Albums

★★★★★ Phantom Limb have released their second album The Pines. Heartfelt and Country-Soul tinged Yolanda Quartey sounds effortless in her delivery.

St Vincent’s appearance at Shepherds Bush will be a night to remember as she threw herself into the audience lying on her back, legs flailing she continued to play!

We get a sneak live preview of Patrick Watson’s new album ‘Adventures in Your Own Backyard’ and he reveals a source of inspiration.

Featherbrain is a risky album. Both dissonant and lyrical, it is music for headphones and notebooks.

★★★★★ Portico Quartet’s latest album is as engaging as it is experimental and sure to bring them more acclaim and a widening audience.

★★★★★ Sharon Van Etten’s tird studio album Tramp sees a whole host guest collaborators including Zach Condon of Beirut.

★★★★★ The Dirty Three return with a masterpice from their seven year hiatus with Towards the Low Sun. A well deserved 5 stars!

Michael Farrant reflects on Ewan McLennan’s performance at Colchester Arts Centre…you certainly don’t meet a guitarist, singer and songwriter of this quality every day.

★★★★★ Bristol quartet Spiro remain unconventional and take their latest release ‘Kaleidophonica’ a significant step further.

★★★★★ Back in 2010 when Perfume Genius released ‘Learning’ no one had heard of the precocious bedroom recorder. Things are very different two years down the line…

★★★★★ At 77 Leonard Cohen releases his 12th studio album, the aptly – and poignantly – titled Old Ideas.

For Celtic Connections 2012, Thea Gilmore brought her much acclaimed Sandy Denny project Don’t Stop Singing to The Old Fruitmarket in Glasgow.