In 2018 Lucy Dacus released one of the best albums of the year and a collaborative EP as part of boygenius, both of which cemented her place as one of our brightest and best young songwriters. This year she has spent time touring and releasing occasional singles and covers, the results of which are collected in this EP 2019. Continue reading “E.P. Review: Lucy Dacus – 2019”
Self confessed ‘saddest girl in Sweden’ Sarah Klang has previously toured with First Aid Kit and mixes vintage pop influences with her love of all things Americana. Her new album ‘Creamy Blue’ is a selection of sumptuous and beautiful songs that you can’t help falling for. Continue reading “Album Review: Sarah Klang – Creamy Blue”
For those music fans in the know, Dori Freeman has been a quietly shining star on the scene for some time now. Her previous two albums were gorgeous Americana and folk music inspired by her Appalachian roots, produced by Teddy Thompson. On her third album Every Single Star she continues the run of excellent form, writing every song solo and working again with producer Thompson. Continue reading “Album Review: Dori Freeman – Every Single Star”
The autumn leaves are starting to fall and the nights are drawing in, so what better to soundtrack the change of season than a lovely little introspective indie folk record. Black Sea Dahu are led by Swiss singer songwriter Janine Cathrein who wrote these songs after a breakup in an attempt to make sense of the ever shifting world around her. Continue reading “E.P. Review: Black Sea Dahu – No Fire in the Sand”
Brittany Howard has always had ambition to be known as more than just a vintage soul singer, as proven by the second Alabama Shakes album and her alter ego Thunderbitch. Her new solo album, Jaime, is named after her sister who died in childhood and takes musical inspiration from wildly diverse genres and styles. Jaime is a personal odyssey of discovery where in an attempt to deconstruct her past, musically and personally, she has created something thrillingly present. Continue reading “Album Review: Brittany Howard – Jaime”
I really loved Lola Kirke’s album Heart Head West, a real underrated gem which mixed some lovely Laurel Canyon inspired sounds with country music influences. Her new EP Friends and Foes and Friends Again builds on that promise and she delivers five songs of simple beauty that sound like a blast of fresh air. Continue reading “EP Review: Lola Kirke – Friends and Foes and Friends Again”
Esther Rose is an singer songwriter based in New Orleans, whose new album You Made it This Far is fantastic mix of Americana, old time music and classic country influenced by the likes of Hank Williams, Patsy Cline and Joni Mitchell. Continue reading “Album Review: Esther Rose – You Made It This Far”
Last month I was lucky enough to witness Rachel Sermanni launching her new album at a stunning gig in Edinburgh’s Summerhall. The songs from So It Turns are intricate and beautiful indie folk songs quietly humming with a darker undercurrent of uncertainty that perfectly reflects the world around us. Continue reading “Album Review: Rachel Sermanni – So It Turns”
I hadn’t listened much to Lana Del Rey before I began writing this blog. Sure I knew Summertime Sadness and Video Games but they didn’t encourage me to listen further. There was something about her sad-girl-loves-bad-boys image that made me think she was a construct, a record label fantasy surely created by a man. Her dead eye stare was as cold as the beats of her over produced music.
And, to be honest, I still don’t know if I’m entirely wrong about those initial assumptions. What I do know is that with Norman Fucking Rockwell! Lana Del Rey just released one of the best albums of 2019. Her quiet evolution into one of the most vital voices of this year has been quite stunning to witness. Continue reading “Album Review: Lana Del Rey – Norman Fucking Rockwell!”
