Finding his own voice, Julia is a significant breakthrough for Ásgeir. The lyrics, for the first time, are totally his own. In the past his songs have been based on the poetry of his father, Einar Georg Einarsson, with English…
There’s an art to maintaining a low profile. Hirta (in the guise of Alistair Paxton) whose new album, Soft Peaks represents a major step forward, has been able to maintain a sort of relative obscurity while still being in the…
The development of Ye Vagabonds, as they have shifted from traditional songs to personal portraits, can be tracked in the way All Tied Together creates a dynamic where the MacGloinn brothers are able to merge old and new forms in…
Lucinda Williams has always been an activist. Her motivation has never been stronger due to the current resident in the White House. World’s Gone Wrong looks to light a flame that won’t be extinguished over the next three years. The…
There are dark places in Jeff Clarke’s world. Miracle after Miracle after … details that world, filling in the pains of existence. What he sees and what he feels can sound quite torturous, yet along with the pain, there’s a beautiful uncertainty.…
Over nineteen years, Ólöf Arnalds has had a most varied career. Her first album, Við og við (Now and Again) sung entirely in Icelandic, was recorded and produced by Sigur Rós’ Kjartan Sveinsson in the band’s converted swimming pool studio,…
Time is not linear. It expands and contracts through the lens of individual and collective experiences. Pavey Ark are intimately aware of this, having released their first album just as the pandemic shut down the world. With the release of…
The recipe for basic country mustard is unbelievably simple, literally nothing more than water and seeds. Yet, in the hands of Red River Dialect there’s more to Basic Country Mustard than meets the eye. It’s all in how you blend…
From Denton, Texas to points around the globe, hope has been in short supply. While it may be just beyond our reach, Midlake on their new album, A Bridge To Far, realise it is also a necessity. One that has…
Returning to the fray after almost 10 years away, The Dreaming Spires’ Normal Town burns with a fire that rages at going quietly into the dying light. Robin and Joe Bennett, along with Jamie Dawson, Tom Collison and Nick Fowler,…