Spellbinding synthpop duo Oh Wonder have outdone themselves with their brand new video for ‘All We Do’. To create their new video they reached out to artists and filmmakers across the globe and asked them a single simple, yet impossibly complex question: What does it mean to be human? Interspersed between Anthony and Josephine’s mesmerising trademark harmonies we are further gifted with life affirming messages from people of all walks of life. This is certainly the most moving video I’ve seen in a long time. The multitude of beautiful thought provoking statements represent the very best of humanity. We each have our own views on what it means to be human, but with all the hate and darkness currently suffocating the world we are all in need of such beautiful music and such a powerful message.
top tracks
Top Tracks: Albert af Ekenstam – Made of Gold
There is a bitter chill in the air, fallen leaves litter the ground and winter is well and truly on it’s way. In many ways that often pass by unnoticed we as people change with the seasons, and for many of us the bleak autumn and winter months prompt the need for an introspective and melancholy soundtrack. Swedish singer/songwriter Albert af Ekenstam is the perfect solution, with his Bon Iver inspired arrangements brimming with powerful, emotive storytelling. With hints of The National and Kaleo his new single, the piano driven ballad ‘Made of Gold’, has a grand cinematic feel, yet at the same time carries a bittersweet and understated elegance. His deep brooding vocals cut through the delicate atmosphere to really capture your attention. What begins as a solemn funeral march concludes with a sense of new life blooming from the ashes of loss. Albert’s fittingly titled debut album Ashes is out now.
Top Tracks: Hieroglyph – Starlight (The High Priestess)
If you had to assign the term “awe-inspiring” to a certain genre it would fit very well with the world of progressive metal. With a plethora of virtuoso musicians and grand ideas it operates on a level few other bands can match. This six piece are a welcome addition to the family, and with their upcoming debut being a concept album they are not a band to hold back. Ouroboros, released on the 18th November, follows the theme of the first 11 Major Arcana Tarot cards, charting a journey from The Fool to The Magician. The band’s first single from the album ‘Starlight (The High Priestess)’ features high-octane guitar work, a frantic driving beat and the great two pronged attack of the melodic tones of Valentina Reptile and the harsh vocals of Mark Howes. There’s no doubting they have the necessary talent and ambition to produce a stellar debut. You don’t need Tarot cards to see the bright future this band has in store.
Top Tracks: Pale Honey – Real Thing
After their critically acclaimed debut album, Swedish garage rockers Pale Honey are back with an electrifying new single. The Gothenburg girls have a sound far more expansive and diverse than you’d expect from a rock duo and this slick snaking single is a real testament to their talents. Kicking off with a fierce, no-nonsense riff the various layers soon build up an exhilarating tension, a barely restrained chaos ready to erupt. It’s subtle labyrinthine twists and turns wouldn’t sound amiss coming from St Vincent and it is simply brimming with attitude and Baltic badassery. The band deftly maintain the balance between experimenting with new sounds and the age old garage rock ideal of keeping things simple and to the point. With a new album on the way in the spring it seems their star is set to rise.
Top Tracks: City Of Ashes – Sometimes
As part of world mental health day, Brighton based alternative rock outfit City Of Ashes have put together something special. With sponsorship and support from The National Lottery, Barclays, The London Eye and The Samaritans the band have put together this moving video (premiered via Louder Than War) to raise awareness and honour those suffering with depression. It comes as part of ‘The Sometimes Project’ which the band set up a few months ago to create a safe place online for people to talk about their struggles. The band have also set up ‘Stand As One’; a simultaneous benefit gig in different cities all across the UK on the 19th November in which the artists will also share their own experiences. ‘Sometimes’ is from the band’s upcoming album Rise.
Top Tracks: Celeb Car Crash – Let Me In
With their latest album People Are The Best Show due for release in the UK on the 25th November, these Italian alternative rockers have pulled out all the stops with this new single. With some top notch riffs, a truly menacing bass line and with an anthemic feel worthy of Alter Bridge or Coheed and Cambria, it’s a track that’s hard not to love. Perfectly paired with the dark and sinister music video featuring a mad scientist and his unwilling test subject it produces a thrilling combination that really gets the adrenaline pumping. The Italian rock scene is certainly thriving and if their forthcoming album lives up to the standard of this single then Celeb Car Crash are one of the bands leading the charge.
Top Tracks: Amére – Young Love
Hailing from south Wales this quartet have combined two very different elements to create something truly unique. Equal parts mellow ambient sounds and in-your-face emo have resulted in an intriguing display of light and shade. The curious combination will surely be loved by people on both sides of the equation. Lyrically their debut single ‘Young Love’ deals with the fickle and fragile nature of relationships in our youth. It speaks of the guilt of hurting someone who once meant the world to you and of a love that was once so strong slowly fading away. Exploring both peaceful soundscapes and raw frantic emotion, and doing so with plenty of heart and adept storytelling, Amére’s fanbase is surely set to skyrocket.
Top Tracks: Gabriel Wolfchild & The Northern Light – Runaways
Though he boasts a name that wouldn’t sound amiss in a fantasy epic, Gabriel is better known for turning heads (and chairs) thanks to his arresting vocals and poetic storytelling. Finding himself in the limelight after his successful audition on The Voice US, he soon found like-minded people eager to create who would become his backing band The Northern Light. The ethereal folk that Gabriel creates has a feeling of celebration of all the beauty and inspiration that life brings. His latest track ‘Runaways’ talks of how we are all connected and how even small gifts of love and kindness can change the world. His debut EP Mornings Like These is set for release early next year and is sure to be filled with more masterful moments of hauntingly beautiful reflection.
Top Tracks: Liz Loughrey – Rise Up!
This Toronto based singer has worked hard to create something that the world needs more of. The first single from her upcoming EP, ‘Rise Up!’ is a pop hit with plenty of tricks up it’s sleeve. With plenty of soul, an uplifting infusion of reggae, an emotive video and a great deal of heart and passion in her lyrics it’s easy to see why Liz has such a following. What truly sets this song apart however is the movement behind it. It is a call to arms for people to work together to bring some positivity into their lives and make an impact in their community. To that end Liz has been hosting school workshops to encourage young people to make a change for the better and has been inviting people to join in on social media with the #RiseUpMovement hashtag.
Top Tracks: The Only Ocean – So Shy So High
Just recently we have been blessed by the return of dream pop to delight our ears with it’s hazy goodness. It’s the kind of music that’s the perfect soundtrack for quiet reflection, for letting your consciousness disappear into the ether, for feeling like you’re part of a whole different wondrous world. It’s also the kind of music that this California four piece have perfected with their latest single. Having released their atmospheric eponymous debut just last year, The Only Ocean are eager to share more of their music with the world with their forthcoming EP TOO. If this first single, which combines airy dream pop with anthemic indie, and the intriguing artwork are anything to go by then it’s definitely something worth checking out.
Belwood Music 