A charming and cheerful debut from the former Oregon Bike Trails man Zach Yudin.
Cayucas – Bigfoot
Chris Jones
Anaïs Mitchell and Jefferson Hamer – Child Ballads
Mitchell and Hamer make their mark on these songs with delicate aplomb.
Woodpigeon – Thumbtacks and Glue
The tender blend of lo-fi folk and baroque pop Woodpigeon proffer is succour for the soul.
Nightlands – Oak Island
Moonlighting as Nightlands affords The War On Drugs’ bassist a fleet and pleasing diversion through hyperspace.
Alasdair Roberts & Friends – A Wonder Working Stone
Yarns of gloom and beauty, abstruse but astute to the human condition.
The Staves – Dead & Born & Grown
Winsome singing and enough winning songs make Dead & Born & Grown a graceful proposition and comfortable listen, ascending from pleasant to majestic at its very best.
The Wooden Sky – Every Child A Daughter, Every Moon A Sun
Dust-blown but not so very desolate, the cosy and grandiose walk hand in hand on this third album from countrified Canadian collective The Wooden Sky.
Cameras – In Your Room
Cameras’ dichotomous debut is bold and brave, poised and often strong. The compositions are lavish and intricate, the commitment not in doubt, but the songs sometimes fall short of the sum.
Mama Rosin
Genre-smashing Geneva-based Mama Rosin conjure an explosive fusion of trashy transatlantic zydeco and garage rockabilly ‘n’ roll. Guitarist Robin Girod gives Best Fit the lowdown.
Sam Lee – Ground of Its Own
Sam Lee’s storytelling is as emphatic as it is empathetic and this perfectly executed debut album modernises staple motifs with true originality.
Introducing: Blue Balloon
Best Fit chats to Blue Balloon about finding an audience, falling for first lines and making his music more than the sum of its sadness.
Blue Balloon – Hearts are Pretty Heavy
The symbolism of singer/songwriter Robert Rorison’s chosen nom de plume – naturally buoyant but coloured by gloom, perhaps tied down by somebody’s string – provides a thoroughly appropriate motif for his debut album.