Roy Spencer

Layers of Ages is the latest offering from Peter Knight’s Gigspanner and the result is well worth the wait, leaving no doubt that Gigspanner’s increasingly impressive part-improvised, boundary-crossing sound is like no other. Don’t miss their June 2015 album tour.

The Mariannes are still considered to be something of a secret in their native Ireland. On the strength of this all-too-brief collection any attempt by the Dublin-based urban alt-folk sextet to expand their horizons beyond the Emerald Isle’s shores would be very welcome.

With ‘Into the Well’ The Poozies have created another sparkling contemporary gem of an album. The band’s skilful arrangements and thrilling playing ensure that the their original pieces sit comfortably alongside carefully chosen covers and traditional high-energy Gaelic puirt-a-beul, jigs and reels.

‘High Rise’ is an album of wondrous beauty from start to finish, with pieces that combine jazz, blues and classical with Scottish roots music. The work of Scottish fiddler and composer David Grubb this is a superb, confident soundtrack to a bustling city, as observed by a visitor.

On the Demon Barbers latest offering a bewildering array of styles is woven into the pieces, as traditional folk songs are reinterpreted with a contemporary dance music twist. Overlaid by Damien Barber’s powerful, passionate vocal, it all results in a stunning collection of foot-tapping brilliance.

Kings of the South Seas is a mesmerising album of interesting contemporary interpretations that provides a worthwhile recounting of the lure of the sea and the lore of the whales and the sailors who pursued them to their ends. As a whole, it provides a powerful reminder of the extremes that were tolerated in the search for oils before the discovery of mineral fuels.

‘Sonomama’ is the title of Lucy Sale’s latest album, it is a Japanese word, meaning ‘in a natural state’ – and that’s how the show began: multi-instrumentalist Lucy opted for a stripped-back accompaniment of only a nylon-stringed classical guitar for a solo rendition of the unreleased ‘You Never Can Tell’. A memorable evening at The Maudslay, Coventry.

Sam Lee’s follow-up album ‘The Fade in Time’ is an impassioned album of hugely ambitious scope; a historical document that at the same time belongs firmly in the 21st century.

Ross Darby, front man and songwriter of The Fallows has sets himself a challenge to get a song into the official Top 40 singles chart on just £99, all proceeds going to a charity for the homeless.

Southern Tenant Folk Union release their most ambitious album so far. The Chuck Norris Project exposes the astonishing array of ills and injustices of a country claiming to be the world’s greatest democracy.

The Decemberists decision to let the songs progress naturally rather than writing to the clock has produced an astonishing work on their latest album.  Play it often and loud.

FaceOmeter’s latest release is a highly memorable collection of fast paced sing-along songs, one that may well be one of the most unique records of 2014.