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.
Seafoam Green - Yesterday's Wine
www.seafoamgreenband.com
With a sound that has a delightful throwback to the likes of Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood, americana duo Seafoam Green follow up their "Yesterday's Wine" single with a four tracker of the same name. Whilst they may have missed a trick by not doing a 45 vinyl EP, it's the only thing they seem to have missed as they pretty much stole everything else, starting with the show. As Dave and Muireann highlight with "Down At The Races", this is not just fine high octane romps, this is emotional ballads and wrenched hearts to boot. NK
St Catherine's Child - Every Generation
stcatherineschild.net/home
St Catherine's Child, otherwise known as Ilana Zsigmond says of her new single: "I know musicians say that something is their most personal work relatively often, and they mean it. It's really hard to make music in this kind of genre without it containing a significant piece of your soul". This enchanting country folk song carries reminders or lots of different singer/songwriters without ever sounding like anyone other than herself. A deeply personal song about her late father that also reflects her current home in Liverpool. "Every generation, for better or worse, makes the same mistakes, but when I miss him, this town, this music, and everything he passed down to me in my blood, is the biggest comfort in the world." Magical song. TM
Morganway - World Stopped Running
www.morganway.co.uk
From the rock end of Americana Morganway are a dynamic live act, with their impressive 6-part harmonies and high energy show. Those qualities are all on show in this song. The mix of pop harmonies and fiddle over their typical rock backbeat makes this the ideal way to get to know the band. Make sure to catch them on the festival circuit this summer to be converted to the wonders of Morganway. TM
Erin K - Keep Her
www.facebook.com/ErinKMusic
Erin K "is an Antifolk artist. Her music is quirky heart-felt and touching." This single from her upcoming album Sink to Swin, did appear in a different form on an earlier album. Now it has been given a makeover that recalls 60s French pop. You can hear France Gall circa 1968 in the bubbly beat and delicately picked guitar. She ahs just finished a tour in Italy and promises dates in the UK and I'll certainly be in the queue to her breezy folk pop on a warm summer evening. TM
Stem - Unsung Hero
www.facebook.com/StEmDuoAcoustic duo StEm have been praised on our singles reviews previously and were recently featured in Fatea's Listen Up look at some of the emerging artists of the acoustic roots & folk circuit. This is another excellent acoustic folk song benefitting from Emma's delightful singing. Having learnt from the Listen Up feature that they are both relative newcomers to guitar playing and writing makes the quality of all the music we have heard from them even more remarkable. TM
The Camans - The Banks Of Inverary
www.facebook.com/thecamans
The Banks Of Inverary, (or Inverurie) ahs been recorded many times, and now Craig MacIntyre, who leads The Camans and is actually from Inverary, has produced a stunning new version. Pipes, fiddles, and guitar blend beautifully together and the whole song has a feel of windswept Loch shores and wide-open spaces. As good a traditional Scottish folk song as you will hear this year. TM
Caitlin LM - Evergreen
www.caitlinlm.com
Caitlin LM's "ethereal vocals and pulsating synths form a sense of groundedness and optimism". Ethereal is the right word. The ambient washes of sound and flute (presumably electronic) solo set up the second half of the song with Cello and Violin. Listening back to her earlier work on Bandcamp finds a considerable talent in this Manchester based writer and producer. She claims Bonobo and Thom Yorke as influences, and they need to watch out. Caitlin LM will be challenging them soon. TM
Lee Swtitzer-Woolf - Yucatan
leeswitzerwoolfmusic.com
Lo-fi electronics, with a basic drum machine beat. Lee Switzer-Woolf's latest single from forthcoming album Annihilation Signals is modern folk music. With other songs called I Only Talk to God When I Think I'm Dying and Tried and Tested Acts of Separation, the wonderfully oblique lyrics of Yucutan come as no surprise. "Show me where the world dissipates, I'm packing up and heading, for some abstract state. I'm cutting ties, I'm drifting into space". Looking forward to hearing the rest of the album keenly. TM
Jaime Michaels - Angelus
www.jaimemichaels.com
The album How To Shine will be Jaime Michaels 11th full length release, although he's a new name to me. This virtuoso Banjo led song has a warmth and intimacy of the best American Folk music and the lyricism of Dylan. Confusingly it also appears on a 2002 album called Angelus, although I think this is a new recording. Whatever, Michales music is something I will be investigating further as he's a great singer and writer. TM
Little Fox - Magpie Heart
onelittlefox.com/home
LittleFox is a Vancouver-based band featuring the music of singer and multi-instrumentalist Alison Jenkins. Ghost In This House is a new EP with this song as its lead single. her music is Appalachian folk with the Clawhammer Banjo dominating the sparse tune. Jenkins voice has the clarity of Linda Ronstadt without the saccharin feel. Beautiful acoustic music that grabs you from the first listen. TM
Aisha Badru - Path Of Least Resistance
aishabadru.com
A piece of the purest soul music you could wish for. Badru's breathy bluesy vocal delivery is matched by the relaxed groove of the music. This has the epic quality of the best Stax ballads from 50 years ago. The word languid was invented for this gorgeous song. The lyrics pose a series of questions but the main one is why haven't I come across her before? This is impossible to play just once, in fact… TM
Gregory Page - The World's Gone Mad
www.gregorypage.com/
Gregory Page is an international performing songwriter whose music time travels from the distant past into the imagined future. His forthcoming new album, Modern Man was co-produced by Jason Mraz. The World's Gone Mad "struggles to make sense of the nonsense pervading daily life in these confounding times". The music sounds 60s at one turn, 1982 electronic pop the next, a brilliant mixed-up tune, to go with a crazy mixed up world. TM
Exit Stage Left - Piece Of Gold
www.facebook.com/ExitStageLeftofficial
I didn't imagine the band name is accident when the first notes kicked in (Rush live album = Exit Stage left). And it comes as no surprise to find they are also a Rush tribute act. I'm pretty sure this is an original song, and it is a strong performance. They have also appeared on a Rush tribute album playing Red Barchetta. If you like Rush, you will like this. The musicianship lives up to the twists and turns of their Canadian heroes and is well worth a play. TM
Daniel Gunn - Hold Me Back
www.facebook.com/danielgunnmusic
This mostly acoustic number is Gunn's debut single and has a touch a of the quieter bits Pearl Jam to it. An impressive debut that shows more than a little promise. Describing his writing as honest and raw, he clearly sees himself in the song writing tradition of people like Eddie Vedder and Neil Young and there's no reason why he won't make an impression on this first offering. TM
DiElle - Keep It Simple
www.facebook.com/diellemusicuk
Fatea singles column favourite Di Elle has turned her One Girl, One Guitar EPs into an album and this is the latest single from it. The mantra of her music has been keep it simple all the way through the run of singles we have enjoyed since last year, and this is no exception. A simple tune simply played and well sung. What more do you need? If we haven't persuaded you to get on board yet then catch up quick. TM
Jono Manson - The Further Adventures Of Goat Boy And The Clown
www.jonomanson.com
Best known as a producer, Manson also offers his own music and this Stones-like brass powered blues is the latest. His Kitchen Sink studio has hosted some great albums and the confidence to produce this sort of swaggering blues rock number is born of huge experience. The album that this song comes from, Stars Enough To Guide Me, is full of classic songs. No Depression Magazine "Manson attacks the high art of low-rent songcraft with a paid assassin's precision." What they said. TM
Harp & A Monkey - Travelling Salesman
www.harpandamonkey.com
From a new project, The Extraordinary Ordinary that will explore everyday experiences and emotions. Travelling Salesman will speak to every one of us who have ever sat in a traffic jam questioning our life choices. Traditional instrumentation, but totally contemporary themes, and looking forward to hearing more in the same vein. TM
Daisy Chute - Women
www.daisychute.com
The brilliant Daisy Chute returns with a song from upcoming EP Maiden, Mother, Crone. Each song will detail women's experiences and are very personal to Chute as the impassioned performance here ably shows. Having seen her play earlier this year I can promise you one of the best live Folk Music experiences currently available if you venture out to see her. TM
Euan Blackman - Bad Things
www.facebook.com/euanblackmanmusic
"Bad Things is a driving indie folk song that fully showcases Euan's lyrical and production prowess. It also features a Mayer-esque soaring guitar solo. Citing the cult-classic Nebraska by Bruce Springsteen as one of the main influences" on him currently. It does indeed have the epic quality of that Album form The Boss and the brief guitar solo is a thing of beauty, for it's restraint as much as its skill. TM
Bernadette Morris - Fanore
www.bernadettemorris.com
Fanore is a small village in County Clare, on the west coast of Ireland. Listening to Morris's song of [raise to the wild west coast of Ireland is enough to make you get straight on a plane. Traditionally styled this duet with Matt McGinn is better than 1000 tourist board ads. "Writing with Matt was a delight, together I think we managed to capture the beauty and magic of Fanore and I hope it transports anyone listening there, no matter how far away they may be." It does. 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.
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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