Ellen McIlwaine - The Real - Canadian Funky Blues + Spiritual Folk Rock LP

Olivia Belli – Intermundia

Label:    XXIM Records – 19658822252
Format:    LP, Vinyl, Album
Sealed
Country:    UK
Released:    Feb 23, 2024
Genre:    Classical
Style:    

A1        Anima I
A2        Bet Ha-Chaim
A3        Respiro 1
A4        Valadier
A5        Diomedea
A6        Respiro 2
A7        Mirando

B1        Anima II
B2        Pian Perduto
B3        Respiro 3
B4        Amber Maze
B5        Frater
B6        Respiro 4
B7        Sibyl

Olivia Belli is an Italian composer and pianist. She was born in the city of Mantua, Italy, but her family moved to Trieste when she was 8, where she began to show an interest in piano. Trained as a concert pianist at the Trieste Conservatory, Belli started out playing works by the likes of Johann Sebastian Bach and Frédéric Chopin, but soon discovered the world of contemporary music and began to explore artists such as Philip Glass, Max Richter, and Ludovico Einaudi. In her own compositions, Belli incorporates elements of these artists and contemporary classical motifs alongside pop influences and more traditional elements of classical music.

"Olivia Belli‘s albums are always a highlight of the contemporary piano landscape, and Intermundia is no exception.

A deep thinker, a sophisticated composer, and an exquisite pianist, Belli can effortlessly switch between electrifying virtuoso playing and tender lyricism. Her albums are always profoundly coherent, whether it be the childhood memories of Where Night Never Comes, the flow of a river from source to sea of River Path, or the way our behaviour threatens Mother Earth in MATER. As the topics explored in her albums illustrate, place and landscape is often important to her and, reading between the lines of her biography, it seems like a major contribution to this was her decision to leave the overpowering bustle of London.
 
Intermundia deepens her interest in place and landscape, connecting it to an investigation of human spirituality. Most of us have been lucky enough to visit places that feel special, where we become aware of our connection to the universe (or to God, if you prefer). Intermundia is about these places, locations where the gap between our world and the spiritual world is thin. Many of these have become places of worship. “Amber Maze”, for example, is inspired by Le Grotte del Cantinone in Osimo, Italy, a set of caves below the marketplace of the city, where monks would descend to pray in silence. The album is a journey from dark to light, from depths to heights, and it ends at the top of the mountain Monte Sibilla, in the Marche near where she has made her home." (A Closer Listen review)

The Fray – How To Save A Life

Label:    Epic – 19658833801, Legacy – 19658833801, Sony Music – 19658833801
Format:    Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, Stereo, Yellow
Sealed
Country:    Worldwide
Released:    Feb 2, 2024
Genre:    Rock, Pop
Style:    Alternative Rock, Pop Rock

Tracklist

A1        She Is
A2        Over My Head (Cable Car)
A3        How To Save A Life
A4        All At Once
A5        Fall Away
A6        Heaven Forbid

B1        Look After You
B2        Hundred
B3        Vienna*
B4        Dead Wrong
B5        Little House
B6        Trust Me

"The Fray has done something with the genre of Pop-Rock that I can't quite explain, powerful lyrics that express Isaac's feeling to feel he has to save people from the bad things in life. As the name of the album implies How to Save a Life, many of the songs are about him trying to save the lives of those who have lost their way in life, be it through drug abuse or the loss of a loved one. Filled with catchy melodies, rhythms, and choruses, this is a very heart felt album that looks past the often used 'I hate that bitch for leaving, now I'm going to write ten albums worth of songs about it'. And now I present a track by track review for the album, "How to Save a Life".

Over My Head (Cable Car): This is what The Fray does right, a simple bass drum kick starts the song at a moderate pace with Isaac playing a catchy piano rhythm and the bass really does a good job backing up Isaac in the verses. Then song transform from a quiet song and crescendos into an explosive chorus with the guitar playing a simple yet effective riff that adds to the song than takes away. I really liked the piano and guitar riffs in the song, the little interlude near the end builds up to the final chorus and ends the song leaving you breathless with a sense of amazement and wonder. Great song, very good choice of a single to be played on the radio, this song got me into The Fray.

How To Save A Life: The title track usually doesn't make a huge impact on an album, but this is one exception. With Isaac on the piano again and the bass playing a dominant role, in that I'm saying the bass gives the song kind of a swing feel that I really enjoyed in the song. The guitar in the song just plays a couple of riffs here and there and strums a chord on the chorus, but still better than nothing. Is that strings I hear in the back? It really adds to the ambiance and the marimbas I think are simple additions that make this song stick in your head for days. I believe the song is about Isaac trying to help a crack-addict teen according to their website.

There you have it, The Fray's masterpiece 'How to Save a Life', there may be some skeptics who say it s just another mainstream band with no talent. Well my friend, take one listen through the entire album and you might be pleasantly surprised with the outcome. I had a change of heart after listening to 'How to Save a Life' and 'Over My Head (Cable Car)'. Trust me, this band is going to make a name for themselves, already opening for Ben Folds on his tour, The Fray is quite the band when it comes to pop-rock, and any other genres they might be in. " (Sputnikmusic review)

Bleachers – Take The Sadness Out Of Saturday Night

Label:    RCA – 19439-90280-1
Format:    Vinyl, LP, Album, Limited Edition, Indie Exclusive
This is the "Indie Exclusive" variant with the alternate "coffee" album cover.
Gatefold. Includes 22 page booklet.
Country:    US
Released:    Jul 30, 2021
Genre:    Rock, Pop
Style:    Indie Pop

Tracklist
 

A1 91 
A2 Chinatown
Featuring – Bruce Springsteen
A3 How Dare You Want More 
A4 Big Life
A5 Secret Life

 
B1 Stop Making This Hurt 
B2 Don't Go Dark 
B3 45 
B4 Strange Behavior 
B5 What'd I Do with All This Faith? 

"More mature than either Strange Desire or Gone Now but just as life-affirming, Take the Sadness Out of Saturday Night is a refreshingly different perspective on Bleachers and a heartfelt soundtrack to millennial midlife crises" (2021 Allmusic) 

It all feels highly personal, with Antonoff still channelling underdog status on songs such as How Dare You Want More. There’s plenty of filigree too: string arrangements by Annie “St Vincent” Clark, input from Warren Ellis and a writing credit for Zadie Smith (Observer) 

The Bleachers return with their hotly anticipated new album Take The Sadness Out of Saturday Night. The record features the singles "Chinatown", (a collaboration with Bruce Springsteen) and "45". This record is the follow up to their 2017 critically acclaimed second album, Gone Now. Five-time Grammy® Award-winning singer, songwriter, musician, and producer, Jack Antonoff, is the creative force behind Bleachers.