Tag: Wales

Secret Postal Society and Guy Challenger release new charity EP “Embrace the Fear”

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews7 Comments

Welsh indie artists Secret Postal Society and Guy Challenger have teamed up to create a wonderful little EP titled Embrace The Fear to help raise funds for the UK youth suicide prevention charity PAPYRUS. The EP contains four tracks consisting of two songs – “Embrace” by Guy Challenger and “The Fear” by Secret Postal Society, along with alternate versions of each song recorded by the other artist.

Secret Postal Society is the music project of singer-songwriter, composer and multi-instrumentalist Craig Mapstone. In addition to being a hard-working and talented musician and songwriter, Craig is also thoughtful, generous and kind, and I’m quite fond of him on both a personal and professional level. He was fairly active in the South Wales music scene, writing songs and playing in various local bands for several years, primarily as a drummer. But like every other musician, when the Covid pandemic hit in 2020 he was stuck at home with a lot of time on his hands, so late that year, he decided to focus on his music. He created Secret Postal Society as his outlet, and challenged himself to write, record and release a new original song for every week of 2021. Amazingly, he achieved his goal, ultimately putting out 53 songs, including two Christmas-themed tracks, along with a video to accompany each single, as well as original artwork for each month’s four-track bundle! (I wrote about this herculean effort here.)

Once that monumental effort was finished, he took over as host of the Welsh Connections Playlist radio show for a couple of years, and along with his friends Mike Kennedy and Kaysha Louvain, created TIWN Media and TIWN PR & Plugging, which also produces and monthly magazine featuring news, reviews and articles about independent artists from Wales and beyond. He now works for Mental Health First Aid Wales and continues to release music as Secret Postal Society, both as a solo act and in collaboration with other artists. His beautiful single “Autumn Leaves” has spent the past three months on my Top 30 chart, and currently sits at #3.

Photo by Barry Hill

Guy Challenger is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist based in Swansea. Largely inspired by the works of Daniel Johnston, Guy creates sublime, often melancholic acoustic songs touching on issues like emotional well-being and mental health. A prolific artist as well, he’s released a lot of music over the past few years, including a 24-track album Appearances this past December, two EPs earlier in the year, and an album Patina in 2023. As if all that weren’t enough, he also plays drums with Swansea garage rock band The Vandrells.

Photo by Adam

The first track on the EP is Secret Postal Society’s recording of “Embrace“, which originally appeared on Guy’s 2023 album Patina. This SPS version is languid and atmospheric, with a somewhat melancholy feel, and more than twice as long as Guy’s original. And whereas Guy’s version features primarily acoustic guitar, Craig employs gentle droning synths accompaned by a crisp percussive beat and jangly guitar notes, punctuated with some terrific rock guitar riffs. He injects a few muted shouts at one point into his smooth vocal delivery, which creates a nice bit of tension as he sings “Does everybody feels like this? Does everybody lie with the devil? If everybody feels like this, why don’t we all cry out as one?/ We’re helpless and we’re desperate. But I’ll try to tie all of this together, and embrace the bad weather.”

Guy has also recorded a new version of his wonderful original, which now sounds more vibrant with the addition of what sounds like subtle string synths accompanying his urgently-strummed acoustic guitar. His lovely vocals are filled with emotion as he sings his heartfelt lyrics about letting go of our fears and trying to find some peace of mind amid the chaos.

Secret Postal Society’s “The Fear” was originally released in September 2021 and has been remixed and remastered by Brandon Green, a Texas-based musician and producer he’s collaborated with several times. (Brandon mastered all four tracks on the EP.) His version is a compelling, guitar-driven pop/rock song about the challenges of maintaining honest and open communication in a relationship, expressed in the poignant lyrics: “Ask me no questions, I’ll tell you no lies. I’ll give you the answers in my own time. I thought I was ready, I guess that I was wrong. But nobody’s perfect, just look in their eyes. We all play our part in the great disguise. I wanted to hide, but I found my mask was gone. As I lay here it’s taking me over./ Again I feel the fear building up all around me in here.” Craig is a terrific guitarist, and I love his spirited riffs throughout the track.

Guy reimagines the song in his own acoustic style, giving it a totally different but equally marvelous treatment. His beautiful guitar work, an intricate combination of strumming and finger-picking techniques, is positively sublime. His plaintive vocals nicely convey the wrenching emotions expressed in Craig’s lyrics.

In their press release for the Embrace The Fear, the guys explain: “The overall message of the EP is to follow your heart, listen to the goodness in the world and bloom in adversity by not letting the difficulties of the past stop you from achieving your potential. Embrace those fears, forgive those fears, let those fears go. Then forge ahead stronger, confident and fearless.” I think it’s pretty brilliant how Craig and Guy have combined their two songs into a coherent and relatable narrative, and for a great cause no less!

Embrace The Fear is available for download on Bandcamp through Rushed Records, with 100% of the proceeds going to the charity PAPYRUS, one of the leading youth suicide prevention charities in the UK. Their suicide prevention helpline, HOPELINE274, is staffed by trained suicide prevention advisers, who work with young people – and anybody concerned for a young person – to help keep them safe from suicide.

SET THE TONE – Single Review: “Here We Go Again”

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews8 Comments

Set the Tone is a pop/rock band from Pontypridd, Wales (the home of legendary singer Tom Jones) that I recently learned about when their bassist Kage Jones reached out to me about possibly featuring them on my blog. From what I can tell, they appear to be a fairly new band, as they began posting to their Facebook and Instagram accounts this past April, to coincide with the release of their first songs “Happy” and “Take This Chance”. In addition to Kage, Set the Tone is comprised of Liam Richards on acoustic guitar and vocals, Nate Jones on electric guitar and Dan Hayman on electric guitar and backing vocals.

With their winning combination of an infectious and pleasing sound that melds elements of classic and contemporary rock, folk and pop, intelligent songwriting, and high-energy performances and charismatic stage presence, the guys have quickly built a loyal following in South Wales. The moment I listened to their latest single “Here We Go Again“, I liked it immediately and knew I wanted to write about them.

The song starts off almost folk-like with a lovely little acoustic riff that’s soon joined by soothing strings, shimmery electric guitar and assertive drumbeats as Liam sings with a heartfelt earnestness. The instrumentation is outstanding throughout, and I love the the warm vocal harmonies. Everything builds to a stirring anthemic crescendo in the final chorus, making for a song that’s incredibly satisfying – that feeling you get when a song just hits you in all the right spots.

The poignant lyrics describe a contentious relationship in which a couple continue going round and round, fighting then making up without ever resolving their deeper-seated problems: “Here we go again, falling out the wrong side of the bed. An argument that just won’t seem to end. Then we’ll all pretend everything’s alright. Forget about it, all go out tonight. We knew it would just end up in a fight.“

I’m impressed at the fine songwriting and musicianship of Set the Tone, and if they continue delivering the level of quality shown in the four songs they’ve released thus far, they’ll have a bright future indeed.

Set the Tone’s Socials:  Facebook / Instagram / TikTok

Find their music on  Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube / Amazon Music 

GG FEARN – Single Review: “Permanent Record”

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews2 Comments

As a now old man, I’m continually astonished at how time seems to fly by at an ever-faster clip the older I get. With that in mind, I can hardly believe it was over five years ago that I featured Welsh singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist GG Fearn on this blog when I reviewed her terrific EP Black Mirror. Only 18 years old at that time, she already possessed a level of talent and maturity beyond her years that really impressed me.

GG (short for Georgia) started writing songs and learning to play the guitar and piano at the age of ten, then began busking at 12, which gradually gave her confidence as both a vocalist and performer. Influenced by some of her favorite acts like Fiona Apple, Kate Bush, Radiohead, Kendrick Lamar and Melanie Martinez, as well as her love for pop music of all kinds, GG crafts songs that are not only melodic and catchy, but also lyrically compelling. Quite the wordsmith, she pens thoughtful and frank lyrics about life and the darker aspects inherent in many of us, which she expresses with a lovely voice brimming with character, sophistication and vulnerability.

In the five years since the release of Black Mirror, GG earned a law degree from Cambridge University, during which time she put her music career on hold. Now 23 and her intensive studies behind her, she can now concentrate on both earning a living and creating music again, and to that effect, she’s just released a new single “Permanent Record“, her first new music in five years. It was worth the wait, as the song is equal parts lush, captivating and dark. I love the dreamy atmospheric synths, luscious guitar notes, soaring orchestral strings and strong percussive beats, all of which create a hauntingly beautiful cinematic soundscape. GG’s smooth, vibrant vocals are seductive and lovely as she sings of the dangers of revealing too much about ourselves on the internet, all of which can become a permanent record of our thoughts and activities that might possibly be used against us.

In an interview with Oxford University’s independent newspaper The Oxford Blue, GG touched on her inspiration behind “Permanent Record”: “I wrote it because I read Edward Snowdon’s biography, [which] I really enjoyed. I did Law so all the privacy implications and stuff like that were cool. I went down a horrible rabbit hole for weeks just watching documentaries about whistleblowers and surveillance – I was turning into a twitter conspiracy theorist! I think when people listen to it, whatever they feel or think about, that’s what I want them to take out of it. Liking it or not, agreeing with it or not, understanding what I’m saying or not, I just want them to get what they get out of it. I think that’s what’s really important about listening to music for me. Projecting me and my inner emotional landscape onto what I create. That’s all art really is.“

Start scaling the ceiling
Start digging the hole
Start peeling the paint from the walls
Start paying the toll
You got a visit from the debt collector
Been a naughty boy
Now they found out the company you keep
And they know how to destroy

The world's ablaze, count the days
Is anybody keeping score?
A modern maze
And still we stay in 1984

Start hiding your history
Start secreting your spawn
Start stashing your secrets 
Cause baby you're just a pawn
Tangled in a web of our own making
As the soldiers form
And they tell us that we're doing fine
Calm precursors the storm

The world's ablaze, count the days
Is anybody keeping score?
A modern maze
And still we stay in 1984

Your whole life is up on a billboard
Now you've got a permanent record
Watch what you type on your keyboard
Now you've got a permanent record

The world's ablaze, count the days
Is anybody keeping score?
A modern maze
And still we stay in 1984

GG’s Socials: Facebook / X / Instagram / TikTok

Find her music on Spotify / Apple Music / Amazon Music / YouTube / deezer

MR BEWLAY – Single Review: “Honey”

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews11 Comments
Photo by Ewa Palka

Hailing from Cardiff, Wales is art pop artist Mr Bewlay, who on the strength of his singular creative talent, unorthodox musical approach, charismatic personality and flamboyant performances, has built a loyal following in Wales and beyond. He began his foray into the arts on the stage, honing his performance skills in such classics as West Side Story, A View From A Bridge and A Streetcar Named Desire. He later transitioned to music under the mentorship and guidance of the Forte Project, a highly respected Wales-based artist development program.

He self-released his debut single “Project Blue Team” in June 2019, and in the years since has dropped many more singles, as well as two EPs, Electric Reason in 2022 and Black Reason in 2023, the first two installments of his Reason Trilogy. Late last year, Mr Bewlay signed with the Welsh indie music label Dirty Carrot and began writing and recording songs for his forthcoming third EP of the trilogy, Against All Reason. The first single from the EP, the Depeche Mode-esque “Worst of All Women”, was released in March, and on June 21st, he dropped the second single “Honey“. When his label reached out to me about the song, I liked it instantly, and am eager to share it with my readers.

Recorded with Cardiff-based producer Lee House and guitars by musician Shish, “Honey” is a sweet pop song of love and adoration. Starting with a irresistibly sensuous and funky bass groove, Mr Bewlay and company layer breezy synths, lush piano keys and richly textured guitars, all of which create an intoxicating backdrop for his colorful emotive vocals. Sprinkled throughout the track are wonderful little touches like whistling and what sounds like a triangle instrument. I love the exuberant anthemic choruses in which Mr Bewlay’s vocals are backed by lilting female voices.

The cheeky lyrics are directed toward a romantic partner, describing the singer’s feelings of passion and desire with equal amounts of naughty and nice:

I’ll be your cardiac arrest
Steal the focus of your breath
Last night we danced in silver rooms
Spinning you round the open lights
Drowning in my eyes
I’ll be your prophet divine
Scream your feelings to the sky
Cos’ honey I like you
Honey the taste of you

Now call my bluff
And fall into my arms

Start to lose your breath
Feel the world in our embrace
I kiss that part you said you like
Shockwave through your spine
Made you come into the room
The focus you instilled
Could push through ennui

All that it took
Was this icy moment's look
You cast a penetrating thought
Vibrations through the void
And every woman, every man
Had a spell cast on their minds
Throughout the globe

Now call my bluff
Fall into my arms
And all of my love
Falls to dust

Let me lay
Lie, in your honey
Let me lay
And lie, in your honey
All that it took was a momentary look

And here’s the song on Soundcloud:

Mr Bewlay’s Socials: Facebook / X / Instagram / TikTok

Find his music on Spotify / Apple Music / Soundcloud / Bandcamp / YouTube 

HEAD NOISE – Album Review: “Twisted Histories”

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews5 Comments

One of the more unusual and zany acts I’ve gotten to know through blogging about music is South Wales-based electro/art punk band Head Noise, who describe themselves as “purveyors of post-apocalyptic synthpop, spitting out angsty garbage about junk culture, broken technology and modern art!” Comprised of the insanely creative Mitchell Tennant (primitive keyboards & shouting), Wayne Bassett (guitar & synths), Jordan Brill (more guitar & synths), and Andrew Topper Walsh (drums & percussion), their delightfully quirky brand of oddball synth punk sounds like what you’d expect from the love child of Devo, The Vapors and Dr. Demento, with Weird Al Yankovic as creative advisor. On the strength of their music, as well as their wildly entertaining live shows, complete with colorful costumes and props, they’ve amassed quite a loyal following throughout Wales and Southwest England.

They’ve released a fair amount of music since 2018, starting with their debut EP Microwave, quickly followed by a second EP Special Effects Improves the Defects. A year later, they dropped their first full-length Über​-​Fantastique, which they followed in 2021 with the EP Consequential Quasars! (which I reviewed) as well as a Christmas EP Gristled Toes & Whine, featuring such gems as “I Wanna Eat Yule Log” and “Brussel Spout Ketchup”. 2022 saw the release of their brilliant EP SCRAM (which I also reviewed), followed in 2023 with their mini-LP Metric Squid. Now they’re back with their second album Twisted Histories, a brilliant and often hilarious concept work “about obscenely warped moments from the past, as well as the terrifying dystopian future that awaits us, all mangled together into a time contorting mess!“

The album kicks off with “Primordial Soup“, which also just so happens to be the name of the band’s own signature artisinal hot sauce (which you can buy here). To a driving techno synth groove overlain with jagged riffs, thumping drums and spacey sci-fi flourishes, Tennant croons the not so savory lyrics about the origin of man: “Enamored by biological waste and mixed together into a soluble paste. A beak, and fins, and blood and pus, that is the general consensus. Primordial soup, makes me want to puke“, accompanied by a chorus of impish vocals.

“Sheer Buccaneer!” is a fun, synth-fueled nod to the seafaring pirates who explored and plundered their way around the world as they sailed the seven seas. And the delightful “Doin’ Science” continues on the theme first introduced 42 years ago by Thomas Dolby on his 1982 new wave classic “She Blinded Me With Science”. Head Noise name checks many of the groundbreaking pioneers in science and technology, including Einstein, Copernicus, Edison and Tesla. The wonderful video, filmed by Rosalys Anthony and Clint Thomas, directed by band member Wayne Bassett, and edited by Jordan Brill, features the guys at their zany best, making mischief in the laboratory.

The musical mayhem continues with “Tojo Head Slap“, a riotous punk romp about giving the former Japanese ruler his well-deserved comeuppance, followed by the Devo-esque “Joust! Joust! Joust!“, a frantic new wave ditty exploring the highs and lows of the medieval sport. I love the tribal drumbeats at the beginning, and what sounds like a toy piano played throughout the track. Tennant’s animated vocals sound rather diabolical as he sings “Let’s descend into the tournament for a good old round of horseplay“. And on “Mesopotamiamania“, with its wonderful bassline, he warns “In Mesopotamiamania they’ll cut off your hands. If you don’t play chess the right way, you’ll never really understand.”

One of the standouts on Twisted Histories is “L.H.O.O.Q.“, a celebration of French Dada artist Marcel Duchamp’s “ready-made” piece L.H.O.O.Q., which was a cheap postcard reproduction of Leonardo da Vinci’s early 16th-century painting Mona Lisa, onto which Duchamp drew a moustache and beard in pencil. The piece’s title is a gramogram, with the letters pronounced in French sounding like “Elle a chaud au cul”, which Duchamp loosely translated as “there is fire down below.” (Wikipedia) Musically, the song has a sophisticated and quite melodic synthpop vibe, highlighted by sparkling keyboards and an enchanting theremin.

Another favorite of mine is “Taft in the Bath“, a humorous take on the myth about American President Howard Taft becoming stuck in the White House bath tub. The myth was started when Ike Hoover, the White House’s chief usher during Taft’s presidency, mentioned it in his 1934 memoir. According to Snopes, historians have determined there’s no truth to the story, as Taft, who weighted more than 300 pounds during his presidency, had a custom-made tub installed. The lyrics are both clever and hilarious, delivered in Tennant’s signature quirky vocal style: “Without hesitancy through his presidency, William Howard Taft topped the scales eating possum and quails, in desperate need of a bath. / It’s a rumour. It’s not true. But porcelain when it meets the skin, is like a mega-molten superglue. Stuck in the tub. Another bathroom mishap.”

Head Noise continue their sonic rampage through history with the wonderful “Napoleon Blown-Apart!“, “Habsburg Gobstopper” and “History of the Future“, a lively new wave-fueled look at what the future holds, including flying cars, vacations on Mars and dinner on a microchip, none of which we’ll be able to afford. “Time Mash” closes the album on a glorious anthemic note, with the guys improbably juxtaposing people and things from vastly different time periods to clever effect: “Astronauts riding dinosaurs whizzing past the floating wreck of a mechanized Victorian town that screams of biotech. Henry VIII is shaking hands with a very stone-faced Ronald Reagan.”

One of the many striking aspects of both this album and the band itself is the fact that, not only are the guys incredibly imaginative, creative and funny, they’re also outstanding musicians. It’s also clear they had lots of fun recording this marvelous album, and I guarantee those of you with an appreciation for the wild and wacky will have a lot of fun listening to it! Head Noise will be launching Twisted Histories at a show in Cardiff on Thursday, May 30th. Details below:

The striking and colorful artwork for the album cover was created by MEATBELCH (aka Zach Williams).

Head Noise Social Media: Facebook / X / Instagram
Find their music on Bandcamp / Spotify / Apple Music / Amazon / YouTube

CAITLIN LAVAGNA – Single Review: “Gold”

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews14 Comments

It’s always a happy day when my favorite Welsh songstress Caitlin Lavagna returns with a new song to grace our eardrums, and today I’m pleased to share her electrifying new single “Gold“. Her fifth in an unbroken streak of outstanding singles that began in 2021 with her wonderful debut “How Not To Start A Fight”, “Gold” speaks to, in her own words, “Changing the narrative, owning your feelings, being brutal and upfront, not taking yourself seriously and not catching feelings.”

I adore Caitlin’s vibrant and sophisticated vocal style and honest, relatable lyrics drawn from personal experiences and heartache, and have liked every one of her songs. In addition to “How Not To Start A Fight”, I’ve also reviewed “Night Bus” and “We Lost Track” (You can read those reviews by clicking on the ‘Related’ links at the end of this post.) Both “How Not To Start A Fight” and “Night Bus” appeared on my personal Top 30 chart, the latter spending 20 weeks and peaking at #2, and also finishing at #28 on my 100 Best Songs of 2023 list.

Photo by Akta Photography

Born and raised in the picturesque Rhondda Valley of South Wales with familial roots in Gibraltar, the multi-talented and lovely singer-songwriter, musician and actress has had a life-long love for music and the arts, with a special passion for percussion and drums, as well as singing and dancing. Her music and vocal styles are heavily influenced by some of her favorite artists like Sting, Biffy Clyro, Stevie Nicks, Florence Welch, P!nk and Adele. 

In addition to writing and recording music, Caitlin is also an accomplished actress who’s performed in numerous stage musicals. Over the past year, she’s performed in the Rock and Roll Panto at Theatr Clwyd in North Wales, was invited to sing on Radio Gibraltar, and nominated for Best Female Artist at the Radio Wigwam Awards in London. She also performed in Turning The Wheel, a new musical by Kieran Bailey, and will be starring in the UK tour of Operation Julie, a prog rock psychedelic musical set in the 1970s and based on the biggest LSD drug raid in British history.

“Gold” was co-written by Caitlin and Otto Aday, and produced by Joe Rodwell. Though she often plays drums on her songs, for “Gold” they were played by Harry Ariyoshi-Pope. Caitlin recently shared her thoughts behind the song on Instagram: “This is my fifth single I have released as a solo artist. I wanted it to represent changing the narrative from being heartbroken to making a decision not to catch feelings in the first place. It’s sassy, quirky, fun and powerful. Beneath that though, it’s about being confident in making decisions for yourself and being honest about them. I added some Spanish into this track to honour my Gibraltarian roots. The phrase means ‘Life is simple, don’t complicate it’ and I think that’s a message I am taking into my life and therefore songwriting. I’m extremely proud and excited by this track and hope listeners can bop along and look forward to the many other tracks I have planned for release this year.“

While the song could be generally classified as pop, the brilliant arrangement features exuberant funk, jazz and trip-hop elements that make for a thrilling listen. I really love those wobbly, funked-up guitar notes and Ariyoshi-Pope’s spirited drumming. With her winning combination of colorful theatricality and powerhouse vocals, Caitlin lets loose with a bold and brassy delivery that occupies a sweet spot between sultry and playful, exuding a strong sense of unrestrained confidence as she sings “Gold that tastes like silver on my tongue. When all is said and done, this is only fun.” “Gold” ends with a self-satisfied laugh from Caitlin, leaving us utterly satisfied and more.

Follow Caitlin:  Facebook / X (Twitter) / Instagram

Find her music on Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube / Soundcloud

DAVID OAKES – Album Review: “Prosthetic Soul”

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews11 Comments

Hailing from the southwest coast of Wales, David Oakes is an imaginative and prolific musician and composer of electronic alternative rock music. Strongly influenced by his love of such acts as Dream Theater, Mastodon, Metallica, Therapy?, Green Day and Smashing Pumpkins, his musical output ranges from gentle synth-driven compositions to aggressive guitar-driven hard rock, though his last several works have trended toward the latter. I really like his music and have featured him on this blog many times over the past eight years (you can read some of those reviews by clicking on the links under “Related” at the end of this post).

David’s been actively involved in making music since his late teens, when he started playing in various bands. From 2001-06, he and his younger brother were members of the rock band KOTOW, for which he played drums. He went on to study guitar and music theory at the Academy of Contemporary Music in Guildford, England from 2009-12, after which he began composing music as a solo artist, all of which he records and produces himself in his little home studio setup. This drum kit is his pride and joy!

He released his first album The Juggernaut in 2014, and in the years since, has recorded and released an astonishing eleven more albums, the latest of which is Prosthetic Soul, which he released on Bandcamp on February 16th. His first new album in two years, Prosthetic Soul serves up 28 minutes of superb psychedelia-tinged melodic instrumental rock, featuring many of David’s signature electronic and guitar-heavy elements we’ve come to love and expect. But here he’s pushed himself even further, experimenting with new sounds and instrumental techniques, along with what seems to be an even greater emphasis on industrial elements employed by bands like Nine Inch Nails, Rammstein, Dream Theater and Depeche Mode.

Album opener “Minus One” starts off with distant sounds of super-gnarly guitars, which are soon joined by a mix of spooky industrial synths, heavy, razor-sharp percussion and jagged guitar notes layered over an ominous droning synth bass groove. The track immediately segues into “Super Zero”, and we’re off to the races. Though only 1:49 minutes long, the track packs a powerful punch, beginning as a mysterious soundscape of wobbly synths, then exploding into a furious maelstrom of raging grungy guitars and crushing drumbeats.

“The Future Has Begun” is a bit of a musical tour de force, beginning gently with eerie pulsating synths accompanied by a somber piano movement. Forty seconds in, the music abruptly transitions to a rapid barrage of raging guitars and thunderous percussion before calming back down at roughly two and a half minutes to a lovely introspective interlude. Seeming to end at around three minutes, those raging guitars suddenly come roaring back for the next 30 seconds before fading out.

With it’s glitchy sci-fi vibe, infused with both Western and Middle Eastern touches soaked in reverb, the appropriately titled “Dust” would be a perfect fit on the soundtrack for an installment of the Dune film franchise. And David’s skills on guitar and drums are on full display on the marvelous title track “Prosthetic Soul”, as he unleashes a furious onslaught of blistering riffs while beating the hell out of his drum kit. It’s one of my favorite tracks on the album.

“The Dissociation Suite Parts I and II” are a rather intense but melodic couplet, with lots of great keyboards that work quite well with the twangy and grungy guitars that build to a wailing solo toward the end. Living up to its title, “The Reality Bomb” is a glorious little blast of atomic energy, with swirling distorted guitars layered over a grinding bassline, fortified with smashing drumbeats. Halfway into the song, the music calms down to a darkly beautiful interlude of haunting synths, harsh percussion and bewitching stummed guitar notes before exploding into a brief raging torrent in the finale.

“Dirt…” seems to pick back up where “Dust” left off, with more of those mysterious and glitchy sci-fi vibes, only this time accompanied by some really marvelous twangy guitars. The final track is the original version of “The Dissociation Suite Part II”, which David has designated a Bonus Track. To my untrained ear, it sounds fairly similar to the final version, except with a longer lead-in and not quite as many synth flourishes.

Prosthetic Soul is another stellar album by David that ranks among his finest works. It nicely showcases his continued growth as both a composer and musician.

Follow David on Instagram 

Find his music on Bandcamp / Spotify / Apple Music / Soundcloud

CAITLIN LAVAGNA – Single Review: “We Lost Track”

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews11 Comments

My favorite Welsh songstress Caitlin Lavagna is back with a marvelous new single “We Lost Track“, and I couldn’t be happier! I adore her powerful, vibrant vocal style and honest, relatable lyrics drawn from personal struggles and heartache. Released today, “We Lost Track” is her third single, following last year’s “Night Bus” – a fantastic song that spent 20 weeks on my Top 30, peaking at #2 – and her 2021 debut single “How Not To Start A Fight”, which also spent several weeks on my Top 30. (You can read my reviews of both songs by clicking on the ‘Related’ links at the end of this post.) 

Born and raised in the picturesque South Wales Rhondda Valley, with strong Gibraltarian roots, the multi-talented and lovely singer-songwriter, musician and actress has had a life-long love for music and the arts, with a special passion for percussion and drums, as well as singing and dancing. Her music and vocal styles are heavily influenced by some of her favorite artists like Sting, Biffy Clyro, Stevie Nicks, Florence Welch, P!nk and Adele. In addition to writing and recording music as a solo artist, Caitlin has also performed in numerous stage musicals, and while in college, was part of the indie folk duo Only The Reign, who released two self-recorded albums.

About her latest single, Caitlin explains: “This is my first ballad and I’m so proud of it. I wanted the song to represent losing something “perfect”. It’s a reflective song about how I gave too much of myself to someone, not realising I was worth more than how I was treated. It’s about friendship, love and pain. I hope people connect to the song whilst enjoying its subtle but rhythmic shifts and euphoric string arrangements. I have challenged myself and I think the track is beautiful. I am so excited to see the work of myself and my friends (some of whom I met touring the UK with ‘Fisherman’s Friends the Musical’) come to life. They’re incredible musicians and close friends who have absolutely nailed it.”

For the recording of “We Lost Track”, Caitlin sang vocals and played drums, Hannah Cumming and Hazel Simmons played strings, Charlotte Ware played saxophone, Joseph Rodwell, who also produced and mixed the track, played keyboards, and Georgina White and Jennifer Glatzhofer sang backing vocals. The track was recorded at New Cut Studios in Bristol, and mastered by Nick at Old Cottage Audio.

It’s a beautiful, flawlessly-crafted song, with colorful piano keys and melancholy strings, accompanied by gentle bass and Caitlin’s restrained drums and percussion, all of which rise to a dramatic crescendo in the choruses. I particularly love the enchanting rhythmic downshift in the bridge when she sings “I didn’t want to believe it’s true. Now there’s no one left To say ‘I love you’ to“. But the real highlight for me are Caitlin’s heart-wrenching vocals that elicit chills when she passionately wails with raw, heart-wrenching emotion “Ooo – Ooo – Ooo I want you back Ooo – Ooo – Ooo It makes me look bad Ooo – Ooo – Ooo We lost track Ooo – Ooo – Ooo Don’t look at me like that“. 

Ooo - Ooo - Ooo
I want you back 
Ooo - Ooo - Ooo
It makes me look bad 
Ooo - Ooo - Ooo
We lost track 
Ooo - Ooo - Ooo
Don’t look at me like that 

I bought you those bed sheets 
I bought you that light 
I laid next to you almost every night 
I wore what you wanted 
I gave you my time 
You were so cruel at the end of the line
You were so cruel I thought you’d be kind 

I told you’re perfect 
I told you you’re cool 
You even let me redecorate your room 
You wrote songs with lyrics that made you look smart 
You weren’t that clever when it came to my heart 
You weren’t that clever when it came to my heart 

Ooo - Ooo - Ooo
I want you back 
Ooo - Ooo - Ooo
It makes me look bad 
Ooo - Ooo - Ooo
We lost track 
Ooo - Ooo - Ooo
Don’t look at me like that 

Gave you a piece of me 
I regret that
Gave so much more to you 
Than I got back
Told you secrets through panic attacks
My friends told me I could do better than you 
I didn’t want to believe it’s true 
Now there’s no one left 
To say ‘I love you’ to

Ooo - Ooo - Ooo
I want you back 
Ooo - Ooo - Ooo
We lost track 

I bought you that jumper
You gave it away 
Had tears in my eyes 
When you laughed in my face 
You changed your number 
So I changed my tone 
Thank you for nothing 
I’m fine on my own.

Here’s the song on Spotify:

Connect with Caitlin:  Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

Find her music on Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube

JONNY ASH – Single Review: “Call The Hive”

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews9 Comments

Hailing from the North Wales city of Wrexham are Jonny Ash, an energetic and talented four-piece who make an expansive, hard-driving and melodic style of indie rock. Comprised of brothers Callum (lead vocals, guitar) and Dan Gaughran (bass), Peter Roberts (lead guitar) and recent addition Lewis on drums, their dynamic sound is strongly influenced by some of their favorite acts like The Stone Roses, Thin Lizzy, Oasis, The Beatles and Jimi Hendrix. In fact, Callum’s vocals are reminiscent of Liam Gallagher’s at times.

Formed in 2021, they’ve released several outstanding singles, one of which, “Disco” (a song sounding nothing like typical disco, but with the same BPM as disco music) I reviewed in February 2022, as well as a fantastic EP Did You Get Involved? this past January. Now they’re back with their latest single “Call The Hive“, released today via Bryn Rock Records.

The song opens with a gnarly jagged riff accompanied by a throbbing bass groove, which is soon joined by sharp percussion and emphatic drumbeats as Callum coolly croons the lyrics filled with bee references: “I’ve been seeing too much out there lately. All the swarms they are gathering daily. Have I been stung by you only vaguely. Call the hive.” The music explodes in the choruses with a barrage of terrific bluesy guitars, heavy bass and tumultuous drums, Callum’s vocals growing more impassioned as he wails “Why did the bee never tell the fly, the honey tastes better than the shit outside?” It’s a brazen, deeply satisfying banger of a tune, and I can’t get enough of it!

As for the song’s meaning, Callum told me “It’s kind of open to interpretation, as there’s no particular thing it’s meant to be about“. That said, he liked my take, which is that it seems to be about a woman who plays games to get what she wants. The singer basically tells her to stop using him, and to instead ‘call the hive’ to try and get what she needs: “She screams there’s no buzz, there’s no nectar. But she needs it just to resurrect her. Sweet just like the shot of honey bees in the summer. Call the hive. So am I the bee or am I the keeper?/

Listen for yourself and come up with your own interpretation.

Connect with Jonny Ash:  Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

Find their music on Spotify / Apple Music / Soundcloud / YouTube

COLUMBIA – Single Review: “Disorder”

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews8 Comments
Artwork by Stay Focused Photography

I’m back in Wales (having just featured Welsh singer-songwriter Caitlin Lavagna last week) to shine a spotlight on indie rock band Columbia, who released their new single “Disorder” on November 4th. The Cardiff-based act was formed in 2019 by long-time friends Ben Rowlands (lead guitar) and Craig Lewis (vocals/rhythm guitar), who had been in a handful of other bands both together and separately over the years. They released their debut single “Fall Into the Sun” at the end of 2019, followed by a number of singles over the next two years. While in the process of recording their debut album Embrace the Chaos in 2021, they brought on bassist Aron Stenning to complete their current lineup.

Columbia released Embrace the Chaos in March 2022, garnering positive reviews from both music writers and fans. They celebrated its release at a sold-out show at The Moon in Cardiff, and have since performed at such renowned venues as Camden’s Fiddlers Elbow, The Dublin Castle, and SWNDfest at The Bunkhouse, Swansea, as well as playing on several This Feeling shows supporting The Shakes and The Kairos (another band I’ve previously featured on this blog). The band will be performing this weekend at the sold-out Shiiine On Weekender 2022 festival at Butlin’s Minehead Arena in Somerset. Their set is scheduled for Saturday, November 12th.

Photo by Stay Focused Photography

Recorded at King’s Road Studios in Cardiff and produced by Andrew Sanders, “Disorder” marks a new direction for Columbia. Not only is the song their first to be written by lead guitarist Ben Rowlands, (their previous songs have been written by Lewis), it’s also their most powerful track yet. Sanders has called “Disorder” “the biggest sounding track I’ve made with a band“, while the band cheekily notes that the song’s “incredible wall of sound makes you wonder where on earth Ben has been hiding this behind his calm and quiet demeanour?“

The song is a darkly beautiful, cinematic anthem. Opening with ominous sounds of police sirens and helicopters circling overhead, suggesting unrest in the streets, our ears are suddenly hit with a barrage of gnarly guitars, grinding bass and thunderous drums, accompanied by Lewis’ commanding vocals. I love the song’s portentous swirling melody, and the intricate guitar work – punctuated here and there with delicate acoustic notes, only to explode into a wailing solo in the bridge – is spectacular.

My take as to the song’s meaning is that it speaks to the addictive nature of public protests and disorder in the streets, how easily people can become attracted to them by the adrenaline rush from participating in such events that usually involve intense anger and/or passion for a particular cause. We’ve seen how these public protests can sometimes feed upon themselves, growing larger and out of control as crowds grow and tempers rise: “I’m breaking the silence. I feel my fear running. Don’t want to believe it, but everything is changing The colors are fading, the sound around me rising, climbing higher and higher and higher. I feel it, I need it, the streets are in disorder. Addiction, a feeling I couldn’t ever be there. I had it, I want it. The streets are in disorder, climbing higher and higher and higher.“

“Disorder” is a phenomenal track, nicely showcasing Columbia’s continued growth as a band.

And here’s the newer action video they’ve created for the song:

Connect with Columbia: Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

Stream their music:  Spotify / Apple Music / Amazon Music

Purchase on Bandcamp / Amazon