Browsing Tag

Ben Howard

Spotlight Feature: Reverberations of Longing Linger in the Affecting Agony of Pinwheel Valley’s Single Reverie

Posted on 10 April 2024

Pinwheel Valley’s latest eclectically alt-indie single, Reverie, echoes a poignant symphony of emotional turmoil and tender confession. The bittersweet draught of love is the lead single from their eagerly anticipated Reverie EP, which heralds a significant evolution for the Canadian artist, steering the ship of Pinwheel Valley through the waters of the indie music scene from their Mediterranean home base.

The melancholic mosaic of poetry, agony and rhythmic intuition is the first signal to be distributed via Levantine Music, it stands as a testament to how honed the artist’s sound has become in the absence of lyrical inhibition. Qais Khoury’s vocal delivery and melodic structuring evoke the spectrally affecting beauty of Jeff Buckley as Reverie traverses the complex emotional landscape with soul-stirring urgency and timeless poignancy.

The guitars, warm and overdriven, act as the perfect counterpoint to the raw lyrics, as the progressions journey through the valleys of longing and the peaks of despair. Pinwheel Valley masterfully conjures a world where every note and every word is steeped in emotional significance. The result is a track that does more than just resonate with the listener; it pierces the soul, leaving an indelible mark.

Khoury’s influences, ranging from Thom Yorke to Ben Howard, shimmer through in the song’s intricate fabric, but Reverie is unmistakably Pinwheel Valley’s own. As the band starts this new chapter, writing through their inexplicably alchemic signature, it is clear they have the potential to write the future of alt-indie.

Reverie is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Follow Pinwheel Valley on Facebook.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Lynden. accentuated the sweetness in his bitter-sweet indie symphony, You

Posted on 9 August 2023

Jumping off raw emotion as a precipice, the Manchester-based Indie singer-songwriter, Lynden. delved deep when orchestrating and writing his love song, You.

His husky-with-melancholy vocal harmonies make his porously impassioned lyrical proclamations even sweeter to fall into as they ring as assuredly as the gentle acoustic guitar chords against the angular guitar fretwork.

The Cigarettes After Sex inspiration is easily legible within the euphonic atmosphere, but Lynden. stopped at wearing the inspiration on his sleeve instead of assimilating the whole outfit in his quintessentially authentic hit that you’ll need to prise from my playlists from my cold, dead hands.

With John Davis (Blur, Jamie T, The Kooks, Inhaler) in charge of mastering, there was little chance of You falling flat. I always keep my ear to the ground for fresh original acts in my home city; Lynden. was the first artist in a long time that made me prick them up.

You will be available to stream You on all major platforms, including SoundCloud, from August 9th.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

In the wake of trajedy, Alexander Joseph found the beauty in his piano score, Waiting for You

Posted on 11 November 2022

The UK-based singer-songwriter, Alexander Joseph, created an intricately ornate balance of faith, regret and grief in the piano version of his single, Waiting For You, which captured the complexity of the emotions following his grandmother’s passing.

If you know how it feels to know that someone is at peace while they endured the opposite amongst us and for those torrid emotions to be confounded by guilt for not being more supportive while we had the opportunity, Waiting for You will weigh down on you like a tonne of bricks.

Yet, there’s ample solace within the pure soul of the vocals, which anticipate reconnection while the lyrics vow to go on in a way that will minimise regret when our time comes. By blending striking minor keys with major keys in the progressions to brighten the score, Waiting for You unravels to sonically amplify the message that even in the wake of tragedy, life can never be black and white.

Alexander Joseph’s commitment to orchestrating uplifting heartfelt messages is seen throughout his body of work, plenty of which has been lauded by BBC Introducing. When he’s not enriching our musical culture, he coaches the British Wheelchair Tennis Programme. My faith in humanity is officially restored.

Waiting for You will officially release across all major platforms on November 11th. Hear it here.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Spotlight Feature: Pinwheel Valley is stripped-back and spiritual in his latest acoustic indie-soul-folk single, Healing

Posted on 12 January 2022
KAIS

Pinwheel Valley bared his spiritual soul in his latest release Healing. The Canadian Cyprus-based singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer allowed his acoustic single to explore the deep significance of the messiness of our existence and our ability to clean up through bleeding, breathing and healing.

It is thanks to artists like Pinwheel Valley, that the conversations around trauma have moved past idiomatic ignorance. Remember when we were all under the impression that PTSD existed solely in the minds of those that had experienced war? Thankfully, we now see it as a common experience; every ego-blow and mental scar imprinted leaves us with the option of carrying trauma or moving past it, and that is exactly what Healing forces you to reflect on. It’s enough to make you step in front of the mirror and check for scars that have been pushed into the subconscious.

With Pinwheel Valley’s effortlessly artful vocals atop the acoustic guitar strings and nothing else to get in the way of the evocative impact of his lyrics that find a meta way to resonate as confessional, it is easily one of Pinwheel Valley’s most powerful singles to date. As the perfect example, “fall from grace at god’s own pace I’m travelling through the fire, victim of desire” leaves so much more between the lines than your average lyrical confession for the way it alludes to the conflict between our situational emotion and desire.

For Pinwheel Valley’s fans enamoured by his new venture into psychy indie-soul-folk, stay tuned for his upcoming EP that is due for release in February 2022. Healing was officially released on December 19th, 2021. It is now available to stream on Spotify.

Connect with Pinwheel Valley to keep up to date on his new releases on Facebook and Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Dom Malin – Eye of the Storm: Sweetly Tempestuous Modern Indie Folk

Posted on 6 November 2020

As soon as you hit play on West Midlands-based singer-songwriter Dom Malin’s third self-produced Indie Folk single, you’ll see why it is titled “Eye of the Storm”.

The parable between heartbreak and elemental chaos is intensely palpable. You’ll find yourself swept up in the evocatively raw, melodically crafted radio-ready production and ardently in awe of Malin’s intimate connectable vulnerability.

It’s so much more than the deliverance of piteous self-indulgent woe. Eye of the Storm deals with the unendurable emotions which come to fruition when you realise that there’s no chance of keeping a fire in a relationship breathing as the last ember has already faded. Malin notes the inconsolability which accompanies heartbreak, but with Eye of the Storm, he offers a temporary aural escape by delivering emotion which may just displace your own romantic lament.

Your soul would have to be fairly dilapidated not to register the painful emotion which has been projected into the soundscape which will go down a storm (excuse the pun) with any fans of John Mayer, The Lumineers, Damien Rice and Ben Howard.

Even though there are some stylistic nods to the likes of Paul Simon, Malin’s sound is anything but archaic. Malin achieves a sonically massive sound which would have no trouble filling a stadium, all the while delivering one of the most tenderly poetic singles which you’ll hear this year.

Ahead of the official release, Eye of the Storm has already been chosen as track of the week by BBC introducing Lincolnshire. It would be no surprise if it featured on plenty of other Radio A-lists throughout Autumn 2020 and beyond.

Eye of the Storm was released on Friday, November 6th, 2020. You can check it out via Spotify.

Stay up to date with new releases from Dom Malin by following him on Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

René Le Feuvre has infused sincerity and serenity on the airwaves with “Whispers and Whistles”

Posted on 24 August 2020

Whispers & Whistles is the 5th single to be released by Alt Indie Folk Pop artist René Le Feuvre. The serenely comforting soundscape stands as a testament to the Australian artist’s matured and organic nuanced sound.

They may draw influence from the likes of Ben Howard and Ed Sheeran, but there’s nothing assimilative about Whispers and Whistles. It’s a sticky-sweet ambient earworm which was served straight from the soul.

With some artists, music is just something they do. While with artists like René Le Feuvre, you can tell it’s who they are. Their soulful melodic abilities are as much of a part of them as the blood the passion runs in.

Whispers & Whistles is available to stream via Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

RYA- Impasse: A soothing yet catchy Pop single

Posted on 17 April 2020

London-based Pop Singer/Songwriter RYA has recently released her new single ‘’Impasse.’’ With a poignant meaning and a rather modulated sound.

Impasse pulls you in, with it’s calming yet ambiguous melody, RYA has an incredible vocal range, her voice is very soothing and easy to listen too, it’s a perfect pace and the right amount of pitch is added. It’s a track that gives Pop this whole new modernised sound as we enter into a new era of more developed sound for specific musical genres and this definitely stands out.

It’s very much expressing the feeling of being stuck in your own head, feeling like you are not doing enough and going through a traumatic break up, it is filled with roar emotion and empathy.

Rya sure knows how to create a track that has these honest lyrics, ones that really express how she feels and not only that but the melody that goes along with it is that similar up-beat rhythm but then you can hear a more choir-like sound as a trumpet cuts through the vocals.

Impasse is a song that you can’t help but have on repeat, it’s one you need to add to your playlist. After listening to this, we can’t wait to see what the future holds for RYA.

Be sure to check out RYA’s new single on SoundCloud now!

Review By Karley Myall

Leo Wood – My Luck: An Unfathomably Stunning Mix of DnB, Folk & Blues

Posted on 7 March 2018

I’m absolutely stumped trying to figure out a way to describe Leo Wood’s stunning sound in her debut single My Luck. Sure, it mixes DnB with Pop, Soul, Blues and Acoustic Folk, but hearing that fusion for the first time from such a strong female voice is an experience of pure aural alchemy that you definitely will want to check out for yourself. The funk of the bass contrasts against the more synthy elements of DnB, which creates a rich, perplexing sound that you can’t help slipping into. If you mixed Scroobius Pip with The Sugababes you might get somewhere close to the idea of Leo Wood’s unfathomably stunning sound.

Leo Wood is a Bristol, UK based songwriter and vocalist that uses her sound to test the boundaries of the acoustic and electronic partnership. There was clearly no rulebook in sight when Leo Wood set out to make her debut track My Luck instead, she took her own inspirations, classical training and penchant for Blues and Soul to create a truly pioneering sound.

You can check out the stunning official video to My Luck on YouTube using the link below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYPYcjpDBEQ

Follow Leo Wood on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/LeoWoodOriginal

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Lake Folks – The Old Man and The Lake: Sonorous Simplistic Sound at Its Finest.

Posted on 7 November 2017

This one’s for the Indie Folk lovers. Lake Folks is a solo act from a visionary talent revelling in his talent which is allowing him to dominate the folk scene.  To describe his new debut track ‘The Old Man and The Lake’ as a serendipitous wonder would be an understatement.

The solo artists sound is a unique, intoxicating blend of pop & a tranquil taste of indie folk. It’s impossible not to get caught up in the lucid angelic melodies which invoke a serene melodic transcendence. The music is teaming with plaintive inspiration which they find in their dulcet home town of Aix -les-Bains and notable acts such as Bon Iver, Paul Simon and Jeff Buckley. The Old Man and The Lake is steeped in sincerity, entwined with acoustic splendour.

There’s some elemental darkness to Lake Folks tracks, their latest track in particular, which makes their latest hit a true testament to the harrowing times that the world is lingering in. The lyrics are steeped in bittersweet sorrow, their music is delectably easy to swallow thanks to the angelic upbeat jingle of the guitar combined with the inventive use of instruments.

Check out their latest track on the link below

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4IYXfzK9vE&feature=youtu.be

You’ll find a plethora of twee, euphoric covers from the Lake Folks on their Youtube Channel. So if you want to hear a sweet acoustic folk style version of Taylor Swift and Daft Punk be sure to check out he videos!

Follow the Lake Folks on their social media links below!

-Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lakefolks/
-Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/lakefolks
-Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAzttJsAeTbf1zLsMcQY1Iw/

Ilustrada releases indie-folk track ‘Wide Eyed Tigress’

Posted on 17 August 2017

Illustrada is a project with a very understated and intimate way to combine indie-folk with pop. Their recent single, Wide Eyed Tigress, is a track that blends in lush shoegaze textures with earnest folky guitars and beautiful vocals that remind me of the work of artists such as The Tallest Man On Earth, Ben Howard or Fleet Foxes, just to mention but a few. While the acoustics strum gently, electric guitars create beautiful textures that make me think of the work of artists such as Sigur Ros.

The arrangement of this song is simple and not too cluttered, yet the tune has a rich and deep sound, full of beautiful ambiance. The vocals are present, seamlessly cutting through the mix without overpowering. Wide Eyed Tigress certainly stands out for its simplicity: the song is elegant, classy and understated: this simple formula goes a long way, serving the project well. I love the playfulness of this song, as well as it’s sweet and delicate overtones.