Sharon Van Etten has become one of the most splendid songwriters on earth. Not that she hasn’t had a somewhat torturous journey, but she is starting to really make her mark on popular music. Perhaps popular isn’t the right word.…
Jackson, Kentucky native Sturgill Simpson returns with the follow-up to last year’s High Top Mountain, one which has already gathered widespread acclaim – and deservedly so. While its unwieldy title could leave even country fans fearing what lurks behind it,…
Yann Tiersen cannot be mentioned, perhaps sadly, without his majestic 2001 Amelie soundtrack being talked about. It must be hard moving on from that. It was, in short, one of the all time film soundtrack masterpieces. He is far from a…
When I first listened to Bird in 2011, the band played delicate, dark folk songs with layers of backing vocals and looped acoustic guitars. Three years later, they’ve added at least one member and upped the bass, producing an album…
The third album by Pure X, Angel, is an extremely laid-back soundtrack for summer. ‘Starlight’ is like a turquoise swimming pool; notes of soul and disco remind me of the dreamy haze of Twin Sister, the lyrics practically whispered. ‘Valley…
I saw Nick Mulvey support Laura Marling last year and was absolutely captivated by his simple, beautiful melodies. I was concerned a move into the studio would result in Mulvey losing this simplicity, but luckily, the record is raw, striking…
Tom Williams and his sea-faring backing band, The Boat, return with their third album Easy Fantastic, funded entirely through Pledges made by fans of the band. For those who have heard other records by Tom Williams, there hasn’t been much…
Often labelled as the ‘21’st Century Dylan’, or, ‘the spokesperson of the Ritalin generation’, Conor Oberst is, to many, a hero, one of the best songwriters around today. He is well known for his ability to pen a good lyric,…
Vivacious indie-folk duo Swallow and the Wolf are on the brink of releasing Fire, a varied collection of songs blending folk guitar, warm vocal harmonies and driving piano and percussion. The sincerity of the song-writing and Russell Swallow’s vocal performance…
Hollie Fullbrook, singer-songwriter of Tiny Ruins, has a voice like honey tea, smooth and warm. This gives her songs a soothing texture, even when they’re sad or wistful, slightly reminiscent of Nick Drake. Brightly Painted One opens with ‘Me at…