Albums

75 Dollar Bill have stitched their diverse influences together into a powerful, hypnotic sound that is as unique as it is mesmerizing. I Was Real showcases the band’s scope, imagination and raw power.

On Water, Sadgirl’s first album after five years of EPs and singles, they throw all their influences into a pot and come up with a cross-cultural blending that sounds unlike anyone else.

Ben Walker has said that “Making this album has felt a bit like a treasure hunt”.  On the evidence presented here, there is no question that the treasure has well and truly been found. Ben’s reputation for melding tradition with ground-breaking, innovative, indeed passionate, music, is truly enhanced with this exceptional release.

David heads to Black Deer Festival at Kent’s Eridge Park and shares some his personal highlights including Kris Kristofferson and The Strangers, John Butler Trio, The Staves, Band of Horses, Trials of Cato, John Smith, Jerron ‘Blind Boy’ Paxton and more.

Whilst some may have stopped listening to words in songs, the strength of ‘The Reckoning’ lies in John Tams’ skill in building a strong connection between the words and music, it’s as good a demonstration as you’re likely to find.

Resonant Rogues, Sparrow and Keith J. Smith, return with a breathtaking album which clocks up the musical air miles from France to Appalachia. Catch them on their UK tour in July.

Cara Luft and JD Edward make a welcome return as The Small Glories as they celebrate a sense of place. On the final track ‘Winnipeg,’ they sing “It’s the music and the vibe where our spirits come alive”, something that seems a pretty good description of the album too.

Erlend Apneseth Trio demonstrate that wildness is still possible in folk music, as is a democratic, inclusive form of experimentalism. You are unlikely to hear a more innovative album all year, or one more in touch with its roots. Salika, Molika is an avant-folk marvel.

Nashville-based couple Scott and Kim Collins, best known as The Smoking Flowers, return with a stripped-down acoustic album, an affirmation of their shared love and the triumph over adversity, it snowballs into your heart.

“The Lost Words” finally reaches us in the form of Spell Songs. Composed by eight of folk’s finest contemporary talents: Karine Polwart, Seckou Keita, Julie Fowlis, Kris Drever, Jim Molyneux, Kerry Andrew, Rachel Newton and Beth Porter, the songs bring us hope for the future.

The quiet magic of I Feel Nothing Most Days is difficult to pin down, but in that essential unknowability, that sense of mystery, lies some of its appeal…like an instant, a snapshot of a rainy afternoon, slightly blurred, mysterious and beautiful.

While on a Hebridean road trip, Johnny decides to stay a little longer on the Isle of Lewis to catch Còig performing at Stornoway’s arts centre, An Lanntair. While the Canadian four-piece from Cape Breton are new to him he’s glad he stuck around.