Albums

The first release on Ryley Walker’s new Husky Pants label is a live jam between Ryley’s four-piece band and the Japanese psych-prog five-piece Kikagaku Moyo which has become a Bandcamp best seller – a free-spirited blast of tightly played, highly creative music.

An album of positivity in an uncertain world, The Hoth Brothers new album ‘Tell Me How You Feel’ makes for a damn fine listen with a delightful variety of shades from the Carter Family to John Prine and The Band.

An intriguingly powerful set and a welcome return from Firefay and Alison O’Donnell with a striking use of instrumentation. Embrace the noir.

Soaked is the latest offering from Brussels-based trio Las Lloronas – it’s cool, jazzy and has great harmonies. It won’t fit in a box so don’t try, and perhaps it may not be what you expect but this is an album for repeat play. Excellent.

Sometimes the boldest statements are least expected. Katy Kirby turns just about everything on its head. Cool Dry Place is the kind of statement that announces a new voice ready to be heard again and again.

The songs on Revolutionary love are the fruits of a long and soulful career. DiFranco’s skill at the helm here, sounding almost natural while simultaneously being very experimental on her 20th studio album. Reap the good listens.

Justin Rutledge’s softer Americana/alt folk ambience effortlessly combines his clear, warm and tender voice with an eloquent, poetic lyric-writing strength. One for fans and an excellent primer for newcomers.

Ryan Dugré has created a work that suggests complexity, based not on the number of notes so much as the feelings behind those notes. A wonder exists within the wood and steel.

Recorded at home in isolation, ‘Grounded’ finds John Blek seeking to find a sense of balance and purpose amid the surrounding uncertainty. While experimenting with different compositional techniques it also cuts straight to the heart.

Based on Matt Carmichael’s debut album we can, and should, expect great things in future from these guys as individuals and as a quartet. Where Will The River Flow is one for late nights…close your eyes and bathe in it! Top-quality music.

On her debut EP ‘Here, Now’, Australian songstress Jessie Monk sounds like Joni Mitchell’s long-lost daughter, with her effortless dance between the higher and lower registers of her voice, witty lyrics, and guitar.

Yonder Boys debut album ‘Acid Folk’ breaks through the walls of genre, convention, and predictability, taking you on a wild ride which you don’t want to get off.