Browsing Tag

Piano Pop

Jack Buckley has made his soul-rippingly-raw debut with ‘Let Go’

Posted on 31 December 2020

Indie pop artist Jack Buckley has made his debut with the soul-rippingly-raw hit ‘Let Go’, which will hit you with the same evocative weight as tracks by the National and Frightened Rabbit. There’s even some Dessner-style sonic guitar blazing behind the trepidation-laden piano keys which take the score to a cinematic level.

Stylistic reminiscences are incredibly fleeting in Let Go, as the track runs through, you won’t have much cognitive function left to find similarities as you’re overwhelmed by the sheer amorous agony the single contains. In a time when most relationships are superficial and disposable, it almost feels like a blast from the past hearing Jack Buckley’s ardent vocals, but it’s a kiss with a contemporary fist.

With their sophomore single in production, you’ll definitely want Jack Buckley on your radar in 2021.

You can check out Jack Buckley’s single, Let Go, on all major platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Rae Kelly Soars High With Stunning New Track ‘Ignorant as Icarus’

Posted on 26 December 2020

Dublin-born singer-songwriter Rae Kelly mixes heartfelt, philosophical, and evocative lyrics with a blend of mildly jazzy pop piano to produce a beautiful, delicate, and charming new single in the shape of ‘Ignorant As Icarus’. Kicking off with some real Tori Amos/Amanda Palmer vibes with the solo piano and vocal section before the rest of the band kick in, it’s an intriguing mix of repeating bass motif and keyboard behind Rae’s stunning, lilting vocal.

The delivery is divine, dropping down to an almost choral middle eight, Kelly’s vocal becoming one more instrument in the mix before slipping back to poetic, storytelling, questioning lyrics once more.

There’s some serious talent on show here, Kelly’s voice exquisite and graceful whilst her lyrics are engaging and thought-provoking; there’s no mistaking the ‘early years’ training of Kelly’s church choir experience in her confidence and soaring mezzo-soprano range, but there’s some avant-garde pop perfection on display as well, all capped off by the stunning piano and bassline of the track. Now back writing and recording after an enforced hiatus, hopefully, there’s much more to come from the sublime Rae Kelly.

You can hear ‘Ignorant As Icarus’ on Spotify and follow Rae Kelly here or on Facebook.

Review by Alex Holmes

Billy Boguard – Evergreen Scars: Sorrowfully Dynamic Minor-Chord Pop

Posted on 28 November 2020

Opening up with a cinematic minor-chord piano part before Boguard’s deep, baleful vocal, ‘Evergreen Scars’ is a beautiful, confessional song of grief and loss. Honest, heartfelt, and soulful, Boguard’s vocal tells a story of pain and longing, the full instrumentation dropping in around the minute mark for the unforgettable chorus.

Reminiscent of Hozier’s ‘Take Me To Church’, with elements of Lewis Capaldi or maybe a male-vocal Lana Del Rey, ‘Evergreen Scars’ tells of two souls destined from the beginning to destroy each other, writ deep with heartbreak and regret, and the inevitable aftermath, healing, and lessons learned, all over a sorrowful track full of power, dynamic, and presence.

Evergreen Scars official release date was November 27th, you can check it out now via Spotify.

Check out Billy Boguard via his website, or on Facebook.

Review by Alex Holmes

Yazzy drops the stunning new piano-led ‘All I Can Do Is Cry’

Posted on 28 November 2020

After being discovered by Glastonbury supremo Michael Eavis and supporting Paloma Faith in front of a 10,000-strong sell-out crowd at the Glastonbury Extravaganza in 2018 to having your most recent single ‘I’m Choosing Me’ played by Jeremy Vine on BBC Radio 2 (describing it as so good he wanted to play it twice), things have, it could be said, been going pretty well for ‘half lioness, half songbird’ Yazzy.

Now she’s back with the bewitching ‘All I Can Do Is Cry’, a fragile, piano-and-strings-led power-ballad which showcases her smoky-yet-soaring voice and lead-crystal falsetto alongside her engaging lyrical storytelling and emotional, mature arrangement. A drop here, a key change there, all the time offsetting the raw, heartfelt narrative of a lost love and a broken heart. And we can feel that with her, Yazzy’s vocal delivery poignant enough that the pain and desolation of emptiness and longing carry through, the vulnerability and sensitivity plain to hear in a delivery which feels at once confessional and beseeching, an entreaty and a question over a delicate minor key verse, all held together by Yazzy’s alluring, refined vibrato.

Follow Yazzy on Facebook and Instagram.

Review by Alex Holmes

Becky Raisman has sweetened the airwaves with her eccentric Pop single ‘Summertime Sugar’

Posted on 12 November 2020
Becky Raisman

Becky Raisman is here with her eccentrically sweet Alt Pop single ‘Summertime Sugar’, if you could imagine a mash-up of the stylings of the B52s and the Beach Boys, you may just get an idea of what is in store if you hit play on this vibrantly quaint, ardently amorous summer Pop single.

The Jazzy piano pop number uses a solid backbone of acoustic drums along with synth keys which carve lush melodies which will definitely leave you feeling enamoured while Raisman runs you through the candidly unfiltered lyrics.

You’ll have to wait a little longer before you can check out Summertime Sugar for yourselves. In the meantime, you can stay up to date with news of the release via Facebook.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Laela Giovanna – Wish I Would Have: A Tenderly-Imploring Piano Pop Ballad

Posted on 10 November 2020

NYC singer-songwriter & producer Laela Giovanna has released her tenderly-imploring piano pop single “Wish I Would Have” which allows you to find your own fraught regret within the stunningly extended vocal notes.

Think along the lines of Christina Aguilera’s iconic hit ‘Beautiful’, and you’ll be close to the mark. But no comparison could ever elucidate the striking authentic evocative appeal in this passionately stormy, melodically mellifluous track.

Wish I Would Have isn’t without its lament, but as Laela Giovanna runs through the verses, you hear her ascension from the ashes as she proverbially rises and you’ll get to share in the empowerment.

My only criticism is that the provocatively poised single should rank higher in the Pop charts.

You can listen to Wish I Would Have for yourselves here.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Ashley James takes us back to the 70s with their Pop ballad “Take Your Time”

Posted on 6 November 2020
Ashley James

Ashley James may not be a well-known name (yet), but any fans of 00’s Indie Rock should be familiar with their previous outfit Likely Lads who received rapturous acclaim for their brutally honest lyrical style.

Now, Ashley James has gone solo, and we’re seeing a more soulful side to the artist’s multifaceted talents. With a touch of aural nostalgia and lashings of laceratingly raw emotion, their debut single “Take Your Time” was born.

The 70s-inspired Pop ballad is sure to be a hit with any fans of Rod Stewart and Elton John or any Pop fans who are looking to lock into sincerity, pitch-perfect harmony, and melodic alchemy.

You can check out the official video to  Take Your Time via Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Never Forget Charlotte Lansman.

Posted on 5 October 2020
https://soundcloud.com/charlotte-lansman/never-forget-44-16/s-Gn17Yobf4Lw

Kicking in with a simple piano riff and Lansman’s smoky vocal before seamlessly shifting into a full-on powerful pop ballad, ‘Never Forget’ is a smooth, poignant cry to lost love, mellow and plaintive on the verses and kick-ass catchy on the chorus, the beats and instrumentation never overshadowing Lansman’s excellent voice.

Inspired by jazz artists such as Jamie Culham, Melody Gardot, and the great Amy Winehouse, ‘Never Forget’ takes those elements and mixes them with a great pop-rock sensibility, creating a strong, passionate, and compelling track that truly deserves to be all over the radio this autumn.

You can follow Charlotte Lansman on Facebook; ‘Never Forget’ is on Soundcloud now.

Review by Alex Holmes

Nathan Fox sends a siren call with their intoxicatingly bluesy Alt Pop single “Trouble”

Posted on 27 September 2020
Nathan Fox

If we still believed that exceptional artists sold their soul to the devil in exchange for their talent, we’d be making that very same accusation about up and coming singer-songwriter and instrumentalist Nathan Fox.

“Trouble” is their forthcoming intoxicating feat of Alt-Pop which puts Alex Turner’s attempt to be bluesy and cool to shame.

The atmospheric alchemy which comes from the collision between the funk-led arrangement and Nathan Fox’s harmonically raspy vocals is unparalleled from anything else I’ve heard before. I’m pretty sure it will be the same for anyone else that hits play on this trailblazingly ingenious record.

Trouble will be available to stream via all major streaming platforms from October 9th. In the meantime, you can check out their former tracks on their website and keep up to date with news of the release via Facebook.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Kaia Black – Really: A Piano-Led Ode to Pain

Posted on 19 September 2020
https://soundcloud.com/user-168590831-505180188/really

Starting with a simple, four-note repeating piano phrase, ‘Really’ by Kaia Black is the simplest of songs, a one minute eleven seconds ode to pain and a lack of understanding, the final refrain a plaintive ‘I don’t think you’re sorry’.

The piano part carries the track, and, admittedly, the vocal leaves a little to be desired, the attempt at nonchalance coming across instead as perhaps lacklustre and unsettled. That said, there’s an interesting concept, the simplicity of the track itself a challenge and a change from the over-instrumented, over-produced mainstream that often counts for ‘alternative’ music.

Kaia Black is on Soundcloud and Facebook.

Review by Alex Holmes