Albums

Henry Parker’s “The Dark Peak” delivers pristine, impeccably fingerpicked acoustic music recorded on the moors of the Peak District. An educated, high-end player, Parker shows a broad skillset and technical prowess throughout, without being overly flashy. With tight melodies and wonderfully evocative natural sounds permeating the songs, this mini-album is a gem.

Daisy Rickman and Magpahi take a side each on “Ceremonial County Series Vol.XXIII,” the penultimate volume in this extensive Folklore Tapes’ series. Rickman’s piece ties East Sussex bonfire myths to pagan ritual, building an immersive wave of sound. Magpahi summons a malevolent Lancashire water spirit. A startling slice of psych-folk that slips easily between worlds — the unearthly charms of weird England.

Setting’s self-titled second studio album sees the North Carolina-based experimental trio of Nathan Bowles, Jaime Fennelly and Joe Westerlund, distilling their blend of acoustic instrumentation, cassette loops and electronics to thrilling effect. The intricate detailing and impeccable construction, along with a clear confidence across the five songs, make “Setting” their clearest expression yet — without a doubt, the perfect title.

Teddy Thompson’s latest album, Never Be The Same, digs back into rockier seams for his first album of original material since 2020. With influences ranging from Crowded House and The Beatles to his father Richard Thompson, these songs explore love, change and the passage of time. The album title may speak of flux, but Thompson’s brilliance remains predictably constant throughout.

Tried To Do’s, Jay Hammond’s second album as Trippers & Askers, follows the jazz-inflected sprawl of ‘Acorn’ with something more introverted and song-based. Shaped by acute personal grief and the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in Asheville, the album turns inward without losing generosity. It’s a slow-burning, finespun record of bold sincerity and steady groundedness.

A decade on from Junun, Shye Ben Tzur, Jonny Greenwood and The Rajasthan Express return with Ranjha, swapping Jodhpur’s Mehrangarh Fort for the rather more modest setting of Greenwood’s Oxford studio. With The Smile’s Tom Skinner on drums and twenty-one musicians at full creative tilt, this long-awaited follow-up is a big, rich, funk-leaning record built on ensemble craft and devoted love.

Lemoncello return with their second album Perfect Place via Claddagh Records, still carrying the quiet confidence of a duo who have already carved out a distinctive place in contemporary Irish folk. Laura Quirke and Claire Kinsella have continued to refine the intimate, instinctive interplay that first brought them to our attention; this is their strongest statement yet.

Swedish singer and musician Sara Parkman’s fourth solo album Aster, atlas tackles the biggest themes: life, death, faith, grief, and the passage of time. From its opening few seconds, it is uncanny and darkly magical. Parkman has given us something precious and gutsy, an album that, like the gardens that inspired it, has its own inscrutable rhythms of growth and decay.

Long Wave Home masterfully pairs the voice of Jesca Hoop, sounding like the calmest of seas, with a diverse, textural approach to her arrangements that sparkle like a coral reef, hiding multitudes below the surface.

Following years of IVF and an on-stage miscarriage, Abigail Lapell was pregnant with her first child when she made her album Shadow Child. Nine of the songs represent a month of gestation, embracing moments of joy and loss, and addressing issues such as reproductive health. Sweet and tender, the album is tinged with sadness but comes to full term with hope and joy.

Originally released in 2008 and now reissued with two bonus covers, Hayman, Watkins, Trout and Lee — the quartet of Darren Hayman, David Watkins, Dan Mayfield and David Tattersall — is an absolute joy to rediscover. East London bluegrass played with close-knit, co-operative DIY warmth: witty, lovelorn originals and artfully chosen covers. Think The Basement Tapes with more banjos.

Maisy Owen’s debut Dark On A Sunny Day is a singer-songwriter album that, for a first attempt, shows remarkable maturity and a kind of timelessness in her style. Even when stripped down to the bare bones of voice and guitar, it still has enough detail to hold its spell. Maisy Owen sounds like she has a fascinating journey ahead.