In my previous job, I worked as a presenter for new music station Amazing Radio. One of the first songs I had the opportunity to play on my folk-themed show was the wonderful track Giants, by North East ‘digital orchestra’…
Author: For Folk's Sake
Album | Jeff Bridges – Jeff Bridges
The blurring of the lines between rock stars and movie stars has had a mixed track record of success over the years. The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus collected the combined acting talents of Heath Ledger, Johnny Depp, Jude Law and…
Album | Vostok 5 – Vostok 5
Vostok 5 is a collection of songs about man’s first uncertain explorations into space. Some of them are about men, both on the ground and in the rockets themselves; some who made it, some who never made it and some…
Album | Ganglians – Still Living
Californian indie-pop band Ganglians offer up a dreamy pop record; an anastomosis of The Beach Boys, The Byrds, The Drums and Beach House. I would love for this band to be set apart from those artists, to possess special individuality…
Album | Tom Russell – Mesabi
A new Tom Russell album is always an event, and the veteran shows no signs of slowing down as he closes in on his seventh decade. And, from the rollicking ‘And God Created Border Towns’ and the title track to…
Album | Peggy Sue – Acrobats
I first saw Peggy Sue perform in the days when they were Peggy Sue and the Pirates, wearing fancy dress and singing funny, irreverent songs about Superman and wasted teenage girls. Their powerful voices and stage presence were already blindingly…
Album | The Bandana Splits – The Bandana Splits
Alright, so you might say that the last thing the world needs is another post-ironic retro girl band – even if Dawn Landes is involved. That sort of thing exhausted the patience a long time ago. Remember the Pipettes? Anyone…
Album | The Jayhawks – Mockingbird Time
I’ll be the first to admit that this is the first time I’ve listened to twin cities survivors The Jayhawks. Eight albums in may be an unfair time to form a first opinion of a band, but then it may…
Album | Dawes – Nothing Is Wrong
As the only Californian on the For Folk’s Sake writing roster, I felt it was my duty to grab Nothing Is Wrong by Dawes. Not only are they from Malibu, an oceanside haven near Los Angeles, but they sound more…
Album | Richmond Fontaine – The High Country
A simple but profound truth of gambling is that when you play for big stakes, the potential to lose heavily is sometimes obscured by the possibility of winning big. On Richmond Fontaine’s 10th album, frontman Willy Vlautin has set the…