Albums

From the opening track to the last, this is an intoxicating album. Edo Funk Explosion Vol. 1 is an essential compilation, illuminating the work of these three groundbreaking artists and their incendiary sound, the likes of which had never been heard before.

Having successfully mined his personal experiences, Jason McNiff has delivered another work of truly great merit. Dust Of Yesterday is a well-crafted and beautifully performed album and provides a compelling argument for the artist to gain even wider recognition.

…somewhere at the heart of these new songs is the realisation that the world has caught up with their pessimistic vision of it. There is a new confidence on show here. It feels like the time is finally right for Arab Strap.

Recorded on St Valentine’s day 1978, there is much to love here – John Renbourn’s earthy charm, Jacqui McShee’s cut-glass clear and peerless vocals and Keshav Sathe’s superb tabla – a band at the peak of their powers.

It was in a world of experimentation and musical fervency that Nick Drake recorded Bryter Layter. 50 years on, we revisit his second album – his most ambitious and coherent – proactively responding to the vibrant musical world around him.

Inspired by a journey through the desert on the Texas-Mexico border, Cameron Knowler and Eli Winter’s new album ‘Anticipation’ is an extraordinary delight. A playful flight, that twists and flows as the duo throw the rulebook out the window, just existing in the moment.

Les Ailes may still be something of a new name on the scene, but with Tennessee she proves herself to be an accomplished and confident songwriter. A force to be reckoned with – a cool, chilled, and thoroughly dreamy listen.

Faeland’s second full-length outing builds on the promise of their 2018 debut, a FRUK album of that year. Chock full of joy, with abundant melodic hooks, coupled with the purity of Rebecca Nelson’s vocal, bedded within the sophisticated arrangements and backing of Jacob Morrison.

Mick O’Brien, Emer Mayock, Aoife Ní Bhriain return with a second recording of music collected by James Goodman. ‘More Tunes from the Goodman Manuscripts’ has the intimacy and warmth of a pub session.

Brian Finnegan’s ‘Hunger of the Skin’ is a beautiful collaborative creation, featuring top-class musicians and a rich blend of music and poetry…an album developed in the wee small hours of lockdown nights, we can all now enjoy the fruits of that journey.

Melodic, pensive, joyful, passionate, introspective, melancholic are all apposite descriptors of Glenaphuca. Underlying the whole album, and at its core throughout, are Lewis Barfoot’s undeniably beautiful, crystal-clear vocals, vocals that could melt the hearts of angels. More please.

Adam Douglas has successfully transformed his Norwegian wood into something imbued with the aural forces that emanate from the heart of Memphis. He has conjured the rudiments of American music and given them a new home.