Albums

In Michelle Laverick, we have another talented storyteller to join the illustrious ranks of North East song makers. Just maybe, in the magical world she has invited us to enter, cherries will one day grow on apple trees.

Jesse Terry’s latest album, Arcadia, may surprise some with its big chords, blues organ sweeps and ringing guitars but, to borrow a line from the title track, it’ll be “worth the sweat and blood/Just to hear the gods rejoice”.

While Peter Bruntnell’s “Houdini and the Sucker Punch” may feature a collection of misfits and unfortunates, there are absolutely no missteps in a ten-song collection that is bound to feature on many people’s Albums of the Year for 2024.

The Shovel Dance Collective, a kind of avant-folk supergroup, but without any of the hubris that term implies, once again demonstrate, through their new album ‘The Shovel Dance’, how they are changing the way folk music is created, and doing so with breathtakingly, potent tunes.

Danish guitar improviser Martin Kirkegaard teams up with pianist Mikkel Almolt for ‘Molacg (part 1 & 2)’, a double LP of sharply focused improvised instrumental sound. A fascinating and essential release.

Beautifully presented in both aural and physical form (as an illustrated book CD), Christine Collister’s ‘Children of the Sea’ is a beguiling, intoxicating listen and read – a career pinnacle.

The latest Folklore Tapes Ceremonial Counties covers Cambridgeshire and London, with Ian Humberstone and Human Hand providing one of the most exciting and challenging instalments yet. 

With ‘Westlin Winds’, The Wilderness Yet have surpassed even their own extremely high standards by giving the acapella aspect of their work the time and space to breathe and flourish. They’ve produced an album that melds tradition and originality into an iridescent vocal soundscape.

It’s clear from this first chapter of Homeland that Seckou Keita is here to take us on a musical journey; peppered with guest artists, the whole thing is a beautiful, buoyant celebration of life and place. Music this joyous and full of pathos is irresistible.

Devarrow says his mission is “to make music that feels really good.” With Heart Shaped Rock, an album that explores themes of love, loss, self-discovery, and social consciousness, I’d say the mission is accomplished.

On Theo, Luke De-Sciscio tackles the reality of parenthood in a remarkable collection of songs that distils the hopes and fears for an unknown future, what it means to be a father and what it means to be alive in the 21st century.

There are so many elements to Naima Bock’s ‘Below a Massive Dark Land’ that it’s a wonder they can all work together, but wonder appears to be a common reaction to Bock’s music. That’s because she takes risks…it confirms her as a major songwriter.