Albums

Following up 2007’s debut Hopey; Rhode Island-based Allysen Callery released her second album Hobgoblin’s Hat in February this year. The LP’s title tips its hat to Finnish author Tove Jansson, of Moomins fame, who happens to be one of Callery’s favourites. In keeping with this fairytale Moominland, her songs are a collectively dark form of storytelling, with the singer songwriter often reworking her self-written poetry (“Vincenzo Part 1 & 2”). …

You’re unlikely to be familiar with the name T. G. Elias. At present, Elias seems to spend his time travelling between small, select venues who provide valuable opportunities for underground musicians to take their first tentative steps, and reveal their wares to an audience full of expectation and preconception.

Joanna Newsom has come a long way since her 2004 debut The Milk Eyed Mender: a collection of short heartfelt songs, almost nursery rhymes telling of mollusc weddings and dragons. Written by an Elfin-like creature who appears to be a modern incarnation of the Pre-Raphaelite painting The Lady of Shallot, she sings in a shrill accapella voice, commonly likened to that of a child, much to our singer’s dislike. All …

We got a sneak peak of Johnny Flynn’s second LP, Been Listening, due for release on 7th June by UK independent label Transgressive Records; home to folksters on both sides of the Atlantic: Iron & Wine and Jeremy Warmsley most notably.

I just remembered this great track (re-version) of Juana Molina’s, “Salvese Quien Pueda”. It’s taken from the Salvese Quien Pueda ep and includes two Four Tet remixes although this one is “Juanas Epic Re-version”. You can download it here. You’ll be hearing more from Juana soon on our Frukie Channel.

With a recent promise of Songs from the Past we spent some time looking back through our audio library which was very time consuming but a nostalgic experience and came across this: Ali Farka Touré and Ry Cooder – Talking Timbuktu.

Following on from their last release, Carbeth, Trembling Bells return with a well received follow-up, Abandoned Love. Alex Neilson, drummer and creator of the Bells takes the lead on this release which is interesting as it is the drums that Joe boyd first noticed in the interview extract below. That’s not normally a good thing as he points out. But it works…there is no doubt that they give a respectful …

Supporting Joshua Radin, Indie-folk songstress Lissie put on a fantastic performance at The Thekla in Bristol. The Thekla is a floating venue in Bristol, and while the size of the 400-capacity venue is deceiving, it provides an intimate experience thanks to everyone being close to the stage. You can even get away without a mic, as Joshua Radin demonstrated later in the night. Lissie came on after The Staves, a …

The aptly named Cinematic Orchestra (TCO) were formed by J. Swinscoe back in 1999. Swinscoe arrived at London with a background playing bass and guitar in bands and DJing, as well as a head full of ideas and influences, such as his love of jazz bass players, rhythm sections and film soundtracks.

Ben Cooper and Alex Kane are back as Electric President with a new album under their arms called The Violent Blue. I was introduced to Electric President through a compilation put together by a great music mag called Foggy Notions…it was a lush publication that has long since fallen by the wayside, just like Plan B…why do all the best ones crumble?

Trips and Falls are a new band to Frukie who have just released their album: He Was Such a Quiet Boy on Song, by Toad Records. Describing them is no easy task. There was some struggling with filling out the press release due to a lack of detail provided by the band.

First, Up from Below should have been my last years summer record. Second, their music videos are some of the best I’ve seen, so why the bloody hell haven’t I come across them before…another one of lifes little mysteries to dwell upon…I don’t know is the simple answer, but I’m glad I crossed their path over a strong coffee and early morning danish.