Andy Barnes Top Albums - The Quiet Ones
Ange Hardy – Esteesee
As someone who feasts sonically upon a wide variety of musical styles, very rarely does a single genre album hold my attention throughout. Ange Hardy’s fourth offering is one such album. From ‘The Foster-Mother’s tale’ through ‘Elegy for Coleridge’ I find myself enrapt in the unfolding beauty, tenderness and even horror within this homage to the great romantic poet. The amalgamation of music and verse, sublimely played, exquisitely sung, ensures the conceptual ‘Esteesee’ is one of the great traditional folk albums of the 21st century.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC67wy5MzoXC1XNNxBhrrvXg
Lucy Ward – I Dreamt I Was A Bird
After the beautiful ‘Single Flame,’ album of 2013, it seemed highly unlikely Lucy Ward would produce anything quite as stunning, but she proves the thought unworthy, such an individualistic British talent. Within ‘I Dreamt I was a Bird’ Lucy ramps up the passion on all levels, producing another record which maintains her position at the fore of what can loosely be called folk. Personally, I’d just describe it as incredible song writing delivered by one of our finest vocalists surrounded by breathtakingly good musicians.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TATuMb6dp4c
Soldiers of Fortune - Early Risers
Starting life as an anti-band, with no desire to record, tour or even practice, Interpol’s (amongst others) Brad Truax gathers a group of highly talented friends, including Stephen Malkmus, Cass McCombs, Matt Macauley and Matt Sweeney for a full length album of raggedy arsed psych rock swagger, with enough guitar wankery to keep any fretboard freak completely satiated.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4JK9kOtf1g
Steve Pledger - Striking Matches in the Wind
‘Striking Matches in the Wind’ is a touching record interspersed with beautifully tender moments, humour and strong traditional socialist values which until recently, have been almost extinct from today’s barren political landscape. Steve strikes me as a man unafraid to cry, both personally and more generally in response to social injustice. The world would simply be a better place if more of the male gender had a similar capacity to express this most basic of human emotion.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_a14ssJs07c
Steve Von Till – A life Unto Itself
With his latest album, the Neurosis frontman takes the listener to the deepest, darkest of emotional places whilst surrounding the senses with an overwhelmingly intense beauty. Even within a career involving some of the most passionately inventive music around ‘A Life Unto Itself’ stands out as yet another pinnacle, a work of unrelentingly emotive ache and yearning.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74iAxE5Vmtc
Danny Schmidt – Owls
Seventh studio album in and Schmidt matures into the consummate song writer. Beautifully constructed tales, engaging vocals with a hint of vibrato and a gift of lyrical brilliance pervade in one of the most gorgeously heart wrenching collections of the year. Exceptional.
http://www.dannyschmidt.com/owls.html
Oka Vanga – Tales of Eyam EP
The best kept secret in folk is revealed……. After last year’s instrumental ‘Pilgrim’ album, the dulcet tones of Angela Meyer leap to the fore on ‘Tales of Eyam’ intertwining adorably with both hers and Will Cox’s deftly intricate guitar work on a concept EP based around the superstitions and folklore of the plague ravished Derbyshire village.
http://okavanga.bandcamp.com/album/tales-of-eyam
Kindest of Thieves - The Taxidermist EP
Kindest of Thieves go ragtime, revealing a rather grim modern day George Formby, a reference Chris Fox likely not to be too troubled by. He’s very much a maverick, certainly on his home shores, happier to quote Fanny Bryce as an influence at this stage of his career rather than Blind Lemon Jefferson or Big Bill Broonzy.
http://www.sonicbandwagon.com/album-reviews/kindest-of-thieves-the-taxidermist-ep/
Delvoid - Serene
Difficult to decide which of the loud or quieter lists to include the sophomore album by Delvoid, but serenity wins out in the end, probably due to the inclusion of violinist Ole Henrik Moe, and various members of the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra. Intensely passionate outbursts of sound never far away though, bursting forth from within the overriding tranquillity of the Norwegians 75 minute Post / Prog rock epic.
https://soundcloud.com/delvoid
Martin Harley & Daniel Kimbro – Live at Southern Ground
Recorded within an afternoon in Nashville over a couple of beers, Harley’s wonderful blues guitar and vocals given increased depth by Kimbro’s stand-up bass, the fledgling relationship producing a roots album of the highest quality. Surely much more to come from this outstanding duo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsBzIoqYw9I
About the Author
Andy Barnes An avid music fan for far more years than he cares remember, and an avid gig goer since the age of fifteen. Of the three Sonic Bandwagon presenters, Andy exhibits the most varied taste. It’s certainly not uncommon for a diabolically dark piece of Black Metal to be swiftly followed by minimalist electro pop, a laid back piece of ambient jazz or even a full scale hoedown.
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