Albums

If you’re seeking music that beautifully honours the traditions of this season, look no further than Jackie Oates & John Spiers’ “A Midwinter’s Night”, in which they carry these cherished traditions with inspiring grace.

It’s somewhat a consensus that the magic of late guitar genius Robbie Basho’s music was best felt in concert. Hence, ‘Snow Beneath the Belly of a White Swan’ is a serious treat featuring several hours of music from a true original, an underrated guitar giant.

The rich storytelling of Norman Paterson’s ‘Loved’ reflects on the cherished memories of people and places rooted in the earth of his home; while the title may be in the past tense, the emotions, like this album, are enduring.

In terms of lyrical content and musical atmosphere, To Warm the Winter Hearth is a winter (rather than a Christmas) album. Along with Windborne’s almost supernatural grasp of harmony singing, this an impressive, evocative work of art.

The Unthanks In Winter is a rare offering that evokes the vast emotions of the cold winter months. It is a massive statement, a project that has taken around fifteen years to evolve, it has been well worth the wait.

With ‘Music for Space Age Shopping’, David A. Jaycock has achieved something quietly spectacular: an album rooted in highly specific locales and timeframes which nonetheless allows you to drift into nostalgia or to imagine better possible futures.

With ‘In the Shadow of John The Divine’, Chris Cleverley puts his personal spin on the usual festive fare that blends joy and wistfulness in the seasonal cocktail of often contradictory emotions, love and grief. Definitely one for your Christmas stocking.

The closing instrumental on Adam Finchler’s ‘The Room’ somehow manages to sound like Arthur Russell in a cocktail shaker. It puts a truly weird seal on what is already one of the most unusual, distinctive and delightful albums of the year.

The music on Aboubakar Traoré and Balima’s Sababu transcends time and geographical borders, creating an album of hope, pride, and optimism. Above all, it is an album of celebration.

A Syrian American guitarist and teacher based in Chicago, Rami Atassi’s ‘New & Ancient Christmas Music’ is a radiant and rhythmic set that also reminds us that global connections endure in the message of goodwill.

“Quiet Light” is the latest release from the Bristol-based folk trio Hands of the Heron. The ensemble’s profound sense of tranquillity and aesthetic allure provide a soothing balm for the contemporary world.

With Paper Tigers, the fourth teaming of Boo Hewerdine and Brooks Williams as State of the Union, the creative spark shows no signs of diminishing – an unfussy vintage-sounding album played with simple, consummate ease by two outstanding artists.