Albums

Black Prairie are a progressive string band from various quarters of Portland, Oregon which seems to have a rich bedrock of musicians and artists on tap. Three-fifths of the band are made up of Decemberists members which has helped provide them with addtional exposure to their very unique style of neo-traditional Americana’ish music.

Fife’s Big Tent Festival, held in the beautiful location of the Falkland estate under the watchful Lomond Hills, celebrated its 5th birthday with another outstanding weekend full of superb music, delicious food, charming company and ecological enlightenment.

Scottish/English folk band Lau started out back in 2004 in Edinburgh, and have since become one of Britain’s most highly acclaimed young folk bands: a status assuredly justified with their ‘Best Group’ winnings at the BBC Radio Two Folk Awards for three years running. Their 90-minute set at Cargo was met with whoops and howls of friends and family, old fans and new listeners instantly captivated by intricate jigs and …

Swedish sisters First Aid Kit’s “Happy 10th Birthday Wichita” show at The Garage proved the pair, still under 20 years old, to be growing masters of the narrative driven story songs they grew up listening to. We caught up with Klara and Johanna Söderberg before their show for a brief chat about Swedish folk music, their influences and plans to expand their line up:

The Communion Collaborations sprung out of a desire to continue on with the Communion franchise of home grown, generally London based, musicians. The night which began at the Notting Hill Arts Club in 2006 has been hugely successful in acting as a springboard for local musicians; catapulting the likes of Mumford & Sons and Laura Marling to fame.

Following on from their equally thematic album (Take Yourself A Wife) Megson’s Longshot takes another topic as its key – this time it’s working life that is played out in the polished narratives and well-crafted arrangements.

The eponymous debut album from young folk trio Tyde is an exciting and dynamic breakthrough piece of work. Finalists in the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Awards in 2009 Tyde comprise of Heather Gessey on fiddle and vocals, Seth Tinsley on guitar and Andrew Waite on accordion.

London based singer songwriter David Thomas Broughton is a rare breed of artist whose flaws are charmingly kept intact thanks to healthy doses of spontaneity whether in the recording studio where he often lays down a track in one take, or on the stage which he too treats as a playground of sound, looping what noises he can from his throat, guitar and an amalgamation of objects stuffed into a …

The mighty Saltfishforty, comprising of Orcadians Douglas Montgomery on fiddle/viola and Brian Cromarty on guitar, mandola and vocals have steadily been wowing audiences with their infectious and feisty rhythms since the release of their debut album Goose Music way back in 2003.

Devendra Banhart may have cut his luscious locks but he is still the same, folky, psychedelic, Jim Morrison channelling, animal loving hippy he ever was. One member of a modern incarnation of the Laurel Canyon set, which today includes Vashti Bunyan, Vetiver and Joanna Newsom to name but a few, Banhart’s distinguishable hirsute 1970’s throwback look was the only thing lacking at a jam-packed Koko on Sunday night. Everything else: …

Seattle’s churning out some pretty decent musicians of late and delightful Bella Union are adding artist after great artist to their roster by the bucket load so Pearly Gate Music proves a perfect union between the label and the city of the moment. The moniker of Zach Tillman, younger brother of Josh; the Fleet Foxes drummer and acclaimed solo artist, released his impressive self titled debut earlier this year on …

It was a slightly subdued East Neuk audience that welcomed Spiers & Boden and Saltfishforty to the stage at the Byre Theatre, St Andrews on Friday, perhaps that was due to the heat of the warm July night. The boys, however, didn’t take long to rouse the audience and by the end of the night the quartet had the normally reserved St Andrew’s audience taping and clapping away they way …