Mark Underwood

On “Just A Day”, The Hanging Stars strip their sound back to its essence with the help of producer Gerard Love. Richard Olson continues to demonstrate his facility for tapping into the most memorable tunes while bringing to bear the wisdom and empathy that only life experience brings. The album proves the opposite of its title — they’re in it for the long haul.

For all its preoccupation with what slips away — faces misremembered, friends taken too early, the houses we once lived in — “Who’s Keeping Time?” is markedly less solitary than anything Alela Diane has made since “To Be Still”. Michael Hurley’s death sent her back into the room with other musicians. The album doesn’t argue against loss; it gathers people around it.

Spencer Cullum finds comfort in retellings of folk narratives that seek to make sense of the present day. With Spencer Cullum’s Coin Collection 3, he’s provided a richly satisfying conclusion to his trilogy of albums. Born from a need to reconnect with the place that shaped him, the trilogy has also become a platform for the generous, collaborative spirit of the Nashville community he now calls home.

“Normal Town,” The Dreaming Spires’ first album in nearly a decade, finds the band’s love of rock ‘n’ roll romance undimmed. Inspired by Didcot, dubbed England’s “most normal town,” the record mixes nostalgia-fuelled anthems with reflective ballads. It explores themes of escape, alienation, and atomisation, but ultimately celebrates the redemptive power of music and finds pleasure in the ordinary.

Midlake’s “A Bridge to Far,” their sixth album, is a career highlight of 26 years. The record stands as their most consistent and assured yet, exploring deep themes of hope, change, and renewal. This deeply affecting release blends pastoral folk and soft psychedelia, achieving a spontaneous and grounded groove that is arguably the band’s best work.

Through The Open Window is the latest chapter in the acclaimed Bob Dylan Bootleg Series, which tells of Dylan’s emergence and maturation as a songwriter and performer, from Minnesota to the Greenwich Village bohemia in the early 1960s. The 8CD Deluxe set includes 139 tracks – 48 never-before-released performances, as well as 38 super-rare cuts, plus a hardcover book with rare photos and extensive liner notes by Sean Wilentz.

Carson McHone’s third album, Pentimento, is a dense, multi-faceted tapestry, with fragments of poetry, spoken verse, field recordings, pastoral folk, guitar and chamber pop, amply demonstrating the benefits of a more collaborative approach on this audacious gem that also reveals a level of sophistication, demonstrating that there are no real limits to McHone’s ambition.

Eve Adams’s fourth album, American Dust, is a stunning folk noir soundscape that transports listeners to the sun-baked American Southwest, exploring themes of love, family history, solitude, resilience, and the enduring spirit of the American Dream.

Mark Underwood chats with Bonnie Dobson about her new album with The Hanging Stars ‘Dreams’, and she recalls memories of poverty and living in an emergency housing project in Canada, Pete Seeger Summer Camp, McCarthy-era blacklisting, the Cuban Missile Crisis, touring with The McCalmans and Mike Harding…and even Ken Dodd—and her secret to longevity: singing and satsumas. He also has a quick catch-up with The Hanging Stars’ Richard Olson.

While “Morning Dew” may be recognised as Bonnie Dobson’s most iconic track, on her new album, Dreams, she showcases a collection of impressive new compositions. Partnering with the UK’s The Hanging Stars, her sound is infused with renewed vitality, resulting in a brilliantly fruitful collaboration. We can only hope that there will be more to come.

‘From Newman Street’ is further evidence of Kassi Valazza’s ability to vividly convey emotion through her melodic sensibilities, with its strong musical accompaniment standing in marked contrast to her crystal clear vocal – pleasantly wrong-footing the listener throughout.

We chatted with American author, musician, and songwriter Willy Vlautin about The Delines’ new album, Mr Luck and Ms Doom. We also talk about his songwriting process, novel writing, and his fondness for Italian movie soundtracks from the 1960s and 1970s.