Alex Gallacher

Alasdair Roberts & Fredrik Rasten announce their new album, Seven Weathers, a new collection of traditional folk songs of Scottish origin, due for release on January 29th, 2027, via Drag City. Watch the accompanying video “Lady Maisry”, a mesmerising, beautiful and haunting lead single and folk ballad.

Mario Batkovic’s new album “I I” arrives on Invada Records a decade after his first solo album. It takes a more immediate and more radical approach to his exploratory practice with the accordion. Destruction and creation became a major theme, as demonstrated in the Yves Marchon-Directed video for MUNDUS.

Cahalen Morrison announces his new album, “Broken Bell”, and shares his new single, “Weaver’s Cottage”, a reflection on permanence and impermanence, and the brief span of a human life against the enduring natural world. Originally from New Mexico, he has lived in Glasgow for the past five years, and many of the well-known musicians joining him on this album are now close friends.

This Monday Morning Brew is 2-hour laid-back, carefree playlist, plus we explore a 1969 counterculture documentary, revisit Bill Callahan’s Dream River + have number of new album recommendations.

This week’s Mixtape of all-new releases beautifully captures music from the margins: smallpipes, experimental ambient, Andean improvisational music, and lost 78rpm Indian records. Featuring Chuck Roth, Buck Curran, Colin Stetson & Brìghde Chaimbeul, Ibelisse Guardia Ferragutti & Frank Rosaly, Sheherazaad, Emily A. Sprague, Diket, Julio Lopez and more.

This Is The Kit shares “Safety Valve”, a new single from their upcoming album “Ghost Coat”, due January 15th, 2027 on Memphis Industries. Kate Stables dedicates the song for friends who come to your rescue. The album features several collaborators: “I was really keen to not only ask people to sing on the album, but to make sure that you can hear their individual voices.”

Viv & Riley share their new single and video “Sourwood”, a grounding song written by Viv that reflects on ageing, loss and life’s beauty. It was recorded live to tape in Frome with producer Dom Monks, just the two of them singing into the same mic, a few feet apart. Watch the accompanying video.

American composer and theatre artist Sheherazaad has shared “Registaan”, from her debut album “Khudgarzi”, due November 20th on Erased Tapes. The live video was filmed and edited by Vincent Moon. In her words, the song is set in “a crass desertland wherein really lonely women emerge.”

Dylan Thomas was born today, and we’re revisiting “The village of Llareggub Awakens”, a Mixtape to mark his birthday. It includes readings from “Under Milk Wood”, by Richard Burton, plus music from Nick Drake, Georgia Ruth, Julie Murphy, Huw M, The Gentle Good, Little Arrow, Cate Le Bon, John Renbourn and Wizz Jones, Michael Chapman and more.

Toronto-based cellist and songwriter Kyla Marlena has shared “In Paint”, the latest single from her forthcoming debut album “Hold Time”. The song is about “the tension between wanting to outgrow our ingrained patterns and fearing the loss of control that comes with that, as well as the added complexity of navigating that alongside another person.” Watch the accompanying video she co-directed with Jo Hirabayashi.

Brìghde Chaimbeul’s first Tiny Desk Concert for NPR has already clocked over 340k views. Shahzad Ismaily joins her on synths, which lend the performance a stronger experimental feel. The set has tracks from “Sunwise” and “Carry Them with Us”. We look back at her time on KLOF since 2016, starting with the Radio 2 Young Folk Award.

A new playlist (and some recommendations) to ease you into the week featuring Blair Coron, Ballaké Sissoko, Buck Curran, Neil Young, Jeffrey Silverstein, Nicole Mitchell and Joe Westerlund and more.

For our latest “Off the Shelf” feature, Good Habits’ Bonnie Schwarz and Pete Shaw, whose new album “Better for Now” is a KLOF Mag Featured Album of the Month, choose ten objects from home. They include a stable door, a Mozart Mouse and a Beethoven Bear…there’s also a healthy discussion on whether art needs to have a story in order for it to make a connection.

Dublin-based songwriter and poet Christian Wethered has released “The First Thing”, the opening track from his new album “From The Balustrade”, due in 2027 via LVP Records. His poetry takes centre stage, with dreamlike verses left open to interpretation. A playful, quirky arrangement flows through the lyrics, featuring, among others, Caimin Gilmore, one of Ireland’s finest double bassists. It feels like a big leap forward.

Spitzer Space Telescope shares the sea shanty single “Bound For Calais-O” a day before the Broadside Hacks Roster Tour begins in Lewes. Dan MacDonald calls sea shanties “a well of inspiration”, and this is the jolly “foc’sle” variety, with Mareva Lindo singing harmonies. It channels The Clancy Brothers’ gorgeous vibe, minus the Aran sweater.

Toria Wooff’s new album “Aleister” is due on 12 January 2027 via Sloe Flower Records. Her new single “Noiselessly” is out today. She wrote it alone in her flat, five years after her best friend’s passing. The lyrics come from the eulogy she wrote at the time. The video follows her across the moors of her hometown as she resists, yet habitually yields to grief’s ever-present grip.

Enjoy our latest Monday Morning Brew Playlist, featuring new music from Norway’s Reolô, “one of the most influential bands on this new and original wave of Norwegian folk music we are witnessing”, The Furrow Collective, Brigid Mae Power, Johanna Warren and lots more. Plus: tips on discovering new music and a rundown of my favourite record stores (physical and online).

Our latest Mixtape, KLOF No. 101, features music from Mali Obomsawin’s second solo album “Automatic”, Ana Lua Caiano’s combustion of Portuguese folk tradition and electronics, Allison de Groot and Rich Ruth tender and cosmic collaboration, plus Emily A. Sprague, French experimental folk duo Adiciatz, Jeremy Barnes, Don Cherry, Old Saw, and Booker Stardrum & Evan Shornstein.