Albums

Chantal Acda’s latest offering ‘The Sparkle in our Flaws’ is ethereal, full of swirling passions and whispered longings, an intoxicating, calming and beguiling journey through the beauty of our imperfections.

In part one of our live review of this year’s Wickham Festival we highlight performances from Sharon Shannon, Carlos Núñez, De Temps Antan, Gavin Marwick and more.

London folk group ‘Stick in the Wheel’ have combined the influences of skiffle, punk, and folk in their debut album ‘From here’. This is high-energy, politically switched-on folk music and it is one of the most vital recent additions to the English musical tradition.

Conceived and largely written on the road whilst touring, Franc Cinelli’s new album ‘The Marvel Age’ rumbles out of the groove like a battered freight train, each boxcar a different story, every station strange, and strangely familiar; jump the train and listen.

The press release for Patty Griffin’s new album talks of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Rumi and Rilke, but you don’t have to have a grounding in American transcendentalism or Eastern or German romantic mysticism to have your heart beat along with hers.

Bixiga 70 have come a long way in the two years since their previous album; III finds the band themselves sounding their most confident so far on a solid and highly enjoyable album with engaging compositions and impressive playing. A very accessible album which deserves to be a significant crossover success.

Must Take More Care is full of hard truths spoken with a soft voice, and as summer’s glow fades and the nights draw in closer you could certainly do worse than cosying up with this quiet gem over the coming autumn.

Named after a Sheffield landmark, Richard Hawley’s eighth studio album, Hollow Meadows, finds one of Britain’s greatest songwriters in good company, including Martin Simpson, Jarvis Cocker and Nancy Kerr for one of his finest albums yet.

Ryley Walker, the Chicago based singer/songwriter and guitarist, came across a copy of John Hulburt’s 1972 privately pressed LP Opus III in a record store. He bought it and much taken, he teamed up with Tompkins Square to bring about this re-issue.

In their latest release ‘Conflict Tourism, Gilmore and Roberts step over the border, wade through the battles and emerge unbowed… taking us through theatres of conflict that directly and indirectly affect every one of us.

Marian’s artistic vision is painstakingly conceived and the reward for the listener who spends a little time exploring Spirit House is to discover ten intricately glowing miniature worlds, each of which will surely generate an emotional resonance in anyone who’s ever mused on the nature of the human condition.

The sheer ebullient inventiveness of the duo’s musical settings, their committed sense of fun, their consummate, enviable musicality, their serious ability to grab your attention and carry you through the experience – all these qualities are faithfully conveyed in this lovingly crafted exceptional recording.