Albums

In the wake of the experience of the past two years, ‘The Beat Goes On’ is clearly an album Sean Taylor needed to make, and, as we emerge back into some sort of light, it is very much one we need to hear.

Spell Songs II is a timely and beguiling listen. It is a collection to share and reflect upon. So, gather round, cherish the songs, Macfarlane’s words and Morris’s imagery and steep yourself deep in the natural world that surrounds us and prepare to be spellbound.

Based around the one constant figure of Stephen Cracknell, The Memory Band’s sixth album Colours, again features a number of special guests. Existing on the margins of folk and electronica, they manage to bring a touch of the sublime to these liminal states.

Featuring Lebanese singer Pôl Seif and European instrumentalists, Mòlo Sâyat’s music is both chimeric and celebratory, featuring Arabic, Italian and Romani language and a fusion of musical styles; these are players of the highest order. We look forward to the next chapter.

Analog Africa really is a gift that keeps on giving. Essiebons Special 1973- 1984, celebrating the legendary Ghanaian producer Dick Essilfie-Bondzie, is yet another powerhouse release. Whether you are new to Afrobeat/Afrofunk/ Highlife or already an aficionado, this album is well-worth seeking out.

While Shade perhaps doesn’t quite possess the textural warmth of Paradise Valley or hypnotic pull of Dragging a Dead Deer, its greater clarity and confidence offers a glimmer of hope that is perhaps unprecedented in Harris’ previous music as Grouper.

Elliott is living proof that a well-timed whisper can often be more consequential than a shout, and on December songs he takes that aesthetic to its quietly impressive limit. It is hard to see how this album could have come out any better.

On one song, Love asks “Are you ready to be wonderful?”. “Will You Be There” clearly suggests O’Connell & Love were most certainly well-prepared.

On Just Rain, Jessica’s Brother have created something much larger than the sum of its various parts in which everything is not exactly what it seems.

Belgian trio Tamala return with their second album Lumba (“the big day” in Mandinka) with a message for change and a call to stand against the unfair distribution of wealth in the world today.

With Yonder Green Grove, The Norfolk Broads have produced a collection of greater stature. The vocal accomplishment of all four singers, whether alone or together, is spellbinding.

Introspective, reflective, and, at times, steeped in memories of darkness and despair, but always reaching to take hold of the light, People in Cars is Curse of Lono’s most personal album to date and, while not as urgent as past outings, the accumulative impact is mesmerising.