Beyond The 45
Singles, EPs, Downloads
The Fatea office also serves as a home for our weekly Along The Tracks show on Blues & Roots 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.
Sam Scherdel - The Answer
www.facebook.com/samscherdel
Scherdel is a Yorkshire based singer, guitarist, pianist. He has a dark husky voice and if 'The Answer' is anything to go by he is the next big thing. I'm think this is his debut but as his Twitter says he is "Starting from scratch… Loving the journey…" he clearly hasn't been around for long. The last couple of months have produced some great straight-ahead pop/rock songs, but this is the best yet. He says: "It's been a proper ride getting this song out there. Seriously years and years of tries, attempts, set-backs, heart ache, pain and often a touch of misery. But all that's worth it i hope." It is. A big production sets off his Rod Stewart meets the Stereophonics, by way of The Manics voice. Just listen to it you'll love it. TM
Lars Bygdén - Summertime
www.larsbygden.com
This is a new version of a song from his 2019 EP 'The Folk Corporation' Bygden's brittle voice has echoes of Neil Young. A Swedish singer with 4 solo albums and numerous EPS to his name this is an epic piece of Folk/Americana that starts with just voice and a picked guitar and builds to an electric guitar straight out of a spaghetti western. The bleak dusty feel is up there with anything Young has delivered in recent years and by the time the wall of sound is complete in the last verse this has turned into something precious. Far more electric than the original version. If this is where Bygden's music is headed, certainly worth following to see where he goes next. TM
Masa - Underside
www.masaband.com
Kate Bush's raised profile thanks to appearing on the soundtrack to Stranger Things makes it sound like she has been away. However her influence seems to appear in nearly every current female singers playbook, along with Tori Amos. This contemporary folk song builds to include shivering strings that Amos would recognise and a vocal part that reflects the early Bush style. It drifts along pleasantly but is not really much more than the sum of its parts. Sadly I can tell you nothing about who Masa are as I can't even find a website for them. If you're submitting music to Fatea please send some information as well. TM #Website found after some effort
David Ford & Annie Dressner - Warning Sign
www.dressnerford.comThis a gorgeous duet from a new collaboration between NYC import to the UK Dressner and "international songsmith" David Ford. Claiming a love of Simon & Garfunkel and Belle and Sebastian when talking about their new shared writing process is a good touchpoint for the sound. This is a delicate marvel of a song. There voices fit together perfectly and I'm looking forward to hearing more from them. TM
David Ford - Just Like You (feat. Annie Dressner)
www.davidfordmusic.com/
And here is that "more". A single released under Ford's own banner, with Dressner contributing to the vocals. A very different prospect to 'Warning Sign', all jangly guitars and tight percussion. A pop song more than folk, with harmonica and organ filling up the sound. Ford's words approach an familiar subject from a new angle. "Maybe I'm just like you and I'm sick of all these ridiculous things I do. Maybe you're just like me and we fall apart so expertly. Maybe we can just agree that I'm gonna lean on you and you can lean on me. And I won't ever wanna be with someone not like you" If Kirsty McColl had sung with Crowded House the results would have sounded not unlike this, and that's a good thing. TM
Cormac O'Caoimh - There Must Be A Catch
www.cormacocaoimh.net/
A gentle Indie pop song from the Cork based Singer. He ponders on a subject we've all thought about at some point. "The good days outnumber the bad. The time for thinking talking about sad times has past. The cold still comes, but the fire's on. I hope it lasts long. I hope it lasts long". "I've been thinking life's not so bad at last. There must be a catch". A simple arrangement with Aoife Regan's vocals giving the song a Prefab Sprout flavour. 'There Must Be A Catch' seems to be a typical observational song, and his EP '7 Singles: 2020-2021' contains at least one more gem in 'When My Kids Grow Too Old To Hold Hands'. An artist to explore if like me you who I haven't come across him before. TM
Chris Antonik - Waves of Stone (feat. Jarekus Singleton)
www.chrisantonik.com
Opening with one of the best snarling guitar sounds I've heard in a long time, this Bluesy song is close to Black Crowes territory, but with an added grungy bite. A guitar solo with some Bonnamassa connections seems to be shared between Antonik and Jarekus Singleton is still individual enough to make his sound unique. Two plays of this were enough to find the album that is trailing, 'Morningstar' to go straight onto my Bandcamp wishlist. The psychedelic sections build the tension for that brilliant guitar tone to dive back in. He's touring in the UK in November, and the local dates is in the diary. TM
Luí Lom - Luí Lom/ Mar is Miann Leam
luilom.bandcamp.com/music
Luí Lom is a collaborative project featuring Scottish & Irish musicians Ríona Sally Hartman, Alasdair C Whyte, Ross Whyte & Cian Mac Cárthaigh. This is a double A-Side release featuring two quite different pieces. 'Luí Lom' Is a piano lead ballad, almost a lullaby. 'Mar is Miann Leam' is a fuller more modern sound, with bits of Clannad about the sound. As well as mixing different musical genres, both songs switch seamlessly between Ríona Sally Hartman's Gaeilge (Irish Gaelic) and Alasdair C Whyte's Gàidhlig (Scots Gaelic) vocals. The aim of this project is to cast a light on the new, innovative and exciting styles of music being produced in both languages and to encourage more collaboration between Scottish & Irish artists in the future Both songs are interesting with the 6 minute long 'Mar is Miann Leam' being given the room to stretch out. Great stuff. TM
Kitten Pyramid - Road Hog
kittenpyramid.co.uk
The band name and title might make you think that this is going to be a hard rock banger. In fact it's Burton-On-Trent pop-proggers Kitten Pyramid delicate piano and acoustic guitar led single ahead of a new album 'KOOZY!!', due out soon. An intriguing piece that picks its way through a lyric that considers the delights of roadkill for Christmas dinner. Best of all you can download it for free from their website at the time of writing so no excuse to not sample the slightly odd but strangely compelling world of Kitten Pyramid. TM
Beth Orton - Weather Alive
bethortonofficial.com
Orton's music continues to be a thing of beauty. This is title track of her first album for six years. Her voice is a little more broken than on her early records. Time catches up with all of us I guess, but this adds to the air of fragility to this song. This is the first album she has produced entirely on her own, but has brought in a few collaborators that add a chamber Jazz feel to this song. The album arrives in September and If this ethereal wonder is typical, I can't wait. TM
Paul Alexander Low - Everyday Hero
www.paulalexanderlow.com/home
Low describes 'Everyday hero' as "my tribute to my hero- my dad Richard Alexander and all other dad's out there". Having landed on the corporate career conveyor belt after university he has shifted his focus to his music career in recent years. His song writing style has matured working with other people, and has left him a competent piece from the soft rock end of Americana. Claiming comparisons with Bryan Adams and train he is certainly working in their part of the forest and this will appeal to fans of that type of American inspired rock. TM
Fritillaries - Lost My Mind (Radio Edit)
fritillaries.uk
Fritillaries are a Bristol-based folk and Americana duo, playing original songs on guitar, mandolin and banjo. They have made music together since childhood and have traded as Rainy Day Woman until now. The name change came about because "being forever tied to a Bob Dylan song is pretty basic and quite limiting, plus it makes finding us on the internet needlessly difficult". Hannah Pawson and Gabriel Wynne produce a delicate gentle sound from guitar, mandolin and strings. 'Lost My Mind' is about depression, love and hope. Hannah wrote the song in the first lockdown "as a self-soothing call to connection at a time of traumatic isolation". Their album is due out late in July and is another one for the eagerly awaited list. TM
Nick Edward Harris - Second Chances
www.nickedwardharris.com
The press release that came with Nick Edward Harris single says this "is a song about the dualities and unpredictable juxtapositions that lie in our collective unconscious". The Banjo line that counterpoint the voice is an unusual touch. The arrangement feels rather crowded, and his dark voice, a bit like a gospelly John Martyn ends up a bit lost. Having said that while there is a lot going on it all adds to the tune so I'm sure he knew what he was dong in creating the layered textures to this song. It would be interesting to hear this live which is probably played much more simply. TM
Clara Tracey - Baby Witch
www.facebook.com/msclaratraceysmusic
"Baby Witch tries to capture the hedonistic feeling of falling in love and the danger of letting yourself fly so high" according to Tracey. There is an upbeat, optimistic feel to the shuffle beat and keyboard fanfare that flow through the song. There is also a definite French feel to it, so it comes as no surprise to find that she divides her time between Dubin and Paris. She does claim influence from Gainsbourg and Birkin, and lyrical inspiration from Anais Nin and Colette. There are touches of people like Beth Orton in the sound, but her voice is lighter and the playful vocal here suits the subject matter just fine. TM
Ampersand - Call Me
www.hereisampersand.com
Ampersand; a five piece group based in North London fusing elements of folk, rock, jazz and classical music. The tremolo guitar that supports this song gives it a slightly baroque feel to it.. Saying that there's "is a music that doesn't shy away from antiquity, but rather embraces all musical history as a source of inspiration" just about covers it. There is a bit of late period Talk-Talk to the sound and main writer Mark Young has produced a folk psyche sound that is at home in 2022 but feels like 1966. Some of their other songs have more of a seventies feel, but all of them have the mark of quality about them. Another new favourite band. TM
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.
Corsair 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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