Alabaster DePlume – A Blade Because A Blade Is Whole (International Anthem)
In a world defined by disturbing shifts and conflict, Alabaster DePlume offers a unique form of protest music on A Blade Because A Blade Is Whole: a record designed as a “soother, a coping mechanism, and a healer.” Departing from the edited improvisations of his previous work, DePlume wrote and arranged these sessions with focused intent, drawing on his poetry and jiu-jitsu practice to explore themes of self-worth.
The results are magnificent. From the eerie strings of Macie Stewart on Oh My Actual Days to the gratitude-filled Thank You For My Pain, the album guides the listener through troubled waters. Blending tenor sax, heavenly choirs, and spoken word, DePlume delivers a stylish, intense “State of the Nation address” that champions the collective power of individual healing.
Blue Lake – Weft (Tonal Union)
American-born, Copenhagen-based polymath Jason Dungan (aka Blue Lake) bridges the worlds of visual art and sound on Weft. Though technically a mini-album following his breakthrough Sun Arcs, this thirty-minute collection feels like a major work, intricate and precise. Dungan’s signature sound—sparked by the discovery of an antique zither—blends custom instrumentation with traditional textures.
The connection to visual arts is palpable, mirrored in the cover art by Maria Zahle. Tracks like the ten-minute Tatara balance fluid guitar lines with found percussion (log drums, bicycle wheels), while the zither-led closer Strata recalls the intricate banjo work of Andrew Tuttle. Balancing repetition with improvisation, Weft is a spare yet rich soundscape that proves Dungan is a craftsman at the height of his powers.
Mike Gangloff – April is Passing (VHF Records)
Virginia-based multi-instrumentalist Mike Gangloff returns with April is Passing, a stunning solo showcase for the Hardanger-style fiddle. Utilising the instrument’s sympathetic drone strings to create a rich, resonant sound, Gangloff bridges the gap between the avant-drone of Pelt and the traditionalism of the Black Twig Pickers.
The album is structurally clever, with the beautiful title track sitting at its heart. Recorded live, it features the mournful depth of Cara Gangloff’s sruti box and Kaily Shenker’s cello, adding texture to Mike’s yearning melodies. From the wicca-horror undertones of Ironto Dancer to the cinematic, eleven-minute epic Helen’s Song, this is a complex, original work that proves Gangloff’s unique ability to craft “beautiful, complex, original pieces of music” from American traditions.
Brìghde Chaimbeul – Sunwise (Glitterbeat/tak:til)
Scottish smallpipes virtuoso Brìghde Chaimbeul returns with Sunwise, a largely solo follow-up to her collaborative masterpiece Carry Them With Us. While saxophonist Colin Stetson makes a subtle reappearance on the winter-mythology track A’ Chailleach, this record is Chaimbeul’s unfiltered voice—strange, mysterious, and deeply rooted in pre-Christian folklore.
The album thrives on the hypnotic power of the drone, best exemplified by the nine-minute opener Dùsgadh (‘Waking’). Chaimbeul balances this intensity with moments of “crystalline singing” and the communal energy of Sguabag/The Sweeper, recorded with three uilleann pipers. Closing with a delightful example of canntaireachd (traditional wordless vocalising), Sunwise treats experimentation and tradition with equal respect, confirming Chaimbeul as a leading figure in the global experimental community.
Joshua Burnside –Teeth of Time (Nettwerk Music Group)
Belfast songwriter Joshua Burnside navigates the complexities of fatherhood and anxiety on Teeth of Time. Described as his “happiest” album yet, the joy here is hard-won, recasting themes of climate change and sectarianism through the lens of a new life. Burnside thrives on juxtaposition, blending the “crepuscular ambience” of Ghost of the Bloomfield Road with the experimental folktronica of Sycamore Queen.
He is more than a traditional troubadour; his sound is a collision of the ancient and modern, where scratchy violins meet electronic whispers. Whether adapting Belfast street songs or deconstructing folk tropes, Burnside creates music that feels instantaneous yet deeply considered. Teeth of Time is his most rounded work to date—a complex, layered album where jagged edges are illuminated by a fragile, undeniable beauty.
Whitney Johnson & Lia Kohl – For Translucence (Drag City)
Cellist Lia Kohl and violist Whitney Johnson transform their improvisational experience into a “weird sonic tapestry” on For Translucence. Exploring the sonic space between their instruments, the duo constructs a complex forty-minute journey across four abstractly titled tracks. The album oscillates between the eerie and the hypnotic; opener 65|66 blends electronic pulses with sharp, metallic bowing, while the darker 54|56 evokes the sci-fi tension of a Thing soundtrack.
Yet, amidst the “dense digital sound” and low rumbling drones, moments of warmth and meditation emerge. Though challenging, For Translucence is a fiercely creative, mesmerising trip that rewards patience, revealing itself as an intricate, shifting orchestral meditation.
Lisa Knapp and Gerry Diver – Hinterland (Ear to the Ground)
After two decades of collaboration, folk power couple Lisa Knapp and Gerry Diver finally share top billing on Hinterland. The result is a “raw and real” triumph that defies the notion of folk as a static form. Travelling from the urban sprawl of London to the uncanny quiet of the countryside, the album blends traditional instrumentation with atmospheric experimentation.
Knapp remains a unique interpreter, whether reciting the incantatory stream-of-consciousness poetry of Train Song or wringing heartbreak from the stately piano closer Lass of Aughrim. Diver’s production matches her perfectly, creating “folk horror minimalism” on Starr Carr and swathing the murder ballad Long Lankin in icy electronics. Hinterland is a gloriously free-spirited album that feels both ancient and refreshingly modern—a perfect example of folk’s limitless potential for reinvention.
Natalie Wildgoose – Come into the Garden (Self Released)
Natalie Wildgoose’s Come into the Garden possesses the same intangible, ghostly magic as Sibylle Baier’s Colour Green. Recorded on her grandfather’s analogue reel-to-reel, the EP feels “like listening quietly to an old radio turned down low,” capturing a delicate balance between melody and decay.
The songwriting is steeped in domestic surrealism; on I Lingered, rabbits chase up walls amidst unexpected backing vocals, while Blackberries utilises tape-warped acoustic guitar to create a “delightfully oneiric aspect.” Echoing the fragility of Vashti Bunyan and the emotional heft of Adrianne Lenker, Wildgoose crafts a sticky, sweet soundworld. Whether on the spare, piano-led title track or the impressionistic Introduction, this is music submerged in the unlearnable language of dream and memory—unbearably beautiful and hauntingly close.
William Tyler – Time Indefinite (Psychic Hotline)
William Tyler’s Time Indefinite, his first release on Psychic Hotline, marks a bold departure from the pastoral simplicity of 2019’s Goes West. Moving beyond the “guitar album” label, Tyler crafts a complex, abstract soundscape where his signature acoustic playing meets tape loops, synths, and “weird, found and manipulated sound.”
Influenced by recent collaborations with Four Tet, tracks such as Cabin Six pulsate with celestial space, while Concern balances a simple acoustic refrain against Luke Schneider’s pedal steel and electronic washes. It is a record of immense catharsis and texture, ranging from the industrial edges of Electric Lake to the choral ghostliness of Star of Hope. Blending the strange with the sublime, Time Indefinite represents a new creative peak—and arguably Tyler’s strongest album to date.
Sir Richard Bishop – Hillbilly Ragas (Drag City)
Veteran guitarist Sir Richard Bishop is in “devilish fun” form on Hillbilly Ragas, a stripped-back set that playfully dismantles the “American Primitive” genre. Feeling the style had become too rigid, Bishop injects his acoustic compositions with a ramshackle, “anti-American Primitive” looseness, blending Western influences with Indian and Arabic textures.
Tracks like the spiky opener, Serpents, prioritise rhythm over melody, while the eight-minute masterpiece, Worn Slap Out, balances aggression with restrained space. Whether channelling the frantic energy of Raw Eggs and Rooster Juice or the Moroccan-tinged Buzzard’s Curse, Bishop proves that one guitar and zero electricity can still result in a “total banger.” It is acoustic instrumental music at its most exciting, intelligent, and vital.