Browsing Tag

Fingerpicked Guitars

Whispers Through Time: Samaël’s Acoustic Revelations in Ancient Whispers

Posted on 28 August 2024

Samaël, the seasoned Canadian guitarist and composer, has stirred the strings once again with his latest acoustic composition, Ancient Whispers, the debut single from his anticipated album, CASCADIA.

The accompanying music video is a mesmerising prelude to a visual trilogy, entrenched in narrative depth and an artistic flair that dares to push the sensory boundaries. The baroque beguile of the high-production video marries perfectly with the mystical lens Samaël forces the listener to peer through with his intuitive notes. Each progression is a masterclass in musical clarity as the notes are sustained with celestial quality. If a picture is worth a thousand words, Ancient Whispers is enough to rival epic sagas in the vein of Divine Comedy.

Educated at the prestigious Musicians Institute and further honed in the halls of Concordia and the University of Montreal, Samaël’s academic journey is as storied as his creative output. From his debut album Halcyon Night to his introspective work Shadow, he has evolved into a virtuoso of minimalistic yet affectingly cinematic soundscapes. His forthcoming album is set to unveil some of his finest work to date.

Stream the official music video for Ancient Whispers on YouTube now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Explore the world on Iago Banet’s fretboard in his seminal composition, Iago’s Guitar

Posted on 4 December 2023

Iago Banet orchestrated the antithesis of While My Guitar Gently Weeps with the vivacious vibrance in ‘Iago’s Guitar’, taken from his critically acclaimed album, TRES. The musical piece is a journey through Banet’s extraordinary skill, creativity, and mind-bending rhythmic command which remains captivatingly authentic as a constant. Each strum and pluck of the acoustic guitar strings resonates with intention and artistry.

There’s a cheeky, spirited nature to Banet’s acoustic composition skills that subvert all expectations. Rather than solely melody-making, he’s weaving stories which allow you to travel around the world on his fretboard which explores a smorgasbord of cultural styles. Iago’s Guitar is just one of the testaments to Banet’s ability to blend gypsy jazz, blues, Americana, country, Dixieland, swing, pop, and folk into a harmonious and exhilarating experience.

Described by BBC Radio 3’s Sean Rafferty as “a master of the guitar” and as ‘nothing short of phenomenal’ by R’n’R Magazine, Banet’s talent is undeniable. His third album, TRES, has been a sensation, with multiple sell-out shows and sensational receptions across the UK. Iago Banet’s journey, from discovering a classical guitar as a teenager to becoming ‘The Galician King of Acoustic Guitar’, is not just a story of musical proficiency but also of passion and dedication. We can’t wait to see what accolades await him in his destined to be illustrious career.

Stream TRES in full via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Make your heart at home in Mark Leggett’s Latest LP, Folktown

Posted on 11 October 2023
Folktown by Mark Leggett

After two nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for his music scores, orchestrating endless film and television OSTs and collaborating with everyone from Werner Herzog to Jason Lee to Kylie Minogue, the LA composer and guitarist and composer, Mark Leggett played by the rules of his own expression in his acoustic Americana LP, Folktown.

The title single is a score of Americana that is almost impossible to form an objective view of. The emotion he pulls from the fingerpicked notes overwhelms every conceivable sense as you’re drawn into the sonorous intricacies of the loose and rickety yet tightly profound progressions. That contradiction is only the start of the alchemy that awaits you within his latest album.

Words were surplus to requirement when the fretwork painted such an evocative panoramic picture that lets you feel the humbling bitter-sweet breeze of bluegrass from wherever this masterpiece of an album finds you in the world.

Stream and purchase Folktown on Bandcamp and Apple Music.

Review by Amelia Vandergast