Category: Reviews

EP | Basia Bartz – Out of the Woods

A whisper of wind through the trees, leaves rustling underfoot, a crackling fire, the smell of dirt after the rain. Mother Nature is a thread that weaves through Out of the Woods, a collaboration between Polish singer-songwriter Basia Bartz and…

Album | Eric Schaffer & the Other Troublemakers – Dry Lightning

Eric Schaffer sunk his roots into Southern Arizona’s robust Americana scene around a decade ago. He and his band, the Other Troublemakers, have since become standouts for their earthen, bluesy folk sound, running lockstep with the likes of Steve Earle.…

Album | All The Bees – All The Bees

All The Bee sneak up on you. While the music is quiet and seems unassuming, the effect it has takes hold and won’t let go. Kirsty McGee and Gitika Partington sing and play in ways that are outside of the…

Album | Beans On Toast – The Toothpaste And The Tube

Life. It’s something you just can’t run from. It’s one big whirlwind of emotions, which forces us to face struggles, love, and loss and to make decisions on how we want to live it. Beans on Toast’s new album The…

Album | Smoke Fairies – Carried in Sound

In the muddled pathways of the pandemic, the Smoke Fairies looked less at the glass ball, reaching instead for reflecting on lives, loves and losses that formed Carried in Sound. What’s most striking is the way, with the aid of…

Album | King Creosote – I Des

Reunited with producer Des Lawson for a first album since 2016’s Astronaut Meets Appleman, much-loved Fife veteran King Creosote (aka Kenny Anderson) is in prime form on an eclectic set. A long time in the making – the central pairing…

Album | Thea Gilmore – Thea Gilmore

The strange days are over. Thea Gilmore survived a rancorous divorce with an album documenting that toxic relationship, Afterlife released under the name Afterlight. But now she returns with an album 25 years in the making, and one markedly self-titled,…

Album | Abigail Lapell – Lullabies

“Above all, these lullabies are dedicated to dreamers of all ages, and to the eternal human quest for a good night’s sleep”. These few words perfectly encapsulate the soul of Abigail Lapell’s first entirely solo recording Lullabies, which explores this…

Album | Iron And Wine – Who Can See Forever

Sam Beam has been recording as Iron and Wine for over 20 years, so the thought of looking back at his career with a live concert film, Who Can See Forever makes sense. Evolving in much the same way his…

EP | Julie Byrne – Laugh Cry Laugh

Following on from her latest album The Greater Wings, Julie Byrne is back with a new EP. And Laugh Cry Laugh is outstanding. One minute 57 seconds is not long enough for the opening track ’22’. I listened over and…