Ceili Rain - Crash This Gate
Ceili Rain has been known for their unique fusion of Celtic and rock influences, and their latest album "Crash This Gate" does not disappoint. The compositional style is inspired by ethnic traditions and classic rock, making for a very interesting combination indeed. With a solid pop-rock songwriting skill, Ceili Rain has created an album that is full of uplifting spiritual messages and refined dynamic and harmonic progressions. A powerhouse of an LP by Ceili Rain From the first track, "Crash This Gate," to the last, "Twenty Seconds," the album keeps the listener engaged with its superlative arrangements that have medieval and prog overtones. This makes the music of "Crash This Gate" absolutely out of the ordinary. Bob Halligan Jr’s compositional richness and vision is fantastic. He is able to blend Celtic and rock influences seamlessly, giving us strong and intense emotions. This is an artist with a great compositional experience behind him, and his talent for creating such songs is one that only a few possess. One standout track on the album is "Love Corporation," which has a catchy melody that is sure to get stuck in your head. The song is full of positive energy and is a great example of the uplifting spiritual messages that Ceili Rain is known for. "One Pull Nearer the Shore" is another standout track that showcases the band's unique blend of Celtic and rock influences. The track has a great rhythm and melody that is sure to get you moving. "My Specialty" is another track that features some impressive songwriting from Ceili Rain. The song has an emotive soundscape filled with strings and pads that creates a memorable atmospheric tonality. The bagpipes at the end bring the album a distinct charm that is hard to miss. All the tunes on the album are solid and keep you glued to the speakers from the first to the last second. Ceili Rain takes it home with Crash This Gate The album "Crash This Gate" would fit perfectly into the soundtracks of two movies: "Braveheart" and "The Lord of the Rings". The album's Celtic influences would fit perfectly with the epic, medieval feel of both of these films. The album's rock influences would also fit perfectly with the action and adventure that is present in both movies. Overall, "Crash This Gate" is a fantastic album that showcases Ceili Rain's unique blend of Celtic and rock influences. The album's uplifting spiritual messages, refined dynamic and harmonic progressions, and superlative arrangements make it an absolute must-listen for fans of experimental and Celtic rock. This is an album that is sure to get your blood pumping and your feet moving. Ceili Rain has once again proven that they are one of the most talented and innovative bands in the music industry today.
Clara Cloud - The Archer
Clara Cloud gracefully bends the wind and the cloud to the rhythm of her feet with The Archer and what a bullseye she’s hit! There is a precise conviction to her music. Her music is like a spark that awakens something that slept deep within you and she does all this gently. The track sinks in deeper and deeper in one's body, grounding you with every note. Clara hones from the music of folk and Celtic origin and she creates an atmosphere like no other. The echoing beats and the footsteps in the song add depth creating a wide canvas for Clara to paint on. The track feels like an echo chamber as well as a forest that is lush with landscapes. Clara mentions that she is an actor as well and she proves to be a damn good one in this track. She sings with a conviction that can shake awake our ancestors, making us one with the wind. If you don’t listen close enough, the track feels like a simple one. But, once we pay attention, it clearly isn’t just an instrument and her. The sound engineer has meticulously textured the song! The woody quality of the track is incredibly hypnotizing. Everything from the lyrics to the imagery and the atmosphere points towards Brave. She fits the bill for Merida accurately as well! Go on, let your wild child be one with nature as you hit the follow button on the links attached above.
Rachael Sage - I Made A Case
I Made A Case is a soundscape made of the finest silk from China, Rachael Sage has made sure, that every inch is filled with craft & grace. Rachel has a keen eye on the ways a song can ebb and flow. We hear it here! We hear her hold back just enough vocally, to only come back with the most gentle yet strong punch. The track is everything! It has you catching new details in every listen. I Made A Case starts off with the most gentle piano and violin combination. We then hear Rachel and Howard Jones gingerly make their entrance. Every inch of the song feels like a ballroom dance floor that is waiting for the couples to step in. The cinematic value within this song is off the chart. With every rise and fall of the instrumentals, you can imagine where the camera is and whom to focus on. The drama that the instrumental section brings in is a chef’s kiss to the number. The duo have such great chemistry that hits us like a wave that takes our imagination on a surf ride. This would be the perfect song for the moment just before the climax when the lead actors in a romance movie realize they are in love on the dance floor. If you thought of Enchanted, you thought right. The way this song would fit like Cinderella’s shoe for when Amy Adams and Patrick Dempsy realize they are in love on the dance floor! I highly suggest you give Rachael Sage a listen, she is an Indie Gem that draws from the earth and gives to the world. Click on the links above and know more about this beautiful and talented artist.
Clara Cloud - The Woods
Clara Cloud has been honing her craft over the past few years, stretching it from whimsical to also include and spread to earthy tones. She brings these sensibilities with a collage of sounds that situates the mind and body in a forest of sounds in The Woods, her latest release. Clara weaves together an array of sounds and ties them together with her wondrous voice. She leads us like a fairy who is out and about her business, but we just can’t help but be mesmerized by her light. The tracks in the album are light and airy, almost lifting you and propelling your feet to the clouds. Clara Cloud and Clover Clover has this energy of a slow and patient ravine that patiently flows, cutting through rocks. There is power in the softness of her music. While the general texture is soft, there are powerful sharp sounds that add layers to the track, in fact, she uses this technique throughout, almost like a scientist in a lab that plates with the measurements and intensity of sounds. The track begins like a trickle and swells into a ginormous being that surrounds us sensorily. What a grand opening to the album! Weathervane Weathervane Is one such song that plays with orchestra and choir equally. It is also a number that has more percussion compared to the rest of her album. There is also a choir quality that makes you believe that the track has a divine texture to it as the strings crescendos fill our senses. When your voice trickles in as the backing is soft and this retro beat comes in, your heart is filled with gentle hope. Orion Orion and The Woods has this quality where you feel as though you are a child lost in the woods. A quality of fear and curiosity, she does this with slow openings that almost feel as though you are entering a magical world that you know nothing about. “But when the sky comes in can a child grow? But the stars are still Shining there.”. The Woods too is filled with poetry that seeps into your skin and warms your heart. As though the aim of these songs was to hold your inner child. This quality of curiosity resides in all her songs in the album. This quality of curiosity is similar to the quality Lucy had in The Chronicles of Narnia. You can almost imagine Lucy walking through one end of the wardrobe and out of the other into a magical realm that she needs to explore. She leaves us with a taste for her music, her songs playing at our lips and leaves us wanting more. So let Clara Cloud lead your imagination to the most serendipitous series of songs that deserve your attention. You can follow the links attached above more such wondrous ventures into the woods.
Lauren Conklin - Hymn For Becoming
There is grace in every small little thing in life, and Lauren Conklin reminds us of this in her latest release, Hymn for Becoming. The songwriter and composer takes inspiration from around her. She began her musical career as a fiddle player and has performed on stages from the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville to the Royal Albert Concert Hall in London, as well as televised performances from Good Morning America to the Colbert Late Show. Lauren awakens the spirits of the ancestors in this one. The track has just strings in it, and with just that, she strums away at the strings of our hearts as well. She makes music with every fibre of memory that lives within the instruments. She plays with notes with such ease; she allows for the music to ebb, flow, surround and engulf us entirely. The track has a devotional touch to it, but what gives it the edge is the amount of wonder she has sprinkled into it, and it is due to the influence of what sounds like the double bass. It adds an earthy feeling that allows our minds to drift away and get lost in nature. A track such as this fits in a series like The Handmaid's Tale. The series is a phenomenal one; the way it plays with reality, history and time in general is what makes it a work of art. Hymn for Becoming has a push-and-pull feeling to it, as we all do when it comes to problems in general but most of all when it comes to problems around faith. Lauren Conklin allows for her music to speak for her; her instrumentals have the power of nature embedded between each note. You can click on the links attached above to know more.