Alex Gallacher
Alex Gallacher
Founder and Editor-in-Chief of KLOF Mag - I keep things running here and put together the playlists and mixes.
Joshua Burnside shares his new single and video “Nicer Part of Town”–”a daydream song, following thoughts and memories around, some nice, some not so nice,” in which he heads back to a “childhood kitchen, and then up into the heavens on an old spaceship. We then sleep rough under a bridge, get blown up by a car bomb and end up in the garden of Eden.”
Watch the accompanying music video for Irish duo Rezo’s new single, “Nothing Else.” Produced by David Odlum, the track follows their critically acclaimed 2024 album, The Age of Self-Help. Featuring the poignant lyrics and heartfelt melodies of Colm O’Connell and Rory McDaid, “Nothing Else” captures “the abject tragedies of life and the power of love,” cementing Rezo’s status as a key alternative Irish act.
Another Monthly Subscriber playlist featuring the artists we’ve been enjoying over the past month, including: Junior Brother, The Little Unsaid, Ron Sexsmith, Eve Adams, JJJJJErome Ellis, Lucrecia Dalt, Jens Kuross, Iona Zajac, James Yorkston, Gwenifer Raymond, Steve Gunn, Buck Curran, Saul Williams, Carson McHone, Big Thief, claire rousay, Joan Shelley, Fruit Bats, Kathryn Williams, Trond Kallevåg, Patrick Shiroishi, M. Sage, Smote, SML, Sir Richard Bishop, Katie Spencer, Michael Hurley & …
Following the release of her fourth album, Enter Now Brightness, in February, New Zealander Nadia Reid delves into the familial and folk shadows of one of music’s most mythologised figures. Reid has released a digital double A-side that goes beyond mere tribute to intergenerational conversation: a cover of Nick Drake’s “Poor Boy” paired, strikingly, with his mother Molly Drake’s spectral retort, “Poor Mum.”
Following the release of her debut album, Rift, Clara Mann has just announced Rift (Extended Edition), which includes two new covers and two French-language versions of standout tracks from the original album. Accompanied by Owen Spafford on fiddle, and released today as a double A-side single, listen to her performing “500 Miles,” a traditional song inspired by Hedy West’s version and “My Life,” by Iris DeMent.
In an echo of the past, Rafael Toral unveils a new single, “Solitude,” from his upcoming album, Traveling Light. The track revisits the Duke Ellington standard, a piece that has long served as a canvas for improvisers from Thelonious Monk to Mary Halvorson. Yet, Toral’s interpretation channels the profound, almost sacred vulnerability of Billie Holiday’s classic take.
Another Monday Morning Brew Playlist featuring Ganavya, Frantz Casseus, Flaer, Leyla McCalla, She Keeps Bees, The Memory Band, Cerys Hafana, Colleen, Jesca Hoop, Olenka and the Autumn Lovers, Fiona Soe Paing, Emily Wittbrodt, Hurray for the Riff Raff, Bob Frank, Mike Cooper & Steve Gunn, Cheri Knight, Ivor Cutler, Gruff Rhys, Dirty Projectors, A Hawk and a Hacksaw, Gregory and the Hawk, deførmed.
Watch the video for ‘Sailing Away’, the new single from The General Store, a melodic alt-country pop project fronted by multi-instrumentalist, producer and songwriter, Tam Johnstone. The song is inspired by and in tribute to Dave Morrison (who also wrote for KLOF Mag for many years), who was a friend, flatmate of and a musical mentor to Tam.
Hillbilly Ragas, the new album from Sir Richard Bishop, drops tomorrow. Watch his latest video for his new single “Head Bone in the ‘Tater Hole,” a track that begins with a galloping figuration that could be a waltz before the ideas boil down into a steaming stew of theme and variations. The nine pieces on the album were carved out in a wild-eyed state, reflecting the “untamed explorations of a musical loner” …
Legendary bass player Danny Thompson has passed away, he was 86. In addition to being a founding member of Pentangle, he also collaborated with notable artists such as John Martyn, Richard Thompson, Ralph McTell, Nick Drake, June Tabor, the Incredible String Band, and many more. Enjoy our tribute playlist, which, although spanning six decades, still only scratches the surface of Thompson’s genius, warmth, charisma and brilliance.
Acclaimed Icelandic singer-songwriter Ólöf Arnalds announces her new album, Spíra, due out December 5th via Bella Union. The lead single, “Tár í morgunsárið” (“Tears at Dawn”), is a beautiful and haunting track where Arnalds reflects on the spiritual void left when she renounced Catholicism as a teenager. The new album is a stripped-back, intimate work that explores themes of love, creativity, and healing.