Browsing Tag

Folk Singer Songwriter

Bluebyrd cut through the static in their latest alt-folk single, Too Much Noise

Posted on 5 February 2022
Too much noise by Bluebyrd

The Wolverhampton, UK-based alt-folk duo, Bluebyrd, has aurally triumphed once again with their latest single, Too Much Noise, which cuts through the static in our cacophonous existence.

For anyone that acquired a new level of overwhelmed anxiety as a parting gift from the pandemics and other chaos that leaves us feeling powerless, Too Much Noise should be considered an essential release. Not only do Bluebyrd deliver resonance hand over fist, but they also create a cathartic indie-folk soundscape that sits somewhere between Cohen, Billy Brag, Semisonic and the Levellers. I couldn’t think of a better new release to drown out the world to.

Too Much Noise was officially released on January 28th. It is now available to stream and purchase via Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The UK-based artist, Bobby Bluff is set to make his bleak smitten-worthy avant-folk debut

Posted on 11 January 2022
Bobby Bluff

If any new 2022 release can help you turn a smile, it’s the eccentrically enamouring release, The Cat of Cruickshank, by the UK-based singer-songwriter and artist Bobby Bluff. With fleeting reminiscences to Billy Bragg, The Residents, The Legendary Pink Dots and John Cooper Clarke, the gritty yet sonically exuberant vignette is the ultimate existentialist’s playlist staple.

Paradoxically, The Cat of Cruickshank is elevated in its Avant-Garde style and as rough as the plot to a Ken Loach film. Coming across it almost felt like an act of serendipity in our dystopic world-weary times. The Cat of Cruickshank leaves you with that rare sense of eagerness to find out where Bluff will take his innovation next. Even if the rest of 2022 disappoints, you can place your faith in the stout-hearted ingenuity of Bluff.

The Cat of Cruickshank is just one of the singles on Bobby Bluff’s debut album, Introducing Bobby Bluff, which will release in April 2022.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Christopher Kremer has released his elegantly poetic allusion to languor ‘Electron’

Posted on 7 January 2022

If you still hold a candle for the melancholia of Elliott Smith, consider the new EP from folk singer-songwriter Christopher Kremer as an unmissable release. Major/Minor carries just enough reminiscences to tease nostalgia as the Chicago-based artist leaves you enamoured by his down-but-not-out authenticity.

The soul-fizzingly sweet lead single, Electron, is equally as instrumentally melodious as the most cathartic singles from the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. The vocals and lyrics lace the soundscape with an all too relatable languor, but even with the poetic allusions to entropy, the hazy choral textures ensure that Electron resonates as a transcendently uplifting release.

Major/Minor is now available to stream in full via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Folk singer-songwriter Holloway James showed us the beauty in candour with ‘Seven Come Eleven’.

Posted on 7 January 2022

US folk singer-songwriter, Holloway James, has never been one to evade candour. Yet, his latest cinematic single, Seven Come Eleven, artfully takes the listener on a journey from fear of living to enlightenment in a way that allows you to appreciate the precariousness of our consciousness.

Seven Come Eleven paid homage to the storytelling roots of folk by weaving an unfiltered tale of new beginnings after scapegoating the self-awareness that attempted to shine a light on an inability to find love internally. His alt-country vocals and accordantly melodic instrumentals pull together to paint a panoramic picture of triumph over self-inflicted adversity. We would need a concussion to forget it.

Seven Come Eleven was officially released on January 7th; it is available to stream via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Meet the Tom Waits of this Generation in Vince Chinaski’s Debut Album, Never Painted Black.

Posted on 26 November 2021
Vince Chinaski

Copenhagen’s most prodigal up and coming singer-songwriter, Vince Chinaski, has released his debut album, Never Painted Black, which opens on the title single and instantly arrests you in the Avant-Garde neo-classically inclined feat of psych, jazz and folk.

Without any hint of hyperbole, Vince Chinaski deserves to be just as revered as Tom Waits for the way he pulls new sonic intrigue from a timeless sound. With Louis Armstrong reminiscences in the cinematic jazzy score that flows at a teasingly mellow pace that leaves you desperately eager for the next note, Never Painted Black is beyond absorbing.

Its mind-meltingly artful gravitas becomes even more visceral towards the outro as the Chinaski’s crooning timbre starts turning dark and scuzzy vintage rock guitars feed kaleidoscopic discord into the release.

Chinaski’s debut album will be available to stream on all major platforms from November 26th, 2021.

Check out Vince Chinaski on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Soundcloud. 

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Karyn Ann delivers arcane soul in style in her folk single, ‘Wasting Time’

Posted on 14 October 2021

The Portland-based soulstress, Karyn Ann, released her debut album in 2015; after her sophomore album released in 2018, she started to garner critical acclaim and international airplay for her effortlessly powerful vocals and the emotional depth of her lyricism.

Her latest single, Wasting Time, gracefully captures the collective anxiety around watching the sands of time slip while failing to keep hold of anything that brings intrinsic meaning. After we’ve all endured 18 months of lockdown to some degree, Wasting Time is the perfect playlist staple for anyone seeking a little compassion.

The Americana singer-songwriter’s ability to weave a narrative through emotion, poetry and arrestingly minimal melodies is almost unparalleled. We’re fairly certain that this won’t be the last time that Karyn Ann leaves us mesmerised by her almost arcane sense of soul.

Wasting Time is available to stream on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Shannon calls time in her latest single, For Now.

Posted on 1 October 2021
Shannon

If you’ve been noticing the lingering sense of anxiety in the air, you will also note the timeliness of the Folk singer-songwriter Shannon’s single, For Now. The lyrics advocate for self-care while the instrumentals strip the weight from your shoulders with the blissful tones and compassionate melodies.

The bedroom-recorded single that is due for release on October 1st was remotely produced by Rachel Still who discernibly brought plenty of collaborative chemistry to the euphorically soulful, celestially layered single.

In the prelude, there’s a dreamy sense of nostalgia as Shannon exudes the grace of a 1950s chanteuse; as the single progresses, it soulfully picks up modernism on the way.

Check out For Now on Spotify and Apple Music.

LeoJJChill leaves us ensnared with his minimalist folk sound.

Posted on 14 September 2021

With years of songwriting behind him, LeoJJChill has given us a taste of what we can expect from his future releases. Anyone who found them ensnared by Nick Cave’s new material created in collaboration with Warren Ellis will quickly become ensnared by the ease of the melodies and the command of the vocals above the gentle acoustic guitar progressions.

His songwriting that takes you right back to the roots of folk is simple, but it isn’t without soul or authentic artistic licence, and that is exactly what leaves you absorbed by LeoJJChill’s less-than-archetypal approach to lo-fi folk. We eagerly await his official indie-folk debut.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Neil Armstrong has released his soulfully-rendered interstellar piano pop single, Moon.

Posted on 21 August 2021

Singer-songwriter Neil Armstrong first won us over with his cinematic folk exploration of Western movie culture through his single, Falling Man, in 2020. With his latest single, Moon, he’s gone interstellar.

The soulfully rendered piano pop single carries an expressive yet tender flamboyance that should be a hit with fans of Elton John, Bowie and ELO. Armstrong truly comes into his own through his huskily affectionate vocals and his lyrics that draw parallels between the cosmos and the connections we make with each other.

Neil Armstrong may be the only person in 2021 venturing into space that isn’t a total douche. Forget about the space race and immerse yourself in this passion-driven sweet serenade instead.

Moon officially released on August 21st; you can check it out for yourselves here.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Singer-songwriter Kelsey Hughen takes us to the House on a Hilltop.

Posted on 19 August 2021

Classically trained Austin, Texas-born singer-songwriter Kelsey Hughen has released her latest cinematic Celtic folk single, House on a Hilltop; the semi-orchestral single captures Hughen’s genre-fluid at its most arcane.

The celestial timbre of the instrumentals sets a fantastical tone, as the lyrics yearn for an escape from the struggle of conformity with the one person that you can strip back the façade with unashamedly. House on a Hilltop is easily one of the sincerest love songs to hit the airwaves this year. The way it captures the security of love that frees us is just beyond beautiful.

House on Hilltop is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast