ends, much of the music spawned at the time now seems to have a curious timeless quality about it. Fast forward to 2016 and big cascading synths sound as fresh as ever. This stunning debut double A side single (remember those?) from electropop artist Baum Jr draws inspiration from classic video game and film scores in a style which he has christened ‘next-gen 8-bit’. On ‘When I Grow Up’ he dusts off the hit track from forgotten 90s alternative rockers Garbage and breathes new life into it. The transformation is miraculous, and the expansive soundscape he has created continues even further with his track ‘Heroes’ which boasts a brilliant beat and addictive electronics. Baum Jr has tapped into influences from years gone by, but by all accounts the end product sounds like something from the not too distant future which we just happen to lucky enough to experience slightly ahead of schedule.
Belwood Music 