Albums

The final volume of Jacken Elswyth’s essential Betwixt & Between series features singer and multi-instrumentalist Elspeth Anne and the historic Welsh male choir Côr Meibion Gwalia. Anne offers a bleak, beautiful midwinter landscape of drones and dark carols, while the choir provides lo-fi, spirited wassails full of strange magic. It is a fitting conclusion to a project documenting British folk at its most raw and boundary-pushing.

Mysterious UK producer U maps the rural history of Archenfield in this ambitious new album. Blending ambient textures, field recordings, and plunderphonics, U moves beyond simple folk music into a complex sonic collage. From the hauntological piano of “Urchins” to the chilling folklore of “Black Vaughan,” the album is a labyrinthine exploration of time, memory, and landscape that is constantly changing and profoundly engaging.

Chicago-based trio Glyders feel complete with drummer Joe Seger joining Joshua Condon and Eliza Weber on Forever. Regarded as their first true band album, it captures electrifying energy honed through relentless touring. Blending assertive riffing with old-school tunesmithery inspired by classic rock masters, these eight tracks offer a high-voltage ride from futuristic glam to electric country jangle, marking an exciting, stable new chapter for the group.

Matthew Broadley’s debut as Greet, I Know How To Die, is a genre-defying journey, a link between the uncanny and the everyday, a bridge between two worlds. Anchored by an eerie harmonium drone and folk-horror aesthetics, this is a hugely impressive debut that doesn’t shy away from difficult musical and lyrical subjects.

Recorded live in Montreal, this essential 10” vinyl split from Carbon Records/The Annex Blues Society offers two exhilarating, distinct sides. Side A features Sam Shalabi’s intricate, fast-paced solo oud improvisation, blending melody with technical mastery. On the flip, Liam Grant and Mike Gangloff deliver a crisp, energetic duo performance of “Salmon Tails up the River,” transforming Grant’s original solo guitar piece with intuition and drive.

Completing his solo trilogy, percussionist Joe Westerlund moves away from loose improvisation toward sturdy, irresistible grooves on Curiosities from the Shift. Inspired by the foundational clave pattern, this record weaves a rich tapestry of metallophones, electronics, and deep bass. It is a treasure trove of rhythmic exploration that feels both meditative and energetic—a euphoric, detailed album that demands and rewards repeated listens.

Broadsides is Weston Olencki’s sound diary of a grand tour through the southern United States. Drawing on the long history of the broadside as social commentary, Olencki blends traditional folk forms with experimental sound art. From the timeless prelude of a railway station to an epic, transformative, post-minimalist take on “Foggy Mountain Breakdown,” this album is a bracing crystallisation of that journey.

One of the most wonderfully warped Ceremonial Counties tapes yet: The Clare Voyants explore the mystical and musical elements of John Clare’s life via a collage of free folk, found sounds, traditional melodies and spoken word, while The Universal Veil take inspiration from Horace Harman’s Sketches of the Bucks Countryside and produce something that sits between Wicker Man psychedelia and Ghost Box hauntology (and is arguably more mind-bending than either).

JJJJJerome Ellis is an enviably talented musician who has developed an entirely singular musical identity. Vesper Sparrow, Ellis’ second album, communicates in a way that makes us stop and think about our own modes of expression, emerging with a new understanding of how beauty and truth can be conveyed in unprecedented forms, and how form itself can be manipulated to become art rather than simply structure.

An introspective autopsy of time, Keaton Henson talks us through his new album, Parader, released today. Known for his rare performances and heart-on-sleeve vulnerability, Henson revisits his past, embracing the grunge-infused sounds of his youth. Production, split between Luke Sital-Singh and Alex Farrar, harnesses these heavier sounds. The album, which Henson describes as his “weird ‘me’ version” of his youth’s influences, is an acceptance of all parts of himself.

Ivan Moult takes us through his new album ‘Stood Out In The Storm’, his most deeply personal offering yet – “a musical insight into the mind of a stressed-out family man who has a complete breakdown but then recovers…” Following the warmth and intricate songwriting of Songs From Severn Grove (2023), this new album takes a significant, vulnerable step, charting Moult’s gradual process of healing and recovery.

On her sixth solo album, Unfolding, Jessica Moss dives deep into drone and longform ambient soundscapes. The album is a journey through intense emotional abstraction—from the serendipitous “Washing Machine” to the beautiful, nightmarish “One, Now.” Moss then uses clashing textures to craft an explicitly political work inspired by Palestine before concluding with a stunning, multitracked hymn to hope, a quite stunning way to end an accomplished and highly relevant album.