Albums

With a change to their lineup, The Magpies continue to plough their own furrow on ‘Undertow’, weaving their broad influences into songs and tunes that are indisputably their own including an unexpected cover…proof that they can successfully apply their unique polish to pretty much anything.

What Bróna McVittie has achieved on The Woman in the Moon is quite remarkable. She has found a way to focus the broad musical sound worlds that have inspired her, to reach listeners in new and unexpected ways.

‘The Space Between’ is the sound of a band that are cooking on heat; anyone who comes into the Bonfire Radicals’ orbit is going to be hard pushed not to be swept up by this blazing folk comet.

Jake Blount’s The New Faith is an album rich with themes of hope, resilience and salvation. With a keen sense of tradition, Blount has cleverly delivered a bold, thought-provoking and judicious album…one which is also a thoroughly, staggeringly thrilling listen. Glorious.

With Autumn Eve, Julie Odell throws out the rule book, bending songs and styles at will. You’re left breathless by the unfolding possibilities of everything she displays. This is a trip unlike any you have taken before.

Featuring Colm O’Connell and Rory McDaid, Rezo’s latest album ‘Sew Change’, shows that this duo are still at the forefront of presenting fresh and creative collages of sound. This is what great music is capable of being.

Not everything is as it seems on Bill Callahan’s YTILAER; it will surprise, challenge and delight you, but the overwhelming feeling is one of allowing the senses to open and let life flow in. In short, another masterpiece.

Pieces of Driftwood, despite or perhaps because of the varied origins of its songs, is a perfect introduction to Maxine Funke’s very special work. These are small glimpses into dreamworlds, always invisibly tethered to a uniquely described reality.

Sea Song Sessions is a glorious album, showcasing some of the best of the current crop of British folk artists – Jon Boden, Seth Lakeman, Ben Nicholls, Emily Portman, Jack Rutter – delivering some of the best music you’re likely to hear this year.

Featuring co-writes with Kathryn Williams, David Ford, and the novelist Laura Barnett, Polly Paulusma’s latest offering, The Pivot On Which The World Turns, is the work of a master songsmith. 

With ‘The Sorrow Songs’, Angeline Morrison set out to retell the stories of historic British Black ancestors through song. In this she has succeeded; those stories are now there for future generations to be retold & remembered. A gift and landmark folk album.

Elijah McLaughlin and his band of Joel Styzens and Jason Toth follow their 2020 debut with a multi-faceted and highly creative set. Elijah McLaughlin Ensemble II is a highly charged, fascinating and dynamic album.