KLOF

Lail Arad is a young up and coming folk singer/songwriter and engaging performer who has played with the likes of Devendra Banhart and has a growing reputation on the London folk scene. She releases here debut album ‘Someone New’ later this year. So, being intrigued by new and wonderful talent I managed to catch up for a chat and a cuppa.

Stornoway have newly signed to 4AD and their pastoral pop-folk and crystalline four-part harmonies have been getting a lot of attention with references to them being the Mumford and Son of 2010.

Armed with little more than an acoustic guitar and her fragile alto, San Francisco folk singer/songwriter Emily Jane White offers complex tales of melancholy and isolation. While comparisons to contemporaries like Cat Power and Hope Sandoval are frequent, Emily’s music owes a clear debt to classic female jazz and blues singers such as Billie Holiday.

You know that with a name like The Existence of Harvey Lord you would need to be bloody good to carry off such a title, well, this ten peice psych-folk group who are all based around Lancaster do not disappoint.

Charlie Gillett, the flagship DJ of world music has died. Despite an ongong series of health problems, including Churg-Strauss syndrome, he continued broadcasting the late night Charlie Gillet’s World of Music on BBC Radio 3. He will be sadly missed by many and will be up there with greats such as John Peel. ‘When I play a new album, I want to be surprised, to be completely captivated by the …

I finally got to listen to Sam Amidon’s latest album, I see the Sign. It feels like it’s been a long wait, but  it was worth it. I didn’t expect anything less to be honest, but he has delivered a lot more than I ever expected on this, his fourth album. It was a pleasure to see the Whale Watching Tour cast present but the addition of Beth Orton was …

Lynn Miles is one of Canada’s most accomplished singer/songwriters with five albums to her credit including the stark Unravel, winning Miles a 2003 Juno Award for Roots & Traditional solo album of the year and Love Sweet Love earning her multiple Canadian Folk Music awards (best English songwriter, best contemporary singer).

Recorded over three afternoons at Livingston Studios, London, in 2005, with contributions from Orlando ‘Cachaíto’ López on bass, ‘Ali & Toumani’ is Ali Farka Touré and Toumani Diabaté’s second and final album together. 

Silent June is a Stunning debut album from ex-Unthanks pianist, Belinda O’Hooley and Yorkshire songwriter Heidi Tidow. Haunting piano, soaring strings and warm harmonies combine beautifully. O’Hooley is best known for her work as songwriter and pianist with Rachel Unthank & the Winterset (now The Unthanks).

I got this wonderful message this morning from Alan O’Leary of Copperplate: Thought I would share this beautiful heartbreakingly sad poem of Dermot Bolgers with you all.

Tegan and Sara released Sainthood, their sixth album, in October 2009 . They chose to have Chris Walla (Death Cab for Cutie) return to produce the album.

Rollingstone have reported that Mark Linkous of Sparklehorse has comitted suicide.