Browsing Tag

Acoustic Rock

Nav’s Hook paid tribute to the heroes that we are all indebted to in his latest single, L.I.A.H.

Posted on 29 March 2022

It seems a lifetime ago since we were all empathising with the plight and applauding the heroism of frontline health workers; for his latest single, L.I.A.H., Nav’s Hook brought us right back with his fitting tribute to their selfless resolve and resilience.

L.I.A.H. (Lighthouse in a Hurricane) gives Soul Asylum a run for its money in terms of intrinsic emotional gravity; vocally, Nav’s Hook carries the gravitas of Chris Cornell over the delicately strummed acoustic strings, shimmering reverb from electric guitars and efficaciously minimalist percussion.

We’re stoked to hear Nav’s Hook on stellar form once again. His songwriting ability makes this increasingly confusing planet make infinitely more sense. When you pair that with his refreshing introspection, it’s a winning combination.

The official lyric video to L.I.A.H. premiered on March 17th, 2022. You can check it out for yourselves by heading over to YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

KillerMiracle has released their grungy acoustic rock ballad, Dreamcatcher.

Posted on 29 November 2021

For any fans of Soul Asylum’s pensive side, KillerMiracle’s acoustic rock ballad Dreamcatcher is a must-experience sonic slice of raw emotion. The easy acoustic guitar chords paired with the hard melancholy is an intoxicatingly cathartic mix.

The mournful lyricism is served through hazily scorned whiskey-soaked vocals against the almost cinematic instrumental score that goes far beyond your average rugged and rough rock ballad. There’s so much poise within the intensity of Dreamcatcher; KillerMiracle’s matured songwriting style is a breath of fresh air on the airwaves. We can’t wait to hear how he follows on from this bitter-sweet sophomore release.

Dreamcatcher was officially released on November 25th. You can check it out yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Superbloom stripped back the vintage fuzz to deliver a heartfelt semi-orchestral version of their hit single, Paper & Stone.

Posted on 5 November 2021

After the successful release of their shoegaze-tinged alt 90s track, Paper & Stone, Superbloom released the unexpected but intensely appreciated semi-orchestral acoustic version.

They’ve left the high-octane fuzz by the wayside in the unplugged version to give their intellectual lyrics even more room to breathe in the cinematic track that highlights the impassioned conviction that pours into their expression. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that the acoustic version of Paper & Stone rivals Corey Taylor’s solo work. Superbloom will only be rated highly enough when they’re topping the alt music charts.

The collective of artists, fronted by North London’s Robert James and Sam Lidington, works alongside producer  Ed Sokolowski. I can’t speak for everyone, but as someone who has never quite gotten over the 90s, you couldn’t ask for a better mix of revival nostalgia and intellectual aural autonomy.

Paper & Stone is due for official release on November 5th. You can check out the official video via YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Sparks in the Garden have released their swoon-worthy earworm, Let’s Fall in Love Again.

Posted on 14 October 2021
Sparks in the Garden

Sparks in the Garden’s latest pop-rock EP, Trails of Light, comes with an alt-country twang, a sense of soul that makes every single swoon-worthy, and some of the most honed-in talent that we’ve heard this year.

In the standout single, Let’s Fall in Love Again, the folky foot stompin’ rhythms in the verses break into stadium-filling choruses around the indulgently affable lyrics and the 80s rock-style solos that ground the soundscape in gravitas.

The Floridian brother duo has been playing together since 1989, but it wasn’t until 2015 that their sound started to pick up traction. Trails of Light is Sparks in the Garden’s first studio project, we hope there is plenty more in the pipeline.

Let’s Fall in Love Again is now available to stream and purchase via apple music.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Gary Wight takes us to A House by a Beach in his accordantly sweet debut single.

Posted on 1 October 2021

‘A House by a Beach’ is the heart-wrenchingly soulful debut single by the up and coming North East of England hailing singer-songwriter Gary Wight.

Even though the debut falls into the 70s acoustic rock n roll camp, the artist’s inclination to incorporate genres from across the spectrum permits his sound to resound free from rock n roll cliché. Instead, he delivers unassimilated soul that won’t fail to pull you in through the folky affectionate lyrics and the ring of the accordantly picked guitar notes.

If Syd Barrett and Elliott Smith met in the middle, the aural result would be infinitely reminiscent of A House by a Beach.

A House by a beach is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Jon Fritz will take you a ‘Million Miles Away’ with his acoustic rock ballad.

Posted on 23 September 2021

Attempting to capture the sheer artistry and beauty in Jon Fritz’ standout single, Million Miles Away, isn’t an enviable task. The orchestrally scored, cinematic rock ballad shows its 70s folk-rock roots while greeting you as a contemporary panoramic soundscape that you will lose yourself in time after time.

Million Miles Away will undoubtedly enamour any fans of Cat Stevens while the extra sonic power and distinction in the intricate melodies put the single on the Eddie Vedder solo album level. It may seem unthinkable to minds outside of the industry that such talent can fly under the radar but Jon Fritz’ proves that the traditional art of storytelling is upheld, even if most people would rather bemoan what is on the radio rather than seek out talent. He’s so much more than a virtuoso for the way that he triggers evocative responses with his clever arrangements and vocals that hit as hard as Tom Yorke’s.

Million Miles Away is now available to stream on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Jon Fritz pulls back the façade with ‘Love Ain’t What it Seems’.

Posted on 4 September 2021

Washington DC singer-songwriter, Jon Fritz, pulled back love’s façade with his single, Love Ain’t What it Seems’. It strips away the romantic ideation implanted in minds from a young age (thanks, Disney) and gives you a far more realistic account of the role of love in our vast and chaotic world.

Love Ain’t What It Seems resonates on such a deep level it almost makes every love song that made your soul fizz seem superficial with lyrics such as “follow your heart, follow your dreams, take all of your memories and don’t ever think of me because love ain’t what it seems”.

The unforgettable acoustic pop-rock ballad is enough to leave you reaching for the tissues and for your lighter to hold in the air. Which might be pretty hard to do simultaneously.

Love Ain’t What it Seems is now available to stream on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Bill E Daly gives us a soulful introduction to his music with ‘Hey Baby Hey’

Posted on 26 December 2020

Americana-tinged modern folk is the order of the day from Dublin’s Bill E Daly with this, from his new EP ‘Parachute & Oxygen’. ‘Hey Baby Hey’ is a gentle acoustic-guitar-and-vocal love song with a catchy little chord progression and Daly’s deep baritone voice. Tinged with country and modern rock overtones, this is mature, well-polished, and accomplished, little guitar flourishes on the ends of lines interplaying with Daly’s chilled vocal delivery.

Daly’s previous album, 2017’s ‘There Is A Time’, charted at number 2 in Google Play’s ‘Folk’ category, and there’s every chance that ‘Parachute & Oxygen’ will do similarly well. ‘Hey Baby Hey’ is the ideal introduction to Bill E Daly’s music.

Hear ‘Hey Baby Hey’ on Spotify; check out Daly’s website here.

Review by Alex Holmes

Addressing rising poverty in lower income areas: Schenectady, NY retro rock duo Pigpen Jonez drop ‘On The Hill’ lyric video

Posted on 21 December 2020

Pigpen Jonez drop their real story about how some neighborhoods change so quickly and progress, while others are left in ruin on their ‘On The Hill‘ lyric video which is taken off ‘Livin’ In Delafly Side 1‘.

With a 70’s funky rhythm that will remind you of the good old days, this is a track that cuts into the huge problems that face a lot of lower income communities in the USA and across the world.

A loud police siren blares through as the bass-lines show the quality of this duo that have been friends from school days and just love making music together. When the gigs shut down, the tough got going and the band got together to release music that actually means something.

After living in Schenectady for many a year, leaving and coming back recently due to covid-19, the realness really hit home. The area hasn’t changed in a good way and crime has risen to almost unimaginable levels of disorder, that a 7pm curfew had to be implemented. The sad thing is that other areas close by have blossomed like a sprouting flower which shows you how things really work in life.

‘On The Hill‘ from Schenectady locals Pigpen Jonez is a real look inside the door of what really goes on inside neighborhoods that are often left to fend for themselves. The funky retro rock is a warm embrace to the good people in the community that want change badly but nothing ever seems to change. Crime and drugs are main thing that is spoken about and the example to the youngsters is extremely scary and sets the wrong example.

Music has the power to change and if there ever is a massive peace concert after covid-19, this is a band that needs to be on that big stage, singing about peace and helping with the solutions to better the lives of all humans in the world. Love must always win over hate.

See this real-life lyric video on YouTube on IG & FB.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Take a cruise with J. Moriarty’s reflectively smooth Indie single ‘Ride Side’

Posted on 16 November 2020

J. Morarty has, in recent years, lived in Morocco, the Maghrib, the West Bank, and Appalachia and now resides in Ohio. ‘Ride Side’ takes in this rootlessness and lack of stability, mixing it all up in a Covid Quarantine-induced haze into a transpositional, transportive piece which puts the listener into the time and place Moriarty occupied when composing.

Gently acoustic, beautiful strummed guitar chords pushing the melody along behind a vocal from Moriarty steeped in sixties or seventies Gram Parsons Americana mixed with Evan Dando’s ‘ All My Life’ or the quieter, chilled moments of the ‘It’s a Shame About Ray’ album – think ‘Hanna & Gabi’ or ‘My Drug Buddy’ and you’re pretty close – before the suddenly off-tempo slapped-percussive ‘ooh ooh ooh’ bridge catches you unaware, bringing in the full psychedelic Leslie-cabinet instrumentation and reminds you that this is a modern, thoroughly grown-up track that twists and turns stylistically through handclaps and bass-line led pop, but all held together masterfully by Moriarty’s soulful vocal delivery.

Hear ‘Ride Side’ on Spotify, and follow J. Moriarty on Instagram and Facebook.

Review by Alex Holmes