Less important than the genre these days is the songwriting and what you put into it – how much of yourself you allow the music to present, how well structured it is, how easily it connects and entertains or lets an audience escape. You get a good balance of all of this with Cleaned Out.
Folk Rock
King St. offer a simple fusion of Americana and indie-pop with their latest album, all connected beautifully with some poetic and heartfelt songwriting.
The openness, the realness, and the calming aura of the music, all fuses well to create something valuable – something that does precisely what we expect from music in the first place; it lets us escape the noise of the world for a while.
If you see Nordic Daughter billed to perform somewhere near you in the coming months, don’t miss out. The Path is a phenomenal album, one for the long term playlist for sure.
As you listen to this playlist, you get a strong sense that McHale is a songwriter by nature. It’s not the genre or the style that grabs you, it’s the ideas, and the weight and passion with which they are presented
While the sound of this project has a fairly classic feel by nature, there are several ideas that offer something a little left of the expected. Anderson’s story telling & his own honesty & often vulnerability fuse beautifully to lead the listener through a series of deeply thoughtful, poetic moments.
By the latter half, the beat hits and the guitars take over – an atmospheric, organic ambiance rains down around you. It feels mellow yet also uplifting, as if you’re sitting peacefully on-board a fast train; the world speeding by just outside.
Smooth & strong vocals lead the way, drawing you over initially with a spacious, near-acoustic musicality – a gorgeous guitar part – and a series of lyrics that paint a picture of overcoming & moving forwards.
Sack Of Lions offer that beautifully wholesome Americana sound with a folk-rock back-bone that allows them to really pour their souls into what they do. For those who are new to the band’s music, Callin’ For Rain is a great place to start. The song feels immediately organic, a real-time performance or at least as close as you can get from the other side of the globe.
A uniquely crafted release that offers plenty in the way of originality among today’s music world. The retro style is oddly refreshing and you can feel the organic nature of the performance and thus appreciate that a live show would go down in a fairly similar fashion.
“I was told I couldn’t sing, that I wasn’t good enough on guitar & that I sucked as a musician. Each time I was told I wasn’t good enough I tried harder, to the point where I have evolved into the artist I am now. Now I make music for the love.”
Ed Hale is a fantastic songwriter – this album is driven by a fine fusion of this and a totally enjoyable, eclectic and impressive array of musicianship. Hale’s voice offers a certain meeting between indie-rock grit and singer-songwriter delicacy, the songs feel upbeat but calm – energizing yet welcoming.