When the whirlwind takes over it blows with unbelievable force, leaving an artist caught up in forces beyond their control. Two years of constant touring had that effect on S.G. Goodman. Getting back to rural western Kentucky she got caught…
Jess Kerber has a way of tricking you into thinking she’s one thing, before you realise she’s really far more than the sum of her parts. She picked up her first guitar in Nashville at the age of 12, yet…
Four years used to be a lifetime in the music business. The Beatles were releasing albums every three months. Though it’s taken four years for Chloe Foy to offer Complete Fool, it was worth the wait. This is a very…
On the face of it, Alan Sparhawk and Trampled by Turtles could be the most unlikely combination of all time. Sparhawk’s last couple of albums with Low, especially Hey What, went to musical extremes, while Trampled by Turtles seem to…
Snowpoet is a bit of a misnomer, there is nothing cold about this band. Lauren Kinsella’s voice combined with the keyboards of Chris Hyson reach into the soul of sounds, creating a warmth and magic not often associated with electronic…
Family secrets probably should never see the light of day. Once they are revealed everything, and everyone, changes. Kira Skov’s new album, What Ties Us Together, Will Keep Us Apart is such a story, the soundtrack to a Danish TV…
The description of Pentangle as a British folk band has always been as misleading as it is inaccurate. Spanning musical genres, while Bert Jansch and John Renbourn were steeped in folk, they had roots in skiffle, ragtime, and medieval forms.…
The physical distance from Portland, Oregon to New Orleans, Louisiana is 2,538 miles, but the psychic distance is far longer. That distance explains the story of Kassi Valazza’s new album, From Newman Street. Isolating from the outside world due to…
At times Beirut can seem a little esoteric. Zach Condon dropped out of high school at 17 and worked at a movie theater specialising in international films. There he learned about Fellini arias, Sicilian funeral brass and Balkan music. After…
Rhiannon Giddens has a passion for the banjo. Not so much the banjo heard on bluegrass recordings, but the old-time claw hammer style. Together with Justin Robinson on fiddle, they explored the roots of African American music with the Carolina…