Matthew E. White’s 2013 debut Big Inner was a cracker – a sublime work that appeared from nowhere. It encapsulated both old and new – Motown soul and pop, a touch of country, and lullaby vocals combined to produce one…
Whether as the frontman of Super Furry Animals, through his synth concept albums with Neon Neon, recent film score work or genre-straddling collaborations with the likes of Gorillaz and Mogwai, Gruff Rhys has always displayed a pioneer spirit. Last year’s ‘American…
Steve Earle has covered much ground during an almost 30-year recording career and very little of it covered lightly, but this may be his first record that could genuinely be considered “fun”. That is not to say that any of…
Americana, or, to be more precise, the folk-roots of American music, has seen a resurgence over the past two or three years, and the Lone Bellow are the musical embodiment of everything that has made the genre fashionable. Big, sing-a-long…
Frontman with Joyce The Librarian, Martin Callingham steps out with a debut solo album of understated loveliness. Recorded at Bristol’s Toy Box Studios and released by Folkwit Records – and really, given our website’s name, how could we not have…
Kristin McClement arrives as a fully-formed artist with a debut album to prove it. The Wild Grips is elegant, spacious and beautifully presented. From the first notes, McClement spins the web of an expert storyteller and songwriter. And that is…
Jose Gonzalez is one of those artists you have heard before, whether you know it or not. His songs work their way into daily life and are beautiful little creatures that seem to live and breathe and take on a…
Inuit throat-singer Tanya Tagaq surprised many pundits by winning Canada’s Polaris Prize in 2014 ahead of a number of more established names, not least the Arcade Fire. The prize is awarded for ‘artistic integrity’ and, listening to Animism, Tagaq comes…
In the six years since Idlewild released Post Electric Blues, they’ve had a lengthy hiatus, put out a handful of solo projects, and ultimately realised that Idlewild was something worth holding on to. They’ve returned with a clear sense of…
Within folk, there’s a constant and essential need to remain within the acoustic, the wooden, the real. Crossing into unfamiliar instrumental territory can often fragment a delicately antiquated and almost traditional approach to the genre. Familiar up and down the…