Beyond The 45
Singles, EPs, Downloads
The Fatea office also serves as a home for our weekly Along The Tracks show on Folk Friday Radio and as a rule singles and Eps have generally gone in that direction whilst Fatea generally concentrates on albums and live reviews for our full length feature, but with more artists going back down the single route to keep themselves in the public eye, we thought it was time to reflect that in our offerings and as rules are made to be broken or at the very least adapted, welcome to the Singles Round Up.
Steve Bonham And The Long Road - Sally In Blue Flames
www.thelongroadband.net
A folk/blues tune from a band who describe their sound as "moonshine music." Acoustic guitar and piano with a lyric that ponders on the passing of time and ageing, with a particularly affecting chorus. Simple straightforward songwriting, but with a power which makes you back up and play it again. TM
Call Me Anna - Jigsaw Girl
www.anna-music.co.uk
An insistent gentle song sung in Anna Howells breathy vocal. The backing sparkles with a descending guitar line which is picked up by the bass. There are so many little touches which bubble up through the course of the song. The rimshot which marks time, flue and string sounds. The song itself uses its short verses, repeated lines, and the chorus of "She's a Jigsaw, she fixes worlds" to paint a picture of the character she is introducing us to. Tori Amos would love to have written something this good. TM
John Jenkins - Too Many Roads
johnjenkinsmusic.com
In a world where audiences often hear songs in isolation rather than as full albums, Liverpool's finest songwriter John Jenkins is now bringing some of his most powerful album moments forward for radio consideration, giving them the spotlight they deserve. He has a way with a character driven song which always reward careful attention. Mikey Kenny's violin takes a solo which shifts the song across the water to Ireland. This song talks about "a man caught between choices, weighed down by regret, and searching for a way back to himself. It's a song about crossroads." If you don't know John Jenkins music, listen to this and you will be drawn into his world and be hunting out his excellent catalogue of albums. TM
Martin Simpson - The Recruited Collier
martinsimpsonmusic.com
"A traditional folk song, sourced from a version recorded by Anne Briggs. It is unusual, in that it has been very rarely collected. The song is the lament of a young woman whose true love has been press ganged into the British Army." One of our finest folk singers and guitarists uses the melancholic sound of a pedal steel and Cello to add a contemporary touch to a song that is still very much based in traditional English folk music, beautiful. TM
Dan Whitehouse - Every Brick
www.dan-whitehouse.com
Dan Whitehouse is one of those singer songwriters who sits further off the radar than they deserve. His Glass Gae acoustic/electronic project a few years ago was my introduction to him, but since then he has produced a body of work that is never less than excellent. He says that "writing is my therapy and my friend" and that he uses it to reach out and invite people to come hang out in my world for a little while. As a place to start this piano led single from his album Only Love due in October will do very well. TM
Josienne Clarke - Banks Of Sweet Primrose
josienneclarke.com
Another singer who has produced an incredible set of albums and songs over the years is Josienne Clarke. Her haunting voice over a drone and occasional piano figures add a new dimension to a song sung in the sixties by Shirley Collins. Listening to that version alongside this new interpretation shows the true quality of Clarke's singing and arranging. Whatever Josienne Clarke turns her hand to, indie folk, or traditional songs she makes her own. She is one of the genuine treasures of our musical world. TM
Yvonne Lyon & Boo Hewerdine - Salvador Dali And Me
www.yvonnelyonmusic.com
Boo Hewerdine has made a career of supporting other songwriters, through workshops and collaborations. And the latest of these is Things Found In Books with Yvonne Lyon. The strings which they use to fill out what would otherwise be a simple piano ballad is an inspired touch. An atmospheric piece which certainly makes you want to seek out the album, with its other intriguing song titles, like Paul McCartney In 1970 and Kate And The Missing Trees. TM
Brook Fox - Anywhere With You
www.brookfox.co.uk
A strident country rock song which sits halfway between Springsteen and Yoakam, rising indie pop singer Brook Fox offers a straightforward song over a dense backing which the drums dominate driving the tune forward. The song covers the well-worn ground of getting away from small town life to somewhere more exciting. It's not new, but it is a fine song sung and played with verve. TM
Wave Of The Flood - Blind
waveoftheflood.bandcamp.com/album/fortyfive
With "Blind"Wave Of The Flood completes her "FortyFive" project, a single a month for a year to celebrate her forty fifth trip around the sun and then deliver everything neatly combined into a single, killer album, "Blind" is a more than worthy stop on that path. NK
Luke Jackson - Hurt
www.lukepauljackson.com
A rare cover version from Luke Jackson as he takes on Johnny Cash's Hurt. Simple and stripped back, Jackson, seems to fully reflect the emotional maturity of the song and deliver it with an emotional quotient that suggests he's live the piece, not just sing it. That American gothic resonating with a delivery that hangs a note like a gallows. It shows that Luke Jackson, can reflect other's feelings as deeply as songs he's penned himself. NK
Sharon Lazibyrd - Quand Je Vois Le Mond
lazibyrd.wixsite.com/sharon-lazibyrd
Despite a French title, "Quand Je Vois Le Mond"(When I See The World) is predominantly recorded in English and in a style that sits somewhere between chanson and music hall, Sharon Lazibyrd lines up the corruption of political systems around the world, faux nationalism that covers up billionaire interference and greed and aims at them with both barrels. It's a song that's worthy and well informed, but sadly unlikely to be heard by the target audience NK
Sundayclub - Blue Wavek
clubsundayclub.bandcamp.com
When a band has overtones of both The Sundays & The Darlingbuds and impact at that point where slowcore runs into newwave, with more than a hint of alt.folk running through the melody, you know a band is doing something right. That band happens to be Winnipeg duo Sundayclub and Blue Wave is quite the calling card. Debut album surfaces in July, keep an eye/ear out. NK
Sad Cypress - The Other Side
sadcypress.bandcamp.com
The lead single from the EP Princess Of Cups, which also comes with a version incorporating a magical realist tale set in Cardiff's Waterloo Gardens. Sad Cypress is the nom-deplume of Welsh singer songwriter Sophie Cartmell with "The Other Side" touching on the subject of toxic relationships, note toxic not necessarily violent or controlling, it's a fascinating exploration backed by heavily strummed guitars which she contrasts with some intricate fingerpicking NK
Atticus The Ocean - Rare Magic
atticustheocean.co.uk
Not all magic is the blinding light and rolling thunder of spells launched from wands or mountain top rituals summoning old gods to do the caster's bidding. A lot magic is the awe of seeing a dolphin leap, rounding a corning to be wowed by sunset and a view or, as in Atticus The Ocean's "Rare Magic" finding the paths that liberate the mind, let realisation dawn and lkocate an inner freedom that you may have been denying yourself. NK
Mali Mae - Throne
www.facebook.com/malimaemusic
Now London based, former Royal Northern College of Music graduate, Mali Mae, lands a single that seems to have been heavily teased across community stations and internet radio, but by the Beeb as well. "Throne" is one of those songs that shows what it means to really hear a song not just listen. Listening gives you a light, poppy piece that pasts the whistle test, hearing it gives you a narrative on avoiding the panic attacks that seek to take you out of the game, it's a rare song that works so well on two contrasting levels. NK
Fatea Showcase Sessions
The Fatea Showcase Sessions are a series of downloads featuring acts that we've really enjoyed and think that more people should get the chance to hear.
Pirate is the current session and features 16 fantastic artists check out the website to find out more about them and download your copy
www.fatea-showcase-sessions.co.uk for all the artist information.
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