Albums

Hello, Goodbye sees John McCusker in what’s sure to be a very welcome return to solo projects. Joined by a host of friends this is bound to please fans and traditional folk music lovers.

Harty’s songs rise above the comparison game, delivering strong melodies, catchy hooks and choruses and lyrics that, drawing on personal experience, have much to do with a life in motion and the shortness of the road.

Claire can cite a personal connection to each song on the album – those connections, above anything else, make this album so enjoyable. It’s those ties, that make Between River and Railway an album that touches the soul, and lifts the heart.

Every Bird That Flies exists in a liminal space, at the edges of music, art, social comment, beyond categories – but one thing is sure: when all’s said and done, you really should hear this record for yourself.

Stand up, the debut album from Nathan Ball, will thrill those who love good songwriting. It’s a slow burn, and slightly sombre at times, but deeply satisfying and filled with depths of humanity.

Kate Rusby and her band led by Damien O’Kane provided an evening of top entertainment at Oxford’s Playhouse Theatre – surreal, hypnotic and wondrous…they did not disappoint.

The Railsplitters are currently touring the UK, a tour which culminates in appearances at the Shetland Folk Festival. We caught up with them at a concert in Huddersfield where they impressed a sell-out audience.

Reflective but accessible, thoughtful yet soulful, Anian is an altogether stunning and engrossing album of depth and diversity which touches the listener’s head, heart and soul.

Teddy Thompson & Kelly Jones release an album of duets inspired by Sam Cooke, Buddy Holly and the Everlys – They’re not reinventing the wheel, but they are taking it for a hugely enjoyable new spin.

Matt Andersen’s latest offering serves up a healthy dose of country soul on which he balances political comment with personal confession. One that’s sure to bring a broader appeal.

Our favourite psych-folk outfit’s latest record ‘Wide Majestic Aire’, the followup to last year’s magnificent opus ‘The Sovereign Self’, takes the form of a subliminally exciting new seven-track mini-album that will not disappoint. Make sure you catch them on tour!

It is tempting to think that Behind The Glass is less of a leap into the unknown and more the natural high point of a set of musicians at the peak of their creative powers. It is their most accomplished work to date, and proof of the vital need for change and experimentation, in music as in life.