News

Swedish folk artist The Tallest Man On Earth has completed work on a new album. ‘There’s No Leaving Now‘ will be out on June 11th (June 12 in the USA) on Dead Oceans. The early Bob Dylan influence on his music is unmistakable but it is his stage presence and energy that made him such a sensation when he opened for Bon Iver in 2008. Since then his fan base …

Curtis Eller prefers to be called a song and dance man rather than a folk singer. When you see him perform you’ll probably agree, his moves outmatch Elvis and borders on contortionism…he started in show business at the age of seven as a juggler…he moved onto banjo as ‘that’s where the money is’. He’s a regular on Folk Radio UK. Dan Wilby made this great mini-documentary which features live performances …

Earl Scruggs has died at the age of 88. He was born in the Piedmont area of North Carolina, an area that was rich in the banjo playing traditon. His father, brothers and sisters all played banjo but Earl had a gift that set him aside from others…his unique three finger style of playing caught the ears of many! Whilst best known for performing his Grammy winning ‘Foggy Mountain Breakdown’ …

alt-J (∆) have released a new captivating video for Breezeblocks…captivating because you want to know the motive behind the opening scene…the video runs backwards! Story behind the name alt-J (∆)’s name takes a little explaining. Pronounced “alt-J”, it’s creates the delta sign you get when you hold down the alt key on your computer keyboard and punch ‘J’, providing your computer is a Mac and not a PC, that is. …

With her second album, CYRK, hitting the shelves on 30 April, Cate Le Bon is set to release a Record Store Day exclusive split single with Gruff Rhys. Cate Le Bon and the Super Furry Animals singer have a long history: Le Bon was a major player in Rhys’s Neon Neon project. She toured extensively with Rhys after appearing on 2008’s acclaimed Stainless Style album. Rhys signed Le Bon to …

Cold Specks is the moniker of the young female Canadian singer Al Spx, despite having an incredibly unique and soulful voice that has been compared to Mahalia Jackson and Sister Rosetta Tharpeshe she didn’t get the hype in Toronto that she’s now getting in the UK. It wasn’t until she moved to London about a year and a half ago to record her debut album I Predict A Graceful Expulsion …

Lightships is the new project of Teenage Fanclub bassist Gerard Love whose debut single Sweetness In Her Spark is released on Monday the 26th of March. The single will be backed by a cover of “Do Your Thing”, written by avant-garde composer, instrument inventor Moondog from his 1978 album ‘H’art Songs’. The track has also been covered by the scottish band BMX Bandits who Lightship clarinet player Jim McCulloch was …

Icelandic composer Ólafur Arnalds is set to release his first Hollywood film score for Sam Levinson’s Sundance Winning feature film debut ‘Another Happy Day’, starring Ellen Barkin and Demi Moore. The album is release via UK modern classical label Erased Tapes Records who also released ‘A Winged Sullen for the Victory‘. Ólafur has proven yet again that the space between the notes evoke as much power as the music itself. …

With her debut Child Bride due for release next month, Hannah Cohen has just premiered another video from this much-anticipated album, for the gorgeous track “Don’t Say“. Directed by Matthu Placek, Hannah’s subtle performance is caught in a single shot, brought to our attention via Visionaire founder and makeup maestro James Kaliardos. Hannah Cohen will be playing her first-ever London headline show at the Vortex in Dalston in May… Wednesday …

Laura Marling is to play the Royal Albert Hall this summer on 7th July, and on a Saturday! Laura Marling and the band will perform songs from ‘A Creature I Don’t Know’ as well as some tracks from earlier days and albums too, there will be no support acts for the show. She’s come a long way since this video which was taken in the same year we first started …

Antirecords unveil another new track from Yann Tiersen‘s new album ‘Skyline‘ due out April 17th! “I’m Gonna Live Anyhow” features some great looping vocals and harmonising. Skyline is Tiersen seventh studio album which antirecords state is ‘cementing the sound of its darker sister, the critically acclaimed Dust Lane. Says Tiersen, “Strangely while Skyline musically comes across as lighter and happier than Dust Lane the subject matter is somewhat darker – …

Ocean Colour Scene front man Simon Fowler has been working with Pledge Music and is set to release his Merrymouth album featuring the award winning folk musicians John McCusker and Andy Cutting. Whist Ocean Colour Scene take most of the 2012 off to concentrate on writing material for a new album Simon has taken the opportunity to release his long awaited folk album. Simon and his band Dan Sealey, Mike …