From Boston, Massachusetts come from the Americana stylings of Pesky J Nixon. The panel went in to see what they could find. Alice Sage: There are absolutely no sharp corners in this band. No edges or complexity either. Just unbelievably…
Live: Anais Mitchell’s Hadestown at the Union Chapel, London
First things first: Hadestown is wonderful. Despite being released just a year ago, it’s safely in my all time favourite albums list and there it shall stay. It’s an incredible record, a sad and affecting story told through smartly-observed characters…
Spark fm’s Poison Oak: The Holy Modal Rounders, Sharon Van Etten, Sea of Bees
It’s radio a go-go round these parts. On Sunday I did my third set of recommendations for the marvellous Poison Oak show on Spark fm. Here’s what I suggested the good folk of Sunderland might like to take a listen…
Message To Bears
Message To Bears are a folktronica outfit from Oxford that have been making a big furry name for themselves. The panel stepped up to check out their sound. Eala McAllister: Message to Bears is the name of Jerome Alexander’s solo…
Album: Anna Calvi — Anna Calvi
The opening track of Anna Calvi’s eponymous debut, ‘Rider to the Sea’, is gloriously filmic, a Western in two-and-a-half minutes, complete with rattlesnakes, rumbling drums and gongs. Calvi’s vocals enter only as a crescendo at the end; it’s like meeting…
Editor’s picks… Sibylle Baier, Sharon Van Etten, The Extra Lens, Nancy Elizabeth, Laura Veirs
1. My friend Anika reminded me of the fascinating story of Sibylle Baier recently. Sibylle lived in Germany in the 1970s and wrote and recorded simple, beautifully melodic songs tinged with darkness. But she didn’t release anything – deciding not to…