carmina charm #4

Do you know that our soul is composed of harmony? 

- Leonardo DaVinci

It's harmony that your soul and mind embraces again when listening to music. As sound surrounds you, only some melodies firmly resonate with you, get an immediate emotional response - whilst their approach is a smooth and soft one, whilst they slowly, carefully but steadily cling to you, these melodies eventually grab you with an intensity and force that overwhelms, that fully absorbs and stirs. It's these very melodies that are in chime with your mind and soul, it's music that leaves an imprint on your being and mesmerizes ... music that charms. 

VI. Not Your Kind

Armed with an irresistibly vibrant softness within his voice and a natural sense of poignant, emotive composing, london-born singer/songwriter Sam Bradley conceives a haunting and gently lingering musical mixture of scenic folk, stirring soul and atmospheric country elements topped off with a pinch of dreamy but brisk rock splendor. With 3 EPs already released (Sam Bradley (2009), Zuni (2010) & Not Your Kind (2013)), the inviting characteristics of his songwriting conspiciously show: Sam Bradley charms due to modest but heart-rendingly beautiful, museful lyricism. Honest narrations come in effortlessly, eventually resonate with their listeners in a soulful and gripping manner and frame mellow still strongly imbuing, keenly kindling music making.  

'Not Your Kind' is a prime example for Sam Bradley's genuine and sensitive approach to music: silky dreaminess sets the tone when warm and smooth vocals hover in dulcet tones, blend with  harmonic and sweeping acoustic guitar layers of dainty, pensive fluency. Undeniably, the placid yet vividly unfolding composition depends on delightful melodic ease and a reserved yet ravishing country-esque ambience that accentuates the musician's glowing, subtly melancholic colour of sound. Once stated that his biggest wish, whilst performing, is to emotionally engage strangers, it's safe to say that with 'Not Your Kind' this charming endeavour of Bradley meets success. 

Reach out & listen to Sam Bradley on ... 

.. twitter ...
.. facebook ...
.. his official website ...
.. soundcloud ('only' song samples) ...
.. youtube ...

Watch the official music video for 'Not Your Kind', featuring a dance performance of Sam Bradley's sister Millie Lindsey:

VII. Tijuana 

Edgy, ardent and infectious in sound, The Rivertairs embody a buoyant and bracing blend of catchy pop and atmospheric rock music, on occasion endued in a charming and both blithely and boldly swinging acoustic guise. The spirited Oldham based 4-piece ensemble furnishes feisty, sharp and tense melodies with mellifluous still energetic vocal harmonies and thereby creates dynamic and vivacious compositions of thrilling allure. 

Rhythmic and hollow drum beats herald incisive and cautiously cadenced, soon perkily fluttering still controlled riffage full of tension and atmosphere - this is how 'Tijuana' uncloses. Voluminous and melodious vocal murmur deepens the song's overall dramatic and sonorous sound whilst husky, passionate lead vocals melt with soft yet brisk complementary layers and build an absorbing, almost solemn tonal concord. Deploying a rousing and powerful instrumental finish, the mighty, vigorous composition reverberates lastingly and with vehemence. 

Reach out & listen to The Rivertairs on ...

.. twitter ...

.. facebook ...

.. soundcloud ...

.. youtube ...

Get a physical copy of the band's debut EP 'Welcome To The Fools Parade' here.

VII. Take The Boat In Style

Listeners of Wirral-born singer/songwriter Dave Rees, who goes under the name of Dave Pilla within the scope of his musical artistry, will be confronted with and most likely spellbound by the inimitable, entrancing busker charm his musicianship embraces. When writing music, the Leeds residing vocalist and lyricist focuses on sentimental, sincere and authentic storytelling, convincingly evoked by his calm, however, strongly expressive voice, and installs a minimalist but compelling instrumentation of deep melodic impact. It's a mesmerizing, artless but skilful synergy that appeals especially live. 

Monotonous but ambient, haunting vocal humming merges with dim yet fervent riffage full of verve, sets the stage for soothing and lugubrious vocals of raspy feature and longing, tender warmth. Narrative and reflective lyrics demand action, demand change and are heralded with mournful remorse but also with glowing hope, embedded in a repetitive, gloomy and bleak sonic sphere, melodically suspended by a darkly flaring, suspenseful string section crescendo which shortly after its fulminant rise decays again. 'Take The Boat In Style' presents itself with a subtle nonetheless intense and engrossing compositional concept, relies on Dave Pilla's characteristic, emotionally echoing vocalism and his (re)fine(d) sense of scenic, captivating lyricism. 

Dave Pilla (2011, debut EP)

More Than Hoped For (2013)

Reach out & listen to Dave Pilla on ... 


.. twitter ...
.. facebook ...
.. his official website ...
.. soundcloud ...
.. bandcamp ...
.. youtube ...





Watch the official music video for 'Take The Boat In Style': 

VIII. Just Like You 

Hailing from liverpool, shamona follow in great artists' footsteps and see themselves surrounded by ever emerging, genuine and ingenious music talents.  The 3-piece alternative rock outfit however manages to make their own musical mark with aplomb and enticing, sometimes balmy, sometimes frisky harmonies, with an electrifying, trenchant and vivace soundscape, above all with Pete Riley's insistent, raucous yet soulful vocal performance. Recently released, the official music video for 'Just Like You', which has been directed by Culture City TV, shows a creative and evocative visual shaping and adds a more melancholic, slow-paced and placid component to the band's sound, eventually serves as pleasing and poignant stimulus to indulge in all 5 diverse and rousing tracks featured on the eponymous EP that sees its launch on 30th August at the Lantern Theatre in liverpool. 

Emotional, languorous and entrancing, 'Just Like You' flows lithely, blossoms euphoniously and is joined by edgy, seemingly mellowing vocals rich in vulnerability, sentiment and soul. Contemplative and thought-provoking lyrics blend in the song's moving, tearful and delicate melodic layout which puts emphasis on pervasive tonal depth and momentum by allowing wistful, staggering and ensouled instrumentals to evolve and grow with enchanting, gentle intensity. Dissident from shamona's typical dashing and jaunty sound, 'Just Like You' is a reserved but warmly and vibrantly gleaming gem on its own.

Reach out & listen to shamona on ...

.. twitter ...

.. facebook ...

.. the band's official website ...

.. soundcloud ...

.. bandcamp ... 

Get shamona's EP 'Heed The Call' (2012) and the band's debut 'Only Sleeping' (2012) here. 

Purchase shamona's latest release 'Just Like You' (2014) here.