Albums

Donegal sisters Karen, Lorna and Joleen McLaughlin return as The Henry Girls for their sixth album ‘Far Beyond The Stars.’ Recorded and produced by Calum Malcolm in Donegal, it’s a truly stellar album.

Future Melancholy Pop Music is a record to be savoured, slowly and patiently, and gently allow yourself to get drawn into Johnno Casson’s unique lyrical and musical universe.

Cracks in the Room makes the most impressive use yet of Twelfth Day’s winning way with a lyrical hook and their quite exceptional instrumental skills. It is one of the most rewarding listening experiences to be placed before an audience this year.

The long wait for Shadowlands, the fourth album from Romantica, has paid dividends – 14 songs bear testament to their understated and introspective brand of Americana.

Having formerly fronted Danish trio Boho Dancer, Ida Wenøe now makes her solo debut with Time of Ghosts, an album that leans more towards their ethereal acid folk, blending Nordic and English folk influences.

Based on the west coast of Scotland, The Quiggs (husband and wife Pernille and Stephen) return with Seeds I Didn’t Sow – songs and memorable melodies worth revisiting again and again. Unquestionably one of the best folk albums of the year.

Usher’s Island self-titled debut doesn’t disappoint, a first-rate album of Irish traditional music and one that is more than fit to take its place in the ranks of classic group albums in the field.

Ritual Land, Uncommon Ground is a quietly huge endeavour, a labour of love, full of valuable knowledge, surprising stylistic breadth and exquisite songwriting.

Sillion is a strange, affecting and beautifully realised album, one with many hidden (and manifest) depths. Johnny Flynn has made a captivating, exhilarating and sometimes unsettling album. Go and listen.

Artistic statements like The Gathering…are symptoms of change, and they are also its catalysts. Toby Hay’s album is a stunning turning point in what we have come to call folk music. A beautiful, frank and mysterious statement.

Monster Ceilidh Band are no strangers to experimentation, and with Mutation, they continue to demonstrate a great talent for producing innovative yet accessible music. They have created an album full of head-banging, glowstick-waving energy – and it’s epic.

Ex-ahab singer Dave Burn has thankfully found time to release this debut solo album. He draws on personal experiences and his Americana influences to weave a reflective web…a place marker in the debut albums of the year list has been duly assigned.