Albums

James Findlay’s Fellside Records debut ‘Sport & Play’ lives up to the fine performance that won him the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Awards, but I do feel we are gaining just a small glimpse of James Findlay’s fine talents. There is no rush, being only 20 he has a bright future ahead of him and will find many fans across the English folk circuit.

The Woodshedders latest release O Dig is a crazy gumbo of musical ingredients that they like to call Indie Roots Americana. Their ability to flip and twist from one genre to a fusion of others is both dizzying and elating. The Woodshedders O Dig is well up our list of recommendations…a must!

There Are Birds in my Garden is the second album release from David Gibb, BBC Young Folk Award nominee (2011). The album features an array of tradtional and self-penned songs which he gives a refreshing contemporary twist to with the aid of his very talented band, The Pony Club.

Tim Schmidt’s latest release ‘YaYa River’ is an uncluttered album, the beauty of which is akin to that of a Haiku. This is an album to escape to and if you come away feeling elated it’s maybe because you’ve allowed your life to slow down for a while…

On first listen to The Carrivick Sisters new album From the Fields you could easily be fooled into assuming they hail from America. They are in fact from South Devon and their music is inspired by the landscape and stories they have experienced in the South West.

Hazmat Modine can never be accused of settling into their sound and getting too comfy…they make it very clear on their latest release, Cicada, that they are still very much about exploring and evolving. The album features collaborations with Natalie Merchant, the Gange Brass Band, Kronos Quartet and the Tuvan throat-singing ensemble Huun Huur Tu.

Phillip Henry & Hannah Martin are bringing a fresh new sound to folk music with their debut album Singing the Bones. Every track on the album is exceptional in its own way and it’s both refreshing and a joy to hear such original interpretation of folk music from two young and very talented artists.

The BBC Young Folk Award Finalist Lucy Ward has released her debut album this month titled ‘Adelphi Has to Fly’. The album features tradtional and self-penned songs and her voice shines through the whole album. An exceptional debut!

Marissa Nadler’s fifth self-titled album, and the first released on her own label Box of Cedar, is an evocative, layered aural world…a step ahead in many ways, deftly balancing the mystery of her musical world, so often described as dream-folk, with a weighted frankness.

Bella Hardy’s latest release, Songs Lost and Stolen, finds her exploring new territory where self-penned originals replace her usual traditional folk canon. With some exceptional production from Mattie Foulds and a plethora of leading light musicians this album rockets Bella Hardy to new heights!

The natural and organic acoustic space created by The innocence Mission’s ‘My Room in the Trees’ is a very solitary but warm place to be in. Violin, upright bass, baritone and nylon string guitars offer a gentle ambience to soak up Karen McCullough’s dreamy voice.

Chris Bathgate’s latest release is a record of great joy and pain which neatly couples itself with Bathgate’s cathartic recording process. He has marked himself as an adept lyricist and musician, constructing an alt-country affair tumultuous passion and despair in equal measure, and yet by the end we’re convinced of a little light relief and the thawing of this Salt Year.