Album Recommendations
The Handover return with “New Old Medicine,” out June 5th via Sublime Frequencies. The Egyptian-rooted trio of Aly Eissa, Ayman Asfour and Jonas Cambien follow their 2024 debut with a second long-form composition, recorded in Berlin by Rabih Beaini. Oud, violin and vintage organ move through one continuous piece into something psychedelic and strange.
Sofra Trio release their debut EP “New Dawn” today via Worlds Within Worlds — a powerful meeting of musical traditions from Syria, Türkiye and the Balkans. Recorded live in a single take in Helsinki, the trio of Melisa Yıldırım (kamancha), Merve Abdurrahmani (piano) and Hadi Hrekes (percussion) move fluidly between composition and improvisation.
Durham, NC quartet Sluice release Companion, their third album and Mtn Laurel Recording Co. debut, on March 27th. Recorded at Sylvan Esso’s studio Betty’s and tended over two years, the album finds frontman Justin Morris reckoning with disillusionment, a violent robbery, and the long road back to music — framing companionship, in love and in community, as worth the struggle.
Ahead of her upcoming tours with Stereolab and Jane Weaver, Emma Tricca has released a new live album, Prisms of Winter. Recorded in Shoreditch with Simon Alpin, the collection captures the raw, fragile intimacy of her songwriting against a backdrop of East London street sounds. It’s a soulful reimagining of her catalogue, offering fans a beautifully unpolished, heartfelt experience.
Our latest recommendations include an orchestral meditation on the American women’s suffrage movement, a dizzying joyride through the golden age of Thai popular music, Congolese rumba by Docteur Nico, Will Guthrie’s experimental percussion, and rare archival blues by Allen Ginsberg (with cameos by Bob Dylan and Don Cherry). Plus, Estonian wetland soundscapes to sun-drenched Laurel Canyon folk, from cosy winter solstice hymns to the sophisticated grooves of 1970s Ethio-jazz.
An introspective autopsy of time, Keaton Henson talks us through his new album, Parader, released today. Known for his rare performances and heart-on-sleeve vulnerability, Henson revisits his past, embracing the grunge-infused sounds of his youth. Production, split between Luke Sital-Singh and Alex Farrar, harnesses these heavier sounds. The album, which Henson describes as his “weird ‘me’ version” of his youth’s influences, is an acceptance of all parts of himself.
Ivan Moult takes us through his new album ‘Stood Out In The Storm’, his most deeply personal offering yet – “a musical insight into the mind of a stressed-out family man who has a complete breakdown but then recovers…” Following the warmth and intricate songwriting of Songs From Severn Grove (2023), this new album takes a significant, vulnerable step, charting Moult’s gradual process of healing and recovery.
Tepid Toad Records presents a new double A-side from avant-folk duo Alula Down, featuring Mark Waters’ double bass with Kate Gathercole’s alluring, dreamy vocals. From the haunting, poignant field recordings of “High Germany” to the warm improvisation of “Summer Song,” this atmospheric release arrives on November 14th on digital and limited-edition 7″ lathe-cut vinyl.
Robyn Hitchcock’s “Invisible Hitchcock (Outtakes and Demos)” gets a re-release on December 15th. Originally from 1986, the collection gathers home recordings and studio outtakes from his fertile 1981-1985 period, which produced albums like I Often Dream of Trains. Hitchcock preferred this “homemade” approach, avoiding the “digital patina” of 1980s pop to capture his best, most intimate performances.
Black Sweat Records releases Mariolina Zitta’s Concert For Bats, Voices and Natural Sounds. This arcane work, born from speleology and sound archaeology, is a “magical ritual” celebrating bats. Using special detectors, Zitta transforms bat calls into an organic synthesiser, fusing them with natural instruments like stalactites and bone whistles, plus harmonic singing. A total sensory experience.
Our ten selections for this month Subscriber Exclusive (one of the perks for those who support our work) include releases from New England’s Old Saw, a remastered “holy grail” of psychedelic Latin-funk, Mélanie Pain, Ryan Davis & the Roadhouse Band, Thomas Dollbaum, a landmark collaboration that brings together two generations of South African guitar mastery, Lady Queen Paradise, Dartmoor-raised artist Dominie Hooper, Jessica Moss and the incredible singer-songwriter Daudi Matsiko.
Swiss-Portuguese guitarist Tiago Almeida releases “Rivages,” an artistic exploration of Portuguese fado reimagined for the classical guitar. The album is a masterful blend of tradition and innovation, drawing on influences from jazz, classical, and even electronic music. Exploring profound themes of migration and identity, “Rivages” promises to be a significant and unique addition to the contemporary classical guitar repertoire.