Celebrated traditional musicians Cormac Begley and Liam O’Connor release their new album this month, Into the Loam. Listen to the opening track “Ryan’s Rant”, which, like the album, creatively engages with tradition, seeking to forge something new. The traditional reel is offered as a tribute to the legendary Dublin fiddler Tommie Potts, who “continually pushed the boundaries of genre and expression.”

Since we last spoke to folklorist, researcher and performer Derek Piotr, his fieldwork archive has expanded from 300 to nearly 1,300 recordings of folksongs, poetry, memories, interviews, and tales. As part of a sponsorship behind the project this year, he is issuing a non-commercial CD titled “Absolutely Not for Sale.”

Acclaimed Welsh composer Cerys Hafana unveils their third album, Angel, a deep exploration of minimalism and avant-folk centred on the Welsh triple harp. Joined by a trio of exploratory musicians, Hafana blends traditional Welsh song with contemporary Breton rhythms on the spellbinding first single, “Helynt Ryfeddol,” confirming their place as a vital innovator.

Sound artist BJ Nilsen returns with True than Nature, out August 29 via Ideologic Organ. Drawing inspiration from Jean-Paul Sartre, the album uses field recordings to craft immersive, unstable soundscapes that challenge our perception of reality. Nilsen invites listeners on a disorienting journey, questioning the nature of what we hear and the worlds we imagine.

Renowned for her formidable and boundary-pushing cello improvisations, South Korean artist Okkyung Lee is taking a surprising turn with her newly announced album, Just Like Any Other Day (어느날): Background Music For Your Mundane Activities. The lead single, the charmingly titled “good morning, harrison, it’s time to go,” offers a first glimpse into this new, intentionally understated sound world.

Faun Fables’ Counterclockwise is a strange, beguiling musical world. Overall, the record is an exploration of time, not simply thematically, for it also shifts perspectives, delighting in the head-spinning effect these shifting sands can have on your senses. It is a deep and eccentric work, but ultimately a deeply satisfying experience, with so many recognisable elements that you cannot help but sense a welcome familiarity too.

Irish composer Caimin Gilmore (Crash Ensemble) unveils “MVE I,” the latest single from his forthcoming debut album, BlackGate, an instrumental, genre-fluid journey featuring renowned cellist Kate Ellis and harpist Lavinia Meijer. The track highlights Gilmore’s flowing orchestration, weaving a pulsing harp melody with arpeggiated strings and the unique colouring of a vintage Yamaha DX7 synthesiser, offering a captivating glimpse into the record.

This Material Moment is Me Lost Me’s most personal album yet. On this new release, Newcastle-based Jayne Dent’s songwriting has become both more immediate and more accomplished, with each song existing in its own undeniable present. It’s an alarmingly good album, stormy and intense at one moment, wise and contemplative the next.

Recorded during last year’s 4-night residency at London’s Institute of Contemporary Arts, Bill Callahan has released ‘What a Night!’, a live digital 12-track album. Accompanied by Jim White on drums, watch the live video for Cowboy, which is completely unlike the studio version on 2020’s ‘Gold Record’. Bill Callahan’s UK/EU Tour kicks off today.

Rival Consoles has released “Soft Gradient Beckons” from his new album, Landscape from Memory. The single features a breathtaking stop-motion video by Anthony Dickenson, who spent several months painstakingly hand-painting every frame to create a fluid visual piece that offers a quietly pulsing rhythm.

Eiko Ishibashi and Jim O’Rourke have announced their fifth collaborative album, Pareidolia (August 29th, Drag City). Alongside the announcement, they have shared the title track and an accompanying video, directed by Mark Focus. The human tendency to perceive meaningful images in random patterns is known as pareidolia. It’s a concept that perfectly captures the essence of this new release.

After an 11-year hiatus, the pioneering Chicago Underground Duo—Rob Mazurek and Chad Taylor—return with their new album, Hyperglyph, out August 15th via International Anthem. Lead single “Click Song” offers a potent taste of their evolved sound, blending blown-out horn chants, muscular polyrhythms, and deep synthesised bass.