Virginia Beach composer/songwriter/musician Blake Belletto is quickly becoming one of the most prolific recording artists around as a string of amazing releases have come out over the last few months.
“The Cowboy” was released in the fall of 2025. This hour long double LP blends elements of psychedelic rock, folk, experimental noise, music concrete and a lot of other things together to create something truly magical.
Tracks like opening number “Welcome Home” bring to mind artists like Savage Republic and Einstürzende Neubauten as there’s a menacing industrial dirge to it all while “Blue Jeans And A Bottle Of Whiskey” make me think what it be like if Tom Waits collaborated with Big Black.
(cicada) has a breathing/hypnotic vibe going on as its pulsating beat and mind bending melodies move perfectly around all of the reverb drenched vocals which sit nicely alongside the haunting tones of “Grand Canyon”.
The brash industrial sounds return during “The Belief In Authority” before quickly giving way to the psych/folk number “Wasting Away” which is a really beautiful song full of lush layered guitars and heartfelt vocals.
Things get really experimental on “Nebraska On A Wednesday” which sounds like aliens infiltrating an abandoned junkyard and trying to communicate their feelings they had for an old love who’s now passed on.
Another stand out moment of the album is the track “On Fire” which locks into a “Funhouse” era Stooges style groove that never lets up. Some of my other favorite tracks include the percussion driven “The Other Side Of Downtown”, the psychotic stance of “Dancing After Dark” and the cosmic soundscapes captured on “Fighting For My Right To Just Be”.
The way Belletto is able to harness so many menacing and rugged sounds and combine them with blistering rhythms and frantic vocals is beyond impressive. Look for a cassette release of “The Cowboy” out soon thru CMM and even more music from Belletto throughout 2026.
