The Rose Valley Thorns find their inspiration in the region which they share a name with, nestled snugly within the mountains of Ojai, California. Not quite traditional bluegrass or the studied unconventionality of Chris Thile’s newgrass, the Ojai string band…
This week we have singer and multi-instrumentalist Clara Sanabras along with guitarist Mike Outram in session. The duo came into the studio to play us a song from Clara’s recent album Fugue to the Floating World. The album has a…
While it’s been some time since Signe Marie Rustad once lived on the Norwegian farm upon which she was born and raised, her experiences there invariably shaped her into the artist that she has become. The forests, rivers, and fields…
Creating a flowery aura that blossoms our airwaves, House and Land are a North Carolina based duo. Complimenting each other with their bold folk tapestry, multi-instrumentalist Sarah Louise and banjoist/fiddler Sally Anne Morgan are here with their second instalment. Beautiful…
This is a lovely sophomore album by Matthew Milia, former Frontier Ruckus frontman. Frontier Ruckus might not be a “thing” anymore but it’s alive and kicking in Alone At St. Hugo, easily the most carefully arranged and produced album in…
After four years on the road, Jamestown Revival needed some time off. They spent that time writing and reflecting on what they felt was important. Realising what they loved more than anything was harmonising led them down the road to…
“It sure feels good to be singing again,” Bill Callahan’s earthy baritone grins on ‘Writing’, one of the countless gems on his first studio album since 2013’s Dream River. In the intervening period, the 53-year-old has been preoccupied with marriage, fatherhood…
Fifteen years. So much changes in fifteen years. For Calexico and Iron & Wine, what’s changed is the nature of how they record. Years To Burn is a decidedly different beast than their 2005 collaboration In The Reins. There were…
Originally from Florence, Alabama, singer-songwriter Bailey White prides herself on her soul-laden Americana. It’s understandable—evocative of a contemporary spin on the Muscle Shoals style, there’s a lot to appreciate about the work that White is turning. Energizing White’s ascension in…
For today’s session, Grace Gillespie plays us a stripped down version of a recent single. The song is on theme of the the sense of uncertainty that follows from the selective representation prevalent on social media. This was probably my…
Ten years previously, George Wallace infamously stood in the doorway of the University of Alabama in a doomed bid to prevent two black students from enrolling. Now here was Neil Young, on stage at the school’s auditorium in 1973, breaking…
This year sees the 30th anniversary of the Divine Comedy’s formation, Neil Hannon’s chamber pop ensemble with a revolving door policy on members. Twenty years on from the end of their greatest commercial successes, Office Politics is their twelfth studio…
Sometimes things hit you immediately, and sometimes they just smack across the face when you least expect it. The Gus by Mark Mulcahy is a case in point. I listened to it for the better part of a day and…
Take a deep breath, because Breathe Shallow by Firefly Burning is likely to take your breath away again and again. The staccato strings opening ‘It Won’t Be Long’ immediately inform listeners this record defies expectations. Attempts at categorisation are ultimately…
Laurel Canyon revivalists rejoice, for Tanbark are back with their second album. The duo, formed of Chloe Nelson and James Jannicelli, follow up 2014’s Write Soon with a self-titled sophomore released this week. It may be five years since their…
A group of black children looking through a chain link fence at a carnival in the distance is the cover of Mavis Staples’ new album We Get By. The image is from a photo essay published in 1956 by Gordon…
If you haven’t yet caught up with Danni Nicholls and her increasing accomplished brand of Americana, well, it’s about time you did. And you can start with today’s session track comes from her excellent 3rd album The Melted Morning. You…
