Thomas Blake

With Gigspanner, Peter Knight has assembled one of the most quietly brilliant sets of musicians in the folk world and beyond. The WIfe Of Urban Law is both experimental and accessible; it is music that respects the past without being in thrall to it. And more importantly, it is a record of stunning and sustained beauty. 

Edgelarks is an album that is full of muted, autumnal beauty. Edgelarks may signify a new venture for Hannah Martin and Phillip Henry, but the quality of their songwriting and performing only continues to improve, this is their best yet.

Strength and courage is what ‘Strangers’ is all about. Despite the hardships it describes, there is barely a moment on this album that doesn’t hum with positivity. The Young’uns have perfected a sound that is as unique as it is uplifting, and it would be no surprise if their already burgeoning popularity were to rise to even greater heights.

Gwyneth Glyn’s ‘Tro’ is less an album and more a journey: to the quiet, longed-for corners of Wales, but also across the world, taking in West Africa and the Asian subcontinent. And it is an inward journey, an exploration of love and its many meanings and guises. As a whole, it is a poetic and deeply moving experience.

Since their formation, Leveret have been one of the most enviably talented groups of folk musicians on the circuit, but with the sheer creativity shown on Inventions they have moved up another gear.

The Gigspanner Big Band are a unique musical proposition; they are taking folk music down new and enthralling paths. They are also one of the most exciting live bands you are likely to see this year (or any year, for that matter), and this recording documents their energy, skill and hard work brilliantly.

To the people who think politics has no place in music, Inclined To Be Red is a timely reminder that the opposite is true. It proves that music still can – and indeed must – engage with the world in a positive way. A gentle affirmation of the power of song.

It is rare to hear a songwriter so astutely match up words with music so that one complements the other to perfection. Alex Seel achieves this on Circles, a small, bright gem of a record. We can only hope that a full-length album is on its way in the near future.

If there is such a thing as classic American songwriting, you wouldn’t necessarily expect it to be embodied on the debut album of a singer of Armenian descent, born in Syria. Bedouine’s album is, for want of a better word, classic.

Adrian McNally, multi-instrumentalist, arranger and producer with The Unthanks, discusses their new album, The Songs and Poems of Molly Drake, the fourth instalment in their inspired, unconventional Diversions series.

What is perhaps most impressive about Peasant is the way it invents and develops – seemingly with ease – a world, an entirely new ancient landscape that has its own musical language. Richard Dawson has created a genuinely outstanding and astounding work of art.  

Regardless of any societal constraints Molly Drake may have felt in her life, regardless of her unwillingness to publish her own material, she was a consummately gifted songwriter. And in The Unthanks, those songs have found their perfect outlet.