Bands change over time, if they last long and have musical vitality and dignity. In rock,my favorites like Rush, Genesis, Jethro Tull and XTC went through so many periods and styles, it makes zero sense to answer briefly when someone asks "what's their music like?" Mànran have been for 15 years in the groundbreaking frontline … Continue reading Mànran’s “To The Wind” – a band in transition?
Tag: contemporary folk music
Gwilym Bowen Rhys: Aden – impressive music from Wales, in Welsh
I how zero idea how Aden got on my list of albums to check out but there it was. Someone may have pointed it out to me. Or maybe I had read a positive review. Doesn't really matter, since this, my first encounter with Gwilym Bowen Rhys, was very positive. I now know that Aden … Continue reading Gwilym Bowen Rhys: Aden – impressive music from Wales, in Welsh
“Allt vol. 2: Cuimhne” – beauty upon beauty
I admit it: early this year I firmly intended to listen to and write about the then newly released sequel to the first Allt album. I did not, because it had been a working day and I fell soundly asleep during the second track and only woke to the sound of silence telling me the … Continue reading “Allt vol. 2: Cuimhne” – beauty upon beauty
Calum MacPhail and Tide Lines save the Scottish summer, whatever the weather
Summertime in Scotland is famously unpredictable. Sunshine, rain, high winds, no wind, basically almost anything within 24 hours. It's not exactly known as a summer paradise (although me and my wife have enjoyed great summer weather there) but as climate change progresses, even in the British Isles, Scottish summers can come with some scorchers in … Continue reading Calum MacPhail and Tide Lines save the Scottish summer, whatever the weather
Beoga are back with the hugely enjoyable “Phases”
Admitted: I wasn't too happy with Beoga's previous album Carousel all of five years ago. This band was one of the first in the Celtic scene that I really got into when I had my conversion to Celtic and later English and Nordic folk music. Their first three albums really made an impression and confirmed … Continue reading Beoga are back with the hugely enjoyable “Phases”
M G Boulter’s “Days of Shaking”: beautiful poetry, exquisite music
A couple of years ago, I was still totally unaware of M G Boulter - and then I heard what I believe is his breakthrough album, Clifftown. It seems I was not the only person who then sense a remarkable similarity between him and Paul Simon. Mostly it was his singing voice, but there was … Continue reading M G Boulter’s “Days of Shaking”: beautiful poetry, exquisite music
Corrina Hewat’s “Song of Oak and Ivy”: mesmerizing and beautiful
Corrina Hewat is in the same master's league with other Scottish harpists like Catriona McKay, Ailie Robertson and Rachel Newton, but she hasn't released her own music - at least in recorded form - in ages. But it's 2025 and here she is now, with music that has completely surprised and enchanted me. What an … Continue reading Corrina Hewat’s “Song of Oak and Ivy”: mesmerizing and beautiful
“When They All Looked Up”: Kate Rusby’s solid return
...and has it really been six years since Kate Rusby released an album that's not a Christmas buffet, a covers album or a look back at her earlier years? It seems so, as the fabulous Philosophers, Poets and Kings came out in 2019. And I thought that was a couple of years ago. Tempus does … Continue reading “When They All Looked Up”: Kate Rusby’s solid return
Dowally continues to evolve with “Ici et là-bas”
For reasons I can't for the life of me remember, I did not write a word on the fab duo of Rachel and Dan's 2021 releases, the gentle folk/singer-songwriter style early bird // night owl (yep, that's the album title) and the almost 100 % instrumental mini-album (at 26 minutes) ReDrawing Edinburgh, music for a … Continue reading Dowally continues to evolve with “Ici et là-bas”
The waiting is over for Socks in the Frying Pan
Jeez, it's almost a decade since the previous studio album from Ireland's brilliant Socks in the Frying Pan. I believe they've been otherwise active all these years, though, and when inspiration finally came and they headed for the studio, Waiting For Inspiration came out sounding fresh and vibrant late last year. In the cover photo, … Continue reading The waiting is over for Socks in the Frying Pan
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