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Amanda Palmer

The formidable queen of orchestral indie, Tabitha Booth, set a baroque score in her single, Silent Lucidity

Posted on 17 April 2023

Coming to you live from Cocoon Studios, Tabitha Booth set a baroque score in her evocatively artful cover of Queensrÿche’s hit 90s song, Silent Lucidity. The chamber strings carve through the indie artist’s neo-classic class, which effortlessly resonates through her Tori Amos-ESQUE vocal lines and the tension-fraught arrangements that stands as a testament to her ability to weave an intricate and picturesque narrative.

Amanda Palmer may be the ‘Girl Anachronism’, but Tabitha Booth established herself as the formidable queen of orchestral indie after unveiling the disquiet alchemy in Silent Lucidity. We are stoked to see her back on the airwaves after the reprieve that followed her 2020 single, Curiosity. Here’s to hoping that there’s plenty more poignantly pensive alchemy lingering in the pipeline.

The live recording of Silent Lucidity is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Erika Levy blurred the line between grief and joy in her indie Avant-Garde single, Chicken and Rice

Posted on 5 January 2023

LA singer-songwriter and classically trained pianist Erika Levy closed 2022 with the release of her elevated alt-indie single, Chicken and Rice, which captures the desolation of the world in the absence of anchoring connection. Haunting and affirming in equal measure, your soul won’t know what’s hit it once you delve into the monochromatic sorrow flowing through her filmic vocals that establish her as a 21st-century chanteuse.

“I’ll get higher once I hit the ground, just takes a little bit to find me, Hey lonely, come buy me another round” is a lesson in heart-breaking lyricism; projected with such grace and finesse, the vulnerability is flooring. In place of pity, you’ll find appreciation for the strength she amassed to lyrically blur the line between grief and joy.

Any fans of Tori Amos, Amanda Palmer, Kate Bush and Fiona Apple will be disarmed by the sheer originality of Levy with the baroque nature of her descending piano melodies that become the off-kilter centre of her 70s folk-pop sonic world.

Chicken and Rice is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Fairweather Friend pained an illusion of entropy with the descending melodies in their dark cabaret score, Zoetrope

Posted on 11 December 2022

With their distinctive brand of despondent dark cabaret, the up-and-coming histrionically enthralling artist, The Fairweather Friend, left us arrested with their latest single, Zoetrope.

The bitter-sweet neo-classic crescendos bring a touch of archaic elegance to the single as the Westworld-Esque honkytonk piano keys diatonically hammer home the sinking sensations portrayed by the lyrics, which allude to the dizzying disposition of entropy. Zoetrope easily up there with one of the most resonant singles I’ve heard this year, beating Amanda Palmer’s cover of Surface Pressure by a cinematic mile.

We can’t wait to hear what else is in the pipeline from the criminally underrated artist and their inhibited compulsion to extend solidarity to anyone out there who knows just how much the touch of ennui stings.

Zoetrope was officially released on November 23rd. It is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Mia Stegner – Quiet Chaos: Ethereally Baroque Ambient Art-Pop

Posted on 8 February 2021

‘Quiet Chaos’ is the etherally baroque ambient art-pop single from Mia Stegner. With piano progressions which resonate as a descent into spiralling madness, it’s a pleasure to escape your own mental torment and find aural sanctum within the honesty of this stunning feat of avant-garde.

Any fans of Amanda Palmer, Emilie Autumn and Abney Park will undoubtedly want to delve into the theatrically cathartic single which offers validation for all of the torrid emotions which have been chipping away at your psyche while you’ve been locked away during lockdown.

We all know how patronising the phrase “we’re all in this together” has become, but Mia Stegner found a gorgeously poignant way to deliver that message in Quiet Chaos. Consider putting her on your playlists as an act of self-care.

Quiet Chaos is available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Escape the 21st-century with Dawn of the Squid’s ardently archaic single ‘Barking up the Wrong Tree’

Posted on 18 December 2020

Dawn of the Squid’s debut album ‘Hubris’ is an explosion of archaic and theatrical ingenuity. If Frank Turner and Shakespeare had an aural lovechild, it would undoubtedly be reminiscent of the standout single ‘Barking Up the Wrong Tree’

With a baroque feel to the Alt Folk single, the soundscape catapults you from this crushingly weird 21st century into a decadent past by projecting you through the resounding strength in the eccentric London-based artist’s unfalteringly fierce Punk crooning.

Any fans of Amanda Palmer, Tim Minchin, Emilie Autumn and Fable Cry will definitely want to indulge.

You can check out Dawn of the Squid’s album Hubris for yourselves by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Pleaseprettylea – Yack!: Conceptually Avant-Garde Dark Pop

Posted on 17 November 2020
Pleaseprettylea

West Midlands, UK artist Pleaseprettylea is due to hit the airwaves with her artfully enticing Dark Pop single “Yack!” on November 25th. With elements of Hip Hop within the darkly hypnotic production, the single transcends genre as it unravels as a powerfully conceptual single which deals with the concept of sickness in relation to vulnerability, trauma and vices.

Pleaseprettylea is never afraid to tackle taboo or difficult concepts in her tracks, Yack! is definitely no exception. It unravels as a theatrical breath of fresh air in a time when baseless information around mental health and self-care seems to be found in every corner of the internet. But with Pleaseprettylea’s Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in counselling, you can fall into the soundscape and find trust in the artist’s wisdom and alluring sound which shares the same immense level of expression as artists such as Bjork, PJ Harvey, Amanda Palmer and Kate Bush.

Yack! is due for release from November 25th, pre-save the track on all major streaming platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast