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Watch the accompanying music video for Irish duo Rezo’s new single, “Nothing Else.” Produced by David Odlum, the track follows their critically acclaimed 2024 album, The Age of Self-Help. Featuring the poignant lyrics and heartfelt melodies of Colm O’Connell and Rory McDaid, “Nothing Else” captures “the abject tragedies of life and the power of love,” cementing Rezo’s status as a key alternative Irish act.
Following the release of her fourth album, Enter Now Brightness, in February, New Zealander Nadia Reid delves into the familial and folk shadows of one of music’s most mythologised figures. Reid has released a digital double A-side that goes beyond mere tribute to intergenerational conversation: a cover of Nick Drake’s “Poor Boy” paired, strikingly, with his mother Molly Drake’s spectral retort, “Poor Mum.”
Following the release of her debut album, Rift, Clara Mann has just announced Rift (Extended Edition), which includes two new covers and two French-language versions of standout tracks from the original album. Accompanied by Owen Spafford on fiddle, and released today as a double A-side single, listen to her performing “500 Miles,” a traditional song inspired by Hedy West’s version and “My Life,” by Iris DeMent.
In an echo of the past, Rafael Toral unveils a new single, “Solitude,” from his upcoming album, Traveling Light. The track revisits the Duke Ellington standard, a piece that has long served as a canvas for improvisers from Thelonious Monk to Mary Halvorson. Yet, Toral’s interpretation channels the profound, almost sacred vulnerability of Billie Holiday’s classic take.
Watch the video for ‘Sailing Away’, the new single from The General Store, a melodic alt-country pop project fronted by multi-instrumentalist, producer and songwriter, Tam Johnstone. The song is inspired by and in tribute to Dave Morrison (who also wrote for KLOF Mag for many years), who was a friend, flatmate of and a musical mentor to Tam.
Hillbilly Ragas, the new album from Sir Richard Bishop, drops tomorrow. Watch his latest video for his new single “Head Bone in the ‘Tater Hole,” a track that begins with a galloping figuration that could be a waltz before the ideas boil down into a steaming stew of theme and variations. The nine pieces on the album were carved out in a wild-eyed state, reflecting the “untamed explorations of a musical loner” …
Legendary bass player Danny Thompson has passed away, he was 86. In addition to being a founding member of Pentangle, he also collaborated with notable artists such as John Martyn, Richard Thompson, Ralph McTell, Nick Drake, June Tabor, the Incredible String Band, and many more. Enjoy our tribute playlist, which, although spanning six decades, still only scratches the surface of Thompson’s genius, warmth, charisma and brilliance.
Acclaimed Icelandic singer-songwriter Ólöf Arnalds announces her new album, Spíra, due out December 5th via Bella Union. The lead single, “Tár í morgunsárið” (“Tears at Dawn”), is a beautiful and haunting track where Arnalds reflects on the spiritual void left when she renounced Catholicism as a teenager. The new album is a stripped-back, intimate work that explores themes of love, creativity, and healing.
SML, the LA-based quintet of Anna Butterss, Jeremiah Chiu, Josh Johnson, Booker Stardrum, and Gregory Uhlmann, is set to release their second album, How You Been, on November 7th. The album’s lead single, “Taking Out the Trash,” and an animated video are out now. The new work expands on the group’s unique approach to crafting hyperrealist, collectivist music from live improvisations.
Jim White has released his new single “I Don’t Do / Grand Central.” The track, a spirited vocal exchange with Zoh Amba, is one of two songs on his new album where White sings for the first time. The music video, edited by Eve Sussman, follows the pair on a journey straight to the Oyster Bar of Grand Central Station, where the two commune and parry in delightful form.
Smote’s new album, Songs From The Free House, delves into a dark, elemental soundscape. With guest appearances from Lankum’s Ian Lynch and Sally Mason of the Smote live band, the record marries drone, folk, and electronic music. Their latest single, “Snodgerss”, is a flute-led jig turned ritual, with principal creator Daniel Foggin’s landscape gardening trade inspiring its earthy, heavy sound. The album is a powerful collision of physical and metaphysical.
Laura Veirs is set to release her new live album, “Laura Veirs And The Choir Who Couldn’t Say (Live In Angoulême)” next month on October 10. This unique collaboration features Veirs performing 15 songs with a French school choir of 32 students. Watch the video for ‘Shape Shifter’, which featured on her 2013 album Warp & Weft.