Together We’re Lost is the latest EP from Brighton’s JACKO HOOPER. Its themes are frustration and loneliness, appropriate to the time of year some might say. The lead track, ‘Sidelines’, starts out starkly with Jacko’s voice sounding oddly sinister but it is built up by producer Josh Trinnaman’s electronica band Luo. ‘Trust In Me Always’ finds Josh being swallowed up by the band at the end and ‘The Long Road’ is bleak and echoey but with a sumptuous arrangement over acoustic guitar closing with synthesised brass. Finally, ‘I’m Yours’ begins with Jacko talking on his phone over keyboards which take him into the song. This is a fascinating, haunting collection of songs.
https://jackohooper.bandcamp.com/
NICHOLAH comes originally from Cumbria but, like all young, aspiring artists, she is settled in London. ‘Waiting On You’ is her new single – a song that has been compared to Joni Mitchell’s ‘A Case Of You’ – a song of love that seems just out of reach. Nicholah plays mighty steel-strung guitar that reflects Mitchell’s dulcimer just a little and she has a voice that is powerful enough to carry any song.
www.nicolahmusic.com
DAVID GUNAWARDANA hails from Hertfordshire and derives his songs from the acoustic traditions on both sides of the Atlantic. His debut EP, Figures & Faces, to be released in a couple of weeks, showcases his varied styles from the short orchestral opener, ‘Calling’ to the stripped back simplicity of ‘The Sages’. ‘Where She Walks’ is particularly pretty and the acoustic guitar behind ‘Evening Song’ nods its head to early Bob Dylan. David seems able to create his own mythology and draw the listener into his own travels.
www.davidgunawardana.com
‘Love Is Hard Enough Without The Winter’ is a new single from LUKE SITAL-SINGH who has just completed a short European tour. Gently reverbed guitar and minimal percussion support a clear, fresh voice and a contrasting solo on the bass strings. Its melancholy lyrics open with a startling couplet that sounds almost sinister at first.
www.lukesitalsingh.com
Quebecois funsters LE VENT DU NORD release a new single, ‘Adieu Du Village’, a traditional song about a man who kills his lover but is spared when the hangman’s rope breaks. It’s packed with foot percussion, fiddle, bouzouki and a pulsing Jew’s harp. Nicolas Boulerice provided a new tune and the band have a new album and UK tour next year.
https://leventdunord.com/en/
CAFÉ SPICE are a young female harmony trio from Manchester and ‘Lauren’ is their debut single. Their original composition begins in a capella style before acoustic guitar leads in other instruments and before you know it they’re going for a big finish. A name to watch, we think.
https://www.facebook.com/cafespiceband/
‘The Story Is…’ is the title track of SKINNY LISTER’s forthcoming album and is a complete contrast to its predecessor, ’38 Minutes’. Pretty, magnificent and sweeping aren’t the sort of adjectives one would normally associate with the band but they sum up this fine song perfectly.
https://skinnylister.com/
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