Albums

The changing moods of Sam Kelly and the Lost Boys‘ “The Wishing Tree” form a big part of its charm. From the thought-provoking lyrics to the musicianship, you’d be hard pushed to find the merest chink in their armour and here they demonstrate that to perfection.

Arriving ten years after The Faux Paws first got together, this debut may have been long in the gestation, but the experience and musical wisdom accumulated in that time has clearly paid off for a quietly unassuming but highly infectious album.

As a project, this Sonafric safari is a triumph in unearthing and presenting the music and musicians of Yaoundé’s underground music scene of some 50 years ago.  The legacy offered here on Cameroon Garage Funk illustrates the timelessness of the music and is highly recommended.

Recorded at a countryside retreat in Kildare with Myles O’Reilly, Rónán Ó Snodaig’s Tá Go Maith is an album not to be rushed but instead presents an opportunity to slow down and embrace its evocative gentle mood and positivity.

The incisive songcraft on Lorkin O’Reilly’s ‘Marriage Material’ pulls you into his world – a place of graphic memories, hearts and flowers, wide-eyed wonder, hopes, regrets, and life’s little quirks – and it’s impossible not to surrender to the experience.   

Gorgeous and precise, ‘Days Awake’ is a masterful piece of work that takes Molly Linen’s signature serene sound and elevates it to new levels.

As Maartin Allcock said his final farewells from the stage at Cropredy in 2018, we all knew his musical legacy would continue to entertain and astound for years to come. Now, Talking Elephant have helped that process along by re-releasing OX15.

John Jenkins’ ‘If You Can’t Forgive, You Can’t Love’ is a summery hook-laden indie-pop free-flying balloon ride that makes you want to push the replay button and listen to the whole album all over again.

Monsieur Doumani, the much-acclaimed Cyprus-based trio, return with Pissourin, an enthralling and entertaining fourth album on which the intriguing traditional sounds of the Eastern Mediterranean merge with the contemporary.

One of the most intriguing albums to come out this year, the nine tracks of Wet and Unlucky leave us wanting far more from Tiger Saw and The Reasons Why. Who’d have ever thought that sadcore and country would merge so successfully?

“On Our Way”, the latest release from I See Hawks in L.A., is a spectacular offering that occupies a timeless space where ideas and influences jostle freely, unrestrained by fashion or fortune, contributing together a potent message for the moment.

Inspired by Andrew Wasylyk’s morning walks in a Dundee park, the music of “Balgay Hill: Morning in Magnolia” offers a deep sense of place, filling spaces of the mind and awakening the senses; it adds textures and tangency to discovering all the things you never notice during a busy day.