There really was no chance that Fleet Foxes were not going to deliver a stunner of a tour this year. And there was no chance that we were not going to wax lyrical about it. After being met with almost…
Author: For Folk's Sake
Album: The Middle East – I Want That You Are Always Happy
Are you ready to PARTY?? The Middle East aren’t. The Middle East are ready to sing to you about death and loneliness until you’re rocking gently in a corner and cowering from sunlight. You remember The Middle East, right? You…
Live: The High Llamas @ Purcell Rooms, 22/05/2011
The High Llamas and their blend of summery West Coast psychedelia with a South London twist have been around for donkeys. But if, like us, you’re new to them, where better to start with than a new album and a…
EP: Treetop Flyers – Things Will Change
Things Will Change feels both familiar and refreshing. Familiar because folk, country and rock traditions are discernable throughout, and refreshing because of the exceptional song writing that melds these genres together. Reid Morrison’s voice is soft and rough, harmonised backing…
Album: Okkervil River – I Am Very Far
Okkervil River’s I Am Very Far has an immediate quality that affirms the album’s title. Reverb and echo give the listener a sense that they are hearing a message that has come from either at a great distance, or that…
Live: Villagers @ Shepherd’s Bush Empire, 21/05/2011
This gig did not start well, given that the average height of the audience seemed to be about 6’2”. As someone who normally can’t stand those idiots who prefer to enjoy gigs through the screens of their cameras and iPhones,…
Album: Dodos – No Color
Dodos are one of those bands who dangle in musical purgatory, regarded highly enough to have fans but not enough to have fanfare. This is a real shame because the quality of songs on their debut release Visitor and sophomore…
Live: The Woods in Spring @ Komedia, Brighton
As we arrived at Komedia and went upstairs to their biggest room for the first of a series of four events running throughout the year, it became clear that The Woods was not your ordinary gig. Through a magical door…
Album: Austra – Feel It Break
Having been around the Toronto music scene as a solo artist and a member of the band Galaxy, as well as collaborating with a number of other artists, Latvian-Canadian Katie Stelmanis is now fronting so-called electro-goth trio, Austra. There’s no…
Album: The Felice Brothers – Celebration, Florida
When I think of Americana, I think of banjos, harmonica, gritty vocals with a bit of a twang. Frankly, I think of songs like the Felice Brothers’ ‘Frankie’s Gun!!’, with its old-time storyline and humming accordion. The New York band’s…