Our latest Folk Show features past favourites I’ve been spending some time with lately, including Cordelia’s Dad, Dubl Handi, Dyad, Jake Xerxes Fussell, Lau & Karine Polwart, Niamh Regan, M G Boulter, Lisa Knapp, Brìghde Chaimbeul, Iain Morrison, Nora Brown, Daisy Rickman, Piers Faccini, Crooked Weather, Samana, Jenny Lysander and the late Karina Vismara.
Show Playlist
- Cordelia’s Dad – Katy Cruel
- Dubl Handi – Cumberland Gap
- Dyad – Red Moon
- Jake Xerxes Fussell – Hills of Mexico
- Lau – Sunken Waltz (Calexico)
- Niamh Regan – Sweetest Drop
- M G Boulter – Lady Arabella
- Lau and Karine Polwart – Evergreen
- Lisa Knapp – Shipping Song
- Brìghde Chaimbeul – She Went Astray
- Iain Morrison – Salm II
- Cordelia’s Dad – Spencer Rifle
- Nora Brown – French Waltz
- Daisy Rickman – Golden Seeds
- Piers Faccini – Whistling Wind
- Crooked Weather – A Gentleman’s Parting
- Samana – The Presells
- Jenny Lysander – The Thought That I Love
- Karina Vismara – Tied up tight
Highlights
Below are a few Mixtape highlights previously covered on KLOF.
Jake Xerxes Fussell
As a celebrated folk forager, Jake Xerxes Fussell’s music is deeply rooted in traditional American roots and folk. His sound features “softly burred vocals” and a “delightfully gentle” acoustic approach, often involving the interpretation of traditional songs. His recent work, including the album When I’m Called, was noted for its delicate arrangements. Fussell collaborated with James Elkington to create the film score for Rebuilding, crafting an album that’s “almost minimalist in structure, but manages to capture the magic of cinematic landscape and human emotion within its notes.”
- Mixtape Track: Hills of Mexico (single release)
Lau & Karine Polwart
The collaboration between the progressive Scottish folk group Lau and the revered singer-songwriter Karine Polwart is an “enthralling” meeting of musical minds. Their collaborative EP, Evergreen, showcases a quieter, mellower side of Lau, with the revelation being the “peerless vocal empathy” between Polwart and Lau’s Kris Drever. The music is characterised by Polwart’s compelling vocal performances, which are elevated by Aidan O’Rourke’s typically haunting fiddle contribution.
- Mixtape Track: Evergreen (from: Evergreen EP)
Niamh Regan
Niamh Regan’s musical style has drawn comparisons to artists like Laura Marling and Lisa Hannigan and is defined by her “stunning vocals” and poetic lyrics, creating a sound that is “synchronously earthly and familiar, yet intoxicatingly fresh.” In his review of Hemet, from which this track is taken, Billy Rough called it an adept and “utterly mesmerising debut,” adding: “Niamh Regan’s deliciously languid voice is one to watch; warm and vulnerable in equal measures. Combined with her talent as a songwriter, Hemet presents the artist as a force to be reckoned with. A heartfelt, timeless, and captivating release.”
- Mixtape Track: Sweetest Drop (from: Hemet)
M G Boulter
A highly-regarded singer-songwriter, M G Boulter is known for his atmospheric, introspective records that often focus on a “personal history” of suburban life, particularly around his home base of Southend-on-Sea. His work is recognised for its blend of classic singer-songwriter material with a rich chamber folk backdrop. His albums, such as Days of Shaking, were celebrated for weaving together “suburban, day-to-day life writing with some far-out outer space thinking,” exploring urban myths and the mysteries of the unexplained.
- Mixtape Track: Lady Arabella (from: A Shadow Falls Over New Brighton)
Lisa Knapp
Lisa Knapp is one of British folk music’s most distinctive and innovative singers, whose creative partnership with Gerry Diver is central to her experimental sound. She is noted for her ability to weave ancient tradition with contemporary production, utilising vocal effects, loops, and field recordings to create a tension between then and now. Her acclaimed thematic album Till April Is Dead – A Garland Of May was an “exhilarating and immersive trip through tradition,” rooted in her London origins. The Shipping Song is from her 2013 album Hidden Seam, which Simon Holland of KLOF described as a masterpiece.
- Mixtape Track: Shipping Song (from Hidden Seam)
Brìghde Chaimbeul
Brìghde Chaimbeul is a leading figure in celtic experimentalism, a master of the Scottish smallpipes, and a native Gaelic speaker from the Isle of Skye. Her music is defined by a completely unique way of arranging for pipe music that emphasises rich textural drones, creating a constant, trance-like atmosphere. KLOF Mag noted that her albums, such as Sunwise, expertly merge experimentalism with deep Scottish folklore, with her “clear, crystalline singing” providing moments of magic within the otherwise wild landscape of sound.
- Mixtape Track: She Went Astray (from: Sunwise)
Iain Morrison
Hailing from the Isle of Lewis, Iain Morrison is known for fusing his roots in the classical piping tradition (piobaireachd) with an indie rock and alt-folk sensibility. A former member of the band Crash My Car, his later solo work, like the album Eas (Gaelic for ‘Cascading Waterfall’), utilises instruments like the guitar and harmonium, but maintains the “burr” of his piping background. His songs are often atmospheric and reflect the bleak beauty of the Hebridean region, incorporating the vocal notation technique of canntaireachd. The track featured is from SAL, inspired by a seafaring disaster: In the early hours of 1 January 1919, the naval yacht HMY Iolaire struck rocks on its approach to Stornoway as it was taking sailors home to the Western Isles from the Great War. Among the 200 lives lost was Iain Morrison’s Great-Grandfather.
- Mixtape Track: Salm II (from SAL)
Nora Brown
A prodigious talent in traditional American music, Nora Brown is a Brooklyn-based clawhammer banjo player who began learning old-time music at age six. Her commitment to the genre is evident in her choice of instruments, including vintage and replica banjos that produce a warm, mellow tone. Her technique and dedication to traditional styles have established her as one of the most compelling voices interpreting old-time songs today. As quoted in our review of Long Time to be Gone, fellow banjo player Jake Blount said: “If you’re not listening to Nora Brown yet, you’re wasting your life”.
- Mixtape Track: French Waltz (from: Long Time to be Gone)
Daisy Rickman
A multi-instrumentalist, painter, and filmmaker based in Cornwall, Daisy Rickman’s work incorporates the Cornish language and themes connected to folklore and the natural landscape. Her sound is a beguiling mix of psych-folk and traditional English and Cornish folk, with her use of instruments like the sitar, cello, and bouzouki creating a sound that is both meditative and wondrously affecting. Her album Howl was described by Thomas Blake as “a wonder, an ancient pastoral dream of an album full of contemporary resonances.”
- Mixtape Track: Golden Seeds (from: Howl)
Samana
The duo Samana, composed of Rebecca Rose Harris and Franklin Mockett, crafts music with an “emotionally raw and magnetic delivery” that is often described as shamanic and cinematic. They blend slowcore, blues, and yacht rock with a gothic-leaning, string-infused spectacle, drawing comparisons to artists like Dead Can Dance and Mazzy Star. Operating out of an analogue production house in rural Wales, their sound guides listeners through cinematic landscapes and explores themes of love, loss, and the unseen.
- Mixtape Track: The Presells (from Samana)
Karina Vismara
The late Karina Vismara was an artist from Buenos Aires, Argentina, whose musical output spanned Latin Pop and alternative folk. This track is taken from her album Casa Del Viento. Bergamo-based guitarist and KLOF-regular Buck Curran was a fan who recommended her music to me. He described the release as “an absolute classic of a Folk/Acoustic album.” He added: “Not only is her singing great, but her guitar playing is wonderful and at times reminiscent of Bert Jansch.”
- Mixtape Track: Tied up tight (from Casa Del Viento)