Nathaniel Bellows

Nathaniel Bellows was born in Boston, Massachusetts, where he drew pictures and played piano as a youth. He attended a school where students were required to keep a journal, and he began to see writing as a natural extension of the arts. He relocated to New York City during his college years, and became a broadly published poet, novelist, and visual artist. He is the author of two novels, On This Day and Nan, and a collection of poems, Why Speak?, along with numerous short stories and poems. His debut album, The Old Illusions, will be released on January 22, 2016.

At the Mercury Lounge tonight, Nathaniel Bellows proved to be a pensive songwriter, a fine finger-picking guitarist, and a muscular vocalist. Accompanying himself solely on an acoustic guitar with no effects, he followed the tradition of early folk singers, but with content that was often more cerebral and more mysterious. Much like his drawings, his poetic lyrics and his unadorned vocals revealed an artist who expressed himself subtly and unobtrusively. The rich artistic juices continue to flow in Bellows; his set consisted of songs from his album and songs that have never been recorded, including at least one that made its public debut tonight. Bellows proved that it is possible to write and perform peaceful, meditative music in the midst of Mad City. - Everynight Charley's Manhattan Beat

Genre: Folk
RIYL: Marcus Mumford, Johnny Cash, Leonard Cohen


Oh, Now. Nathaniel Bellows is an author, visual artist, poet and musician. While this New York-based artist might be considered something of a renaissance man, the delivery of his debut album, The Old Illusions, might have me leaning toward musician just a little bit harder. Truthfully, all of those other creative outlets are felt as influences on this record rendering it to sound more like a continuation of an artistic journey rather than the start of a musical career. What’s very clear here is that Bellows’ acclaim in other arenas translates beautifully to his music.
The Old Illusions is a very intimate, earnest album. Bellows’ vocals are piercing, and very distinct; perhaps the best comparison would be that of Marcus Mumford, but more refined. That’s not to say this lacks in any emotional capacity, for it’s the intensity of Johnny Cash or Leonard Cohen that lives within Bellows’ ability to tell a story and focus squarely on the lyrics. And it really is the vocal performance here that stands out; Bellows bears the unmistakable mark of a haunted, introspective artist. This is the perfect tool to enhance the lyrical, poetic and vivid imagery of the lyrical content.
Lead track “Oh, Now” is a harbinger for what’s to come on the rest of the record, but it’s also a standout among a strong eight-track effort. Everything about this song is perfection; Bellows’ simple, effective vocal performance belies the complexity and overall depth of the track. It’s one you definitely go back to over and over again, and stands up on its own as a great introduction to the artistry Bellows aims to achieve. “The Reason” is another track that finds Bellows articulating flawlessly and employing heavenly backing vocals to elevate the lyrics to new heights. “Modern Days” also stands out amongst the pack of poetry with its great guitar work and pitch-perfect vocals.
The Old Illusions is a perfect title for this record; Bellows is indeed a throwback and progressive all at once. This isn’t a showy or flashy album, but it is full of imaginative vibrance. A complex and interesting songwriter, Bellows has fashioned an album that requires more than a single listening to appreciate everything happening in the arrangements and lyrics. He may not choose to focus on music in the future, but Nathaniel Bellows has certainly captured his artistic spirit with The Old Illusions. - Indie Music

Nathaniel Bellows’ The Old Illusions (Harmon Blunt Music) casts this acclaimed poet and librettist in a singer-songwriter mode reminiscent of Greg Brown. His lush, warm baritone and acoustic guitar are balanced precariously on arrangements full of spiderweb shadows and glittering edges.
The dark thrum running through the veins of Bellows’ songs is questioning. Vocals swirl and wrench around his center of gravity, rising and falling, wordless notes and lines congealing into words, most notably an echoing male voice flatly repeating the word “lie,” pulling the narrative down from certainty to doubt. Instruments appear, throw gleaming daggers that shatter into texture, and disappear. “The Reason,” with its suspended piano and circling, surging guitar, orbits choruses tied together by alliteration and assonance, underlining the struggle. Bellows’ begged question, “Did somebody somewhere just use my name in the way one would say ‘I now know me?’” turns into a growl when it changes to, “Could somebody somewhere just soothe my brain? The thundering thoughts and the silence.” On “What Would You Do,” Bellows peels apart a small town scandal like an onion, starting with the finding of two corpses, slipping between the heads of various characters and the concrete detail of the town. Along the way, he talks about regret as poison and the impossibility of finding one’s way home.
Even in the heart of the frustration breathing through these songs, there’s a wild delight in the sensual quality of language. In closer “The Calm,” Bellows cartwheels through lines like, “In the calm and the psalm and the salt that’s thrown over the shoulder of the saddest of soldiers who’s carving a doll from the soap in the stall of his horse.” The Old Illusions is a moving record that reconstructs the past through what was handed down and, more, what we still tell ourselves. There isn’t a wasted note, inflection, or moment here. Indeed, there is no time for showy virtuosity when there’s so much to say. - The Agit Reader

Nathaniel Bellows’ road to releasing “The Old Illusions” is a long and winding one, and you can hear it throughout the album which was released last month. A poet, novelist and visual artist, Nathaniel had hidden his songs away until another artist heard them and spurred him on to record them. The old in the title, refers in many ways to the wisdom these songs have picked up over the time they’ve been cultivated.
Take the opener “Oh, Now” which showcases Bellow’s angular and raspy tones over a warm but weary guitar. It feels home made and indie fresh but there’s a subtle horn arrangement playing underneath that embellishes the song perfectly and in a surprisingly stirring way. The acoustic guitar is central to the album and “Modern Days” showcases the finger style, the bedroom recording style where you can hear movement in the room and the honesty that the melody and lyrics provide. It’s quite direct because of the way the main vocal is recorded without any production at all. However Nathaniel’s voice provides all the additional melodies and soundscapes behind the guitar and sometimes it sounds otherwordly. It draws you into the song though and is a great artistic decision.
“At Sea” adds in some flute as the track takes a more folk twist. It sounds timeless and beautiful. The flutes and guitar interplay in a way that makes the track feel fluid and the rousing chorus is a folk treat. “Reel” is more brooding like a post battle lament. Delicate and achingly well paced, this works perfectly with “Who Made It So” that uses guitar feedback to softly fade in and out behind the main melody to perfect effect while Nathaniel begs us to “leave the bloodied man be”.
“The Reason” brings in piano for the first time and female backing vocals to give the track a brighter presence. It’s the closest to a full production the album gets but it shows just how solid the whole thing is, when you don’t even realise you’ve been listening to such a minimal sound palette. “What Would You Do” is the mystical speedy track. The chord structure has a heady dizziness and that’s brought out with the backing vocals that feel part choir and part like they are channelling a space orchestra. It’s such a magical effect that when it’s paired with such a great melody, it’s an instant win – especially with great lyrics too. The album closes with “The Calm” which is a gorgeous icy track with a cautionary tale “if you wait a moment longer, then its gone”.
Unconventional low fi recording and years of finesse have worked a treat on “The Old Illusions”. There is a warm through line that channels through these songs. Nathaniel’s voice may sound like it’s recorded in a vacuum but it also gives it s a unique olden sound which when mixed with the homemade recordings gives it added depth and flavour. Folk fans – your first essential album of 2016 is here.
Recommended track: What Would You Do - Higher Plain Music (UK)

Nathaniel Bellows is what you could call a renaissance man. He is already a well-respected poet, visual artist, lyricist, and now musician.
‘The Old Illusions’ is an earnest album built around childhood memories and what it is like to reflect upon these or shuck them off during adulthood. Bellows employs a minimal approach to song writing. In the main, these solemn ballads are based around acoustic guitar, piano, flute, backing vocals and the deep voice of Bellows. The style is not dissimilar to early Leonard Cohen, both in the sparseness of instrumentation, and in the poetic style and content. The simplistic nature of the composition works well with the poet’s lyrical style, allowing the skeletal rhythm of the words to show healthily through a lean body of guitar and atmosphere.
The opening track, ‘Oh, now’ starts with swift finger plucking, “All I said was lead the way and she forgave my old allegiance.” This is at once opaque and transparent, hinting at a very real relationship that is not easy to unpick. Bellows has a mature voice; the use of language is indicative of a soul that still sees romance in life, but as a complexity that describes the impossibility to fully comprehend existence, rather than an ideal to strive for.
‘Modern Days’ follows, which is also strong. The percussive guitar is a structure on which to build the story and the chorus is intriguing, positive and realistic “Can we say that we’ll all be forgiven one day coming soon? Does it follow to say that tomorrow is half-way in the mood? Can this extend to the end, or is that too sad to do?”
The next two songs are both based on the sea. Bellows grew up on the New England coast, so this makes sense given the album’s theme. ‘At Sea’ is perhaps the most Cohen-esque track. This features flute panning across speakers to create a space of magic, sublime and unknowing. ‘Reel’ is an angrier message, it finishes with “and to them it’s all truth, these lies to you,” perhaps suggesting a certain naivety on behalf of the song’s intended listener.
‘Who Made it So’ has the added dimension of another instrument (a sitar, harmonium, or possibly effects pedals). The sound judders and shudders through this song, stretching time and shattering into broken chords.
‘The Reason’ is fully realised, starting with a wash of female voices swathing gentle arpeggios. The vocals come in, “And the common key was C when the cloud carved out me.” The poetry is dense, but it seems likely that there has been a breakdown of some kind. The piano and electric guitar add to this mysterious composition.
‘What Would You Do’ is about being haunted by a religious upbringing. It is enveloped with ghostly angelic voices floating through the music that threaten to invade the strong, clear voice. ‘The Calm’ finishes the album with a story about a missing person, perhaps a child. There is a harp like instrument which shimmers over the surface. The chorus kind of falls out of the centre; suddenly what has been so clean is muddied and hard to hear.
‘The Old Illusions’ is an impressive debut. The only criticism would be that the composition, pace, shape, and atmosphere are quite similar from song to song. With the subject matter being quite down, this makes it hard to listen to in one sitting. However, if this sounds like the kind of music and mood you are striving to listen to, it will fulfil your curiosity. - GigSoup (UK)

I’ve found myself listening to tons of wintry folk tunes, but perhaps none sounds as complete as the new album from Nathaniel Bellows. The Old Illusions is filled with intricate little guitar details, and a voice that haunts the inside of your mind. Listen carefully throughout, as you’re going to find these little bits of accompaniment that make this album wholly enchanting and pretty inescapable. In a landscape where tunes get discarded for the next batch, this is something with which you can spend all day. - Austin Town Hall

Hailing from Boston, Massachusetts, Nathaniel Bellows releases his first EP The Old Illusions, is definitely quite an album to be introduced to him by. The musician, visual artist and writer has music akin to folk stars, Mumford and Sons and Hudson Taylor. The Old Illusions is simply a man and his guitar; combining Bellows’ haunting voice akin (again) to the baritone base of Marcus Mumford, and his introspective, and colorful lyrics aid in the immense quality of this record.
There are times when listening to this album, that you will unknowingly be tapping your foot or nodding your head. This is definitely an album you should listen to more than once, each listen gives you a different impression of the music and definitely, Nathaniel Bellows as a musician. Can’t wait to see what he does in the future! - WLOY Loyola Radio

Boston raised, Nathaniel Bellows is an artist in a lot of ways but music is my topic. His music is not what I used to listen, it’s not properly my cup of tea, but he hit me like a gun. He’s a pure story-teller and the first comparison I could made is with a young Leonard Cohen. His intimistic way makes me feel like I’m swimming deep in the hot water and all around blue going darker , covering any light. Warm your heart like the fireplace on Christmas day, when it’s rainy or snowy outside. So delicate, his voice can show you places that you have never seen before, this is what the lyrics talks about, places, poetry and a lot more. According to me At sea is the most powerful song in the album because it’s able to show you feelings. The lyric is painted to frame the reality, the recorder seems like a morning bird! The whole album is well made and arrangement too. I’d like to finish with this sentence: Because if we fall or we fly the time that we spend wondering why is nothing to the time still in our hands. Exceptional Discovery. (translated via Google translate) - In Your Eyes ezine (Italy)

[Oh, Now] is a tender, patient track with a charming dramatic quality to it, a somber horn section really bringing the heartbreak home. - Magnet Magazine

Oh, Now is an incredibly complex track that requires more than one listen– each time you play it you will discover something new. Bellows’ lyrics can be taken apart and interpreted how you wish. This track is a wonderful departure from the common, cookie-cutter songs, and will leave you wanting more. - Elmore Magazine

It’s no surprise that Nathaniel Bellows is also a novelist and poet, as the pensive, literate songs here point towards someone with a penchant for the written word. An album focused on Bellows’ deep vocals and rich melodies, there are also classical influences in attendance, crafting a dreamy and haunting version of indie-folk. The tunes flow fluidly into each other, utilizing primarily acoustic guitars and pianos, and despite being full of delicate atmospheres are powerful in their emotive beauty. Those who appreciate Leonard Cohen, Neil Young and intelligent, intimate song craft are advised to get on board here. - New Noise Magazine

The lyrical acumen on display with the ten song collection Swan and Wolf won’t surprise anyone who’s followed Nathaniel Bellows’ trajectory through modern American public life. He’s an artist with a wide foundation in various forms – music, prose, poetry, and visual art all fall within his purview. His second full length album Swan and Wolf continues his musical journey and shows his powers as a songwriter exponentially expanding from his well received debut. Bellows is a particularly well received poet with some plum publication credits to his name and even a cursory listen to the songs on Swan and Wolf illustrates how well he’s transitioned that sensibility into these musical arrangements without ever compromising them as songs. The balance of elements fueling the cuts on Swan and Wolf is expertly handled. Nathaniel Bellows has followed up his debut in exquisite fashion and solidifies his standing as one of the best indie songwriters working today.



“Only Love” is definitely a folk song, but it has the closest commercial leanings of any song on Swan and Wolf. The level of excellence he brings to his song construction and the way he structures the musical arrangements around the lyrics is as distinctive as anything you’ll hear from the folk or singer/songwriter style in our modern era. The inclusion of artful piano on the track “How High” gives it a spin that the opener lacks, but they definitely share strong refrains and the same general sense of delicacy manifested in every verse. There’s a lightly played undercurrent of unease running through this song that the moody piano lines accentuate for listeners. The dynamics orchestrating some of these songs may be one of Swan and Wolf’s most underrated qualities and one of the finest expressions of that comes with the song “Add to This” – it evolves slowly from a rather muted, sedate acoustic number into a vocal showcase by song’s end with post-production touches enhancing the cut as a whole. “To Wait” shares the same mysterious, gossamer-like effervescence characterizing many of the album’s tracks, but there’s always a definable structure even with Bellows’ more whispery numbers and this is no exception. He has a deeply meditative spirit as both a songwriter and performer that eschews bluster in favor of examination and that’s a quality coming through quite strongly as well.



The melodic strengths of “What Then” help make it one of the album’s more important tunes and the vocal arrangement, once again, steals the aural show in some respects. The lyrics are more outward looking than some of Bellows’ other songwriting for the album, but he’s one of those writers who reveals just as much about himself as it does others when writing about them. There’s some nice understated percussion with “It Wasn’t” and a more traditional folky feel than we may be used to from Bellows, but it works exceptionally well. Swan and Wolf closes with the song “In Time” and Bellows seizes it as an opportunity to expand his instrumental range a little bringing strings into play with great results. Nathaniel Bellows’ Swan and Wolf is a more than worthy successor to The Old Illusions and finds him growing increasingly comfortable and confident as a recording artist. - Neufuture Magazine

New York City based artist Nathaniel Bellows is, first and foremost, a writer and everything artistic he touches is colored by his adherence to that discipline. Bellows, however, is a formidable musician and visual artist, as well, as evidenced by his second full length album release Swan and Wolf. It’s a notable independent release for a number of reasons, but one of which is the somewhat lavish presentation Bellows has arranged for his second studio recording. The album’s ten songs come with illustrations for each number that bring the song lyrics together with art inspired by illuminated texts and work from palimpsest sketchbooks. Swan and Wolf is definitely an expansion of his musical vision compared to his fine debut The Old Illusions, but Bellows’ performed poetry is never so lofty or affected by craft that it’s rendered all but inaccessible to general audiences. His voice proves to be an effective instrument for conveying the album’s emotional tenor and listeners are, more often than not, sure to turn away from these songs having derived meaning of their own from his writing.



The echo and double-tracking applied to Bellows’ voice on the opener “Only Love” and other songs on Swan and Wolf will alienate some listeners, but others will hear the effects Bellows is attempting to achieve with such decisions. These lean and stripped down folk songs are varied enough they need no further color, but Bellows does want to invoke a full unity in the recordings – the musical and aural mood neatly dovetailing into his vocals and lyrical content. “Only Love” has a surprisingly rambunctious musical arrangement, particularly around its guitar, despite the low-fi DIY origins of Bellows’ recording. “How High” finds those post-production effects applied to his vocals less than before and the expanded palette from bringing piano into the mix results in a different sort of achievement than we have with the album opener. His passionate vocal for the song “To Wait” locks in sympathetically with another delicately wrought acoustic guitar arrangement and the song shows off the same discipline marking Swan and Wolf as a whole.



“Keep In Mind” comes off as one of the more personal numbers on the release with a restless, forever changing vocal melody that Bellows’ voice retains full control over and the acoustic guitar rises and falls in the mix. He serves up one of his most forceful vocals with the later track “What Then” while the music takes on a brighter hue, in some respects, than we experience with the album’s surrounding songs. There’s some exceptionally lovely backing and double-tracked vocals accompanying Bellows on the song “I Awoke” and they are, likewise, among the album’s finest lyrics. The closing number “In Time” pulls a final surprise out for listeners as Bellows brings violin in to complement his voice and acoustic guitar playing – it makes for a fine trio working in the burning heart of the song. Swan and Wolf is definitely one of 2018’s more formidable independent releases and distinguished by its high level of lyrical and vocal excellence. - Music Existence

"The evocatively titled Swan and Wolf is Nathaniel Bellows’ sophomore musical release heralds an artist in a constant state of evolution who has built on his stellar first album The Old Illusions with an even finer second effort that distills the debut’s strengths into an even more potent second effort...his voice [often] occupies the lower register of his vocal range, yet he’s a naturally emotive singer...Swan and Wolf is packaged with some classy bonus items like illustrations and lyrics reproduced for interested listeners, but it isn’t pretentiously handled. Instead, Swan and Wolf is a fully realized product representing this performer in the best possible way."
—John McCall - Too Much Love Magazine

Home / Music / CD Reviews / CD REVIEW: Swan and Wolf by Nathaniel Bellows
CD REVIEW: Swan and Wolf by Nathaniel Bellows

RJ Frometa April 3, 2018 CD Reviews Leave a comment 77 Views
Poet, visual artist, novelist, and musician. Nathaniel Bellows doesn’t wear any of these hats more adroitly than the others but, instead, seems to possess a centralized talent manifesting itself through a variety of stylistic avenues. The lyrics for his second musical collection, Swan and Wolf, aren’t far removed from his printed poetry and share the same distinctive mix of the personal and universal grounded by another blending of significant details and artful suggestiveness. Each of the album’s ten songs are coupled with one of Bellows’ original illustrations and accompanying musicians like David Garland, Kid Millions, and Padma Newsome are critical for Bellows to realize the musical potential in each of these tracks. It is rare, in any generation, to find figures like Bellows, virtual artistic polymaths whose wide-ranging muse cannot be corralled by marketplace labels. Swan and Wolf is a singular experience and one sure to linger with sensitive listeners long after the final song concludes.
Much of Bellows’ music sounds like it emerges from a place deep within. “Only Love”, the album’s opener, presents his voice in a powerfully atmospheric way that occasionally threatens to overwhelm the song’s acoustic guitar work. Bellows’ touch with words is every bit as distinctive as you’d expect considering his stellar publication credits and what will prove a strong attraction for readers is his talent for marrying the personal with the universal in a comprehensible fashion. The coherence and carefully measured of the album’s individual songs results in the collection sharing an unity of purpose as weighty as any small collection of printed poetry. Colorful piano contributions to “How High” mitigate some of the darkness swirling in its center and the vocal underscores that hint of dread emanating from the song. Bellows rarely brings added instrumentation into his songs which makes those moments when additional elements appear all the more memorable.
“Add to This” is one of the album’s more successful moments thanks to the creative, memorable build investing the song and Bellows’ relatively unconventional voice proves more than up to the challenge to realizing the song’s potential. “What Then” and “I Awoke” are two of the album’s most fervent numbers, especially the former, and the biting lyrics for “What Then” likewise strike a notable contrast with the content for the latter song. “I Awoke” elicits an engaged, physical vocal performance from Bellows that stands out. The drumming helping to push “It Wasn’t” along to its inevitable end has just the right pulse for this song and Bellows sounds invigorated to be singing along with this tune. Backing and harmony vocals, once again, help make this song plant itself even deeper in our memories. The closer “In Time” possesses a crystalline, dream-like intimacy slowly unwinding over five minutes with some extraordinary imagery packed into that time. His use of violin is fitting for the tune and brings Swan and Wolf to a rich, though melancholy, conclusion. Nathaniel Bellows’ second album definitely rates as one of the more intelligent and substantive releases you’ll hear this year.
— Jason Hillenberg - Vents Magazine

Nathaniel Bellows’ second studio release Swan and Wolf picks up where his first, The Old Illusions, left off and shows his talents as both a singer and lyricist assuming wider proportions than ever before. Despite an independent release, Bellows’ confidence in the collection is obvious from the stylish packaging surrounding Swan and Wolf including lyrics with accompanying illustrations specially presented for those purchasing the release. The New York City based recording artist has published in some of the highest profile literary journals and poetry collections with some of the publishing world’s marquee houses. He’s, likewise, collaborated on diverse projects including writing libretti for classical composer Sarah Kirkland Snider’s latest release Unremembered, among other efforts. Despite the diversity of Bellows’ talent and the relatively brevity of his discography, Swan and Wolf sounds confident from the first and never missteps in a meaningful way. Nathaniel Bellows definitely will draw considerable praise from various quarters for the excellence of the songwriting and his collaborators enliven the already fine songs with an additional spark.

The opener “Only Love” begins Swan and Wolf on a strong introductory note with a song every bit as strong as the later gems included with this release. Perhaps he chose the song for this particular spot thanks to an especially strong chorus, but regardless of that, it’s a superb song. The acoustic guitar work throughout the entirety of Swan and Wolf never opts for the least common denominator and weaves a delicate melodic spell with each song. Many writers and performers in this vein are often criticized for a lack of variety, but working within the folk style doesn’t constrain Bellows in any way. Each of the album’s ten songs produces a different effect for listeners without ever venturing too far afield from its core strengths. “How High” continues the high standards of the first song with another track that marries a first class acoustic track with the sharp vocal melody. There’s some warm, fluid piano runs dropped in throughout the course of the song that help ornament the tune to great effect.

There’s a greater focus than ever before on the union between Bellows’ voice and the guitar in the song “To Wait” and it begins with a much crisper presentation of the six string than we’ve been treated to before and the vocal receives the same sort of varied treatment it gets throughout Swan and Wolf. Bellows’ echo-laden vocal is highly appropriate for the musical arrangement without ever being too obscure. “It Wasn’t” has a nice percussive vibe reminiscent of some acoustic Neil Young without ever coming off too pronounced or heavy handed and the presence of double tracked and harmony vocals, creeping up throughout the release, brings a brighter glow to the song. A pensive mood surrounds the song “The Dove” and it keeps up the same meditative thrust up throughout the entirety of the song without ever testing listener’s patience. Some listeners are going to find, however, that he relies on the same light post production effects on his singing throughout the album, but there are just as many if not more who will find it one of the most distinctive aspects of Swan and Wolf. It’s an excellent outing for this multi-talented figure whose stature will only grow from here, concurrent with his capacity for communicating with his admirers.
— Mindy McCall - No Depression

March 30 marks the release of a new album from Nathaniel Bellows, entitled Swan and Wolf, a collection of 10 original tracks. The album features the talents of Timo Andres, David Garland, Michael Hammond, Kid Millions, and Padma Newsome.

Bellows is a published poet, novelist, visual artist, and musician of some note. The author of two novels, On This Day, and Nan: A Novel in Stories, for the last six years Bellows has been writing libretti for composer Sarah Kirkland Snider. Their latest release, Unremembered, was inspired by Bellow’s poems and illustrations, and received acclaim from The Washington Post, NPR, and The New York Times, along with others.

The tracks on Swan and Wolf call up vague, elusive memories of Gordon Lightfoot, for the music and lyrics go hand-in-hand, encompassing a sublime poetic grace that’s at once expressive, romantic, introspective, and profound. Bellows’ music is more austere than Lightfoot’s and less sonically luminous, but perhaps it is more poignant because of its ascetic aesthetic properties.

Highlights of the album include “To Wait,” a softly flowing folk number with gentle colors and a melancholic flavor. I love the vocal harmonies on this tune, which are muted, yet emergent at just the right moments. “What Then” is another evocative track, riding a tender guitar and Bellows’ rich, deep tones. The music almost drifts, as if meandering down a slow-moving river in a dream. This is a beautiful song, full of pale harmonics.

“The Dove” might be my favorite tune on the album because of its relentless easy flow. Bellow’s voice is indulgent and lenient, yet exudes an intensity of emotion. “It Wasn’t” blends Celtic aromas with a touch of evanescent bluegrass flavors riding somewhere inside, giving the tune an oozing elasticity that’s contagiously pensive.

Swan and Wolf is one of those albums defined as starkly scrumptious, dreamy, and haunting. It’s an album requiring more than a single listening to fully appreciate the subtle sonic nuances. The arrangements are wonderfully wrought, and Bellow’s voice approaches the hypnotic. - Blog Critics.org

Nathaniel Bellows isn’t only a musician but also a broadly published poet, novelist, and visual artist. He even brings some of these other talents to his music. On March 30th, he will release his new album, Swan and Wolf. Each song on Swan and Wolf (ten in total) is paired with one of Bellows’s unique illustrations, which integrate the song lyrics in mixed media art pieces. Today, Earbuddy premieres the album track, “Only Love”. What’s immediately noticeable about this song is Bellows’ voice. It’s shadowy and commanding; instantly snaring you like some innocent prey. Check out “Only Love” below. - Ear Buddy

We’ve been inundated with a little too much fluff lately. And, while we’re all about being happy and upbeat and feeling free, sometimes you need to slow it down and enjoy a good song for what it is: emotional, dark, intense, and equally as freeing. This is the feeling you get from the first chords of Nathaniel Bellows‘ new track “To Wait”, which finds its exclusive streaming premiere right here, right now. As the song progresses, a dark and beautiful love affair brims within its lines for those who happen upon it.

If nothing else, this track reminds you that patience – even when you’re waiting for dissonance in instrumentals and the next line of a brand new song – is a damn virtue.

We caught up with Nathaniel himself briefly before the release of this new track to talk shop. Check out our words below!

How is your new LP, Swan and Wolf, different from your previous album?

With Swan and Wolf, I left the city and went up to Maine to record all the vocals and guitar tracks by myself. Being in that secluded environment, I was able to spend more time organizing, layering, and experimenting with how the background vocals interacted with the main vocal, which ultimately—hopefully—gives the songs greater emotional texture and depth. Another main difference is that, with Swan and Wolf, I worked closely with a mixer, Brian Losch, who really understood the mood and tone I was looking for, and which resulted in a more cohesive, consistent overall sound.

While The Old Illusions featured two of my drawings as part of the CD booklet, Swan and Wolf incorporates more of my visual art: I created ten illustrations that correspond to each of the ten songs on the record, which are available to view on the album’s website, and in a limited edition hardcover book that I produced as a companion to the music.

How would you describe the sound of Swan and Wolf?

As with The Old Illusions, I was looking for a very direct, spare, open-room sound, but this time, with a more polished, professional sheen. There aren’t that many elements in these songs, but I was eager to have each component sit within the mix in an organic, but ordered way. Overall, I wanted the sound to be clean and immediate, with a slight tinge of rawness, and the distinct presence of human imperfection.

Where do you find the inspiration to write?

I grew up in rural environments, so I’ve always been very inspired by the natural world. I live in New York City now and have written most of my music here, so maybe there’s something to the urban landscape that particularly inspires this work—perhaps the pervasive, invisible rhythms of the city? I’m not sure, but it’s definitely given me a lot to write/sing about (much to the dismay of my neighbors, I think!).

You are a poet, a novelist, a visual artist, and a musician. What got you into doing music?

Playing and studying music has always run alongside the other disciplines that I work in. I took piano lessons for 11 years when I was young, and I picked up the guitar when I went to college. I started writing songs around the time I finished college and went to graduate school as a way to explore a different approach to poetry, which I was mainly writing at the time. Ever since then, songwriting has slotted in among my other artistic pursuits in a pretty seamless and satisfying way.

How do you differentiate yourself from your music and your writing?

There is a definite overlap in my music and my writing. But with the songs, I tend to include more vernacular language than I would in a poem—the rhyming is more forceful and structured, and there’s a more deliberate symmetry in a song’s verses and choruses, which are choices I don’t employ so overtly in my poetry. Sometimes I use quotations in the songs in a way I might when writing fiction, but the songs tend to be blurry, abstract meditations on emotion, memories, events or images, so I don’t feel any need to crystalize these spoken scraps into something more narratively realized, the way I do when writing a short story or a novel. In all my work, I aim for clarity, specificity, and vividness, but with songwriting, I like to explore the tension between exactitude and ambiguity.

What was the inspiration behind your first single, “Keep in Mind”?

It takes me a long time to write songs, because they evolve as a slow accrual of ideas, generated in fits and starts, over months and sometimes years. I’m also unable to write lyrics in the absence of the guitar—the lyrics and music tend to evolve in tandem. I practice a lot and record drafts of the songs on my phone, and walk around listening to them to try to figure out what the music is attempting to evoke and express. It can take a while. Given all of this, it’s a little hard to pinpoint what the inspiration is for any one song, except that they usually begin with a central image or phrase, around which the song slowly congeals. In the case of “Keep in Mind,” I think it was the image of the seabirds mentioned in the second verse—the idea that they have an innate sense of where they are headed, how they are meant to live, all in their own mysterious and unknowable ways.

What is next for your career?

I am looking forward to playing these songs live in the upcoming months, after the release. I have also been working on a new novel—a contemporary ghost story set on a small island off the coast of Maine—and I’m in the process of finishing my second collection of poetry.

I frequently collaborate with the composer Sarah Kirkland Snider—our first record, Unremembered, a song cycle for 7 voices, chamber orchestra, and electronics, based on 13 of my poems and illustrations—came out in 2015. We are now working on a Mass for Trinity Wall Street, about endangered animals and the environment, which premieres this spring, and we’ve also begun work on an opera. - Imperfect Fifth

In his new single "How High," Nathaniel Bellows proves that a voice can be both hearty and delicate all at once. The song, with its sparse guitar/piano/vocal arrangement, is literally breathtaking. It's no surprise that Bellows is also a poet and novelist - his lyrics are shimmery meditations on life, reflecting on the complexities of human existence in an unassuming yet outspoken manner. Bellows' new album Swan and Wolf is out March 30th. - Geena Kloeppel - The Deli Magazine

We've been following this young man for some time now. He first came onto Paste's radar as the co-conspirator to Sarah Kirkland Snider's masterpiece, Unremembered (New Amsterdam, 2015). Since then he released a stunning debut (The Old Illusions) and is now preparing the release of his 2nd solo long player, Swan And Wolf.

This morning, Bellows shared "How High", the newest single from Swan And Wolf (March 30th). The contrast between Bellows' rough voice and the gorgeous instrumentation (aided by composer Timo Andres) is really striking and keeps the interest at peak levels throughout. This is a must listen. - Paste