Hello, dear readers and listeners, I hope you’re all keeping warm and dry with these latest weather forecasts–an inclement weather photo for this week’s playlist seemed appropriate. This latest playlist is filled with plenty of new releases, so there are a few additional tasting notes below for this latest brew. If you would rather jump straight in, the listen links are at the end of the post.
Before I jump in, in case you missed them, I published two posts last week that you may enjoy:
Monday Morning Brew #139
In this week’s playlist, I wanted to highlight a few new tracks. If there’s an accompanying music video, it’s included.
TRÙ – The Molecatcher
Long-time readers may recall Ulster trio TRÚ and their gorgeous 2021 debut album ‘No Fixed Abode’. While that debut went through a fairly significant gestation period, their follow-ups have appeared more swiftly. One of the KLOF team, Tom, reviewed their debut, remarking: “While it has all the energy befitting a first offering, it bears the stamp of quality usually reserved for seasoned artists.” The band features Multi-instrumentalist, arranger and producer Michael Mormecha, guitarist and singer Zach Trouton and Dónal Kearney, a folk singer brought up in the Irish language tradition.
They followed their debut with Eternity Near in 2023. It included a beautiful cover of Is Fada Liom Uaim Í, inspired by Kevin Burke and Micheál Ó Domhnaill’s 1982 rendition. I’ve included it here for anyone who’s not come across them before.
TRÙ revealed the following about their cover:
They [Kevin Burke and Micheál Ó Domhnaill] captured the earth-shattering nostalgia of lost love with a minimalist and tender arrangement for guitar, fiddle and voice. But, it is the poetry that hits the hardest. The woman in the song may be a spéirbhean or a demon, but she curses him either way. The poet hears the cuckoo’s call (code for depression) and his loneliness surrounds him as he is driven to the drink. Even the grammar of the song’s title shows the profound sentiment in this old song; it does not translate directly into English. Its meaning exists only in the original language so we have to make do with a rough imitation. Although the song’s author and date is unknown, it is considered an Ulster song (Donegal, specifically) and is based on the singing of Néilí Ní Dhomnaill in the early 20th century.100 years later, TRÚ’s version was recorded whilst two of the band members were going through heartbreak.”
Their latest single surprised me as it’s an unlikely folk ballad for them to cover – The Mole Catcher, made popular by Bernard Wrigley. It appeared on Wrigley’s 1971 album The Phenomenal B. Wrigley, produced by Bert Lloyd. It’s a gritty tale of infidelity, jealousy, and revenge, telling of a molecatcher who suspects his wife is cheating with a young farmer, so he pretends to go to work but spies on them in the hope of catching them out.
Once you’ve heard Wrigley, you’ll understand why he was nicknamed “The Bolton Bullfrog”:
In 2012, the leftfield English folk music trio of Martin Purdy, Andy Smith and Simon Jones, better known as Harp and a Monkey, released one of my favourite renditions:
Susan O’Neill & Valerie June – For What It’s Worth (by Stephen Stills)
Susan O’Neill and Valerie June have just released their powerful new duet of For What It’s Worth, the iconic song first released by Buffalo Springfield nearly 60 years ago.
Written by Stephen Stills in response to the 1966 Sunset Strip curfew riots, For What It’s Worth has since become a timeless anti-war and protest anthem, resonating across generations, movements, and eras.
Susan O’Neill:
“This collaboration isn’t nostalgia. It’s a living reminder that songs can be soft enough to sit beside you, strong enough to move you, and powerful enough to keep the light on.
“I’ve always loved this song. I think it is bold and brave. Covering it with Valerie June feels especially meaningful right now, when it’s more important than ever to speak the truth of what we’re seeing in the world. I’m a big admirer of Valerie and all she stands for. It was a real pleasure to work with her and some of my favourite musicians.”
Valerie June adds:
“Susan O’Neill is a truth teller. Truth is spoken in many ways, through songs in studios or signs on protest lines, loudly or quietly, alone or together. Across time and place, truth persists. This song reminds us to be still and listen. Softly or fiercely, every voice of truth is needed for positive change in these times.”
Bill Callahan – Stepping Out For Air
Bill Callahan has never been one to rush a good thing. With his latest single, “Stepping Out for Air,” the legendary songwriter proves that some melodies simply need a decade and a half to find their breath.
The track serves as the final preview of his upcoming record, My Days of 58, arriving February 27th. It’s a song that sits comfortably under “overcast skies,” blending Callahan’s signature baritone with a gentle horn section (“I asked for the horns to be relaxed like someone on the couch playing, not a blast from heaven or hell”), as he enjoys “a walk among the Zoloft pines”.
The track’s history is as intriguing as its composition. Callahan revealed that the song’s origins date back fifteen years to a “lost” project:
“This is the song with the oldest origins on the album, tho it was never fully finished until just before the 58 sessions.
It existed in some form about 15 years ago when it was intended as part of a record I planned to make with Jim White and Warren Ellis. Logistics seemed impossible because Warren was on endless Nick Cave tours so that project evaporated. Maybe it’ll form as a rain cloud and rain down on us someday.
I held on to the song and it finally found a home on this record as the world cycled back into it having relevance. I like this song. It feels good.”
Courtney Barnett – Site Unseen ft. Waxahatchee
Courtney Barnett’s new song Site Unseen ft. Waxahatchee is out now, with a beautiful video written & directed by Juliana and Nicola Giraffe.
The song was made with Stella Mozgawa on drums, Zach Dawes on bass, produced by John Congleton and mastered by Heba Kadry.
Listen Links
A quick note on Qobuz. I really love how Qobuz is among the highest-paying Digital Service Providers (DSPs) for artist royalties and collaborates on live events with the likes of International Anthem, but their music platform is pretty poor when compared to Tidal, Apple, etc. More often than not, Qobuz is missing one or two tracks for my weekly playlist, so I’ve included a playlist link. For this latest one, 5 tracks are missing, which cuts the playtime in half. For that reason, there is no Qobuz playlist this week.
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