americana
Live Review / Gallery: Glen Hansard – London, Royal Festival Hall 9/2/18
It’s easy to see why Glen Hansard won an Oscar and a Grammy, after his performance at the Royal Festival Hall, where he moved smoothly between heartbreak and soul stirrer and proved to be an engaging and funny hist for a near on two hours. It also showcased Hansard as one of the best singers …
Album Review: First Aid Kit “Ruins”
It’s amazing to find Swedish country folk duo First Aid Kit already releasing their fourth album and between releasing fascinatingly authentic Americana-drenched albums, they’ve conquered the world, cracking the US market and even appearing as regular guests on Graham Norton’s A-list chat show. “Ruins” finds them in a reflective mood, opening with moody “Behind Blue …
Live Review: Ryan Keen / Corey Harper, The Islington, London, 30/11/17
Totnes-born singer-songwriter Ryan Keen has graced the same stages as megastars like Ed Sheeran and X Factor champion Leona Lewis playing support slots on huge national and indeed world tours, but if he has been changed by these massive brushes with success, you’d never know. He has also toured with some of the most interesting …
Album Review: Deer Tick – Volume 1 and Volume 2
Acclaimed roots-rock-americana-country-folk-acoustic-boundary-breakers Deer Tick have released their first new material in four years via Partisan Records. The good news for fans is that they have released not just one, but two new records. This is not a double album either, these are two separate collections of original material (Volume 1 and Volume 2), both recorded …
Mark Eitzel – The Greystones, Sheffield
It’s a terrific thing that one of the best songwriters and most heartfelt singers of the last four decades can come and play the back room of a local pub. Much as he’s sticking to the water this evening, it’s hardly an incongruous venue for Mark Eitzel though – so many of the characters in …
Live Review: Tift Merritt at The Lexington, London, 31.1.2017
On this last day in January, with the rain pouring down in the cloying cold outside, upstairs at the Lexington is snug. There’s a dampness in the air as we all warm the wet off each other. The chill that settled into our skin and bones gradually dries away, eased out as Tift Merritt and …
Track: Magic Trick share two tracks from forthcoming album Other Man’s Blues
Ahead of the release of their forthcoming album Other Man’s Blues, out on August 26th via Empty Cellar, San Francisco’s Magic Trick have released a couple of tracks from the record, ‘Forest of Kates’ and ‘First Thought’. The record is a loose, largely improvised affair, written by the bands songwriter Tom Cohen, and features a …
See: Billy Bragg and Joe Henry release video ahead of Shine A Light
A preview of the Shine A Light project, looking at the history and songs of the American railway, Billy Bragg and Joe Henry have released a video of the recording of “The L&N Don’t Stop Here Anymore”. It’s part of a fascinating trip on the US railroad, in particular the route from Chicago to LA. …
Trackc: John Jefferson – The Voyeur
Taken from his forthcoming EP, Helmsman, The Voyeur is the new track from singer-songwriter John Jefferson. Taking elements of the likes of Townes Van Zandt, Bob Dylan, Blaze Foley and The Doors as an influence on his music, the nautical title of the EP comes from its writing and recording – written on a narrow-boat …
Track: Quiet Hollers – Broken Guitar
Even before listening to Quiet Hollers, just the name conjures up this image of dusty americana, and sure enough new single Broken Guitar – taken from their eponymous album that dropped back in in October, has that unmistakable indie/americana vibe about it. There’s these almost static organ chords, as the piano adds these little melodic …