KLOF

Beirut have announced the release of their first album in four years titled ‘The Rip Tide’. Listen to the new track East Harlem which also features on their new limited edition single. Plus get their UK tour dates.

I Draw Slow’s new album ‘Redhill’ is, without doubt, their best release to date. This original Irish five-piece band have raised the stakes and have come out on top form. Their original musicianship and songs make them stand out from the rest. A very bright future ahead!

Jonathan Day’s ‘Carved in Bone’ is definately in the exceptional league and sets a very high standard that should bring him the much deserved wider recognistion across the folk circuit. This is a great album to get lost within.

The Phoenix Foundation have been purveying their own brand of psychedelic pop which has been catching the interest of the British press. Their album ‘Buffalo’ which is out now on Memphis Industries has been declared by The Guardian as “An album that already seems destined to be among the best of 2011”.

Despite the choice of instrument on Ukulele Songs it is Eddie Vedder’s songs and sonorous voice that dominate your attention as well as some great duets with Glen Hansard and Cat Power.

There is a gentle subtlety about Snorri Helgason’s performances, both in his singing and his playing. It also captures some of that classic essence that calls to mind the likes of Neil Young and Harry Nilsson, both of whom he has been compared to. He is currently recording his sophomore solo album with Icelandic indie-pop great Sindri Már Sigfússon (Seabear, Sin Fang) manning the consoles.

It’s been a while since we shared a playlist so here is what played out yesterday on Folk Radio UK. This isn’t all our music but it will give you a taster of the breadth of what we play. We have a whole heap of new music waiting to be included, a large amount of which will be added this week.

The Balearic Folk Orchestra came about as a result of a conversation about what makes a great house track. Now, together with a group of like-minded friends including Serafina Steer and Olivia Chaney, they re-interpret classic acid house tunes and balearic beats in an acoustic style.

Today is Bob Dylan’s 70th Birthday. So without getting too over-sentimental and expansive about the whole thing I’ve put together a heap of tracks that I’ve enjoyed as well a few rare or less heard tracks which will playout from today.

Sally Seltman, Holly Throsby and Sarah Blasko make up the dream combo ‘Seeker Lover Keeper’. Their debut album is released in June, watch their latest album introducing videos.

Anyone familiar with Gregory Alan Isakov will have experienced the magical silken threaded balance he uses to engage the listener. With a UK Tour in June it was too good an opportunity to miss so we got him to record a session for us.

The Horn The Hunt are a Leeds based duo, comprising of visual artist Clare Carter and Joseph Osborne. Their second album, Depressur Jolie, is genre defying, a calamity of influences held together by an intricate weave of darkened undertones which comes across perfectly in the video below for the track Old Town Cow.