Connect with us

Artist Spotlight

SAM FREEMAN ANNOUNCES NEW SINGLE ‘AMSTERDAM’

Swansea-based singer-songwriter Sam Freeman is delighted to announce a brand-new single “Amsterdam”. Amsterdam is a chilled, mellow acoustic pop ballad written by Sam during the first Coronavirus lockdown in 2020. It captures that feeling of longing to leave behind a normal life and start a new adventure in a new city with that special someone. The track’s autumnal vibes and mellow feel lend themselves beautifully to any chilled acoustic pop playlist. In the song, there are references to many of Amsterdam’s most famous features such as the iconic bridges and canals which make the city so iconic.

Sam elaborates more by telling us “When I visited Amsterdam in October 2019, I just knew I would eventually write a song about the city. The architecture, boats, bridges, and canals are just perfect on an autumn day. Paris and Rome are known as the cities of love, but I can’t think of a better place to fall in love than Amsterdam…

My new single is all about being brave enough to ditch the day-to-day routine of normal life, grab that special someone, pack your bags and fly away to Amsterdam to start over again. Something which most of us will never do, but that everyone dreams of at one time or another.

He adds “I wrote this song almost a year ago during the Coronavirus lockdown. My trip to Amsterdam was my last holiday abroad and during a time where no travel was permitted, the process of writing this track allowed me to return, at least in spirit, to one of the most beautiful cities I’ve ever seen. I really hope it can take listeners on a similar sort of journey.

Advertisement

Sam released the demo version of his first single, Eden, in January 2020 and later released the studio version in June 2021. Described by Andrew Locke- Scobie (Head of Music at Xpress Radio) as ‘Beautifully put together and ‘Striking a chord with so many different emotions, the demo version of Eden has amassed almost 18,000 streams on Spotify alone.

Upon hearing Eden for the first time, BBC Radio 1’s Sam MacGregor said he was ‘excited to hear more of Sam’s music, and this came in the form of his second single Rose, released in August 2021. This track epitomized Sam’s story-centered approach to songwriting, taking listeners on an emotional rollercoaster whilst following the relationship of a couple from the beginning until the very end.

Sam is immensely proud of his roots in South Wales and is a regular on the weekend gigging circuit in Neath and Swansea, playing bars, clubs, and private functions. In the past few years, he has supported Midlands-based singer-songwriter Alice Meixner and recently supported up-and-coming indie-funk band King Cerulean in their sell-out show at Cardiff’s Clwb Ifor Bach. Outside of music, Sam manages and presents his own football-based podcast, ‘Send Him Off!’.

Sam has interviewed several high-profile guests on the show, notably actor, producer, and TalkSport host Jonny Owen and S4C football reporter Sioned Dafydd. He is a passionate Swansea City supporter and regularly attends matches at the Swansea.com stadium.

Passionate about local grassroots music and always keen to lend a helping hand, Sam was social secretary and later welfare officer of the Live Music Society whilst studying law at Cardiff University. He took part in several fundraising gigs for the charity Mind Cymru and performed at sell-out gigs at notable Cardiff venues such as Ten Feet Tall, Porters, The Moon, and Gassy Jack’s.

Advertisement

 

What do you think about this song? Drop a comment below…

Advertisement

Artist Spotlight

DONELLI A.I. ENSEMBLE offers a jazz fusion and electronic atmosphere on “Previsioni del tempo incerto”

DONELLI A.I. ENSEMBLE

DONELLI A.I. ENSEMBLE unveils an 18-track album, “Weather Forecasts of Unknown Weather”, blending jazz fusion, world music, progressive rock, new age, and cinematic textures with sounds inspired by the 80s. The album is built on compositions made with keyboards, samplers, and DAW software, as well as collaborations with other musicians, which are then rearranged and reworked with the help of artificial intelligence. The process embeds technology directly into the creative fabric of the project.

The album opens with “Previsioni del tempo incerto”, which features trumpet and vocals with the rest of the ensemble, setting up the album’s blend of instrumental and vocal elements. “Villistas” is more dancey, with dreamy synths and layered compositions that create a lighter electronic atmosphere. The differences between these tracks show that the album is willing to move between genres rather than stay in a single fixed sonic category.

“Claudia” opens with a saxophone and the sweet presence of a jazz orchestra, adding a more traditional jazz colour to the album’s wider electronic and cinematic landscape. The quality of “Pigalle” continues to pull the listener in with its atmospheric approach and vocal effects. Together, these selections reveal the project’s oscillation between acoustic-inspired instrumental timbres and electronically shaped spaces.

The album closes with a softer track, “ninna nanna”, thanks to its gentle presence and composition. The positioning brings the stylistic range heard across the record to a peaceful close. “Previsioni del tempo incerto” is defined by its willingness to blend contrasting musical languages, jazz, world, prog rock, electronic production, cinematic atmosphere, and 80s-inspired textures into a single expansive project. That cross-genre approach, with AI-assisted reworkings as another element of the album’s evolving sound, is especially clear in the artistic direction of the DONELLI A.I. ENSEMBLE.

Advertisement

Connect with DONELLI A.I. ENSEMBLE on Spotify || Instagram || Facebook || Youtube

Continue Reading

Artist Spotlight

Mark Cee unveils an acoustic storytelling with a restless edge on New Album “Ghost Talk Show”

Mark Cee

Mark Cee, an ambient indie folk artist dedicated to the art of the human recording, releases a nine-track album titled “Ghost Talk Show.” A set of folk-rock and singer-songwriter songs built on acoustic textures, personal reflection, memory, and emotional movement. The album begins with a conversational feel that lets the themes play out in character-driven tunes and melodic playing. The result is an album that is simultaneously intimate acoustic writing and sporadic ventures into electric rock.

The album begins with “I Am Dreaming Of,” an acoustic-tinged song about the possibilities of who someone could be and the desire to have that potential recognized. The way it reflects establishes the mood for what follows, a mood of memories. “Drifting Back Again” is a look back at past behavior, dealing with the complicated feeling of looking back at experiences that weren’t necessarily good but still have an undeniable emotional pull.

“Thought I Saw You Yesterday” has that reflective feel all the way through, with acoustic guitar and catchy vocals making the tune memorable and easy to get into. There’s a darker metaphorical edge to the album in “Skeletons on Your Lawn,” which explores the idea of hidden truths that can’t stay hidden. “And Now The Rain Is Gone” later turns towards leaving the past behind, and “Wish You Were Coming Home” adds an especially emotional quality to the record.

The last track, “Don’t Buy Gas Station Gummies,” shakes up the instrumental palette with catchy electric rock guitar, providing an energetic finish to an album largely defined by acoustic sensibilities. The “Ghost Talk Show” shows Mark Cee’s artistic direction, which is based on storytelling and emotional observation. The album moves around memory, regret, longing, self-reflection, and forward motion but always keeps a recognizable folk-rock base. Other tracks on the album:

Advertisement

And Now the Rain Is Gone (Instrumental)

Sweet Jenny.

Connect with Mark Cee on Spotify || Instagram || Facebook || Youtube

Continue Reading

Video Of The Week

Trending