New Season Reviews & Interviews
Lots of people have been kind enough to review New Season, and rather than post every review individually, which would be terribly boring, I thought it’d be nice to do a Rocky-esque montage (kind of). It seemed a bit misleading to exclude the negative reviews, so you’ll find those below as well.
If you’d rather make up your own mind about New Season then you can listen to it here: lukeleighfield.com/newseason / Bandcamp / SoundCloud / Spotify
And you can buy it here: New Season bundle / deluxe CD / Bandcamp / iTunes / Amazon
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English reviews:
“A solid, well-crafted album with many interesting musical touches throughout” - AAA Music
“New Season is an album of wonderful power-pop joyfulness and if this album does not bring Leighfield the success he deserves then the music industry is broken beyond repair” - All Gigs
“A huge step in the right direction […] the album he’s dreamt of making” (4/5) - Big Cheese
“New Season is the best record of Luke’s career and an early contender for album of the year” (10/10) - Cross Rhythms
“His songs have a richness and a weight to them, almost an air of expectancy […] this album has a lot going for it” - Culture Brats
“Luke is one of the most amazing and underrated artists I’ve come across. The album is a blissful mix of sombre and upbeat tempos” (7.5/10) - Dan Mburu
“A versatile collection of songs” - East Portland Blog
“Large amounts of this album are horribly contrived and unoriginal […] my 11 year old ex-students wrote significantly more novel lyrics than I can find here” - Echoes and Dust
“There is not a weak track on this record […] his most mature release to date” (4/5) - Female First
“This album might just be Luke Leighfield’s defining sound and one that will appeal to a lot of people” - Hevy Petal
“A wonderful pop record for all the family” (7/10) - Hitsville UK
“I’m surprised Chris Martin isn’t suing for copyright infringement” - Is This Music?
“New Season is not over-polished, and that is where the beauty of the songs hides. Luke Leighfield is a talented man, and another great find” (4.5/5) - Louder than the Music
“An excellent pop album bursting with potential house party anthems [with] a depth and sincerity missing in so many other singer-songwriters” - Mujahid Johar
“[New Season] makes for some achingly exquisite listening. A beautiful piece of work. Thought-provoking, creative, insightful and charming. Buy. Now” - My Fizzy Pop!
“For people looking through the sea of music on the Internet, Leighfield and his polished album New Season easily stand out from the rest” - Nerd Life
“An accomplished work […] there’s a lot in this fellow’s future” - Outroversion
“New Season is apparently Leighfield’s fourth studio release, which takes some explaining if the other three are anything like as plodding and earnest” (2/5) - Q
“A treasure trove of earnest lyrics, well-executed arrangements, and light, beautiful melodies” (7.5/10) - Rock Freaks
“This album cries out to be listened to […] a very welcome surprise” - Rock Regeneration
“For piano rock, it’s certainly among the best” - Room Thirteen
“The album would be better as a 5-song EP. While some of the songs are flawless, others just seem like they’re filling up the space” - Snapshot Symphony
“New Season sounds like something you might hear in a school assembly when the teachers are attempting to get “down with the kids”, but all the teachers seem to think that their pupils all think that Starsailor is hardcore and Songs of Praise is a bit edgy” (4/10) - The 405
“While is certainly doesn’t reinvent the wheel with its piano-rock driven sound, [New Season] does showcase Luke’s considerable talents as a songwriter” (6.5/10) - The Music Service
“One of the most pleasant surprises of the year thus far. Leighfield’s musical allure has far-reaching potential. Heartfelt without ever risking being cheesy, New Season is a relatable achievement that offers both emotional depth and ease of listening. Anyone with a heart should take something from this” (4/5) - The Punk Site
“Gentle optimism seeps from the reserved power of the album” (8/10) - Venture
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German reviews:
Album Check (7/10)
CD Bewertungen (7/10)
Dream Out Loud (8.5/12)
Hurricane Bar (12/12)
Scene2Act (5.5/6)
(and one in Italian) Comunicazione Interna
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Interviews about New Season:
In English: FMV Magazine / M Magazine / Spilt inc. / The Music Service
Auf Deutsch: Hurricane Bar
More ‘New Season’ reviews
Q might not have enjoyed New Season (see picture), but here are a couple of nice reviews that emerged in the past few days. They’re in German so you might need Google Translate.
- Hurricane Bar review (12/12)
- Oh Fancy! review
You can also listen to the album for yourself here and buy it here!
http://guenter-ramsauer.suite101.de/das-album-new-season-von-luke-leighfield-a131824
Nice review of New Season in German.
Thanks to Big Cheese for this 4/5 review of New Season!
‘New Season’ Reviews
Reviews of New Season have started to trickle in from some blogs. Here are a few excerpts:
“…Luke Leighfield is definitely the most understated artist out there not to be in the conscience of the mainstream, but his time is coming and rightly so. ‘New Season’ is an album of wonderful power-pop joyfulness and if this album does not bring Leighfield the success he deserves then the music industry is broken beyond repair.”
Read the full review on All Gigs.
“…This album cries out to be listened to. It opens with the very mellow, and aptly title “Slow Down”, but grows to a crescendo of instruments giving a feel of depth. Not to mention the string section on “The One Thing”. Throughout the album is a power and energy underlying the album that you feel could unleash itself. As the album progresses the music becomes more layered and powerful, pausing for reflection along the way with the likes of “Whispering”. Closing the album, “Garda Ta Foy” unleashes that energy, whilst finishing with “Do Not Settle”, which takes you on a lesson of self awareness and discovery.”
Read the full review on Rock Regeneration.
“…Listening to this album I had to take a bit of time in between each track because a lot goes on in the few minutes that he allows for each of his creations and in each of those is intrepid lyricism, vast soundscapes carefully crafted with keys, strings, brass, percussion, power and panache all taking their rightful places.
The momentum steps up whenever the pace threatens to drop for more than a couple of verses but if you like your songs to be powered through then the title track and “Live For More” are where you’re going to be happiest. However, to be dismissive of the more cerebral aspects of his music is like waiting until your tea is cold so you can drink it all at once, rather than opting for slow and meticulous intakes, which is the perfect way to describe the more beautiful parts of this album.”
Read the full review on Outroversion.
There are five days left to pre-order New Season and take advantage of some tasty deals! lukeleighfield.com/preorder
Hit Magazine Review!
Hit Magazine (China’s biggest Western music magazine!) has reviewed my Chinese Greatest Hits CD, which is very nice of them. Apparently the review is complimentary but my Chinese skills are somewhat lacking, so if anyone is able to translate it then please email me on luke (at) lukeleighfield.com - thanks!
New review of the Leighfield/Vanders Split EP
Thanks to Hififi & Sterereo for a kind review of mine and Jose’s split EP. You can read the review here and buy the EP here if you haven’t done so yet.
The review is in German but Google Translate sorted it out for me:
“Short and sweet, four-song, two pieces from each other gecovert, then Luke Leighfieldand Jose Vanders present with their EP ”Split”. That it is both a man and a woman is - Jose Vanders thus by no means is a Catalan bard - that we know either, because thegood has gathered on her MySpace page already hosts virtual fans around, or else, youcan the views of the beautifully designed cover and sees wander - drawn cute, sittingnext to Luke at the piano and the arms in the air reckend (yielding to a burglar?) MissJose. Because Leighfield and Vanders are two young singer-songwriter from the UnitedKingdom.
And deliver the subtle and dreamy pop with piano accompaniment, delicate guitarplucking and occasional intrusions of a cello. Leigh Fields voice comes in an otherwisevery harmonious opener “Metal Detector” is a little thin over, so I‘m curious how Vandersproposes the following piece. In short, good. Charismatic, not too sweet, cuddlysounding voice but which, when heard the refrain ”I’ll try to make everyday count,” a littlesound like Kate Nash. The third song, I can only guess, is probably to the very greatdocumentary “Man on Wire” named. Or not, at least this was now a good opportunity to point out in passing …
Here are two sensitive, melodic love souls come together, to make himself and his audience something comfortable in the cool autumn days ahead. If they succeeded!”
Mixtapebabe.blog.de
Lovely blog from Germany about my Have You Got Heart? video. Google Translate says:
“He could be the English edition of Ben Folds, (even if it annoys that comparison?) And yet he is so much more. It is the autumn mood without depression, he is leaping through the leaves to run, climb over fences, grinning missed a red light. I have fallen, this voice, this feel-good pop. Thank you!”
I love Google Translate.
A review of my debut album Garde Ta Foy, Garde Ta Foy appeared on the Internet this week, a full four years after the album’s release. Anyway, it’s a very kind 8/10 review so I thought I’d share it with you.
You can stream Garde Ta Foy, Garde Ta Foy in its entirety here, buy the digital here and buy the CD here.
Thanks to Cross Rhythms for the review, which you can read in its original setting here.
“The riverside village of Upton-upon-Severn has few claims to fame beyond annual jazz and folk festivals and a regular spot on news programmes during the flooding season. But it is now becoming known as the birthplace of hard-working singer, pianist and top banana of the small but perfectly formed Got Got Need Records. Luke has since moved to Southampton and ‘Garde Ta Foy, Garde Ta Foy’ (‘Keep Your Faith …’) is the young troubadour’s debut outing from 2006. Here are 12 songs of melodic English whimsy that have about them an air of The Afternoons (especially the sultry trumpet passages) and, occasionally, the wistful sadness of the late Nick Drake. From the opening “Nothing Has Changed” through to “It Never Lasts”, the lyrics are articulate - almost poetic in places - although the titles betray a certain sense of disappointment and regret (as well as the two already mentioned, we have “The Rain Will Come Again”, “Mountain To Climb”, “I Miss Those Summers” and “Too Little Too Late”). The tunes are generally pretty cheerful but Mr Leighfield’s voice is something of an acquired taste. The production is very good, with some fine arrangements using brass (including French horn), cello and sax along with the singer’s own piano, organ and violin, and this album is well worth a listen particularly if you’re one of the many entranced by Luke’s performance at Greenbelt 2010. In fact, give it several listens. It really grows on you.”
The picture above is the cover of my second album, Fan the Flames, released in 2007. I found a new review of the album online last week despite the fact that the album is now three years old, so I thought I’d share it with you. It got 7/10! Click here to see the review.
You can stream/buy the album on Bandcamp or pick up a physical copy from the Got Got Need shop.
