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.
Cerys Hafana - The Wife Of Usher's Well
www.ceryshafana.com
Cerys Hafana is a Welsh composer and multi-instrumentalist who says she "mangles, mutates, and transforms traditional music". Starting with a traditional north country tune she has lightly modernised it with vocal drones and some distant found sounds in exactly the way she suggests without overdoing the different for the sake of it style of some contemporary folk. An artist to investigate further from listening to this. TM
The Blackcoats - Winter
www.musicglue.com/blackcoatsuk
The acoustic duo of Luke Whitteron and Luke Bushby have a 60s folk pop feel to their writing and harmonies. This up-tempo tune come across at times like a less strident Proclaimers. Well written, well sung and played. I'm sure they are a great live act and just the thing to arm up a winter evening out. Listening to a few of their other songs, this is typical of their good quality output. Definitely worth sampling their music in more depth. TM
Page Of Swords - Ravens And Crows
thispageofswords.bandcamp.com
We've reviewed Page of Swords here before, and this is another darker folk tune. Ian Mitchell has a very effective way with a spine-tingling lyric. "You remain a constant source of hope as I entertain a metre's worth of rope." Bleak certainly and as he says, "it's not a disco banger." The video and artwork from Caitlin Helm are also great. TM
Fya Fox - Duvet Day
www.facebook.com/FYAFOXBelfast singer FYA Fox is very much in the Taylor Swift school pf confessional words over a jittery dance pop beat. The song, however, is a step ahead of many of the Taylor-lite singers emerging currently. She has a sense of her own style and while this is clearly a fairly low budget production, she has made a virtue of that and created a song that should get her noticed by radio and record labels. A career begins… TM
All The Bees - Wild Flowers
allthebees.co.uk
A slightly 60s feel runs through this new single from the Irish singer songwriter. He describes it as "a song I wrote about a future daughter. It is somewhat a time-capsule song, something I will show Juni in about 10-20 years' time". Violin gives the tune a folk feel at odds with the indie rock sound of the rest of the tune. I'm sure his daughter will be well pleased with this being named after her when she gets to hear it. TM
Marry Waterson & Adrian Crowley - Undear Sphere
marrywaterson.bandcamp.com
"Marry Waterson - an essential part of the fabric of folk history in England - and Adrian Crowley- one of Ireland's most acclaimed talents - collaborate for the first time on 'Cuckoo Storm,' a distinctive and powerfully lyrical album of 11 original songs produced with Jim Barr". And this is the first single form the album due in January. And if you imagined Portishead (who Barr was involved with) taking on Country folk it would end up where this song is. Their radically different voices blend brilliantly, and the surprise sax solo at the end set this apart from the norm. If the album comes close to the single, we could have a 2024 album of the year contender already among us. TM
Craig McMorrow and Colin Andrew- Not Okay
www.craigmcmorrow.com
The word anthemic tends to be overused, but it's the only one for this driving indie rock tune. The horns add a soul twist that punches a good song into greatness. Described as rising stars on the Edinburgh music scene, they have brought us a fine song that hopefully translates into more recording and an album… Please. TM
Matt Owens - One For The Grapes
www.mattowensmusic.com
Matt Ownes and his band the Delusional Vanity Project have a regular gig at Bath pub The Grapes. Having witnessed their electrifying shows on several occasions they are a band you need to catch if they come to your town. Owens lists off some life's great pleasures, of gig life, including "a nice cold beer and old guitar". With another star live act Robert Vincent on Harp this is absolutely one to make the trip to Westgate Street to hear. His last album was one of the highlights of 2022. With a new one on the way, this will keep us entertained until it arrives, which can't come soon enough. TM
Jeffrey Martin- Sculptor
www.jeffreymartinmusic.com
Another product of the vibrant Portland Oregon music scene Martin has a one-of-a-kind voice that suits this gentle song just fine. From new album Thank God We Left The Garden, which is almost totally a solo adventure, and (spoiler alert) is one of the best of the last few months. TM
Luke Morley - Errol Flynn
www.lukemorleyonline.com
Luke Morley's Songs from the Blue Room was one of the pleasant surprises of 2023. Thunder have been on the mainstays of UK rock for so long that a shift into Americana on his solo album was unexpected. The quality of the song writing, and injections of humour should not have been. This tribute to the screen stars of old was always one of the highlights and picking it out as a single gives more people the chance to hear it and discover the album. TM
Ana Moura - La Vai Ela
www.anamoura.pt/homeAna Moura is one of Portugal's biggest stars, taking the Fado folk of the country and making it accessible to a modern audience. This is a great point of entry to the emotional intensity of the best Fado singers mixed with an EDM tune that complements but doesn't overwhelm the song. TM
Hurray For The Riff Raff - Alibi
www.hurrayfortheriffraff.com
Alynda Segarra says of her new tune "Alibi' is a plea, a last-ditch effort to get through to someone you already know you're gonna lose." Written shortly after the death of Segarra's father this is a heartfelt son that is up there with the best of Hurray for the Riff raff's work to date. Nothing especially new to be found here, but as a taster for the forthcoming album The Past Is Still Alive an indication that it will match their previous great work. TM
Bluenose B - Raise A Glass
modernpolymath.bandcamp.com
Folk Rock with a hint of Bob Dylan circa the Rolling Thunder tour this is Liverpudlian songwriter Stephen Lawson's latest in journey that has been ongoing since the 80s. The fiddle drives this along and the well-worn label "anthemic" needs to be brought out again. In common with so much of his music this needs careful listening and reflecting on. Save this one up for New Year's Eve.
Seán R McLaughlin & The Wind-Up Crows - Feathers
www.windupcrows.com
A mix of bits of Americana with more traditional folk. The football chant vocals that arrive later in the song make this a real sing along song. Mandolin, fiddle, and stomping drums make this a folk song with a modern touch that doesn't lose the feel of something that could have been around for ages. The Bluegrass mandolin feature at the end adds a different flavour. Good, in fact very good. TM
Neev - Forever Time
www.facebook.com/neevdmusic
Pastoral contemporary folk that she describes as an example of her "sad girl tunes." At first sounding insubstantial, once you've given her a bit of time to get under your skin this turns out to be a gentle beguiling beauty of a song. The instrumental B side reveals a depth to the arrangement that makes it worth listening to alongside the vocal version. Lovely. TM
Yvonne Lyon - Entwined/ We Were Not Made For The Shadows
www.yvonnelyonmusic.com
Having shared stages with Eddie Reader, Patti Griffin, and Karine Polwart you might expect Yvonne Lynn to have a similar style, which she does. This single's download proceeds will be donated to DNIPRO KIDS, a Scottish charity established in 2005 to help care for Ukrainian orphans. Entwined is an intense ballad, while We Were Not Made For The Shadows is a more upbeat country tune that recalls Kirsty McColl at her best. 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.
Folk Friday Radio
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