Albums

Downhill Uplift is the sort of album that will sound different every time you listen to it, and while it takes inspiration from a cluster of well-worn genres, the way those genres are meshed together seems entirely novel. The work of an extremely proficient musician and his band.

As debuts go, War to the Palaces is very impressive indeed. Recorded, mixed, produced and mastered by Ragged Trousers’ own David Hirst, it’s also a pretty accurate representation of what they offer live. So let’s have more please, lads – and soon!

On Prophecy Playground’s debut ‘Comfort Zone’ – elements of English bucolic poke through, swirl around with the sprites of the guitars, the subtle lush backdrops of strings, and with the lyrics that may mean something or may mean nothing.

There are few folk outfits working today as interesting and unpredictable as Canada’s Aerialists. Their new offering ‘Sienna’ is a masterfully performed collection of intriguing, often haunting material.

Boogieing with the best of them, Green Leaf Rustlers show why they are an uncontrollable force of nature. For those who have been lucky enough to see them, the memories will last a lifetime. For the rest of us, at least we have From Within Marin.

Joined by The Excess – Pete Flood on drums and Pete Thomas on bass – Benji Kirkpatrick delivers a glorious and powerful sound on Gold Has Worn Away, a persuasive and impressive album.

With Companion Rises, Chasny has done something even more intriguing than usual: by pushing the experimental envelope further than before he has somehow emerged with a collection of songs that are amongst the most immediately rewarding of his twenty-plus year career.

Nadia Reid has the temperament to say the things that often go unspoken, the things that bother us. On Out Of My Province, she has created an album of musical maturity and emotional depth. There can be no greater compliment.

This is music of uncommon grace and nuance…a gentle elixir. Under the guise of Cabane, Thomas Jean Henri has created a work that is never fragile, yet filled with beauty. Grande Est La Maison works its way into your heart and soul, like a rose. There are thorns, but without them would the flower be as beautiful?

Michael shares a magical evening spent with the multi-talented Phil Beer Band at The Octagon Theatre in Yeovil, the warm audience reception more than made up for the chill in the air outside.

The Broken Pledge, the latest offering from Irish traditional music group The Bonny Men, is an album that shows how the handing on of the music, the tradition, is carried out very successfully. Clear the floor and start dancing.

Featuring an impressive cast including Bill Frisell, John Paul Jones, Matt Chamberlin, and Dave Mathews, Danny Barnes continues his message of finding the good that helps us get through these hard times. It’s one thing you can always count on. Just like his music.