Albums

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.

Written during the pandemic, Chris Fox’s latest album, In Plain Sight, is witty and wise in equal measure. Joined by Holly Brandon on fiddle, Dan Wilde on banjo and legendary bassist John Parker, it’s his best yet.

Memorial’s debut album is quite simply the most fragile, vulnerable, and intoxicatingly beguiling memorial to broken hearts you’ll hear this year.

Army of Briars’ ‘Made From A Broken Star’ is one of those fabulous (if at times demanding) albums that comes along only once in a very long while. Keep an open mind, and you’ll discover this is a CD to be grabbed, explored at length and cherished – you’ll not hear its like anywhere…

Recorded with guitar player Jim Richardson, the album, Inside Out, is an apt record of the late Andy Dinan’s considerable talent and legacy. Grace Kelly and Michael McGoldrick share their memories in this special album review.

At one point on Canyons & Highlands, Norrie McCulloch says “Every song tells us something about love”. You might not learn something you didn’t already know, but this beguiling album will certainly help bring it into perspective.