Browsing Tag

Nick Cave

Paul Bidault – Who Do You Think You Are?: Dark Swinging Murder-Folk

Posted on 20 August 2021

If you cranked That Handsome Devil’s sex appeal up to 11, you’d be left with Paul Bidault’s latest swampy, swinging, dark-jazz folk track, Who Do You Think You Are? Which experiments with a more maleficent side of the sound that Tom Waits made iconic.

With swing band percussion rattling around trombones and consistently evolving guitars in the richly dark and eerie soundscape, Bidault’s whiskey-soaked murder-folk vocals that wouldn’t be out of place in the Psychobilly scene have the perfect atmosphere to fall into.

The Paris-born, Mexico-city based artist is one to watch for anyone that gets their kicks from stumbling into tracks that carry familiar themes while completely reinventing them through the artist’s vision.

Who Do You Think You Are? was officially released on August 20th; you can check it out for yourselves by heading over to Spotify or the artist’s official website.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Corey Mejai – Stuck Inside a Lost Dream: Ethereal Indie-Folk

Posted on 22 July 2021
https://soundcloud.com/coreymejia/lostdreams/s-WrogjXnaMJk

If Tom Smith broke away from the Editors and started a solo project, we’re fairly certain there would be stark reminiscences to singer-songwriter Corey Mejai’s latest release, Stuck inside a Lost Dream.

The downtempo release allows the acoustic guitar chords to dominate the minimalist instrumental arrangement that is laced with trippy ethereal effect to add even more mesmerising beguile to the post-punk tinged indie-folk single.

Stuck Inside a Lost Dream is due for release on July 21st; you can check it out for yourselves by heading over to Soundcloud. For more info, head over to Corey Mejai’s website.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Zack Tomasko shows a softer side to the murder folk-style with ‘Let Tonight End’

Posted on 30 June 2021

‘Let Tonight End’ is the latest single released by singer-songwriter, artist and producer Zack Tomasko; the urgency and emotion contained in the release paired with the duality between the light and dark textures amplify the sincerity found in the lyricism. Discernibly, Tomasko tore his heart off his sleeve and poured it into the stormy, resonantly manic release.

Let Tonight End may start with stark reminiscence to the likes of Nick Cave and Jack Ladder but as the pensive piano-led soundscape progresses, warm, jazzy, and soulful tones start to work themselves into the score as Zack Tomasko’s vocals make a seamless shift from deadpan direct lyrical deliverances to ardent, soul-exposing indie crooning.

Let Tonight End is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Singer-songwriter [ai] has released their archaically infectious serenade, ‘Love in the Time of Tuberculosis’.

Posted on 27 April 2021

The idea of archaic disease probably won’t leave your heart beating faster in any positive way but the latest subversively amorous single from [ai], ‘Love in the Time of Tuberculosis’, definitely can.

If you can imagine what would happen if Nick Cave’s macabre mind melded with Tim Minchin’s ability to lyrically laugh in the face of mortality and the not so romantic aspects of existence, you’ll get an idea of what is on offer in this uniquely captivating soundscape.

The baroquely theatrical pop track comes with Brian May-style guitar solos, arresting piano-led progressions and [ai]’s ability to pull poetic parallels from across the ages. The single is a poignant reminder that the world has always been full of catastrophe, and it didn’t just start going to pot in 2020, we’ve had 100 years of adversity, no matter how much we feel personally slighted in the present.

You can check out Love in the Time of Tuberculosis for yourselves by heading over to YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast.

Alt-folk alchemist, Bill E Daly, has pulled light from the darkness with ‘The World is Waiting’

Posted on 27 January 2021

In the same way you wouldn’t want to strike up a conversation with someone that had nothing to say, we should be mindful of which artists we take the time to listen to, any amount of time spent listening to Irish singer-songwriter, Bill E Daly will be well-invested.

The lifelong artist may have only just started to make waves as a solo artist, but after decades honing in on their craft and increasing the value of their introspection, there has been no better time to get acquainted with his unique alt-folk sound.

Their latest single ‘The World is Waiting’ was penned during the first lockdown in 2020 after sympathetically witnessing the impact of lockdown on young adults. While many struggle to see past their own plight, Bill E Daly extended his compassion to some of those hardest hit by the pandemic. Everything feels like it’s the end of the world to those still adjusting to adulthood, the levels of despair while the world stands still is unimaginable.

With reminiscences to Nick Cave, PJ Harvey and other alchemists of alt-folk who aren’t afraid to experiment with darker tones on the sonic palette, The World is Waiting atmospherically encapsulates the dull view which so many have taken upon the world. Lyrically, Bill E Daly finds unique ways to inspire optimism and instil confidence.

It’s a stunning single transpired from just as stunning sentiment.

The World is Waiting is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

LEE DAVEY has painted a stark meta portrait with their swampy demonic folk rock single ‘Incubus’

Posted on 24 December 2020
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiW5g_71WHY&feature=youtu.be

We’ve all had spare time to spend with our demons in recent months, Alt Rock artist LEE DAVEY spent plenty of time mentally frolicking demonic spirits before penning their darkly hypnotic single ‘Incubus’.

Nick Cave comparisons are easy to make, especially with the ‘red right hand’ lyrical reference but allowing you to believe that Incubus is solely an assimilative work would be nothing short of criminal. The mythology-laden lyricism allows LEE DAVEY to transcend the Murder Folk genre and enter the realm of Demonic Folk Rock. Expect slithering rhythms, tinges of swampy Americana Alt Folk and searing solo work which affirms that LEE DAVEY’s prowess as an instrumentalist parrels their abilities as a lyricist. The dark imagery he paints with does more than just leave a macabre canvas behind. It exposes the darkest corners of our minds, the ones we can barely look into ourselves, let alone invite others to see.

You can check out Incubus for yourselves by heading over to YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Samuel H James – Summer: Tenderly Nihilistic Darkwave Murder Folk

Posted on 1 November 2020
https://soundcloud.com/samuelhjames/summer

Portsmouth, UK-based Multi-Instrumentalist, Composer, Artist and Producer Samuel H James has released their entrancingly chilling darkwave murder folk single “Summer”. Considering the Summer we have all just endured, the despondence and tender nihilism ensure that Summer is one of the aptest new releases that you’ll hit play on this year.

Any fans of the macabre lyrical styling of Nick Cave, Arab Strap and Jack Ladder will definitely want to give the cutting Post Punk track a listen. As the powerful beats retain tribalistic rhythmic momentum, Samuel H James seeks dramatic vengeance for the loss of a fictional lover, allowing you to get wrapped up in the atmospheric imagery which is crafted from the verses which run through as pensively cutting meta poetry.

Summer is available to stream via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Lucas Penner has taken Post Punk to a seriously slick new stratosphere with “So Well”

Posted on 27 October 2020
Lucas Penner

You’d be hard-pressed to find old-school crooning alongside cold Post Punk tones and slick Setzer-style rock n roll grooves anywhere other than Toronto-based artist Lucas Penner’s standout single ‘So Well’.

So, you may as well hit play on the beguilingly masterful release which puts a neo twist on baroque. The styling may be on the archaic side, but you can expect a retro-futuristic earworm to crawl in your ear from the outset.

Any fans of Nick Cave, Tom Waits or Fable Cry will definitely appreciate the insidious air to the murder folk-style lyricism which will allow you to feel like you’re being aurally dragged into a hellish stratosphere.

You can check out So Well for yourselves from October 27th via YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Cat Mullins and ThemBoys are going to start a cult!

Posted on 5 October 2020

Dark, moody, and atmospheric, vaguely threatening and at once hellishly enticing, ‘Cult’ by Cat Mullins and ThemBoys is a perfect slice of sinister, country-tinged rock music for the weird, the strange, and freaks of all kinds.

Like Nick Cave, The Urban Voodoo Machine, Nick Marsh, or The Long Insiders, ‘Cult’ calls out to the disaffected and the disturbed, Mullins’ resonant baritone offsetting beautifully against the baleful tones of the track, the band’s nefarious aims set out in a clarion call to the wicked, the bad, and the dangerous to know.

Cat Mullins and ThemBoys debut album is out now.

Review by Alex Holmes

Blonde Lion has released their enrapturing ennui-laden Alt Folk single “Ordinary Day”

Posted on 5 August 2020

Folk-Pop singer-songwriter Blonde Lion released their latest single “Ordinary Day” on August 5th. Elliott Smith may not be with us anymore, but Blonde Lion’s melancholic style is just as efficacious at drawing pensive emotions from you and offering aural resolve.

Obviously, I didn’t make it to the end of Ordinary Day with dry eyes. The delicateness of the atmospheric and intricate acoustic instrumentals was one thing, the resonance in the lyrics was quite another.  Ordinary Days was inspired by the days where you wake up and struggle to find anything which offers any meaning. The jaded ennui was all too relatable and it’s safe to say that after the global lockdown, plenty more people will see themselves in this sublime soundscape which serves as the perfect introduction to Blonde Lion’s compelling style.

You can check out Blonde Lion’s latest release by heading over to SoundCloud now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast