Folk
Album Review: Treetop Flyers – Palomino
I don’t know if it’s about getting older and wanting to ensure that I spend my time only listening to what I really like, or just a shorter attention span. Thing is, I’ve not got as much space to allow music to settle. Maybe that’s unfair. That’s just how it is, though. Ok ? So if …
New Music: Monkey Swallows the Universe – Sheffield Shanty II, plus live date
It’s niche, I grant you, but for some people somewhere (probably, in all honesty, Sheffield) the news that there is new music from folk/indie poppers Monkey Swallows the Universe, and a live date as well will be causing great excitement and gnashing of teeth and vexing of cattle and the like. Possibly. To be fair, …
See: Radical Face release video for Rivers in the Dust
Jacksonville, Florida singer songwriter Ben Cooper, und his Radical Face alter ego has released a new video for the track Rivers in the Dust, taken from his new album the third in his family tree trilogy, tracing the fantastical lives of the 19th century Northcotes family. Of the video, Cooper says “This video was shot …
Not Forgotten: Comus – First Utterance
I first became aware of Comus back in early 1996, when First Utterance enjoyed its first foray onto CD. Described by a reliable publication as “Freaky Folk Prog”, the largely acoustic music, idiosyncratic vocals and traditional instruments sounded right up my particular strata. Sadly I was a penniless student at the time, so intrigued was …
Album Review : The Skiffle Players : Skifflin’
The Skiffle Players are possibly the first skiffle supergroup in 60 years. A group of west coast alt.country notables, featuring Cass McCombs, Neal Casal, Dan Horne, Aaron Sperske, and “Farmer” Dave Scher. Names familiar to people who have listened to Beachwood Sparks, the Cardinals (ex backing band to Ryan Adams and Gin Wigmore), and various solo …
Not Forgotten – Bob Dylan – Blood on the Tracks
Blood On The Tracks is that rare thing, an album that deserves every word of praise heaped upon it. At this stage in his career Bob Dylan had done his best to shake off the oh-so cliched ‘voice of a generation’ tag. His mid 60s electric trilogy had been rightly celebrated, but it had made …
Track: Sam Fowke – Red Handed
Yeah, he’s got a beard, that Sam Fowke. What of it, so loads of those singer songwriter types these days. As well as beard cultivation, the Gloucester-born, Cardiff based musician also likes fine jumpers and long walks on the beach, and probably days when he can combine the three. And I didn’t even make that …
Track: Heron Oblivion – Your Hollows
Heron Oblivion are making it easy for us to love them with their new single Your Hollows. Although they’re a new band out of San Francisco, they boast members of Sic Alps, Six Organs of Admittance, Howlin’ Rain and Feral Ohms amongst others, as well as Meg Baird of Espers. Taken from their debut self-titled …
Album review: The Long Ryders – Final Wild Songs
If the Flying Burritos invented country rock then the Long Ryders pretty much created Americana so it was always bizarre there was no decent retrospective of their impressive back catalogue. Now they have courtesy of Cherry Red who have pulled together a four CD box set with tracks selected by singer/guitarist Sid Griffin and bassist …
Album Review: Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy – Pond Scum
We’ve a lot to thank John Peel for. When he died I remember feeling the shock as if he were a family member almost, rather than a radio host I had never met. But the legacy he left, especially in terms of the mountains of sessions recorded as part of his show, remains a resource …