Albums

While Bella Gaffney’s latest solo album, Reflections, may have had a longer gestation period than she envisaged, it would be one of the best folk albums in whatever year it was released.

Although it seems uncompassionate to describe someone’s difficult personal circumstances as artistically rewarding, with ‘The Greater Wings’, Julie Byrne has proved that music can be transformative and reinvigorating, as well as beautiful. There is hope here beneath the sadness, hope of the most life-affirming kind.

Sam Burton’s ‘Dear Departed’ is a lush and lovely album that speaks to the heart and the soul. Recorded at Jonathan Wilson’s Topanga Canyon studio, they have created dreamscapes seemingly based on old masterpieces from the 70s.

Another one to savour. Pedro Rosa’s ‘Midnight Alvorada’ is an impressive debut which could play a valuable role in bringing this type of Brazilian music to a wider audience. Its mellow, mellifluous ambience provides the perfect, chilled sound for a balmy summer.

It’s de rigueur for artists to say their latest work is their best yet, but that’s certainly true of The Lilac Time. Dance Till All The Stars Come Down is magnificent.

On Dream From The Deep Well, Brigid Mae Power has created a piece of art that resonates timelessly on a mythic level…a piece of art brimming with the joy and sadness that hides in plain sight, in the minutiae of everyday life.

This is the third Dàimh album I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing, and my enjoyment of and respect for their music just keeps on growing. If you’ve not sampled their music before, listening to Sula is a great place to start. And if you have, you’ll already be ordering your copy.

On ‘I’ve Got Me’, Joanna Sternberg explores contemporary subjects like anxiety and emotional insecurity with warmth, humour and a deftness of touch. It’s a smart and sometimes sad document that, like many of the most individual works of art, exists beyond genre.

As well as being a brilliant showcase of a new talent, over the course of six songs, Rosie Miles’ ‘Still Life’ captivates, revealing thoughts and feelings from a time when that was all we really had.

Freda D’Souza’s ‘Windowledge’ is one of the most accomplished debuts of recent times: not just full of promise but perfectly formed in its own right. The fact that she supported Mount Eerie earlier this month is pertinent: these songs, like those of Phil Elverum, whisper fiercely.

The Owl Service delivered a stunning and unforgettable 45-minute set at Leigh Folk Festival, during which they were joined by special guest vocalist and regular collaborator, Alison O’Donnell.

Whimsical yet also beautifully poignant, Penguin Cafe’s ‘Rain Before Seven…’ is a wonderfully exciting, energizing, and thoroughly immersive listening experience. Musically, it is impossible not to be swept up in its charm.