ALBUM REVIEW – SHOVEL DANCE COLLECTIVE: EVERYTHING IN READINESS

‘Everything in Readiness’ genuinely sounds unlike anything else. Describing Shovel Dance Collective as an ensemble specialising in traditional music might have some truth but does them a disservice as it limits their considerable scope. While they do delve into the archives for ancient folk song, the methods they use to interpret those songs are contemporary, […]
Turkish psych has become a more familiar genre in recent years, its sonorous use of electric saz giving a distinct take on Western rock music. While that style is now easily recognisable, over the course of three decades Baba Zula has been determined to push it into way more adventurous, experimental and rhythmical territory. A […]

ALBUM REVIEW – BABA ZULA: XXX

ALBUM REVIEW – ALISON COTTON: THE GODS LAUGH

There is an impressively austere quality to Alison Cotton’s music. Set within the self-imposed parameters of only using instrumentation that she owns, that policy initially saw her limited to viola, voice and Omnichord drone on her debut. In contrast, ‘The Gods Laugh’ has an expanded palette that also includes harmonium, piano, hammer dulcimer, treble recorder, […]
Fauna’s debut album is a vivid and vibrant brew. An outernational combination based in Gothenburg in Sweden, they also have backgrounds from France, Finland, Syria, Poland and Turkey which feed into their sound. They utilise traditional instruments such as the darbuka (an ancient hand drum played across North Africa and the Middle East) and the […]

ALBUM REVIEW – FAUNA: TAIGA TRANS

ALBUM REVIEW – ALTIN GUN: GARIP

Altın Gün translates from Turkish as “Golden Day.” The Amsterdam-based band provide an impressive example in how to evolve a sound over the course of a career. Starting off as a predominantly Turkish psych groove band on their 2018 debut, ‘On’, they swiftly received recognition for its 2019 follow-up, ‘Gece’, which was nominated in the […]
While group names can often be random, Nusantara Beat has chosen one that encapsulates its ethos. Nusantara means all the islands that make up Indonesia and dates back to when kings wanted to unite the whole archipelago. Today, it means unity, many cultures coming together as one. Accordingly, Nusantara Beat mix the rhythms and music […]

ALBUM REVIEW – NUSANTARA BEAT: NUSANTARA BEAT

ALBUM REVIEW – NOURA MINT SEYMALI: YENBETT

Noura Mint Seymali’s third album and her first in nine years is a highly focused and impressive blast of desert psych. ‘Yenbett’ is a successful blending of tradition with innovation. A Mauritanian griot, Seymali comes from a significant musical family: her father, Seymali Ould Ahmed Vall, was a renowned composer and scholar; and her stepmother, […]
Sometimes artists kindly try to do journalist’s work by describing their music. On Cerys Hafana’s Instagram page, their music is described as “sad Welsh harp pop”. As a description, this barely scratches the surface of what can be heard on their latest album, ‘Angel’. Whilst they indisputably sing in Welsh and play the triple harp, […]

ALBUM REVIEW – CERYS HAFANA: ANGEL

ALBUM REVIEW – ETCETERAL: KIMATIKA

Until recent months, my knowledge of Slovenian music was non-existent. Now, thanks to tak:til / Glitterbeat unveiling diverse musical delights from around the globe, I can name two acts worthy of attention. October sees the release of ‘In the Wind of Night, Hard Fallen Incantations Whisper’ by avant-folk trio Širom, a trio utilising over 20 […]
When I was growing up in England, bagpipes were often subjected to ridicule. Whilst this could in part have been due to their tonal contrast with conventional pop music of the time, there may have also been the unthinking residue of anti-Scottish prejudice that led to the instrument’s widespread mockery. Fortunately, in recent months, Glitterbeat […]

ALBUM REVIEW – BRIGHDE CHAIMBEUL: SUNWISE