Whilst 'The Canoe' is Carrie Tree’s third album of delicate, acoustic songs, she was a new name to me before the album arrived. She’s based out of Brighton, but has an acknowledged wanderlust, from which she draws inspiration and ideas on which to base her music.
Magnetic Skies formed in early 2018 when singer-songwriter Simon Kent and vocalist/programmer Jo Womar were commissioned to collaborate for a one-off arts/charity live show. Now comes their debut EP which, is a dreamy experience and the first of three EPs that the band will release in 2019.
Sad to say that I only came across The Coathangers last year with the release of their ‘Live’ album. One of those sort of live albums that blows your socks off, just like at the actual gig.
I have to admit that this is the first David Gray album that I have really listened to for many a year. ‘White Ladder’ took the world by storm beck in the late Nineties to the point where we just started to suffer from ‘White ladder’ burn out. There have been a host of albums since but, ‘Gold in a Brass Age’ is David’s first album in four years and that break seems to have been beneficial, as the new album is strong lyrically and has a warm melodic feel to keep away that late winter chill.
February 1st seems the most appropriate time of the year to release a new Mandolin Orange studio album, with its melancholic overtones, and cold wintry introspection.
Released on Wear Your Band T-shirt To Work Day, I happened to be rummaging through my T-shirts and came across the “Pleased To Meet You...... Ed Harcourt” shirt from 12 years ago.
Ed’s career over the last 15 years has most definitely not been linear. Beyond his seven album releases and various EP’s he’s busied himself the last 5 years with film scores, collaborations with Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Marianne Faithfull, not to mention being the soundtrack to Burberry’s 2014 Christmas.
'Laws of Motion' is Karine Polwart's seventh album recorded on this occasion with long-term collaborators brother Steven and Inge Thompson. The multi-award wining Karine covers a variety of themes on this new release including the fear of nuclear war, child refugees, migration and the current President of the United States.
On their fifth studio album folk duo Katriona Gilmore (vocal, fiddle, mandolin) and Jamie Roberts (vocal, guitars) have composed tracks based upon events historical, contemporary and some deeply personal.
Throughout a lengthy and creative career of collaborations and as an original member of The New Pornographers 'Hell-On' is Neko Case's 6th solo album following 2013's 'The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You'. 'Hell-On' was recorded and mixed in a variety of locations and was co-produced by Neko and Bjorn Yttling of those Swedish 'Young Folks' Peter Bjorn and John.
Nashville, Tn singer/songwriter Parker Millsap releases his third full band album 'Other Arrangements' on the Thirty Tigers label. Maybe not so well known on these shores, Millsap has an appearance on the late night TV show CONAN under his belt, along with featuring on the PBS series Austin City Limits. He can also claim Sir Elton John as a fan as he was asked to perform with him at the Roundhouse in London during the Apple Music Festival.
'Horizons 'is the Danish/Swedish collective known as Black Light White Light’s 3rd album, created as they admit, slowly, deep underground in a studio in Copenhagen. The genesis of the album started back in 2015, since when they were looking for another angle into their music which they achieved with new drummer Viktor Hober, and the liberal use of pulsing keyboards.
With what could just be the best album of her long running career so far, Nashville based, Gretchen Peters releases ‘Dancing with the Beast’ via Proper Records on 18th May, 2018.