Browsing Tag

folk

Denim Dan sought sanctuary in his latest seminal 70s folk-rock single, ‘Circe’s Song (Save Me)’

Posted on 9 December 2024

With another album to round out the year, Denim Dan has served the airwaves once more with his tender harmonies, nostalgia-beckoning instrumentals and lyricism that always knows which emotive triggers to aim for.

As the standout single on Circe, the 70s-inspired orchestral folk-rock ballad, Circe’s Song (Save Me) exhibits Denim Dan at his most affecting; while he never comes in heavy-handed, the delicate ornate grace of this release allowed the singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist to reach his diaphanous zenith.

The way the chamber orchestral strings pull against the steady rings of the acoustic guitar beneath Dan’s organically aching timbre ensures this plea for sanctuary resounds with raw humanist realism.

Between the reflections on existential plight and the poetic projections of a need to find a soul to bolster your own, everyone can find a fragment of themselves within Circe’s Song (Save Me); the lucky will meditate on the single with gratitude for kindred spirits and soul mates, while the lonely will find consolation that they’re never as alone in their alienation as they feel they are.

Stream Denim Dan’s latest album, Circe, in full on all major platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Candour cascades in John O’Brien’s acoustic folk-pop ballad, Can’t You See That It’s Me

Posted on 25 November 2024

With all the emotional intricacy of Buckley, the spacey etherealism of Bowie and ELO’s tender hits, and the all-encompassing soul of Tom Waits, John O’Brien’s latest single ‘Can’t You See That It’s Me’ pulls you into its evocative core.

The acoustic folk-pop ballad invites you to live vicariously within the lush layers of this stripped-back exposition of the heartache which ensues when romantic expectation forces us to feel as though we’ve fallen short despite giving our all to fulfil desire and sate our own.

if you don’t feel a cascade of emotion fall over you to the tune of John O’Brien wearing his heart on the acoustic guitar strings that drift into the euphonic atmosphere, you can probably consider your soul defunct.

As a performer, recording artist, and songwriter with over four decades of experience, O’Brien has graced stages worldwide—from the US to Madrid, Amsterdam, the Caribbean, Japan, Australia, and beyond. Equally as successful on the airwaves and radio waves, hits from his acclaimed LPs have amassed millions of Spotify streams, while his 2022 UK tour saw his hit ‘The Spider’s Love Web‘ climb to #2 on the UK radio charts.

Can’t You See That It’s Me was officially released on November 15; stream the single on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Sylvie’s Songs & Bryon Harris stir the soul with strings and sympathy in their affecting folk symphony, Heart Break Like Mine

Posted on 25 November 2024

‘Heart Break Like Mine’ by Sylvie’s Songs feat. Bryon Harris enmeshes animal activism with affecting artistry. Dedicated to the 1.7 billion animals confined in factory farms each year, the single urges listeners to become more ethical consumers, and to part with their dollars through empathy.

From the first pull of the classical strings and the opening lyric, “I want your heart to break like mine,” the track makes no bones about pulling all the evocative punches. In the same vein as The Smiths’ ‘Meat is Murder’, this classical folk ballad grounds you in the atrocities we often turn a blind eye to; it’s an aching reminder of the suffering we perpetuate.

Sylvie, a highly accomplished musician and songwriter with a deep passion for folk and Americana music, brings her wealth of experience and accolades—including Gold Medals for Best Lyrics and Best Songwriting from the Global Music Awards—to this powerful piece. Her classical guitar training from the prestigious Hartt School of Music and the New England Conservatory shines through her intricate playing. Having performed at esteemed venues and festivals throughout New England, Sylvie’s dedication to her craft is unmistakable.

Bryon Harris complements the track with his emotive depth, exemplifying his commitment to using music as a medium for awareness and change. With a background in classical music, Harris adds a rich authenticity to the song. Now based in Austin, Texas, he is at the forefront of a new wave of protest music addressing issues like factory farming and climate change.

Together, they have crafted a fervent call to action and catapulted a catalyst for change onto the airwaves which demands your conscience.

The official lyric video for Heart Break Like Mine is now available to stream on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Emmett McGrath revisited 70s folk-pop with visual lyricism and achingly panoramic sonics in ‘Outlaw’

Posted on 18 November 2024

Cali singer-songwriter Emmett McGrath is a testament to the power of lyrical storytelling in his latest single, Outlaw. The orchestrally embellished 70s folk pop vignette is driven by Elton John-esque piano keys which let you feel the heart in every note and enlightened by McGrath’s intensely evocative harmonies that put him in the same league as Cat Stevens.

With lyrics as poignantly poetic as Paul Simon and Bob Dylan, it’s impossible not to feel like you’ve found a diamond in the rough with Outlaw; the way it sweeps you up in the tenderly orchestrated panorama as it traces the steps of a woman on the run towards refuge is a cinematic triumph.

Between his visual lyricism, ability to pay homage to the greats while staying true to his sonic blueprint and the lush reverberations of his sepia-tinged compositions, there’s no denying that Emmett McGrath has one of the most impactful voices in modern folk-pop.

Outlaw was officially released on November 2nd and is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Joshua Wales – Don’t Worry: Sublimely Seraphic Indie Folk

Posted on 13 November 2024

If The National veered into acoustic indie folk territory and took a few leaves from Cigarettes After Sex’s intimately expansive book, the result would echo the same affectingly tender alchemy which drifts through Joshua Wales’ latest single, Don’t Worry.

The indie folk singer-songwriter’s sombrely honeyed, low-timbered vocal register subdues you into the melodious sentimentality of the acoustic guitar-driven single, which sees quiescent swells of orchestral strings brush past the plaintively warm guitar notes.

With “Don’t worry, we’ve got all the time in the world” reprising throughout the sublimely seraphic release, listeners are reminded that pace is the trick as Joshua Wales issues a reminder to his frenetically minded younger self.

The reflectively sonorous score features in Joshua Wales’ discography as a standalone entity and as the opening title single to his debut EP which you will need little convincing to devour in full after bearing witness to the introspective magnetism in the opening salvo.

Stream Joshua Wales’ latest single, Don’t Worry, on all major platforms, including Spotify, now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Tim Briggs – The Long Fall from Grace: A Folk-Rock Sanctuary for the Soul

Posted on 12 November 2024

After decades of carving out soul-stirring melodies across various genres and scenes, Tim Briggs converged all his experience into his latest triumph, The Long Fall from Grace LP.

The title single exhibits the raconteur’s evolution from an eager singer-songwriter in 70s Ohio to a revered figure on the folk rock and southern rock circuits. After years of touring the states and rubbing shoulders with the likes of Lynyrd Skynyrd and The Marshall Tucker Band, a southern rock grit was naturally embedded into his folk-rooted melodies as Briggs sharpened the emotive potency of his vocal harmonies and guitar licks.

The single ‘The Long Fall From Grace’ encapsulates Tim’s adeptness in suckering your soul into submission.  With every steady, sticky-sweet clash of the strings, you’re increasingly convinced your emotions are safe in the deft hands of the artist whose consolingly pure vocal lines enable him to become a confidant, someone to trust with your most visceral emotions.

While nostalgia may run deep in its veins, ‘The Long Fall From Grace’ stands leagues away from being a mere artifice of antiquity. With the natural breeze of 70s folk, the intimacy of college radio rock and the commercial appeal of Nada Surf, It is a modern classic, a testament to Tim Briggs’ enduring impact and artistic integrity.

Tim Briggs’ The Long Fall from Grace LP reached all major streaming platforms on October 27; stream it in full via Apple Music and Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Laura Mock took her listeners from poetic depth to ethereal heights in her standout single, Acadia

Posted on 11 November 2024

After two years of pouring her poetry, candour and sublimely affecting unique aura into her debut EP, home//body, the NYC-residing songstress, Laura Mock has finally unveiled one of the most sensuous sounds of 2024.

The standout single, Acadia, starts with tenderly warm piano chords which echo Nick Cave’s ‘Into My Arms’ before the single veers into stylistically seraphic easy listening territory and concludes following an arcane neo-classic folk pop crescendo which reaches the epitome of sonic serenity.

Despite the diaphanous propensities of each of the motifs in Acadia, the artfully composed, orchestrally laced progressions are strong enough to carry the weight of the heaviest souls as Mock uses the organic reverie within her vocal register to wrap you up within a vignette where naturalistic beauty resounds in equal measure to the divine nature of her talent.

Stream Laura Mock’s debut EP, home//body, on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Folk Meets Symphony: The Dynamic Contrasts of ‘Touch of Adrenaline

Posted on 7 November 2024

With an 00s-adjacent sound that will throw you right back to when the fervour around Plain White T’s single Hey There Delilah consumed popular culture, the latest acoustic pop single, Touch of Adrenaline, from the independent singer-songwriter Woodstone, is a raw revelation which will leave you hanging off every cuttingly cultivated chord progression.

Rugged in all the right places, stirringly diaphanous in all the rest, Touch of Adrenaline is enough to sink you into an awe-struck stupor as you attempt to take in the vivacious display of talent that translates into evocatively piercing aural gold.

The pulls of the orchestral strings which work their way into the mix accompanied by folky instrumentals amplify the thematic dynamism of the single which evolves into a study of contrasts between the ornate orchestral motifs and the winding Kurt Vile reminiscent folk strings.

As the single lyrically contends with the painstaking fear of not being enough in the presence of someone who captivates through the electricity of their skin and knowing that the connection will be ephemeral, Woodstone exhibits one of the most scintillating song structures the airwaves have been graced with this year. The question isn’t whether he is worthy of your radar; it’s, Are your radars worthy of him?

Touch of Adrenaline reached all major streaming platforms, including SoundCloud on October 21.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Broghan – The Calm Before the Storm: Southern Gothic Glaswegian Alt-Indie Folk

Posted on 4 November 2024

The Glaswegian alt-indie-folk singer-songwriter Broghan has come a long way from busking in Glasgow and Edinburgh at 14 years old. Her latest single, The Calm Before the Storm, which sees the haunting aesthetics of Southern Gothic Folk meet Scottish Art Folk, is set to push her to even greater heights. I wouldn’t be surprised if roles were reversed in the near future and Lewis Capaldi opens for her in front of a 12k cap capacity crowd!

The ethereally Avant-Garde score builds from a minimalistic instrumental piece into an arcane tour de force, with a series of filmically thematic transgressions pulling you through the shadowed corridors of the single which exhibits how Broghan has mastered the art of tonality and spatial effect.

The anticipation before the crescendo will leave your rhythmic pulses on the brink; the angular notes that haunt the soundscape following the first climatic build testify to how immersive this visceral ride through the singer-songwriter’s talent truly is. She’s a phenomenon in her own right, and it is only a matter of time before she’s showered with plaudits and songwriting awards.

The Calm Before the Storm reached the airwaves on November 1st; stream the single on all major platforms, including Spotify, now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

Folk troubadour Adam Foster purged the poison of deception with ‘Charming Lies’

Posted on 2 November 2024

In his latest single ‘Charming Lies’, Adam Foster captured the quintessence of folk within a powerful narrative that treads the line between Johnny Cash’s vignette-casting storytelling and Bob Dylan’s lyrical genius.

The candid Americana allegory critiques the deceit of snakes in suits, driven by insatiable greed and a penchant for indoctrinating the working classes into inequality. Foster’s voice weaves this narrative into a sepia-toned melody that feels like it has been directly lifted from an old-school tape deck, drenched in warm, nostalgic delay.

Having been a fixture in the music scene since his teens, Adam Foster has been perfecting his craft in various venues across the United States. Throughout the years, he’s flitted between rock, blues, folk, and country influences, drawing inspiration from legends like the Rolling Stones and the Doors, ensuring his sonic signature is far from counterfeited.

His discography spans from his solo acoustic debut in 2004 to his upcoming LP, Neon Nashville Nights, which promises a mix of originals and covers recorded with the live energy of a Nashville and polished with studio fidelity.

Charming Lies sets the tone for what’s to come and marks a moment of maturity in Foster’s career. This single positions him as a true folk troubadour whose stories resonate with authenticity and introspection. If this track is any indication, someone will need to make room for him in the Nashville Hall of Fame.

The official music video for Charming Lies will premiere on November 1st; stream it on YouTube and follow Adam Foster to keep up to date with news of his new LP, Neon Nashville Nights, via Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast