Milkweed – Remscéla (Broadside Hacks recordings)
Enigmatic duo Milkweed continues their excavation of obscure texts with Remscéla, engaging with the “pre-tales” of the Irish epic Táin Bó Cúailnge. Their signature sound—a blend of “eldritch acoustic instrumentation” and grainy, decayed tape noise—remains uncompromisingly avant-garde yet thrillingly unique.
The album moves from the minimal banjo of How the Táin Bó Cuailnge Was Found Again to the epic centrepiece The Pangs of Ulster, where ancient mythology is channelled through G’s mesmeric, chant-like vocals. Whether mangling traditional structures with warped electronics or stripping back to a clear banjo coda, Milkweed revitalises dormant myths with vibrant, uncanny vitality. Maintaining their anonymity to focus entirely on the art, they remain arguably “the most exciting band in folk music.”
Katy Pinke and Will Graefe – Patterns (Glamour Gowns)
Katy Pinke and Will Graefe strike a perfect balance on Patterns, a covers album that spans everything from SoundCloud rap to classic country with “hushed control.” Pinke, an exceptional songwriter herself, pairs with Okkervil River guitarist Graefe to create a cohesive sonic world defined by emotional minimalism and genuine reinvention.
Whether deconstructing SZA’s Good Days into a jazz-folk meditation or stripping Paul Simon’s Night Game to its tragic core, the duo teases out the ineffable essence of each track. Highlights include a raw, close-mic’d take on Elliott Smith’s Clementine and a heartbreaking, six-minute rendition of Jeff Buckley’s Lover You Should Have Come Over. Patterns is a rare feat—a collection of covers that feels entirely original and deeply rewarding.
Junior Brother – The End (Strap Originals)
Ronan Kealy, aka Junior Brother, returns with The End, an album that channels elemental force and nuanced songwriting to confront the rising tide of bigotry and far-right rhetoric. Moving beyond the “jolting” rawness of his debut, Kealy now wields his unique voice—a balance of control and passion reminiscent of Captain Beefheart or Ivor Cutler—with devastating precision.
Tracks like Take Guilt serve as vehemently defiant rants against hypocritical thought, while Small Violence uses the imagery of folk horror to depict the insidious spread of hate speech. Linking ancient Irish folklore (specifically fairy forts) to contemporary malaise, Kealy creates a labyrinthine world of “hallucinogenic dread.” Whether on the punkish Week End or the atmospheric closer New Road, The End is a thrilling, compelling journey through difficult subjects, proving Kealy is a singular artist of immense power.
Bridget Hayden and The Apparitions – Cold Blows the Rain (Bason Rock)
Todmorden-based artist Bridget Hayden channels the “blashy, slathery” climate of the Calder Valley on Cold Blows the Rain, a spellbinding collection of traditional folk songs. Accompanied by The Apparitions (Sam McLoughlin on harmonium and Dan Bridgewood-Hill on violin), Hayden breathes ghostly life into familiar material, creating a sonic force reminiscent of June Tabor meeting Laura Cannell.
Though recorded in summer, the album possesses a wintry, “parky” chill. From the solemn stillness of Lovely On the Water to the eerie mystery of She Moved Through the Fair, Hayden sings with penetrating power, often within herself for sirenic effect. Whether tackling the unwanted pregnancy narrative of Are You Going to Leave Me? or the unquiet grief of the title track’s source, The Unquiet Grave, this is a tactile album where every instrument shivers with timbre—a vivid, haunting expression of musical terroir.
Cerys Hafana – Angel (tak:til/ Glitterbeat)
Cerys Hafana’s third album, Angel, is a work of concentrated enchantment. Blending the crisp notes of the Welsh triple harp with avant-garde flourishes of saxophone and piano, Hafana creates a stark, dreamlike world. The album navigates themes of time slips and folklore, most notably on the opener Helynt Ryfeddol, which plunges the listener into a hypnotic state of lost time.
Whether on the percussive instrumental An Dro or the tender Ffarwel i f’Ieuenctid, the music shifts effortlessly between traditional folk, neoclassical, and free jazz. Sung in Welsh and deeply rooted in local myth, Angel sits comfortably alongside contemporaries like Gwenno and Georgia Ruth. It coalesces beautifully on the mesmerising closer Astain, confirming Hafana’s ability to reposition ancient culture within a modern, experimental framework.
David Allred – The Beautiful World (Erased Tapes)
David Allred moves beyond the calm of his previous work to tackle themes of grief and loss on The Beautiful World. Rooted in personal tragedy—specifically the suicide of a family friend—the album nevertheless refuses to succumb to darkness. Instead, Allred constructs “pillow forts of sound,” blending ambient folk, minimalist dub, and neoclassical piano into a set defined by healing and acceptance.
The record is surprisingly uplifting, from the swelling opener Pupper to the haunted croon of Piano Tree. The emotional centrepiece, Oh, Lauren, offers the album’s most direct engagement with grief, grounding the abstract soundscapes in human fragility. Admirable for its lightness of touch, The Beautiful World confronts the heaviest of emotions with courage, resulting in a work of quiet, cumulative power.
Greg Jamie – Across a Violet Pasture (Orindal)
Greg Jamie‘s Across a Violet Pasture occupies the liminal zone between sleep and waking, blending Old Weird America with the uncanny atmosphere of British hauntology. The music is heady Americana, where sleepy, familiar melodies are draped in decay, delay, and a constant sense of expansion.
Opener I’d Get Away sets the tone—cosmic country where The Byrds feel melted down and amalgamated with Broadcast. Album highlight Beautiful Place features Josephine Foster’s guest vocals over gauzy drones and a martial drum beat, resulting in a dizzying fuzz. Whether evoking a renaissance fair gone awry on When I Die or channelling jaded country on I Wanted More, producer Colby Nathan expertly disrupts the delicate songwriting. The album is a beautiful, deceptive magic mirror that invites you into inverted yet richly written worlds.
Eiko Ishibashi and Jim O’Rourke – Pareidolia (Drag City)
Pareidolia is a live album, but not as you know it. Documenting Eiko Ishibashi and Jim O’Rourke’s 2023 European tour, this fifth duo release layers recordings from various shows into a complex “musical knitting” of collage and palimpsest. Both born experimentalists—Ishibashi, known for her film scores and O’Rourke, a Chicago improv stalwart—they create separately before converging, fueling a dialogue between distance and closeness.
The result is a seamless four-part suite blending crunchy improvised noise and itchy electronics with soft, neoclassical textures and Ishibashi’s drawn-out flute. From oceanic tidal pulls to insect-like glitches, the album shifts moods constantly. Subtle, teasing, and beautiful, Pareidolia rewards deep listening, proving that even abstract improvisation can possess the engrossing arc of a story.
Glenn Kimpton – Small Show (Self Released)
Glenn Kimpton’s Small Show marks a shift from the expansive ambience of his previous work to a meditation on simplicity and urban minutiae. Inspired by a summer visit to Berlin, the EP captures the warmth of city streets through slow, sultry melodies that unfold with grace and subtlety.
While the opening track Nail Catch offers a scratchy, discordant attention-grabber, the record quickly settles into Kimpton’s signature fingerpicking prowess. The centrepiece is the nine-minute title track, where melodies develop on the fly, alternating between confident exploration and sweet, chiming flourishes. Slipping effortlessly from folky pastoralism to improvised experimentation, Kimpton cements his place at the forefront of British acoustic guitarists, channelling the spirit of Robbie Basho and John Fahey with assured, highly rewarding skill.
Josienne Clarke – Far From Nowhere (Self Released)
Recorded in a remote Scottish cabin, Josienne Clarke’s Far From Nowhere is a self-described “Nebraska”—a pared-back, analogue masterpiece born from an “exercise in retreat.” Stripping her sound to the bare bones of nylon-string guitar and voice, Clarke exposes the DNA of her songwriting, capturing every fret buzz and breath with startling intimacy.
The album balances fragility with a newfound, latent strength. Tracks like The Sucker Of Struggle feel written on the spot, locking the listener in tight, while AI Love You uses vintage electronic textures to conjure technological anxiety. Whether on the ghostly We’re Never Coming Back or the gothic Tiny Birds Lament, Clarke sounds focused and in command. Far From Nowhere is the most immediate, fascinating, and arguably grandest effort of her distinguished career.