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Blues Music Blog & Promotion

Find catharsis in our hyperNormalised world with Cosmic Order’s searing protest track ‘Burn It All Down’

Cosmic Order

If turning on the news leaves you with the wish to see the corrupt economic system crash as the pathological liars we call politicians are held accountable, Cosmic Order’s old school rock track, ‘Burn It All Down’, is definitely for you.

After seeing the duality between the war zones of Iraq and Afghanistan compared to the raw beauty of the Sicilian countryside, the one-man-machine, Angelo Silvio DiPippo found himself holding a unique perspective, which he has shared through his latest album, ‘Duality’.

Burn it All Down is the perfect example of the awakening tracks that you will find on his latest LP. Along with the tight rock n roll grooves, you’ll hear lyrics serving an essential reminder that, for the most part, we’re sleepwalking through a hyper normalised hellscape.

Burn It All Down can be streamed and purchased via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Psych Folk meets Old School Blues in Reverend James Elmore Jenkins’ single, ‘Rise Up!’

Rise Up! is the latest single to be released by Tennessee-hailing minister and musician Reverend James Elmore Jenkins; the request won’t seem all that unreasonable once you’ve experienced the upraising melding of old school blues and psych-folk.

With dizzying electronic effect, potentially more mind-warping than anything that The Legendary Pink Dots have ever offered, infused into the soulful Americana soundscape – complete with lap steel guitar twangs, Rise Up! It is practically a transcendental experience. Any fans of the Blues greats such as Blind Willie Johnson won’t want to miss out on this release.

Rise Up! officially released on April 1st; you can check it out for yourselves via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

MYB served a cocktail of pop, blues and jazz with their latest soul-filler, ‘Pessimistic Panorama’.

MYB

If singles charted on the strength of their titles alone, the Michigan-duo, MYB’s single, ‘Pessimistic Panorama’ would be a chart-topper, but that’s not to say the seductively upbeat soundscape itself isn’t aural gold.

The experimental artist who take influence from The Beatles, Prince and Journey deviated from archetypes when orchestrating this uniquely enamouring hit which is a minefield of aural curveballs. While we could never have anticipated being thrown into a jazz-blues style instrumental breakdown, we more than appreciated the jazz piano progressions jaunting next to the soaring guitar riffs; they seemed to parallel the enigmatic soul which MYB effortlessly exuded in their latest single.

You can hear MYB on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

La Palma drop a ‘delightful mix of dreamy old-school’ with Nostomania

While many of us over the last twelve months have either been burrowed down and tucked quietly away or fighting the desperate urge to flee our houses and go somewhere – anywhere – else for a while, nostomania’ is an intense homesickness, an irresistible, almost pathological compulsion to return home. There’s a beautiful, folky melancholy yearning to the references to California, underpinned by some rolling, resonator guitar-style picking and soft, delicate vocals. The track has an old-school, 1970’s California hippie vibe, something that would be utterly at home in the ‘commune’ section of the Easy Rider soundtrack or sitting on a playlist between Big Brother and the Holding Company and the Fraternity of Man. It’s evocative of a time and a feel, but also of dust and sunshine and a nostalgia and pining which seems perfectly suited to the current Covid-19 rootlessness and ennui.

La Palma released their self-titled debut album in 2019; ‘Nostomania’ is taken from their forthcoming follow-up, ‘Moonflower’, a delightful mix of dreamy old-school indie-folk, psych-pop, and dashes of 1960’s stoner and surf-rock. It’s submersive, expressive, and uplifting; a perfect sunlit antidote to lockdown, locked-up blues.

‘Moonflower’ is released on the 1st April. You can check out La Palma on Facebook and via their website.

Review by Alex Holmes

Before The Lights Go On: Cardiff’s Columbia drop lyric video for lively new single ‘Meet Me at Dawn’

Bringing us their top shelf sound with a zestful story about those temptations in the early hours after a night out, Columbia are dynamic on their new single called ‘Meet Me at Dawn‘.

Cardiff, Wales-based Columbia bring us that terrific rock n roll sound, as they light up the skies with that stunning and effortless delivery that reminds you of good times, as they mesh a captivating experience for the soul to deliciously immerse into with a huge smile on your eager face.

As we enter the story of a world where the night has finished but you want to be with them when you go home, even if you are both not really into it. You sense that they are in another place and this crushes your soul, as something keeps you going back even if you know you probably shouldn’t peruse this.

They thunderously stroll in with loads of confidence on a vigorous single packed full of powerful solos and passionate vocals that is a breathtaking listen, full of world class appeal.

Meet Me at Dawn‘ from excellent Cardiff indie rock band Columbia, is a bluesy riff-lovers dream – as this is a song that shows you that the heart wants what it shouldn’t want sometimes – as you just don’t want to be alone in this unsocial world full of self-doubt and anxiousness.

See the tremendous lyric video on YouTube and see their IG for future gig news.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

He’s A Bully: Sky Olson sticks up for her on ‘F*ck That Guy’

As he sticks up for his innocent friend who has been treated badly, Sky Olson sings with heightened determination on the new single called ‘F*ck That Guy‘.

Sky Olson is a new Utah-based multi-instrumentalist pop/folk/blues artist, who is finding his sound through a prolific start to his career, as he makes that honest music about love and living life in this wild world, that certainly keeps you on your toes.

This is the story about expressing his raw emotions to what what a horrible act from someone that is too big for their own boots, as he sings about his sweet friend with a heart of gold. He tells it how it is on a groovy song that has unexpected solos that capture your mind intently, entrenched with honest lyricism that has you moving your head to attention.

F*ck That Guy‘ from Utah’s multi-genre artist Sky Olson, is a snarky song about someone that really got on his wrong side, as he tells us how he made his friend cry and he isn’t taking this mean action lightly. He sings with real venom on a cleverly lathered ambiance of blues that sprinkles in some hip-hop for good measure.

Stream this new single here on Spotify and check out his IG for more stories.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Takar Nabam mixes up East and West with his poetic new single ‘Ashes’

The tribal region of Arunchal Pradesh in India might not be the first place you think of when looking for guitar’s ‘next-big-thing’, but Takar Nabam – already named in Guitar Player Magazine’s ‘Top Five Guitar Players in India’ in 2020 – is absolutely at the forefront of innovative, convention-defying guitarists with his deep, instinctual understanding of both his instrument and his voice. Nabam demonstrates a deep respect and foundation in the musical traditions of his own culture whilst mixing in elements of contemporary blues and roots greats such as John Mayer, Tom Minsch, and slide supremo Derek Trucks.

Nabam’s 2018 album, ‘This Home, That Home’, garnered rave reviews, including featuring on Apple Music’s ‘Top Ten Indian Releases’ and Rolling Stone’s ‘Top Ten Summer Songs’; Nabam now returns with his new single ‘Ashes’. Born from Nabam’s collected life experiences, and mixing up all of those guitar-playing influences, ‘Ashes’ is a deep, meaningful, and mellow track that never lacks in power, authority, or lyrical poetry. Betraying Nabam’s deep understanding of blues and rock, but with a clear jazz and eastern tinge too. It’s a beautiful, gentle track which is at the same time expressive, calming, and uplifting. We’re looking forward to hearing more of Nabam’s new work later this year.

Check out the video for ‘Ashes’ on YouTube, and look Takar Nabam up on Apple Music or Spotify.

Review by Alex Holmes

Will You Be Missed: Joe Fahey takes our minds to emotional places on the vintage-feel ‘Away’

February On Ice by Joe Fahey

Lovingly taken off his latest thirteen-track album called ‘February on Ice‘, Joe Fahey tells us the story of thinking about how he will be remembered when he is gone on ‘Away‘.

Joe Fahey is a soulful Minneapolis, Minnesota indie blues singer-songwriter, who performs from the bottom of his soul, as he explores stories about his life and trying to make sure that he lives each day to its fullest.

This is the story about how the world does indeed spin around at a rapid rate, and we need to make sure that we are in the right rotational element, otherwise we will spin around and end up flat like a pancake, with so many regrets.

His sings with that 70’s vintage feel that has your ears perked up like the buzz you feel after a cup of coffee, you get lost in the song and gaze outside your dusty window, wondering if you can still go on exciting adventures someday soon to make up for being stuck inside for too long.

Away‘ from the entertaining Minneapolis, Minnesota singer-songwriter Joe Fahey, is that place in your heart that you briefly think about once in a while or never at all. Living for now is the way to go so you don’t look back with too many regrets, otherwise this will consume you forever.

Stream this true tale on Bandcamp and follow his music career on IG.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

 

Pull Me To The Surface: The Fiddle Revolt ask to be lifted out of the machine on ‘Breakdown’

Somehow fusing a soothing waterfall of tasty funk, soul, blues, RnB, pop and reggae, into the mixing bowl of goodness for our malnourished music palate, The Fiddle Revolt, are back into our anxiously curious lives to fill the growling stomach with their latest single called ‘Breakdown‘.

Akron, Ohio five-piece multi-genre act The Fiddle Revolt, are a specially-sauced indie band with so many influences in their souls, you ride a wave of knowledgeable euphoria when you turn them up real loud.

This is the intense story about how it feels when you are stuck in a place you know you need to get out of, as your body caves in tiredly and you feel desperately disillusioned in this wild world of constant replication, that doesn’t seem to make any sense. A re-connection of the mind is solely needed to find yourself as you look for purpose, far away from the sticky midst that makes you feel so lost and scarily gloomy.

Their smartly constructed barrage of dazzling sounds is forceful but never too much, the solos are appealingly electric and make with hand-crafted precision, with satisfying vocals that make you feel relaxed and that wonderful violin jolt-to-the-veins, that puts you quickly into a new world around you, far up and over the wild ocean wave that threatens to drag you in and spin you around underwater the dirty water, like a powerful underwater current in the sea full of ferocious jellyfish, that just won’t let you go.

Breakdown‘ from Ohio’s incredible indie fusion band The Fiddle Revolt, catches you in your healing soul where it counts with their signature authentic style, that smiles in your face to give you hope in these dark times. Starting again and pursuing that self-motivation to elevate above, is the only way to live and love after all.

Hear the track here and see more about their adventures on IG.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Marcus Brookins uses gospel for wisdom and blues for rhythm in their latest RnB soul track ‘Made Man?’

With gospel feeding into their nuanced lyricism and old school blues weaving into their RnB grooves, each of Marcus Brookins’ tracks is a smorgasbord of soul, that goes much further than offering tonal comfort.

The perfect introduction to their connectable style is the lead track ‘Made Man?’ from their 2021 release, ‘Roof Top Sessions’. The imagery which Marcus Brookins can conjure with their enlightened and humbled lyricism is animated by their soft vocal timbre which is never imposing. Instead, Made Man? is a gravitas-filled release that keeps drawing you in and allowing you to pick out new wisdom with each hit.

Made Man? Is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast