Albums

Norwegian singer and songwriter Torgeir Waldemar’s latest offering ‘Jamais Vu’ contains slices of sonic beauty – this is high-class music that certainly deserves a wider audience.

Its charm lies in its easy, intimate delivery; its low-fi approach; and an engaging sense of humanity that comes from someone just playing what matters to them simply because it matters to them.

Sweet Unknown finds Erika Wennerstrom of ‘Heatless Bastards’ letting loose with confidence and conviction. It’s a big piece of work that isn’t the easiest to digest in one hit, but it absolutely works and will undoubtedly weave its spell before long.

Throughout, Faeland exhibit a soft, measured assurance in the performances and a rich, inviting warmth in the production. All My Swim is a debut that does far more than impress, it delights.

Their early work was full of frailty; now, on this album, there is a new maturity that is reflected in strength with, perhaps, more than a touch of grit. The melancholia is still there, the introspection and self-reflection survive, but the control has shifted.

Playing at The Lexington it initially looks as though she’s set to downscale, accompanied by just cello and drums, occasionally playing a 12-string guitar herself…Yet Fohr’s voice alone fills the stage, with its range of deep swoons and anguished yelps.

Majestic Halls oozes warm, honeyed southern soul and a gospel vibe that will inevitably draw comparisons to Van Morrison but there are other more country and bluesier colours to its palette, Robins wielding his brush with the mastery of a Van Gogh as he paints his musical canvas.

Released as part of the partnership between Yep Roc Records and The Southern Folklife Collection, Live At Club 47 features a never before heard live performance by Doc Watson, recorded live at Club 47 (now known as Club Passim) in Cambridge, MA in 1963 at the beginning of his solo career.

Echo in the Valley represents an affectionate and genuinely responsive dialogue between two musicians whose bond is so absolute, who so clearly, permanently, inspire each other to ever greater heights of music-making.

While musically reflective, the words on Gemini II, the latest album from Johanna Warren, are everything. These songs are snapshots of conversations, conversations between two people, between two sides of the same person or just conversations that should have been had but were not.

Improvisation and invention meet the listener at every turn of ‘Well Met’. Knight and Spiers have created a musical document that should inspire future generations of musicians to engage with Britain’s folk dancing heritage, and the beautiful, mysterious tunes that can be found within that heritage. 

The Orphan King is Ed Romanoff’s belated follow-up to his self-titled 2012 debut, he’s linked with Simone Felice as producer who also provides the drums alongside an impressive roster of musicians.