Harp and a Monkey: The Victorians
For all its range and variation, for all the subtle and beautiful musical flourishes and lingering sonic effects, The Victorians is essentially a call to arms. Harp & a Monkey have made a stunning album that pleads the case for folk song as a working-class mode of expression.
Hiss Golden Messenger: Terms of Surrender
…this copy is heading to the car, and staying at the top of the pile for a very long time. I’m heading straight to their mailing list to make sure I don’t miss it when these guys come to town. I could say that Terms of Surrender is infectious, intelligent and bewitching, but more than that, its just SO SO GOOD!!
House and Land: Across the Field
On House and Land’s “Across the Field” a diverse collection of traditional songs are delicately handled and the excellent musicianship is carefully woven into the fibre of the songs, instilled with their own beauty and creativity.
Emotional, emotive and exquisitely crafted, SÀL searches through the darkness that has shrouded the horrific events at the dawn of 1919, to speak from the very soul of the islands. Among a body of work that has always been impressive for its breadth of vision and vivid imagination, with SÀL Iain Morrison has surpassed even his own high standards in a work of unparalleled potency.
Ida Wenøe: The Things We Don’t Know Yet
She describes the album as about reminding people to take time to think and to know love properly, to look inside and realise that what you have may be worth more than what you’re chasing, to find the patience to be in and enjoy the moment instead of always seeking for the next one. Take a breath, soak it in and be touched by its magic.
This release will delight existing fans, and bring her music to an even wider audience. If you thought you’d heard the best of Iona Fyfe, think again; there’s every indication that Dark Turn of Mind begins a new, captivating chapter.
Jack Rutter: Gold of Scar & Shale
With this second remarkable album – recorded, remember, without overdubs – Jack Rutter has confirmed himself to be one of the foremost performers of traditional material in the British folk scene. With his voice, alongside his guitar, proving to be an equally enthralling instrument.
Jake Xerxes Fussell: Out of Sight
…there is a warm sense of life-affirmation felt that Jake’s music, steeped in history, has a habit of bringing on. Out of Sight is a fascinating set of old songs linked to the present through unpretentiously lovely music and singing. Jake Fussell is a singular talent and very valuable interpreter and this is his most beautifully realised album yet.
James Yorkston: The Route To The Harmonium
Yorkston’s work is always extremely personal, and as such it fosters reactions that are equally personal. Add to that the scope and ambition of his songwriting and you have an artistic vision that is unique among today’s songwriters. The Route To The Harmonium is another outstanding instalment in that body of work, a finely-wrought and elegiac album shot through with moments of real innovation.
The Outlander may seem like the slightest and the straightest of Jim Moray albums, but in truth, it is the most condensed and representative document of the artist that we have, and that alone – besides all the great songs, of course – makes it a treasure.