Glenn Kimpton

As beautiful and powerful as an electrical storm, Daniel Bachman’s Almanac Behind hones his new sound into a lean and precise tapestry. It is an extraordinary achievement by a unique artist. My album of the year.

With Escape That, Sam Sweeney has made his most personal record to date. His playing has never been more confident or fluid and the accompaniments are also stellar in their subtlety. It is gorgeous, joyous playing, possibly his best yet.

Not everything is as it seems on Bill Callahan’s YTILAER; it will surprise, challenge and delight you, but the overwhelming feeling is one of allowing the senses to open and let life flow in. In short, another masterpiece.

Elijah McLaughlin and his band of Joel Styzens and Jason Toth follow their 2020 debut with a multi-faceted and highly creative set. Elijah McLaughlin Ensemble II is a highly charged, fascinating and dynamic album.

While there is drama and darkness on Marisa Anderson’s ‘Still, Here’, there is also optimism; it’s a powerful and thought-provoking album of beauty and profundity.

Featuring Sarah-Jane Summers, Juhani Silvola, Leif Ottosson and Bridget Marsden, the Siskin Quartet’s ‘Flight Paths’ is an exceptional album. Broad-reaching yet balanced, daring and compelling; I can’t recommend it highly enough.

Bile Bear is the adopted moniker of Italian guitarist Denis Cassiere. His Bear Bile album is mesmerising and a rather lovely thing – a player who is certainly one to watch out for.

Painting a wide-ranging vista of instrumental narratives and musical styles, Joseph Allred delivers a wonderfully varied set through The Rambles & Rags of Shiloh.

Dave Miller’s ‘Daughter of Experience’ is incredibly intimate; it’s the kind of work that uses the most basic of tools to do something new, in this case, challenge many solo instrumental guitar music tropes while delivering beautiful, quietly powerful music.

We met with Jacob Johnson of the trio Son of John to discuss their wonderful new Each Second Footstep album, which showcases a broad and exciting new musical direction, plus the cementing of his new band lineup.

With an extended lineup and marking a significant leap forward, Son of John return with Each Second Footstep. Throughout this winning album, the band’s love of their craft shines through…an essential release.

The transatlantic banjo duo Damien O’Kane and Ron Block met with us to discuss Banjophonics, the splendid follow-up to their much-lauded debut Banjophony, plus musical personalities and the Mongolian nose flute.