Following the sensational creation of the EP ‘Here & Now’ in 2019, alternative folk artist Ollie Dixon returns to the music scene but with a surprising elevated twist. The new tracks, ‘Interlude, I / Time’ present another fascinating side to Ollie’s musicianship and advancing his artistry gloriously. Although much like ‘Here & Now’ with both songs containing acoustic guitars and finger picking, the new EP is almost like a distant relative and provides a fabulous new direction of electronics and diversity…
Time Time embodies a clean and crunchy electronic atmosphere which is astonishing to hear. We are introduced into the song with a prominent guitar which is bewildering in delays, tremolo and reverb. The song instantly connotes a dystopian feeling but constructs an atmosphere of comfort and reflection into its narrative. Although the song’s structure is simplistic, it is truly remarkable how the instrumentation, especially the guitar has been stunningly pushed in its traditional boundaries to create different and diverse sounds using the support of electronic devices. The distant vocals are unique and with the support of the phenomenal layered harmonies add texture and style to the song’s identity. The narrative explores the meaning of time and how to value the time we have. Ambience, folk and electronic elements have all been blended seamlessly to create such a wonderful first track of this amazing EP. Interlude, I This song juxtaposes its counterpart and exhibits a new elevation in Ollie’s artistry which is thrilling to see. This song is honestly so stunning to hear and reminds me of watching a sunset or sunrise. We are instantly introduced to the song with an electric guitar running through a pedal board with elements such as delay and reverb to add to its identity. The guitar is sweetly aided by a looped violin element that has had a plethora of mixing and production to create such a unique concept. It is important to understand the song’s illustration in its entirety with layers upon layers of many different sounds to create such a perfect interlude. Ollie goes above and beyond in this track providing sounds such as birds, people talking, a watch noise and a chicken and has embedded them with extraordinary effects. We have to commend Ollie for stepping out of the traditional instrumentation of music and exhibiting that everyday objects can have value of sound if created successfully. The song presents so many different and unique parts within itself that for six minutes of listening, you are truly invested in the narrative. When creating the EP, Ollie expresses: “I learnt a lot about “isolation” in this lockdown, time alone with your thoughts can be a struggle but there’s a strange pattern of comfort in this fabric of chaos but without it, I wouldn’t have written these new songs or learnt about mixing / production so I’m pretty grateful for it all.” Ollie has created such an incredible narrative and experience for a listener in this fantastic EP and we are extremely excited for him to reveal any new directions of artistry he may add to his already amazing musicianship. ‘Interlude, I / Time’ is available on all streaming platforms from today.
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If Joey Landreth, Chris Stapleton and John Mayer are artists that you cherish dearly, Jake Loosemore is an artist for you who brings a unique breathtaking talent to the music industry with his new single. ‘Better Me’ is a kind hearted, free spirited sensational song that is the perfect backing track to accompany a sweet summer’s day.
We are introduced delightfully into the song by an illustrious melodic line played by the guitar and piano that marry one another perfectly. The vocals are simply outstanding and so comforting to hear. Multiple distinguished guitar tracks are astounding providing texture and diversity within the song. The verses are stripped back with the lead guitar exhibiting beautiful chords alongside the piano and vocals. The chorus evolves into a powerful narrative with the instrumentation releasing an embellished prominence. Lyrics such as “I will find my own way home” connotes the feeling of breaking free. The guitar solo in the bridge is a strong statement that and gloriously stands out within the song. The harmonies that are sweetly scattered within the song melt in your mouth and compliment each other wonderfully. All the elements presented in this song have been beautifully exhibited to praise one another and to provide an excellent narrative. Canadian Singer-songwriter Liam Duncan from the amazing band Bros. Landreth provides the piano chords and wonderful backing vocals. Admiration for Jake’s musicianship should be acknowledged as this amazing song was written, recorded and produced by himself. Award winning mix engineer David Benyamin from Paris contributes to the astonishing balance of sound. Jake expresses: “The track was written about a year ago, and I’ve played it lots live ever since as it means a lot to me.” This incredible song was the front runner for Jake’s upcoming summer tour which unfortunately has been postponed. However, this song possesses its own glorious spotlight and should firmly be celebrated. |
Chloe Burrows-BryanThis portfolio aims to present my creations and give readers an understanding to my freelance journalism and social media marketing. Archives
August 2020
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