FIFTY3FRIDAYS: THAT OLD PARASKEVIDEKATRIAPHOBIA AGAIN
- Mar 13
- 5 min read
Updated: Mar 14
For the consecutive month, today is Friday the 13th. An odd alignment of numbers maybe but nonetheless a timely opportunity to highlight Olivia Miceli’s splendid February 13th titular single once again. Yet the paraskevidekatriaphobic among you need fear nought. You may walk under ladders and cross on stairs with impunity in search of a quiet spot to read on and listen to this week’s fine selection of music, emanating largely from the wonderous independent artist community we are blessed with here and across the world. You also have our lovely hand-carved cat to bring you luck and protect you from the fear of Friday the 13th.
I reviewed “Friday The 13th” by Olivia Miceli for Fresh On The Net when the song was voted a Fresh Fave last month and included it just as a bonus track without a commentary here two weeks ago. Midlands-based, Olivia is a classic DIY independent artist who writes, records and produces all her music from her bedroom studio. Her ethos revolves around the power of music to be relatable and to connect with people openly, leading to extensive radio coverage at home and abroad.
Olivia cast superstition aside by releasing “Friday The 13th” on the same day in February, although messaging that “getting your heart broken on Friday 13th seems pretty unlucky.” Originally conceived as a minimal piano ballad, Olivia went on to embellish the song with production building in the bridge and choruses. The song’s lilting waltz time melody lit by Olivia’s sweetly sad vocal combines to form a bittersweet classic.
Two artists next that I have championed since first hearing their early work, each with distinctive and complementary styles. Coincidentally I saw them together live with their respective bands at The Waiting Room in downtown Stoke Newington in June 2024. First up is London-based Shropshire native Alexandra Leaving and her fine band who headlined the show that evening when launching her memorable debut EP, An Exorcise in Anger. Alexandra has built up a head of steam subsequently through live performances and by releasing increasingly compelling material.
“I Was Wrong” continues this upwards trajectory. Referencing choice’s made by Tarantino’s bride in Kill Bill and Charles Perrault’s Sleeping Beauty, Alexandra’s righteous anger is tempered by the overriding need to reclaim power and rebuild a life on your own terms rather than someone else’s. Formed around swirling guitars and a flowing melody, she blends strident empowerment with soft reflective passages which showcase her exceptional vocal versatility. In that 2024 review I wrote that Alex’s live show would translate so easily to a big stage and that is even truer now.
Photo by Tabitha Wykeham
Supporting Alexandra Leaving that evening at The Waiting Room was singer-guitarist Maria McMillan aka Frankie Morrow which is both her stage name and the name of her band. Frankie’s initial recordings had a nuanced indie-folk sensibility though she went on to develop a much rockier set live and on record, driven by her electric guitar though at times still carrying vestiges of traditional folk music rhythms and some country flavours. However, the softer side of Frankie Morrow’s music seems to have returned in the shape of her new single, recorded live in one take and now accompanied by a suitably theatrical video.
“The Peach” is the first single from Frankie Morrow’s debut album, Way Out West, due for release in late June. The song features Frankie’s live band - singer-guitarist Frankie with Neev on keyboards and backing vocals, bassist James Smith and drummer Duncan Carswell. As readers I'm sure will recall, Neev is also a fine solo artist in her own right. On the new song, Frankie has swopped electric for acoustic guitar on this track and brought in pedal steel player, JC Palmer who adds some sombre refinements. A sad yet still affectionate reflection on a former love, Frankie’s yearning vocal brings humanity and empathy with it. The title draws from T. S. Eliot’s poem The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock in which the writer asks “Do I dare to eat a peach?” Subverting the form, Frankie asserts to her former lover: “You ate the peach and left the pip / I thought you were good for it.”
While I can only count five in the photo, Brooklyn’s Ceylon Sailor announces itself as an indie rock sextet drawing inspiration from late-90s college radio, Elephant 6–era psych pop and the warm melancholy of bands like Neutral Milk Hotel and Car Seat Headrest. The band’s characteristic sound blends jangling guitars, urgent rhythms and heart-on-sleeve storytelling, reflecting what Ceylon Sailor describe as “recordings and live shows leaning into the long-gone spirit of slightly broken but deeply felt indie rock.”
“The Tiny Wave” is the title track from Ceylon Sailor’s upcoming EP due to drop on 26 March. Here the band blends overdriven guitars, keys, horns, pummelling drums and what sounds like a banjo into something of a 90s inspired slacker rock anthem. The titular wave may start small but it comes on like a tsunami in the harmony-rich choruses as a relationship that the writer senses was never going to work is unpicked. Icy lyrics reflect a winter fling in which feelings ebb and flow before giving way to the inevitable. This spirited song was one of my two Fresh On The Net Alt Picks last week.
Photo of Roswell Road by Sophie Barloc
My second Alt Pick was from the London-based Indie-Americana project of Zoë Wren and Jasmine Watkiss, Roswell Road. The duo was formed following a chance meeting via a mutual friend which led to them gently being forced to sing together in the very public location of Ely Market Square; a picturesque setting for any who do not know the Cambridgeshire cathedral city. The resulting musical chemistry was instantaneous and the pair has performed and written songs together ever since. Winners of Fatea’s EP of the Year with its very first release, Roswell Road’s debut album, Rebel Joy, is out today.
Taken from the album, the single “Weirdo At The Party” sees Roswell Road bringing its agreeable close harmonies and natural chemistry to bear on a tale of feeling socially sidelined at a work do. Jasmine confides that the song was written the day after spending an uncomfortable evening at such an event. It might not quite be Colin from the Fast Show but it is certainly a call to shun the uber cool and stop worrying about being yourself. There is an openness here that many who cover up their anxiety and have felt uncomfortable in their own skin will resonate with, as Roswell Road cut loose and have fun with a moment of discomfort.
Photo of Jenny on Holiday by Steve Gullick
Last week we featured Rosa Walton’s lead single from her forthcoming debut solo album, Tell Me It's A Dream. Rosa is of course one half of the excellent Let's Eat Grandma along with her schoolfriend bandmate, Jenny Hollingworth. Putting its collective work on the back burner for the past 3 years, each has been working on solo projects. Jenny’s solo debut long player, Quicksand Heart, under the guise of Jenny on Holiday actually came out in January. To even matters up, here is “Good Intentions”, the opening track from the album, which along with a couple of others includes backing vocals from Rosa. However, Jenny's record is very much her own. There is a certain joie-de-vivre to this expansive and euphoric song which is fully reflected in Jenny’s exquisite vocals as she seeks to live and love anew despite the uncertainties of life and highly personal past trauma.
