AUK’s Monthly EP’s Round-Up – November 2024

Well, we might still be over four weeks until the big day, but by the bumper size of this months EP’s goody bag you would be forgiven for thinking that Christmas had come early. So without any further ado lets dive straight in and see what November’s eclectic mix of musical assortments has to offer.

First up we have the excellent Chris Cleverley and his brand new EP “In The Shadow Of John Devine”, which celebrates the first release of new material since his highly acclaimed album “Broadcast The Secret Verse”, in late 2022, that received a much deserved 9/10 from our very own Tim Martin on it’s release. This new five track offering can be very much viewed as an alternative take on the usual seasonal fare associated with this time of year, delivering a fresh, innovative departure from the simplistic puerility of your standard Christmas playlist. Cleverley’s music has regularly been described as ‘ambient dream folk’ and that description readily fits the opening track ‘The Ringing Of Bells’, with the bright chords of a chiming guitar bouncing freely above the cello playing of Graham Coe whilst the vocal accompaniment of Kelly Oliver and Kathy Pilkington help to supply a festive ambience to this modern carol. Elsewhere ‘For A Winter Angel’, a song of positivity is sung to the traditional tune of ‘The First ‘Noel’, while ‘Snowfall My Evergreen’, is a retelling of Raymond Briggs’ story “The Snowman”. The jewel in the crown however is track three, ‘Vespers’, which opens with the line “Meet me at the entrance of John the Devine. Electric buzz from the Avenue Line”. The lyrical narrative subtly implies a sense of parting, possibly a break-up song, while the atmospheric arrangement, almost hymnal, builds in tension assisted by the added percussion. This is a song that, similar to Joni Mitchell’s ‘The River’, transcends any thematic connections to winter or the festive season, and truly stands as a great song regardless of the time of year. The final track ‘Sister Winter’, is a cover version written by Sufjan Stevens of whom Cleverely has often been compared and with its closing refrain “to wish you a happy christmas”, neatly rounds off this excellent alternative take on the usual festive musical offerings.

Next up we have Mikki Zip and her four track EP entitled “Something To Write About”. Zip’s roots lie in Syracuse, NY, but moved to Nashville in 2013, just a matter of weeks before her 14th birthday. Her passion to perform saw her study in both Los Angeles and New York City gaining a BFA in Performing Arts, graduating in 2020. This EP marks Zip’s debut release, displaying strong leanings towards southern rock with the title track along with ‘Boys Mana Hates’, and ‘The Devil’, all delivered with lashings of flashy guitars played on top of a hard-driving rhythm section. The exception is ‘Strangers Again’, which slows proceedings down to expose more depth, both in Zip’s soulful vocal range as well as the lyrical narrative, before building to an infectious chorus, collectively conjuring up comparison to Marin Morris, and suggesting that Zip may well be a name to watch out for in the coming years.

Originally from the Lake District, Crispin Halcrow has spent much of the last six years steadily building a strong reputation between the cities of York, Liverpool as well as the capital. This new five-track EP entitled “Saturday Night In Liverpool”, sees Halcrow return to the recording studio after a hiatus of several years, having released his debut offering, the EP “The Things I’ll Keep”, when still only seventeen years old. Recorded at the studio of Mike Halls (Clean Cut Kid), these five new tracks find Halcrow inhabiting the role of a 21st-century romantic folk troubadour with the songs structured around the guitar playing of the two artists. Vocally Halcrow has great depth, delivered with an intimacy and vulnerability that draws comparison to such luminaries as John Grant and Anohni while lyrically the narrative remains introspective throughout, with the five tracks thematically covering such domestic dramas as second-hand bereavement, the covert removal of goods from a once shared flat, and the admission that he never liked your mother. The opening track ‘Her Uncle In My News Feed’, is probably the best example here of what Halcrow has to offer with some fine poetry, though there is a tendency across the whole EP, for the narrative to play a little too safe, a little too predictable, meaning that despite his original take on familiar domestic matters, too often one is able to correctly anticipated the coming lines on first listen. This EP clearly marks Halcrow out as a fine musician with an excellent voice, and with a little more courage lyrically, possibly starting the narrative where his storylines currently end, would make for an exciting songwriter.

If the previous two EP’s reviewed could be described as works in progress, then this next EP very much sounds like the finished article.  Kitty O’Neal has been performing under the alias of march (deliberately lower-case) since 2019, having previously spent numerous years performing on the South UK gigging circuit. Her crowdfunded debut album “All Of The Above”, was released in 2021, and two years later she released the five-track EP “Greens And Blues”. 2023 also saw her named as one of Glastonbury Festival’s emerging talents, having previously played there in 2019. Her new five track EP entitled “Cross St Demos”, is her first entirely self produced release, with gently picked guitar strings and breathy vocals offering a deceptively sparse arrangement to each track. The confessional lyrical narrative draws obvious comparison to Joni Mitchell, especially on the gorgeous ’45 (I Think About This All The Time)’, though a more suitable current music touch-point would be The Weather Station, possibly St. Vincent, maybe even Phoebe Bridgers. Vocally march’s delivery has an almost ethereal quality that draws the listener in close, and while the lyrical narrative has just enough ambiguity to re-address the artist-listener relationship, the emotional connection is undeniable. Other highlights include ‘A Dangerous Place’, which includes some subtle whistling which within such a sparse arrangement helps to create a certain sonic ambience. All in all this is an excellent release, well worth checking out, and should propel march on to the next level of her musical journey.

“The Sun Is Setting”, is the third offering from Kristian Phillip Valentino, following on from last years EP release “Happily Ever After”, and the previous year’s debut album “For Every Thing, There Is A Season”. This latest release finds Valentino mining a darker lyrical seam having recently been facing up to personal demons that he’d been battling for many years, with these four new tracks being the result of finding the time and space to heal. Valentino sights John Moreland, and Justin Townes Earle as influences, but a more immediate comparison would be Jeffrey Martin, which to these ears is no bad thing, both in his heartfelt vocal delivery and brutally honest lyrical narrative. Opening number ‘Convince You’, wastes no time in transporting the listener into Valentino’s world, the simplicity of the arrangement, just acoustic guitar and vocal, accompanied by the occasional cry from a lonesome harmonica. ‘Still Your Boy’, continues the exorcism of a haunted past, while ‘Evil Of This World’, struggles somewhat to maintain a sense of melody as it wrestles with the weight of the lyrical message. Closing number ‘Naked’, opens with more harmonica that for a moment offers some light relieve before the gravity of the narrative reasserts. “The Sun Is Setting”, is most definitely a powerful listen, well delivered. However, one can’t help but be grateful that considering the darkness of the poetry and its subject matter, there are just the four tracks, for a full album of such intensity would perhaps make for a more difficult listen.

AUK favourite Sarah Jane Scouten has a new five track EP entitled “Transmutations” which comprises of four live recordings of songs that appeared on last year’s much lauded album “Turned To Gold”, plus one brand new offering. Scouten, originally from Bowen Island, British Columbia, Canada, but now residing in the small Scottish village of Moniaive has to date released four albums that reveal a singer-songwriter of the highest order, clearly worthy of a seat at the top table, and an artist that deserves far greater recognition than so far obtained. The four live tracks reinstate the quality of the writing, the stripped-back arrangement here allowing the narratives a little more room to breath,  as they now sit front and centre, starting with ‘Little Band Of Gold’, followed by ‘My Heart Ain’t Broken’, ‘Rose and Carnations’, and finally ‘Wanderlust‘. Positioned in the middle is the new song ‘Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry’, a deeply thoughtful and emotional exploration of World War 1, from a woman’s prospective commissioned by Flemish arts organisation Dranouter for its Modderland project. Even by Scouten’s high standards this is a wonderful piece of songwriting, one of the best I’ve heard all year, and truly deserving of reaching the widest audience possible.

Next we have Jason Baker, a singer-songwriter from Vermont, with his new four track EP “The Stars Are Out Tonight”. Baker has to date released three albums, the most recent being “The Lighthouse”, in 2020, while earlier this year saw the release of the EP “Shutdown The System”. A recipient of numerous award nominations for his songwriting, Baker’s songs inhabit a familiar traditional folk vibe, vocals supported by a mix of guitar, banjo, ukulele and harmonica, with a delivery and narrative that draws comparison with folk singers of the fifties and sixties such as Pete Seeger and Tom Paxton. The most interesting of the four tracks on offer here is the closing number ‘Soldier’s Heart’, that tells of the 94,000 veterans that have been deported since passage of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996. Baker’s songs mine a familiar seam, and as the last song demonstrates can connect to a worthy cause, but on this evidence neither his melodies or delivery remain long in the memory.

“Halfway Lost”, is the debut EP release from Liverpool-based folk singer-songwriter Jessica Dives and announces an exciting new talent to add to the current crop of British female artists. Multi-instrumentalist Dives proves her abundant musical dexterity across these five tracks supplying guitar, accordion, double bass, banjo and percussion on an EP whose production is polished but never heavy-handed. The vocal delivery falls somewhere between Eddie Reader and Anais Mitchell, immediately catching the listener’s attention, and while the lyrical narrative keeps things very personal, the storytelling is descriptive and inclusive with Dives using her experience of years working in theatre to good effect. Particular favourites here include ‘One Hand To The Wall’, that demonstrates Dives’ sensitive poetry as well as some wonderful violin from Amy Chalmers, along with ‘Little Boat Hold Steady’, with it’s nod to poet Charles Simic and the powerful ‘Where Are You’, a heart-felt break-up song that again displays Dives poetic prowess for the vulnerable, here buoyed by a full band arrangement. On this evidence the sky’s the limit for Jessica Dives.

Songwriter E.G. Phillips describes himself as coming “from a country they call the Midwest”, which is clearly meant to draw some connection to the bard himself, Bob Dylan. He has so far released three albums with his debut “Fish From The Sky”, first seeing the light of day in 2017, while his most recent offering “Alien From An Alternate Earth”, came out in 2022. He has also released numerous EP’s including “Outlaw The Dead”, which only came out at the beginning of this month and yet before the month is passed we have another release with this four-track EP entitled “Nashville Recordings Vol. 4: Wear And Tear”. Perversely there has previously only been a “Nashville Recordings Vol. 1:, though Phillips ensures that Vol, 2 & 3; are imminent.  Phillips’ sound draws on a broad palette, blending elements of the folk singer-songwriter, with shades of sixties West Coast psychedelic/progressive music. The opening two numbers ‘Unfinished Love’, and ‘Her Love’s So Hard‘, immediately create a strong Leonard Cohen connection thanks mainly to Phillips’ baritone delivery and poetry, though Amberly Rosen’s excellent fiddle playing is also a major contributor. ‘These Burning Days’, conjures a sound not dissimilar to The Doors, as Phillips does his best Jim Morrison impression and multi-instrumentalist Kenny Schick supplies some authentic psychedelic rock, while the country blues of closer ‘Accretion Blues’, offers a touch of levity to this enjoyable EP.

Agata Karczewska hails from Warsaw, Poland, and has a new four-track EP entitled “Not My First Rodeo”. This follows on from her debut album “I’m Not Good At Having Fun”, that was released in 2019, while more recently she collaborated last year with John Porter on the award-winning album “On The Wrong Planet”. The new EP kicks off with ‘Rodeo’, a self-reflective number supported by some punchy rhythm guitar playing and a driving percussion, that all help to create an indie rock vibe. Following track ‘Dark Horse’, houses more of an Americana sound, warmer and softer with a narrative full of literature references as Karczewska sings of gently accepting that some things just can’t be. Third track ‘Go Ahead’ offers a melancholic love song with enough angst to replace the sweet with the bitter, all delivered with a danceable beat that adds to the irony. Closing number ‘Harvest’, returns the musical focus to indie rock with an almost apocalyptic lyrical rumination that immediately draws comparison to that of P.J Harvey. This EP, with its broad musical palette, has plenty to recommend it and should propel Karczewska to the forefront of the European Americana music scene.

As usual I like to leave what I believe to be the best of the month until last, but to be honest November’s delights are just too close to call so I had to resort to the ever reliable method of drawing names from a hat to choose a winner, which this month is:

Ryan Christopher Parks is from Oakland, California, and for the last fifteen years has been working under the moniker of “B. Hamilton”, which has also been the name of the power trio he fronts with drummer Raj Kumar Ojha and bassist Ian Miller. This new five track EP, entitled “Billy Goat Acres And Other Words I Know How To Spell”, is the final of five solo EP’s he has written, recorded and released at three month intervals since 2023, each detailing the lives of people in five California locations. The setting for this latest offering is the San Joaquin Valley, told through the second-hand stories of his grandfather who migrated to Los Angelas from Oklahoma during the Great Depression, drawing comparison to John Steinbeck’s “East Of Eden”. The musical landscape has a distinct West Coast vibe, but it is infused with enough snarling guitar riffs to avoid becoming too laid back, rather like dark clouds across the Californian sun constantly shifting the mood. Opening number ‘Low-Scoring Baseball Game’, with its loops and and heavy backbeat underpins an infectious melody, while the rebellious nature of the guitar solo reveal it’s indie rock leanings. ‘Some Things You’ve Got To Go Through Alone’, offers up more folk overtones with shades of Bon Ivor, while ‘Fat King Carousel’, captures a groove not too dissimilar to  the Black Keys. Probably the pick of what are five excellent and varied musical treats is the title track ‘Last Pass Through Billy Goat Acres’, which starts with some delightful soulful guitar playing that continues to sparkle against the introduction of vocals and strings before exploding into a kaleidoscope of sounds and driving rhythms. Heady stuff and highly recommended.