Albums

While in the blinding light of day, Marian van der Zon’s debut album ‘Still Rising’ is ‘simply’ a collection of highly listenable folk songs created in a rural Vancouver Island community; in terms of a triumph of the human spirit, it is an extraordinary achievement.

Rozi Plain holds an intimate gig in the Blue Basement, hidden below Soho’s Third Man Records store to celebrate the announcement of her forthcoming album Prize…Lila Tristram was there to soak it all up.

Opening the set with ‘Lilac Wine’ is a bold move…But Lisa O’Neill has the poise and range to use this as a vehicle to lock in the audience’s attention, and it’s a grip that does not loosen for the next ninety minutes.

Erlend Apneseth’s Nova never shies away from the exploratory spirit that has defined his career. It is an album of colour and contrast, of human intimacy and wild natural grandeur.

Unquenching Fire is a rare delight that doesn’t rely exclusively on reworking the usual traditional chestnuts, but then SykesMartin are a rare delight indeed.

For the last few years, David A. Jaycock has been taking his practice into increasingly experimental and hauntological territory, and it is a joy to behold. This collection is the music of the looking glass, and Jaycock captures it better than anyone.

While there is drama and darkness on Marisa Anderson’s ‘Still, Here’, there is also optimism; it’s a powerful and thought-provoking album of beauty and profundity.

There’s a joy buried in the heady loam of the heartache, on Steve Wallis’ debut that, while he may be a largely unknown name, for now, will undoubtedly ensure he doesn’t stay that way for long.

Shane Watt Bannd’s ‘Low Rent Folk’ is folk-rock with a slight retro twist, performed in a beautifully loose manner, seemingly sometimes on the point of collapse, but all the better for that edginess.

Blue Moon Marquee display their full range of stylistic talents on Scream, Holler & Howl, their finest album to date. It feels like a pivotal moment for the band, one that should see them break big internationally.

Purbayan Chatterjee & Rakesh Chaurasia’s “Saath Saath” demonstrates the highest virtuosity playing as well as extraordinary synergy and fluency. The performances are majestic and will speak to the soul and heart.

For The Night is the best distillation yet of Elephant Sessions’ unique, vibrant musical mash-up of funk, trad and electronica. A captivating brew.