Browsing Tag

Folk Singer Songwriter

Janae Genna takes us ‘Down the Creek’ with her artful folk single featuring Alex Johnston.

Posted on 14 August 2021
Janae Genna

Down the Creek is the latest single to be released by the conceptually expressive singer-songwriter Janae Genna, featuring vocals from Alex Johnston. It was co-written by Janae Genna and Justin Brittain as part of the score for the film, Here Now. The accordant lullaby starts archetypally before the folksy single takes on an eerier tone, progressing almost in the same way as the cult-hit folk film Midsommar – before all the gore.`

Janae Genna’s and Alex Johnston’s layered harmonies give the otherwise minimalist soundscape a panoramically dynamic feel but as the single gears towards the outro, an uneasiness nestles into the release. The sense of anticipation it leaves you with could only be described as immense. You come to expect an ending akin to Nick Cave’s Where the Wild Roses Grow, you’re left with a foreboding unknown.

Check out Janae Genna on Instagram and YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Jane Allison proves why she’s the next soul-folk sensation with her single, ‘Don’t Spill Water’

Posted on 23 July 2021

Soul-folk sensation Jane Allison has released her latest single, Don’t Spill Water; with disco, funk, psych-pop and blues-rock written into the mellifluous mix, it’s impossible not to get swept up by the vibrant energy.

The Welsh singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and actress seems to emanate as much magnetism on screen as she does through her captivatingly narrative singles. She may stay true to the storytelling roots of Folk, but when it comes to her sonic style, that is where the bold experimentalism grips you.

Through the choppy staccato chords and rich ABBA-Esque vocals, Don’t Spill Water is an intoxicating invitation to strip yourself of the resentful weight you carry through life. That’s a reminder that we all need from time to time.

Don’t Spill Water is now available to stream on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Marc Delgado tells The Cautionary Tale of Richard Manuel

Posted on 22 July 2021

The Cautionary Tale of Richard Manuel is the indie psych-folk debut single from Woodstock-based, California-born singer-songwriter Marc Delgado. If the styles of Paul Simon, the National and Dinosaur Jr coalesced, the sonic result wouldn’t be all too far from Delgado’s debut that pulls the storytelling roots of folk up through a sleek and modern production.

The kicking beat, lofty colourful guitars and spacy synths converge to create a psychedelic platform for Delgado’s instantly magnetic vocals that draw you in by the unapologetically unadulterated passion to provide 3:28 minutes of total aural escapism.

The Cautionary Tale of Richard Manuel is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

ELLSWORTH delivers 70s Americana escapism with ‘Potholes’.

Posted on 16 July 2021
ELLSWORTH

Oregon-born folk singer-songwriter ELLSWORTH’s latest single, Potholes, carries the same amount of soul as Jack Johnson’s consoling releases, the Americana escapism of Dylan’s records in the 70s and the same melancholic air that truthfully resides in us all from time to time.

The relatability in this façade-less dreamy feat of folky bluegrass indie sweetens the already choral tones. With lyrics such as ‘turn my body inside out, I shook it real hard, nothing fell out’ for your mind to devour, you’d have to be dead from the soul down not to feel something as you listen to Potholes weave through the stunningly composed progressions.

Check out ELLSWORTH on her website and Facebook.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Award-winning alt-folk artist Colin Clyne has released his latest single, ‘Within Hindsight’

Posted on 22 June 2021
Colin Clyne

Award-winning Scottish alt-folk singer-songwriter Colin Clyne’s latest single, Within Hindsight, takes you back to the time when ballads were tender and minimal instrumentation carried alchemically profound magnetism.

The tones in Within Hindsight are enough to evoke synaesthesia as you drink in the sepia colours weaved into the acoustic guitar progression and soft neo-classic-style meanderings of the piano. The gravelly whisky-soaked vocals hit the high notes with soaring ease, allowing Clyne to exhibit both his arresting vocal range and emotional range. They say that there are 34,000 possible human emotions, Within Hindsight resonates as capable of evoking most of them.

After spending ten years in California collecting accolades, including being a two-time winner of ‘The Best Acoustic Act’ at San Diego Music Awards, and featuring on a list of the best singer-songwriters curated by NBC that listed him alongside Tom Waits, it is safe to say that he made quite the impression. There is no reason why he can’t celebrate the same success on this side of the pond.

Within Hindsight is due for official release on June 25th.

You can check out Colin Clyne via his website, Facebook and Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Claudia’s Graces drop haunting, brittle ‘Crystals’

Posted on 16 June 2021
Claudia's Graces

Claudia’s Graces is the solo experimental pop music project of Claudia Hinsdale, a 22 year-old singer, songwriter, and producer from Ohio. With a degree in Technology in Music and Related Arts from Ohio’s prestigious Oberlin Conservatory (ranked fifth in the world in Holloywood Reporter’s Top 25 Music Schools). That should give you an idea of the sort of quality we’re looking at here; our collective expectations were high, then, and we’re very pleased to report that ‘Crystals’ certainly doesn’t disappoint.

Light, shimmery, ephemeral, lying somewhere between folk and outright avant-garde, ‘Crystals’ is that rare beast; a track that’s hard to pigeon-hole or to draw easy comparisons for. Hinsdale’s free-form, stream of consciousness lyrics sit over layered, effected strings, keys, and unusual percussion, her vocal delivery sing-song and high register, almost choral at times, early music-like at others, folky and gentle yet with a definite commercial quality too. There’s vague allusions to Amanda Palmer, Tori Amos, or Emilie Autumn, but it’s much more than that – almost spoken word performance art set to a haunting, brittle backdrop, sparkling, glasslike, and…well, yes. Like crystals.

You can check out Claudia’s Graces here and on Instagram.

Review by Alex Holmes

Roderick Jaynes take us to ‘The Bridge’ with his latest indie-folk single.

Posted on 30 May 2021
https://soundcloud.com/roderick-jaynes

San Francisco’s rising singer-songwriter Roderick Jaynes is set to release his most versatile single to date, The Bridge. With a grungy interlude that will make any fans of Dinosaur Jr prick up their ears, The Bridge is an indie chamber folk-pop track that keeps on giving.

As the progressive single picks up momentum and discord, the nuancedly psychedelic soundscape shunts you further down the rabbit hole as the descending piano keys and apathy-ringing chord progressions transgress into a form of aural gravity.

Any fans of Elliott Smith, Nick Drake Radiohead or Phoebe Bridgers won’t want to miss out on this evocatively haunting, stylistically artful release.

The Bridge is due for release on May 28th; you’ll be able to check it out for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Eleanor Goldfield has made her solo debut with the radical Americana EP, ‘No Solo’.

Posted on 21 May 2021

After opening for acts such as Helmet and Tom Morello in her band Rooftop Revolutionaries, Elanor Goldfield has launched her solo debut EP, ‘No Solo,’ which consists of three original songs and two spoken-word pieces. It’s a far cry from her political hard rock sound in Rooftop Revolutionaries, but the queer creative radical, journalist and filmmaker’s versatile sound still comes with a bruising impact.

The single, ‘Pyre’, is the perfect introduction to her visceral songwriting style. The enthralling slice of Americana lays its foundation in swampy bluegrass roots, while the easy acoustic guitar chords bring a light accordant air of singer-songwriter country folk. While tackling themes of damnation, the radical track unapologetically forces into consciousness the destruction that collectively surrounds us while speaking to your soul with a recognition that only exceptional songwriters can achieve.

With lyrics such as, “What do you live for if they’re dying to kill for a dime?”, if you don’t feel something listening to Pyre, you may want to check you’ve still got a pulse.

If you find space on your playlists for Bonny Light Horseman, Angel Olsen or Sharen Van Etten on your playlists, you’ll definitely want to make room for Goldfield’s debut EP.

Elanor Goldfield’s debut EP is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

There’s no time like the present to check out Barry Locke’s acoustic folk single, ‘One of These Days’.

Posted on 20 May 2021

Folk singer-songwriter Barry Locke’s latest single, ‘One of These Days’ carries plenty of hallmarks of the quintessential acoustic folk-pop ballad while the distinction lies in his vulnerable vocals and the lifts in the sonic Americana pop-rock crescendos that make the track an evocatively powerful ride from start to finish.

One of These Days perfectly captures the instability that can often follow periods of self-reflection, the times when you look back, and you can’t recall the footsteps that led you to where you are, but you are still yearning from the life you evolved from.

The upbeat track leaves melancholy by the wayside and thrives on the determination to carry on, even if you don’t know where that energy is coming from. It’s a stunning release, sobering and uplifting in equal measure.

One of These Days officially released on May 20th; you can check it out on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Folk-Pop’s prodigal son Adam Wendler returns with his most vibrant earworm to date, ‘Motions’.

Posted on 8 May 2021

After finding himself comfortable on the iTunes Singer-Songwriter charts, gracing over 400 stages across Germany and Canada and opening for the likes of the Arkells and Ryan Sheridan, Berlin-based folk-pop artist Adam Wendler is set to garner plenty more critical acclaim with his latest single, ‘Motions’.

Wendler’s previous singles, such as Thin Ice and Empty Space, proved his proficiency when it comes to producing earworms but Motions is practically an explosion of colour that will awaken even the most bleary-eyed ennui-laden souls from their still-life slumber.

With enlivening reminders that life won’t wait and that you must persevere despite adversity instead of rage quitting on life, Motions is a timely folk-pop playlist staple. Instead of assimilating his influences, such as Vance Joy and Dermot Kennedy, their style is eclipsed alongside his signature sonic sound. Discerning folk-pop fans would struggle to find a more luminary artist in 2021. If anyone has what it takes to reach the same heights as Mumford & Sons and the Lumineers, it is Adam Wendler.

Motions was written by Adam Wendler; recorded by Adam Wendler & Jack Bowden (Tors) in Berlin & the UK; produced, mixed & mastered by Jack Bowden.

You can go through the Motions yourselves by heading over to Spotify.

Keep up to date with new releases from Adam Wendler via Facebook & Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast