Tag Archives: single

Emzae : Waste Our Time, single released February 2020

The striking Love Hearts sweets artwork heralds a new single from Derby-based musician/performer/producer Emzae, a follow up to the contrasting ‘As This Day Fades To Another’ and ‘Another Lesson Learnt’ from last year.

Like all of her recorded work this new track is immaculately constructed, with the combination of lyric and music beguiling and inviting the listener in. Reflecting the sentiment of the title, Emzae’s vocal kicks in at the one second mark and then it is all action for the brief duration of the track as it packs in verses, spoken word, bridges and a double chorus ‘….if we get into it you have to be sure, don’t wanna be restless no more….’ and of course ‘…we don’t wanna waste our time…’.

The phrases roll over each other as the voices take on different characteristics; the brilliance of this song is that all of this meshes together so effectively, expressing the fun and urgency of a possible relationship.

This lyrical dance takes place over some sharp and sparse electronic beats, percussion interruptions and possibly an acoustic piano in there too, all adding up to a sparkling two minutes.

https://emzaemusic.com/about

Emzae : As This Day Fades To Another, single released August 2019

Emzae : Another Lesson Learnt, single released 22 March 2019

Eilis Frawley : Intellectual Men, single released January 2019

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Based in Berlin, Eilis Frawley uses drums, percussion and electronics as soundboards for her spoken words.
Released in 2019, ‘Illusions’ delivers a humdrum diary of existence over a tense drum pattern, dramatically coloured by staccato bursts and an ominous keyboard sequence. The follow-up ‘Strangers’ features a more uncomfortable and spiky rhythm as a narrated relationship swiftly shifts into decline. The synthesiser figure is deceptively cheerful but the words are not very optimistic, ‘…we used to be members of the same team….our joyful past blurred by our current disconnect….will we last?…’

Current single ‘Intellectual Men’ opens with bass electronic tones and an excellent percussion and drum work-out, saving the words for the second half of the track. The musings of the lyric are subtle and caustic ‘…these intellectual clever engaged men want to endlessly probe my argument for weaknesses…..want to argue just for fun…’ and drives the point home.
As Eilis concisely sets out the words, the fiery drums cut inbetween, their dissonance and anger underlining the disconnected emotion.

These three tracks will form the core of an upcoming EP ‘Never Too Emotional’, to be released on the label Reckless Yes Records, fast becoming a haven for bold, fun, original and constantly challenging musicians.

https://www.eilisfrawleydrums.com/
http://recklessyes.com/

Captain Handsome : I Wish I Had A Dog, single released November 2019

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This is a new track from Captain Handsome, otherwise known as Lily, lead singer and guitarist of superb indie quartet Fightmilk, who are much reviewed on this site. It is a forerunner to a an EP due in the new year.

Starting with an unobtrusive rhythmic guitar line the lyric is a clever inversion of expectations. What seems like a cheery animal-friendly sentiment is set out as a bleak metaphor for unrequited love.. ‘….I wish I had a dog…I wish I had something that I knew how to love…as soon as I wake up I follow you around till you shake me off….’, but it is not the full story and gives way to the declaration in the second verse, delivered with genuine feeling ‘….and I just realised I’ve been like this my entire life especially at night…and I wish I didn’t care…’.

There is a chorus ‘…I am having so much fun, call my name and I will come….’, but not particularly lifting the emotions. If this was a Fightmilk track the rest of the band would have kicked in by now, with power chords and killer drums but this track is too clever for anything as overt, the only extra instrumental diversion is an other-worldly synth lingering or popping in the background.

It is a sad, plaintive piece but in its gentle well-crafted way it is really quite powerful.

https://www.facebook.com/captainhandsomemusic/

Diving Station : Honey Bees, single released October 2019

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‘Honey Bees’ is the new single from indie-experimenters Diving Station and is the latest in a string of high-quality releases.

Earlier this year ‘Film’ was a soundscape of scenes and movements; drawn together by a repeating descending vocal figure underscored by a shifting texture of instrumentations, from loud fuzzy guitar to semi-classical acoustic and of course the signature sound of the Celtic harp (or ‘clarsach’).

Starting with a pulsing bass riff, ‘Honey Bees’ takes the sound of the Manchester four-piece in a different direction. On this excellent new track the percussion of electronic sounding handclaps sounds tense and trying to speed up, but the pace is reigned in by the interweaving bass.

The overall dissonant but dreamlike emotion of the song is mainly caused by the imagery of the lyrics, with the literal or metaphorical appearance of the ‘honey bees’ ‘… my grandma used to put them in a jar, those honey bees……they can smell your fear, those honey bees….’ Even the innocuous ‘…the sweetness at the bottom of the cup….’ sounds sinister in the context of these words.

The cryptic ‘….she was a rose, handled by those….’ is a recurring chorus interlude accompanied by harp mini-waves played by singer Anna McLuckie. Guitar effects float in and out and a synthetic(?) string section drifts on the air in this immaculately crafted single, every element contributing to the whole.

Remember, ‘…..you should warn your friends….about honey bees….’

https://www.facebook.com/divingstationmusic/

Vic Allen : Ghost Town, single released September 2019

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Singer/songwriter/guitarist Vic Allen has continued to release top-quality singles since her ‘Between The Lines’ EP in early 2018. The Norwich-based performer blends heartfelt lyrics with a new-country instrumental backing, subtle and always reflective of the sentiment of the song. ‘Talk’ had a longing and urgency in the sung short phrases before the chorus sailed in with its descending backing voices and raised the track to new heights.

‘Enough’ was built around a mid-tone guitar figure which continues effectively through the song as the lyric unwinds ‘… walking home with my headphones on…same old street…same old song…‘. The tale of frustration weaved through with the chasing of dreams resolves into the chorus line ‘…it ain’t enough for me…’. It is an impressive song of questing and questioning with a contemplative and cinematic soundtrack.

Now new single ‘Ghost Town’ is a more soulful ballad, with the vocal performance the key aspect as guitar effects drift in and out below. It is a slow building complex track featuring melancholy thoughts, ‘….I don’t want to fall asleep with this fear in my heart…’ with bleak conclusions ‘…out here it’s just a ghost town…’.
Halfway through the percussion joins to propel the narrator and listener through the emotionally desolate townscape of the title. With a mesmerising voice, a deep bass line and a spectrum of guitars and sonic textures this adds up to a haunting and memorable single.

https://www.vicallenmusic.com/

Vic Allen : Between The Lines, EP released February 2018

Emzae : As This Day Fades To Another, single released August 2019

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Emzae‘s previous release ‘Another Lesson Learnt’ was an introspective and hypnotic opus, driven by an electronica pulse and unrelenting percussive beat, winningly combining with a sensuous vocal and rich melody to complete the song. Like all of her work it was immaculately constructed and sculpted to maximum effect.

Now there is a new single from the Derby-based electronic composer/singer/instrumentalist and for this track she has thrown off the shackles to deliver a tight mid-tempo anthem with a perfectly timed dance groove. Emzae has complete control over her recorded output and each element is in place; a reliable root bass note, a dissonant fuzzy keyboard masquerading as a guitar and a chorus that shoots off in a different direction altogether, when some echoing background vocals join the party.

The lyric carries a pensive message; the narrator of the song is passing through crowds leaving work and contemplating their existence and consciousness – do we all share the same problems, dilemmas and perceptions? And taking this through to the conclusion in Emzae’s own words describing the song ‘…do any of us truly give ourselves the time to live in the moment? do we sit and enjoy who we are, become content in our imperfection and find enjoyment in the journey…?’

Whatever the potential truths of some of these thoughts this music is a powerful burst of energy to fully enjoy, savour and of course dance to…

https://emzaemusic.com/

Emzae : Another Lesson Learnt, single released 22 March 2019

Caii : Fuel, single released August 2019

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A new single from Manchester-based writer/singer/producer/instrumentalist and all-round new musical force Caii. With a sound that is bold strikes of electronic percussion punctuated with synthesiser textures, her songs take their time to build an atmospheric lifeforce of their own – pulling in the listener as her rich singing voice flows and cajoles.

On her previous EP ‘Tease’, lead track ‘Rush’ moved from a conversational lyric-driven verse into a big bold stately anthem, while ‘The Carousel’ was a more playful, pulsing piece of electronica with multi voices and spiky percussion. ‘Slowly’ was an unstoppable cinematic ballad blowing in across the savannah and echoing with power and despair. She has also recorded a brooding cover of Chris Isaak’s ‘Wicked Game’.

This new release ‘Fuel’ distills some elements from all of those previous tracks to create a monster pop song. The narration describes the corrosive balance of a relationship in uncompromising terms ‘…so insecure that you need me to be the same…you only treat me as a toy that you can break…’ and most disturbingly ‘….you’re only happy when you’re watching me in pain…..’. This is an emotionally strong lyric, delivered with conviction.

These heartfelt words are weaved into a constantly evolving tapestry of sound with unpredictable percussion adornments, swirling noise effects and sustained chords over a smooth bass progression. But towering above it all is the brilliant chorus, always driving the song to new heights. The synthetic strings build to a crescendo in the middle eight then back to the glorious hooklines; this is a majestic four and a half minutes of pop radiance….

Caii makes her live Cambridge debut at The Blue Moon on Friday 27 September 2019, see the link below…

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/pop-level-hydra-lerna-amethysts-caii-tickets-64634734230
https://www.iamcaii.com/

Smoke Fairies : Out Of The Woods, single released August 2019

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Rejoice! the Smoke Fairies are back! After a tour in 2015 with Public Service Broadcasting (and their vocals on The Race For Space album) there was the highly regarded seasonal LP ‘Wild Winter’ and then silence. Now we have the release of a superb new single ‘Out Of The Woods’ with an accompanying video and the hope of more music to come.

With a confident guitar figure in the introduction this track has that brooding, relentless feel of the best of their work, including a lyric loaded with threat and ambiguity, ‘….. Like the tangled roots I grew into you…. in winter’s mires you burn your fires…and you burn me too…’.

Every element is in place; the verses are heavy with melancholy and questioning but it is the harmonies in the chorus that really drive the track along ‘….Out there in the trees…the branches moving…I want to follow you but you cut your path straight through me…’. Sparsely arranged to focus on the hypnotic guitar and unadorned drum beats this distinctive folk-rock soon has the listener under its spell.

The video has the duo playing guitar and running through London Docklands and Epping Forest while a semi-mythical figure blends with the boughs lit only by the occasional sunlight through the trees. All very atmospheric and mysterious, reminiscent of cult eighties movie ‘The Company of Wolves’, illustrating the light and dark of the track perfectly.

https://smokefairies.bigcartel.com/

Public Service Broadcasting, Corn Exchange, Cambridge, 25 April 2015

Hydra Lerna : In The Dark, single released June 2019

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After the critical acclaim for her debut EP last year, singer/songwriter and electropop performer Hydra Lerna releases a new self-produced single.

The resonant words paint pictures of love and loss, with some acute phrases ‘…our skeletons are kindred…’, ‘…the silence never rang so loud….’ The lyrics thoughtfully reflect the mood, beautifully framed by the sheer power of the music. Here the layers of synthesisers sound like they were recorded in a cathedral, filling the vast space above as a deep and organic bass pedal strides underneath.

The title evokes ambiguous sentiments; it could be applied to being lost in an oppressive relationship or the negative feelings created. But ultimately this is a song of optimism and moving forward – identifying the problem as a first move towards empowerment and importantly the realisation of not being alone in the situation.

Hydra Lerna is a talented harp player; on this track it is sampled and contorted as part of the sonic palette, but it is the overall effect of massed keyboards, subtle percussion and her pure, emotive singing voice that is mesmerising.

The narrator finishes on an upbeat but slightly sinister note ‘…he won’t get away…we’ll get justice…’ which fades away on the track but stays and lingers with the listener….

(Hydra Lerna plays at The Blue Moon, Cambridge on Friday 27th September 2019)

https://hydralerna.com/

Emzae : Another Lesson Learnt, single released 22 March 2019

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Emzae is a singer and electronic musician who has been recording and performing her own songs since 2014. After various demos her debut long-player ‘Double Life’ was an ambitious concept album about a fictional pop singer. It showed her versatility and range; from the frenetic 80s synthtastic pace of ‘Alter Ego’ and ‘We Hate You’ to the leisurely atmosphere of ‘Lounge’ and compact pop template of ‘Star Sign’.

Impressive indeed, then follow-up singles opened up new landscapes – starting with the much streamed ‘Lucid Dreaming’ (a dream during which the subject is aware that they are dreaming) which was a simple structure with a seemingly infinite number of textures and colours to frame Emzae’s entrancing vocals. Four experimental remixes added to the intrigue.

Recently ‘Glory’ started with an electric piano introduction then added echoing semi-ambient keyboards and bass lines. As the track built up with percussion and strange slowed-down vocal interventions weaving with a catchy hookline it was a darkly satisfying composition.

So now we have a new single to accompany some live dates in the UK. ‘Another Lesson Learnt’ is an atmospheric, assured track; throughout an electronic drumbeat drives the narrative with the words addressing the idea that society pressures all to find love in order to be secure and complete and how that can lead to wrong choices.
‘…I want to belong, just like anyone….in our quest for unity we get ourselves burnt….’, like many of her lyrics, the heartfelt emotion comes through in her haunting vocals. The instrumentation is complex and confident, the messages strongly expressed. Finally that pulsing beat stops, leaving just the multi-tracked voices to drift off into the ether…..

https://emzaemusic.com/