Browsing Tag

piano

Igloo Hearts exhibited a new installation of art-folk in their ornately rendered vignette, Watering Can

Posted on 27 February 2024

Igloo Hearts’ latest offering, ‘Watering Can‘, is a masterful blend of folk sensibilities with a touch of baroque elegance. This single, emerging from the heart of Wrexham, positions the married duo as a folk force to be reckoned with while echoing the artistry of legends like Tori Amos, Kate Bush, and Mitski.

Katie Macgregor’s soprano vocals are the centrefold of the art-folk piece. Her haunting and ethereal timbres, cascade over the keys, enveloping the listener in a cocoon of timeless yet contemporary flair. The emotion conveyed through her performance is palpable, resonating with a depth that speaks to the soul.

Watering Can is an arresting showcase of their captivating sound, marked by classical piano, mesmerising chord progressions, and flawless harmonies, influenced by Jesca Hoop, Radiohead, and Kate Bush. The duo’s refined musicianship has earned them recognition as runners-up in the Purbeck Folk Rising Competition and Radio Wigwam’s Awards along with numerous BBC Introducing radio plays. Their live performances, held at esteemed venues like the Liverpool Philharmonic and Llangollen International Eisteddfod have received critical praise from across the board.

As they continue to gain acclaim, including an upcoming feature on the Channel 4 series ‘The Piano’, any self-respecting folk fan will want Igloo Hearts on their radar.

Watering Can was officially released on February 16. Stream the single on all major platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

IGOR created a harmonic ode to connection with Alana Diaz in his pop-rock ballad, In This City

Posted on 24 January 2024

The Ukrainian-born, NY-hailing pop-rock chameleonic enigma IGOR closed 2023 with a pop-punk hit that viscerally advocated autonomy. Instead of starting 2024 with a bang, he exhibited the softer side of his talent by unleashing the pop-rock piano ballad, In This City, which sees his evocative range amplified through harmonies shared with Alana Diaz.

Atop the minor piano keys and gentle string crescendos, a panoramic narrative unfolds, inviting you into a world of unfaltering connection. The sense of security depicted in the narrative synchronously painted between IGOR and Diaz as they portray two lonely figures in an inhospitable city is profound enough to deliver consolation to anyone who traverses our imperfectly isolating earth without someone to dispel the disconnection. Woven into the ornately strident release is the affirmation that blood doesn’t always run thicker than water; you can find your family in the soul of whoever is capable of salving the ache of alienation.

In This City was officially released on January 19th; stream the single on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Nick Pike has debuted a neo-classic composition of profound contemplation with the release of ‘Norastoria’

Posted on 12 January 2024
Nick Pike

Nick Pike’s instrumental neo-classical piece, Norastoria, is a composition of contemplation, capturing the tenderness of tentative new beginnings as vividly as the tumultuousness of reality which demands resilience to weather life’s relentless storms.

Each note is as accessible as the last in the endlessly inviting piece which keeps its finger on the evocative pulse. Words are surplus to requirement through Pike’s talent in depicting human narratives in humble neo-classic melodies. Pike’s ability to infuse each note with a sense of purpose and feeling is remarkable. The single is a journey through the highs and lows of the human experience, rendered with a sensitivity and depth that only a musician of Pike’s calibre can achieve.

As a London-based producer, multi-instrumentalist, and educator, Pike brings a unique blend of influences to Norastoria, the title single prised from his debut solo album, from the classical echoes of Beethoven and Debussy to the rhythmic intricacies of jazz and funk. The title single is a testament to Pike’s versatility and his ability to weave diverse musical threads into a cohesive and engaging narrative.

Norastoria will be available to stream and purchase on all major platforms from January 12th. Discover Nick Pike’s sound via his official website.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Jaina Tang entwined empowerment with vulnerability in her latest single,  No More Tears to Cry

Posted on 9 January 2024

Jaina Tang, a prodigious talent from Singapore, radiated empowerment through vulnerability in her latest musical narrative, No More Tears to Cry.

At just 17, Tang’s journey from a YouTube piano cover artist to a multifaceted musician is nothing short of inspiring. Her ability to play by ear, coupled with her mastery of 17 instruments, songwriting, singing, rapping, and beatboxing, has culminated in a body of work that is both deeply personal and universally relatable.

No More Tears to Cry is a testament to Tang’s artistic evolution. The song is an intricate tapestry of piano pop, interlaced with a profound sense of melancholy, yet it radiates an undeniable strength. This duality is the heart of Tang’s artistry. The piano, played with both precision and passion, lays the foundation for a journey through heartache and resilience. Tang’s voice, delicate yet determined, guides the listener through the emotional landscape of the song.

The way her vocal lines intertwine with the music, evolving into a breath-taking neo-classic score, captivatingly exhibits her skill as a composer and arranger. The song is not just for the heartbroken; it’s a universal call to find strength in vulnerability.

No More Tears to Cry was officially released on December 30th; stream the single on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Lou Reed meets Tom Waits in the tender warmth of Lance La Breche’s latest seminal piano score, One Last Dance

Posted on 21 November 2023
Killing The Pistanthrophobe by Lance LaBreche

With vocal lines as arresting as the plaintive harmonies drenching Tom Wait’s Closing Time LP with soulfully spirited melancholy, the standout single, One Last Dance, from Lance La Breche’s upcoming album, Killing the Pisanthrophobe, is a piano-led score you’ll want to surrender to time after time.

The Lou Reed-esque keys also play a heavy hand in allowing you to succumb to the impassioned gravity within the single orchestrated by the Raleigh, NC residing self-taught singer-songwriter, who photographs architecture in the daylight and renders resolving melodies by the shroud of night.

The bluesy sepia-tinged tones and the endlessly compelling yearning for perfect nights to last forever won’t fail to fill you with the same tender warmth which flows through the score which abandons inhibition for vulnerability, to superlatively stunning effect.

Stream and purchase One Last Dance on Bandcamp, and keep Lance La Breche on your radar for the release of his forthcoming LP, which is set to drop on December 15.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Wong Diane – Now Only Me: A Tenderly Triumphant Tour De Force

Posted on 13 August 2023

Wong Diane brought style to solemnity with her melodically eloquent composition, Now Only Me, taken from her 1st One Done EP.

With whispers of organ keys in the ethereal background to her minimalist piano-led score to create a luminous atmosphere for her lyrical melancholia to drift into, beguiling barely scratches the surface of this intimately raw exposition of loneliness.

Now Only Me could easily be classified as a tenderly triumphant Tour De Force from an artist who knows exactly how to lock horns with your emotional impulses with her Nils Frahm-esque piano melodies and delicate vocal lines.

As a music producer and composer, the Berklee College of Music and Hunter College graduate has contributed to a series of high-profile projects, including the Daily Podcast, Verizon Rewards and the Samsung Galaxy Watch Experience. She’s also garnered over a million Spotify streams on her most popular piece and performed at some of the most prestigious venues on the globe, but something tells us the best is yet to come from the only true emissary of soulfully diaphanous pop.

Now Only Me is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

JxPrezzo – A New Home: A Scintillating Exploration of Rebirth

Posted on 7 August 2023

With a touch of the more sombre scores found on the Westworld OSTs and lashings of orchestral beguile, JxPrezzo’s latest ethereal piano composition, A New Home, is a scintillating exploration of rebirth and a reconnection to security.

Four years after finding the inspiration to orchestrate his own compositions upon hearing the piano accompaniment to Echoes of Silence by the Weeknd, the solo artist released his debut score, A Year Later, in 2019.

By exploring his emotions through his always visceral minor-key melodies, each of his elevated works carries the cinematic gravitas of a composer who has dedicated their life to the craft. If you told me he graduated with honours from Julliard or The Royal Academy of Music, I wouldn’t think twice. He doesn’t just hold a candle to Nils Frahm and Philip Glass, he’s equally as luminary and eloquent in his melodies.

A New Home was added to JxPrezzo’s discography on the 7th of July; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

For Mom: Martin Mayer makes a special song for his biggest fan on HEART OF AN ANGEL

Posted on 24 May 2023

Sending us into a mesmerizing vortex of wonder, Martin Mayer’s HEART OF AN ANGEL is surely one of the sweetest singles so far in 2023 no matter the genre and is refined in delivery to warm all cold veins.

Martin Mayer is a Czech-born Canada-based piano master who is known as one of the best at his craft no matter who is in the room.

Gracing us with a splendidly memorable embrace, Martin Mayer is at his best with a delightful soundtrack to marvel at for its loving nature. In a world with so much hate and confusion, this is the impactful reminder humanity has needed for years.

HEART OF AN ANGEL from Czech-born Canada-based piano legend Martin Mayer is a top-quality instrumental experience made for his caring Mother. There is care and love involved which requires us to merely listen, and take in each second on a special day caressed with exquisite and endearing excellence.

If your tastes head for the best, this is it.

Listen up on YouTube.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Cameron Owen diaphanously covered Les Miserables’ Bring Him Home

Posted on 8 May 2023

After Cameron Owen’s cover of Bridge Over Troubled Water left us insurmountably arrested, we couldn’t wait to feel our emotions swell with the orchestral crescendos in his latest single, Bring Him Home.

The compellingly diaphanous ballad is as graceful, delicate, and powerful as an angel’s wing for the way the theatrical pop cover of the Les Miserables prayer comes to life through the minor piano keys and his unfaltering vocal lines fusing as the ultimate aural redemption story for humanity.

Just as Les Miserables conveyed the resilience of the human spirit and its ability to endure heartbreak while still keeping courage, love and passion at our core, Cameron Owen’s reworking of the number will serve a poignant reminder of our innate inner capacity for beauty.

Bring Him Home was officially released on April 21; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Klavdiya – “My Future”s” Pro-Family Message is Wonderfully Refreshing

Posted on 25 April 2023

Klavdiya’s latest release, “My Future,” is a soaring masterpiece that showcases her unique blend of ethereal vocals and captivating piano playing. The accompanying music video perfectly captures the mood and theme of the song, with Klavdiya’s bump serving as a poignant visual metaphor for the future that lies ahead.

Right from the opening notes of the piano part, it’s clear that “My Future” is something special. The way the chords swirl and build, creating a sense of forward momentum and anticipation, is simply mesmerizing. But it’s Klavdiya’s voice that truly steals the show here. Equal parts soothing and passionate, she sings with an intensity that is almost otherworldly.

The way the piano and vocals intertwine is a thing of beauty. The instrumentation perfectly complements the lyrics, creating a sense of unity and harmony that is truly magical. It’s like high-energy ambient music – if there is such a thing – and it’s impossible not to get swept up in the emotion of it all.

The music video is a visual feast, with stunning cinematography and beautifully choreographed dance sequences that perfectly capture the song’s mood and meaning. Klavdiya’s pregnancy is a powerful visual metaphor for the future that lies ahead, and it adds an extra layer of emotional depth to an already powerful track.

Overall, “My Future” is an absolute triumph. Klavdiya’s vocals and piano playing are both captivating, and the song’s message about looking towards the future with hope and excitement is truly inspiring. If this is any indication of what’s to come from Klavdiya in the future, then we can’t wait to hear what she has in store for us next.