In another year that, for many reasons, has reminded us of the importance of music, there has been a wealth of barnstormers for us all to get our ears around. Here is my pick.
Daniel Bachman – Almanac Behind (Three Lobed Recordings)
This mind-blowing collage of sound from the inimitable Virginia native combines his deftness on the acoustic with an appropriate sense of contemporary anxiety. Dense radio recordings and soundscapes mix with persuasive banjo picking and gorgeous guitar.
Try: Flood Stage
Jon Boden, Seth Lakeman, Ben Nicholls, Emily Portman, Jack Rutter – Sea Song Sessions (Topic)
This is a splendid set of songs performed by a folk super-quintet, each getting two or three tracks to lend lead vocals to. A warm and highly enjoyable album; each performer shines at the helm, but I especially like Emily Portman’s trio of tunes.
Try: Some Old Salty
The Watersons – Frost and Fire: A Calendar of Ritual and Magical Songs (Topic)
What a welcome vinyl reissue this is. A real game-changer of a concept folk record from 1965, sisters Norma and Lal Waterson, brother Mike and cousin John Harrison sing unadorned songs depicting the calendar year of rural folk. Expect magic.
Try: Seven Virgins (The Leaves of Life)
Andrew Tuttle – Fleeting Adventure (Basin Rock)
The fifth album from Australian banjo player Tuttle shows him as a master of the spacious ambient mood, boldly using an instrument more associated with direct music. With big hitters like Steve Gunn and Chuck Johnson guesting, this is a high-end and very assured recording.
Try: Correlation
Dave Miller – Daughter of Experience (Tompkins Square)
This ace little handbrake turn of a record from Miller sees him eschew the groove-heavy nature of his self-titled LP for an intimate little solo set, recorded up in the Catskill mountains on a beat-up old parlour guitar. Twitchy and disparate in the best possible way.
Try: The Single Petal of a Rose
Jake Xerxes Fussell – Good and Green Again (Paradise of Bachelors)
Georgia native Jake uses more acoustic guitar on his new set, lending the songs a softer, more intimate character. Original instrumentals sit alongside foraged old gems, with Jake joined by regular violinist Libby Rodenbough and bassist Casey Toll, among others.
Try: Washington
Siskin Quartet – Flight Paths (Eighth Nerve Audio)
Following on from their wonderful Smoky Smirr o Rain album, Sarah-Jane Summers and Juhani Silvola have joined with Leif Ottosson and Bridget Marsden for another beautiful instrumental recording. Maintaining the feel of a duo album, this one is elegant and skillfully played.
Try: Morning Green
Robbie Basho – Bouquet (Lost Lagoon Records)
Another reissue, Liam Barker’s gratefully received remastering of Basho’s lost and spellbinding thirteenth album, is a must. His quite magnificent voice provides the core to the songs here, but the guitar playing is beautifully expressive, as is the piano.
Try: The White Princess
Bill Callahan – YTILAER (Drag City)
Bill’s follow-up to the remarkable Gold Record balances that album’s outward-facing narratives with the wistful nature of Shepherd in a Sheepskin Vest. Laconic humour permeates a set focusing on life, death, science, nature…
Try: Planets
Hushman – Hushman (Hudson Records)
Ewan Macpherson’s new project sees him bringing concise and delicately written songs to the fore with beautifully understated arrangements. A quietly absorbing listen, Hushman is an elegantly expressive record that warrants repeat listens.
Try: Remedy for a Hollow Heart
More end-of-year lists will follow from our core reviewers as well as our Top 100 albums of the year. Read past lists here.