Honest, in-depth album reviews by KLOF Mag – championing and curating intelligent, uncompromising voices in contemporary and experimental music since 2004.
Albums
Tim Schmidt’s latest release ‘YaYa River’ is an uncluttered album, the beauty of which is akin to that of a Haiku. This is an album to escape to and if you come away feeling elated it’s maybe because you’ve allowed your life to slow down for a while…
On first listen to The Carrivick Sisters new album From the Fields you could easily be fooled into assuming they hail from America. They are in fact from South Devon and their music is inspired by the landscape and stories they have experienced in the South West.
Hazmat Modine can never be accused of settling into their sound and getting too comfy…they make it very clear on their latest release, Cicada, that they are still very much about exploring and evolving. The album features collaborations with Natalie Merchant, the Gange Brass Band, Kronos Quartet and the Tuvan throat-singing ensemble Huun Huur Tu.
Phillip Henry & Hannah Martin are bringing a fresh new sound to folk music with their debut album Singing the Bones. Every track on the album is exceptional in its own way and it’s both refreshing and a joy to hear such original interpretation of folk music from two young and very talented artists.
The BBC Young Folk Award Finalist Lucy Ward has released her debut album this month titled ‘Adelphi Has to Fly’. The album features tradtional and self-penned songs and her voice shines through the whole album. An exceptional debut!
Bella Hardy’s latest release, Songs Lost and Stolen, finds her exploring new territory where self-penned originals replace her usual traditional folk canon. With some exceptional production from Mattie Foulds and a plethora of leading light musicians this album rockets Bella Hardy to new heights!
The natural and organic acoustic space created by The innocence Mission’s ‘My Room in the Trees’ is a very solitary but warm place to be in. Violin, upright bass, baritone and nylon string guitars offer a gentle ambience to soak up Karen McCullough’s dreamy voice.
Chris Bathgate’s latest release is a record of great joy and pain which neatly couples itself with Bathgate’s cathartic recording process. He has marked himself as an adept lyricist and musician, constructing an alt-country affair tumultuous passion and despair in equal measure, and yet by the end we’re convinced of a little light relief and the thawing of this Salt Year.
Eliza Carthy’s latest release, Neptune, takes her to the pinnacle of a tremendous career, a bright and colourful album that will appeal to long-time fans and virgin entrants to the ongoing Waterson/Carthy legacy!
Galley Beggar are a six piece folk rock band obssessed with the old sound from the likes of Fairport Convention, Steeleye Span, Nick Drake, Jethro Tull, Fotheringay, Bert Jansch and Pentangle. Their debut album Reformation House is a step forward from that magical period of folk music history.
The Gentle Good is the moniker of Gareth Bonello who hails from Cardiff. His latest album ‘Tethered for the Storm’ is an exceptional album that harkens back to the 60’s folk revival and is reminiscent of the likes of Nick Drake and Bert Jansch.
