Albums

You know that with a name like The Existence of Harvey Lord you would need to be bloody good to carry off such a title, well, this ten peice psych-folk group who are all based around Lancaster do not disappoint.

I finally got to listen to Sam Amidon’s latest album, I see the Sign. It feels like it’s been a long wait, but  it was worth it. I didn’t expect anything less to be honest, but he has delivered a lot more than I ever expected on this, his fourth album. It was a pleasure to see the Whale Watching Tour cast present but the addition of Beth Orton was …

In describing her culture, Joy Dunlop also manages to describe the very personal qualities that she herself brings with Dùsgadh: a vibrant collection of material that showcases the spirit of a thriving, young generation who embrace their Gaelic culture with big hearts and open minds.

Lynn Miles is one of Canada’s most accomplished singer/songwriters with five albums to her credit including the stark Unravel, winning Miles a 2003 Juno Award for Roots & Traditional solo album of the year and Love Sweet Love earning her multiple Canadian Folk Music awards (best English songwriter, best contemporary singer).

Kris Drever is doubtlessly one of the most appealing singers of his generation working the current folk scene. He approaches each song in such a laid-back manner, without sacrificing a scrap of intensity or subtlety. With a distinct talent for interpretation of song that manges to be both robust and sympathetic, Drever’s delivery is unassumingly stirring. He could well be the Christy Moore of his generation: he certainly brings a …

Tegan and Sara released Sainthood, their sixth album, in October 2009 . They chose to have Chris Walla (Death Cab for Cutie) return to produce the album.

Krista Detor is one of those slow-burning artists, who quietly turns out albums brimming with classy and engaging songs, portraying a view of life that is sometimes wry, and always thoughtful. Listeners fall at her feet following their first encounter, and whole audiences find themselves quickly under Krista’s spell, eating out of the palm of her hand.

Adeliade’s Cape is the name given to the work of Edinburgh born songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Sam Taylor, and the often changing collective of musicians that contribute and bring that larger sound to his work. His influences vary from Nick Drake, Richard Thompson, Fleet Foxes, Martin Simpson, Johnny Flynn, samba, John Betjeman, Ted Hughes to the whiskey soaked work of Charles Bukowski.

Bridge Carols, the new project from Portland, OR friends Laura Gibson and Ethan Rose, began as a conversation of mutual appreciation and curiosity – a shared desire to challenge old ways of working. Ethan had mostly distanced his music from words, while Laura had often felt bound by them.

The official release of Valgeir Sigurdsson’s Draumalandið (Dreamland) is today! This is an original-soundtrack album from the film Dreamland, with music written for a + 20 piece chamber ensemble and electronics. The recording features Nico Muhly (arrangements, piano, celesta, harmonium), Sam Amidon (vocals, banjo, guitar) Ben Frost (electronics),

Tune Yards caught my attention a while back when 4AD released a video of Meril Garbus performing in studio. I’m not going to post it again…but I was hunting around the net to find out what Tune Yards had been up to and came across this live footage at Cargo this week.

An explorer, ecologist, and folk hero, Jonathan Meiburg is the Jacques Cousteau of indie-rock. A former graduate student with a specialty in geography and ornithology, the Shearwater frontman named both his Austin, Texas-based band and their critically-acclaimed 2008 album Rook after types of birds, and his gorgeously pastoral music examines nature with a scientist’s eye.