Witchy Welsh doom folk punctuated by hammered dulcimer and hand drum that, while slightly discordant and asperous to the ear, is hauntingly ethereal... and oddly hypnotic. show more
At some gig in London many moons ago I recall a smoking area conversation with some random in a Radiohead t-shirt who, when... I told him that despite not being their most musically accomplished, The Bends remains my favourite of theirs, he responded "ah, yes, baby's first Radiohead album" lmao. Whatever dude, it's easily their most listenable work and it's the album of theirs I return to most frequently by a wide margin. And for good reason; every track is a banger. show more
Every album by Watchhouse (formerly Mandolin Orange) feels like a warm embrace from an old friend, but Tides of a Teardrop is their... most melancholy and perhaps their most thematically coherent, dealing with the death of a parent. In spite of the heavy creative spark behind the piece, the album remains a joy to listen to, as all their music does, and it's only here and there that you get a sense of the pain and loss that spurred on many of the tracks here. The musicianship, of course, is of the charts; the husband and wife duo remain some of the most accomplished players in the collective folk-country-Americana bandstand, and the result is one of their most accomplished collections of music to date. show more
A warm slice of folk-tinged country from Canadian singer-songwriter Cat Clyde that, at a little over thirty minutes long, passes quicker than you'll... notice, so captivating is the lushness of her voice and laid-back vibes of her third full length album of original material to date. The production deserves an appreciative nod, also; stripped back enough to let the beauty of Clyde's yodel and drawl shine through, yet clean enough to accentuate some sublime backing instrumentation on repeat listens. show more
Well, damn. This just might be my favourite release of 2024. It sounds uniquely fresh, feels excitingly vital and blends disparate styles and... wide-ranging influences so seamlessly, so effortlessly that (once the bewilderment has passed) it's impossible to be anything other than wildly impressed. The instrumentation is gorgeous, the musicianship impeccable, the lyrics absurdly captivating and the showmanship here is off the charts, delivered by Greep with a swaggering intensity and confidence that immediately endears the New Sound he's selling. show more
While walking down the street there really is no album better for making you feel like a main character in a '70s cop... procedural. I believe they're some sort of R&B/soul supergroup and have released just the one album, but eight years on I would definitely welcome more. show more
Forgive me Appalachia, I do so love your folk music, but it is also remarkably rare to find an English folk group of... this sort of song-writing calibre and musicianship who are also unapologetically influenced by English folk music first and foremost. The Moon Also Rises hits the ear like a modern day love letter to the raucous English troubadour tradition, steeped in the mythology of the isle (new and old), it's as joyous and celebratory as it is sombre and thought provoking.
One of its strongest tracks, Song With No Name, was performed at this year's D-Day memorial in Normandy to a crowd of veterans and, in that context, it took on a whole new tone for me. The back half of the album feels more sedate and personal, while the front half speaks of the sort of uplifting merriment that comes only from good company, good cheer and good times well spent.
It's an album to be sung with friends on long hikes through the countryside (which, funnily enough, was how much of it was composed), an album to delight loved ones with on long car trips and one to, almost without thinking, be hummed alone on sunny days when thoughts wander, simply because so much of it is just so damn catchy. While not perfect, it's an album I know I will be returning to for years to come. show more
A formative album in my musical journey, discovered at a time when I only listened to increasingly extreme forms of metal. The Burden... of Hope is an eclectic album best categorised as post-rock (although the follow-up album, Redlight, would better embody such pigeonholing), but its influences are wide and far-reaching, presented to the listener in warm, analogue tones with folksy touches of psychedelia that feel as immediately captivating to the ear as they did some twenty years ago (how time flies!). show more
Always thematically challenging, lyrically cutting and, above all, strikingly powerful; Okovi represents, for me, the pinnacle of Zola Jesus' gothic-tinged industrial electronica-pop sound.... Featuring a good number of the songs that make up her modern day setlist, the album presents an unflinching view into a tumultuous period of the singer's life, marked by tragedy and upheaval - yet there is beauty and hope to be found, punctuated and enforced by the singer's soaring vocals that set her well apart from so many of her contemporaries. In a catalogue of amazing music, Okovi is her masterpiece. show more
A lovely work of downtempo, ambient indie emo peppered with field recordings and autotuned vocals that entwine wonderfully with the expertly layered soundscapes... presented. A piece of art to be enjoyed from start to finish, I had the pleasure of seeing claire perform the album in London earlier this year and was highly impressed by its evocative, touching beauty. show more