Official 5CD box set featuring all of the surviving British radio and television appearances by the legendary Strawbs between 1966 and 1984.
The roots of Strawbs go back to 1963 when Dave Cousins and Tony Hooper founded the bluegrass duo The Strawberry Hill Boys. The first Strawbs’ album was issued in May 1969 and saw the band embark on a wonderful career which produced a series of classic albums. Dave Cousins was the visionary, gifted musician and songwriter at the helm of many line-ups of the band which at various times featured such notable members as Ron Chesterman, Tony Hooper, Rick Wakeman, Richard Hudson, John Ford, Blue Weaver, Dave Lambert, Chas Cronk, Rod Coombes, and John Hawken. Cousins’ musical vision…
Category: folk
Lowell George may well be the most underrated and underappreciated figure in the history of rock ’n’ roll. As a writer, guitarist, singer, and producer, his influence spanned genres—rock, R&B, country, blues, and the adventurous rhythms of West Coast jazz—and seemed to know no bounds.
Born and raised in Hollywood, California, George mastered multiple instruments at an early age. His prodigious talent soon caught the attention of Frank Zappa, leading to a stint with The Mothers of Invention. In 1969, after parting ways with Zappa, George formed Little Feat. With Zappa’s support, the band secured a deal with Warner Bros. Records and quickly became a musicians’ band, revered for its originality and virtuosity. Alongside George were standout players…
Scottish-born singer songwriter Sam Grassie has had a rocky journey in recent years, with a car accident resulting in serious injury and a debilitating ME diagnosis, as well as familial tragedy. All of this hindered but did not halt a promising musical career that was ignited when Sam was a child, secretly listening in on his family’s living room sessions.
Sam’s recovery saw him relocate to London in 2022 and immerse himself in the folk scene there, as well as sharing bills and stages with a wide range of musicians, from Ryley Walker, with whom he toured the UK, to Martin Carthy, Gwenifer Raymond and Robert Plant. This led to a series of EP releases, before Sam eventually put together Where Two Hawks Fly, his debut album,…
Doing This for Love is an album blessed with one of those artfully considered covers that visually informs the precise experience from which these songs have risen. What at first glance looks like an indistinct melange of colours reveals, after a lingering glare, to be the sight of over-congested traffic, headlights on before sunrise, rain hitting the windscreen as the working masses advance on another long, exhausting day.
As Kris Drever himself has stated ahead of the record’s release. “These ten songs are mediations on the unglamourous 4am alarm clocks, ungrateful shifts, the quiet sacrifices made for love.” That alone should illustrate the extent to which Kris has evolved artistically over the years, no more limited to the inherited, traditional…
Being a singer-songwriter from Los Angeles will always draw comparisons with the early to mid-’70s, when the so-called golden age of California Sound ruled, well, the airwaves then. In the days of streaming the newer generations, one might not be sure what that means, but with his second album Cherry Picker, L.A. singer-songwriter Spencer Hoffman just might give them a very good hint what that sound can offer when it is both thoughtfully and carefully done.
What that would mean is have an individual, but at the same time a diversified sound that doesn’t simply stick to possible set formulas, even if there is inspiration from greats of the sound that are well-known (Jackson Browne) or not so well known (David Ackles).
…featuring two brand-new recordings of ‘So, So’ and ‘There Is a Stone’ from the ‘Gatherings’ sessions.
It’s been 20 years since the John Smith embarked on a career as a singer-songwriter, paying his dues opening for John Martyn, and to mark the occasion his new album, Gatherings, featuring Nick Pini on double bass, Jessica and Camilla Steveley-Taylor on backing vocals, alongside several very special guests, including Lisa Hannigan, The Staves, Siobhan Miller, Dan Mangan and more, sees him revisiting and reimaging songs – personal and audience favourites – from his first three studio albums.
Taking them chronologically, there are three numbers from his 2006 debut,…
The Pacific north-west of the USA has been called home by many giants of the blues, rock, and grunge scenes, but alongside these, there’s long been a fertile seam of indie folk and alt-country music. Fleet Foxes and Brandi Carlile hail from Seattle, and from Portland, there’s The Delines, The Decemberists and The Dandy Warhols, while in recent years you might spot Jerry Joseph or Patterson Hood in the local deli. Vegans and cyclists are welcome in this city, proud of its reputation for being weird. Some twenty years ago, this attracted several musicians from Anchorage, Alaska, who each separately found their way to Oregon before coming together as The Builders and The Butchers in 2005.
With the ramshackle acoustic folk-rock sound…
Staying positive is an incredibly difficult skill to maintain. With all the negativity and palpable tension thickening the air, stirring up a fog so dense we sometimes forget to look at our fellow humans and share a smile, being the one to break the mold and share a technology-free moment with someone, or anything, is a scary undertaking. It is much easier to fall victim to the downtrodden nature that seems to plague the world around us, and thankfully, Scott Kinnebrew has never been fond of the easy route. The road-tested veteran and member of the beloved country rock outfit Truth and Salvage Co has always brought a complexity to his art that is both welcoming and compelling. On the other hand, his solo work under the moniker Sounding Arrow is getting…
You don’t essentially need to be an innovator that breaks boundaries to come up with good music that could reach quite a number of listeners.
As a solo artist, you do need a hefty dose of musical talent, an excellent voice (and/or instrumental ability), good songwriting skills, and a taste in arrangements and collaborators you use for your recordings.
Born in Alaska and now based in Cape Cod, singer-songwriter Kim Moberg presents all of the above in abundance on her new album All That Really Matters. Sure, there’s nothing overly fancy or drastically new here — yet Moberg has a strong songwriting sense that includes good lyrics too, possesses an excellent singing voice, and she exhibits an impeccable taste…
The excellent quintet WÖR utilises violin, bagpipes, accordion, guitar and saxophones to reimagine 18th-century tunes from the Flanders region of Belgium. Swedish women’s self-styled ‘Folk’appella’ quartet Kongero honour the folk traditions of their home region, Jämtland, in northern Sweden, in a similar manner.
Here, these two ensembles combine for a tantalising project. The sonic landscapes on display are beautifully produced and virtuosically played. ‘Var är du?’ rolls with bucolic wonder, the instruments of WÖR blending perfectly with the voices of Kongero. ‘Schoon Lief’ is a wistful, soft and gently evolving number evocative of winter mists and bright, clear skies, while ‘Ridder & Jungfrun’ presents a drifting…
Live and Acoustic presents Trey Anastasio at his most stripped-back and introspective, capturing a series of performances from his sold-out 2025 Spring Acoustic Tour. Produced by Vance Powell and featuring longtime collaborator Jeff Tanski on keyboards, the album offers a focused and intimate listening experience.
Spanning 22 songs drawn from across Anastasio’s four-decade career, Live and Acoustic highlights the strength of his songwriting in its purest form. Without the expansive arrangements often associated with his work, the songs are allowed to breathe, revealing their melodic core and emotional depth. Fan favorites such as “Stash,” “Waste,” “Divided Sky,” and “Pebbles and Marbles” take on a new dimension in this setting…
The Gathering, originally released in 2007, returns in an expanded edition that reaffirms the lasting significance of Marianne Segal’s long-awaited comeback. This reissue not only revisits the album but also casts new light on a work that already proved her artistic voice remained as compelling as ever after decades away from the spotlight.
Best known for her work with cult ‘70s outfit Jade, Segal used The Gathering to reconnect with the spirit of that era while subtly updating it for a more contemporary audience. In this expanded form, the album’s depth and craftsmanship become even more apparent, offering listeners a fuller picture of her creative vision.
The record moves effortlessly between traditional folk balladry, roots…
Horrorful Heights marks a formidable new chapter in The Bevis Frond’s deep and storied catalogue, showcasing the enduring creativity of songwriter, guitarist and frontman Nick Saloman as he moves into yet another decade of recording. Long established as one of the most distinctive voices in British underground rock, Saloman continues to refine the band’s signature blend of melodic psychedelia, wiry guitar epics and sharp, emotionally attuned songwriting. Horrorful Heights offers one of the most approachable entry points to the band’s world in years: a record that gathers their core strengths into a cohesive, vivid set.
Recorded with long-time drummer Dave Pearce and guitarist Paul Simmons, alongside new bassist Louis Wiggett, the album moves…
…Love These Days by Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter Karen Dahlstrom is a strong collection of songs rooted in contemporary folk, with dalliances into country, blues and even jazz. You wouldn’t be remiss if you were wondering why you hadn’t heard of Dahlstrom until now. To be fair, she is a bit of a late bloomer, but having spent some time as a member of the americana trio Bobtown, Dahlstrom returns with her first proper solo record. Brimming with beguiling songs that could only have been penned by someone with the life experiences to do them justice, it’s a discerning, mature worldview of life and love.
The charming opener ‘Can’t Help Myself’ asserts itself immediately with an irresistible guitar and bass groove, punctuated with subtle…
Mixed and mastered by Jim O’Rourke from unheard tapes recorded in the ’70s, Echo Park is a snapshot of Los Angeles life from helium-voiced mainstay Tommy Peltier that foreshadows the blue-eyed soul that would emerge just a few years later.
Now 90 years old, Peltier is still playing relatively regularly for a nonagenarian, but he cut his teeth as a jazzman – he’d never really intended to make pop music.
Born in New Orleans, Peltier relocated to Los Angeles as a teen and quickly established himself on the jazz circuit, playing cornet in his band the Jazz Corps and even recording an album with Roland Kirk. But it wasn’t to be; Peltier suffered an injury in 1970 that ended his horn playing career so he retrained as a singer-songwriter…
…the reissue features 20 tracks, including a bonus 7″ with the previously unreleased song “House” and a new remix of “Playboy of the Western World” by Dirick Cummins. The tracks were newly restored from original 1/4” tape reels and mastered by Josh Bonati.
Third Man Records is re-issuing Connie Converse’s only known collection of songs on vinyl and CD so that a new generation can learn her story and sounds. How Sad, How Lovely is an atmospheric collection of folk songs that contain a lingering sense of what could have been.
Her backstory is fascinating as she began recording these intimate songs in 1949 on reel-to-reel, pre-dating the NYC folk scene with inward-looking tunes that struggle against…
Throughout his career José González has been a pacifying voice, delivering quiet, organically-made records that emphasize patience and humanity. He’s not particularly prolific, though when they arrive his albums tend to hit their mark — consistency, both in tone and quality, is one of his hallmarks. González rarely employs more than one or two guitars and the occasional second harmony, nor does he need to. His gentle, though commanding tenor and deft fingerpicked arrangements are enough to fill the rooms he creates. Understated as they are, his songs are also not without weight and his fifth album, Against the Dying of the Light, is his heaviest to date. It’s posed as a more outward-focused sequel to 2021’s Local Valley, his meditative fourth…
Since debuting as a bandleader in 2020, Nashville studio ace Spencer Cullum has continued to steer his music further and further from the country world where he makes his living. A seasoned pedal steel player will always have a job in Music City, but the first two albums in his Coin Collection trilogy revealed a more adventurous palette steeped in ’60s psychedelia and folk-rock from both sides of the Atlantic.
In 2025, he teamed up with Nashville outsiders Rich Ruth and Sean Thompsonto form Shrunken Elvis, a sleek amalgam of ambient post-rock and jazz fusion that further emphasized his range as a musician. On his third and final record of the Coin Collection trilogy, Cullum presents a quieter, more pastoral style that heavily favors…
1. The Black Crowes – Cruel Streak
2. Snail Mail – My Maker
3. Andrew Wasylyk – Private Symphony #2
4. Courtney Barnett – Mantis
5. Spencer Cullum’s Coin Collection – Rowan Tree
6. Flea – Traffic Lights (feat. Thom Yorke)
7. Bruce Hornsby – Indigo Park
8. Tinariwen – Imidiwan Takyadam
9. Ellie O’Neill – Anna with the Silver Arrow
10. The Long Ryders – Stand a Little Further in…
11. Bonnie “Prince” Billy – Hey Little
12. Memorials – Dropped Down the Well
13. Charlotte Cornfield – Lost Leader
14. Billy Fuller – Rummer
15. The New Pornographers – Ballad of the Last Payphone
1. The Studio 68! & Dani Turner – Funky People
2. The Delines – The Meter Keeps Ticking
3. Altin Gun – Öldürme Beni
4. Bill Callahan – Stepping Out for Air
5. Marielle V Jakobsons – Everything Lost Remains
6. Ulrika Spacek – Picto
7. Iron & Wine – In Your Ocean
8. Cardinals – I Like You
9. Crooked Fingers – Haunted (feat. Sharon Van Etten)
10. KMRU – With Trees Where We Can See
11. Hen Ogledd – Clara
12. The Wave Pictures – The House Painted Blue
13. Buck Meek – Ring of Fire
14. Clémentine March – Lucie
15. Isabel Pine – Fables