It’s that time again when we look at the numerous peachy releases of the last twelve months and decide which lucky devils get a mention. And what a bumper crop of fascinating, unusual, totally ace and (hopefully) diverse albums we have here…
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Charles ‘Poppy Bob’ Walker – Dirt Bike Vacation (Worried Songs)
This fifteen-track, twenty-two-minute-long piece of magic came late in the year and completely delighted me. All done on a one-track tape recorder in the mid-eighties and rescued by Cameron Knowler, the late guitarist Charles Walker’s recordings are full of the warmth and magic of everyday life. And this feels like a lesson in life at the moment. Wonderful.
Try: Airbase Blues
Ben Nicholls – Duets (Hudson Records)
An album of collaborations by the UK’s most popular folk bass player was always going to be a good thing, but I was still surprised by the variety and adventurousness of the music here. From the slightly bonkers Munchhausen with Chaim Tannenbaum to Sam Sweeney’s beautiful playing on Northern Frisk or Tim Erikson’s wonderful Corydon, this is a cracking set from start to finish.
Try: Munchhausen
Jake Xerxes Fussell – When I’m Called (Fat Possum)
It’s always a fine day when Jake announces a new album and this quietly confident debut for Fat Possum is full of childlike wonder and subtle, gorgeous music. Jake and producer James Elkington keep the touch light throughout, with acoustic finger-picked guitar at the core and brushes of brass and strings delicately applied between spaces.
Try: Feeing Day
Ava Mendoza – The Circular Train (Palilalia)
The Brooklyn electric guitar virtuoso’s second solo LP is a stripped-back, bold and complex set of avant-garde music combining rock, jazz and blues. Ava spent a long time honing this set, and it shows, with finely poised, perfectly pitched playing catching fire over six beautifully crafted songs. It feels at once modest and chock-full of ambition and creativity.
Try: Shadow Song
Nathan Bowles Trio – Are Possible (Drag City)
Building on the fresh sound of Nathan’s Plainly Mistaken, Are Possible is his first trio album and it demonstrates how the band have locked into each other’s musical styles. Full of ideas, musical prowess and technically spot-on playing, this intelligent, slow-burning album is one that demands many deep listens to fully realise its artistic endeavour.
Try: Our Air
Laura Jane Wilkie – Vent (Hudson Records)
Hudson Records have put out some wonderful music this year, not least this special album from native Highland fiddler Laura Jane Wilkie. Vent is a concept album focusing on Scottish women’s working (or waulking) songs. Using strings and woodwind alongside fiddle, guitar and vocal samples, this is an intricate, intimate and beautiful recording.
Try: I’m Not Alone
Joshua Massad & Dylan Aycock – Two Improvisations (Scissor Tail Records)
This piece of magic, consisting of two long tracks played on twelve-string guitar and tabla or sitar, demonstrates the energy and spontaneous excitement achievable through improvised music. Dylan rocked up to Joshua’s place to find him mid-practice and set up to collaborate without a word being spoken. That’s pretty cool…
Try: Two
Liam Grant, Grayson McGuire, Devon Flaherty – Grant / McGuire / Flaherty (Carbon Records / The Annex Blues Society)
Still firmly in the ‘keeping it real’ camp is this cracking EP of traditional Old-time songs, played on Weissenborn or guitar, fiddle and banjo and cut straight to cassette tape, with that analog sound giving the songs plenty of warmth. With false starts, count-ins and shouts, the mood is relaxed, but the playing is sharp and the tunes are great.
Try: Dry and Dusty
Niwel Tsumbu – Milimo (Diatribe Records)
The nylon string playing on Congo-born and Ireland-based Niwel’s first solo album is impeccable from the off. He is an in-demand musician, having played in Rhiannon Giddens’ touring band and contributing to acts like the Buena Vista Social Club and Nigel Kennedy, but here he is killing it alone. Each one of these thirteen tracks is a small, polished gem.
Try: The Silence Within
Joseph Decosimo, Luke Richardson, Cleek Schrey – Beehive Cathedral (Dear Life Records)
During this traditional music exploration, our trio installed themselves and their instruments in a cabin in Tennessee. It sought to capture some of the magic of the Old-time music they hold so dear. The result is a uniquely gorgeous set of songs that combine for a mesmerising, quietly profound listening experience—at once haunting and heartwarming.
Try: Billy in the Lowground
More Reviewer Top 10 Lists to follow as well as an Editors Top 100.