Category: Folk
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Man The Lifeboats: When The Time Bell Rings
The album title could be lifted from Dire Straits’ classic Sultans of Swing, and, if not of sultans of that genre, Man The Lifeboats are at least rulers of reel (sorry, best we could do). This album is a collection of rocking folk tunes that would have an audience (at the very least) tapping its […]
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baroque, Blues, brother, Canvey Island Girl, Carry Me Home, CDs, Chronicle Series, Classical, Congleton Chronicle, early, funk, Godless, Gravel Walks, I Have a Thirst, jazz, Jem Condliffe, Man The Lifeboats, McArthur Road, music, Northern Girls, pop, Reggae, Review Corner, reviews, rock, Rolling Down to Rio, soul, The Battle of Cable Street, The Highgate Bells, The Walpurgis Hotel, There’s a Light Still on in the Cock Tavern, When the Ship Goes Down, When The Time Bell Rings -
Neil Young and Crazy Horse: Colorado
Colorado is not one of Young’s great albums but it’s a grower and could go down as one of his later-career highlights. There’s a film with it; Young’s films are best avoided but someone who did watch said he comments in it to his band: “It doesn’t have to be good, just feel good.” That’s […]
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This Machine Kills Fascists: Joyland // Beans on Toast: The Inevitable Train Wreck
“This Machine Kills Fascists” was a sticker that Woody Guthrie had on his guitar at some point in his career; he meant songs can fight bad ideas. The band This Machine Kills Fascists take this one step further: opening song Kill The Fascists suggests taking more direct action, though with its upbeat tone (lots of […]
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baroque, Blues, brother, CDs, Chronicle Series, Classical, Congleton Chronicle, Die for us 02:00, early, England, England Uber Alles 04:04, Extinction No.6, Facebook Meltdown 02:26, Fake News 02:43, funk, I Love You, I Smoke Da Ganja 04:54, I’m So Bad 02:37, jazz, Jem Condliffe, Joyland, Kill The Fascists 02:25, Liberal Lefty 02:29, Logic Bomb, Lost Poetry Department, Mountains, music, On & On, pop, Punch A Nazi In The Face 02:45, Reggae, Review Corner, reviews, Rich vs Poor, rock, Saying Thank You to Robots, soul, Take your Shit Home with You, The Grand Parade 03:34, This Machine Kills Fascists, Truth be Told, Up and Down 02:41, Welcome to Dystopia 03:19, World Gone Crazy -
Sunjay: Devil Came Calling
Sunjay has been seen at award ceremonies: he was a young folk award finalist in 2012 at Radio Two and the same year won the young performers award at the Wath Festival, as well as being a winner at the New Roots competition in St Albans. In 2014 he was nominated three times at the […]
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baroque, Big Road, Blues, brother, CDs, Chronicle Series, Classical, Congleton Chronicle, Devil Came Calling, early, Faith Healer, funk, Ghost Train, I Feel The Same, jazz, Jem Condliffe, Johnny & The Devil, King Of My Own Country, Mean & Ugly, Mississippi Blues, music, pop, Reggae, Review Corner, reviews, rock, soul, Sunjay, Tell Me, The Truth, Too Close To The Sun -
Artmagic: The Songs of Other England
Top rate musicians here — Sean McGhee has toured with Alison Moyet, guitarist Richard Oakes helped Suede deliver Top 10 albums, John Cale drummer Alex Thomas is on the throne — but an album that you might find a little lacklustre. The topics are inspired by McGhee’s interest in English folk music, hence the track […]
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Artmagic, baroque, Black Flowers Bloom, Blues, brother, CDs, Chronicle Series, Classical, Congleton Chronicle, early, funk, I Won’t Change You, Into the Light, jazz, Jem Condliffe, music, pop, Reggae, Review Corner, reviews, rock, Sing for the Snowfall, soul, The Boys’ Own Book of Birds, The Clean Room, The Dark of the Human Heart, The Fruit of the Mystery, The King of Fishers, The Songs of Other England -
Native Harrow: Happier Now
This is a really good album. It’s greater than the sum of its parts: the tunes are ok, her voice (Native Harrow is Devin Tuel — nearly Devon Tool, of which a harrow could be an example, though we doubt that’s why she picked the alter ego) is ok and the general air is of […]
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baroque, Blue Canyon, Blues, brother, Can’t Go on Like This, CDs, Chronicle Series, Classical, Congleton Chronicle, early, funk, Happier Now, Hard to Take, How You Do Things, Hung Me out to Dry, jazz, Jem Condliffe, music, Native Harrow, pop, Reggae, Review Corner, reviews, rock, Round and Round, Something You Have, soul, Way to Light -
Neil Young and Stray Gators: Tuscaloosa
It’s unlikely to win any new fans but it’s a good Young album for old ones. Tuscaloosa features The Stray Gators, Young’s band between 1971-73, playing five songs from Harvest, not long released. His self-titled debut and After The Goldrush also supply tracks. Young is on top form, the band knows his moves and he […]
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After the Gold Rush (Live), Alabama (Live), baroque, Blues, brother, CDs, Chronicle Series, Classical, Congleton Chronicle, Don’t Be Denied (Live), early, funk, Harvest (Live), Heart of Gold (Live), Here We Are in the Years (Live), jazz, Jem Condliffe, Lookout Joe (Live), music, Neil Young & Stray Gators, Neil Young and Stray Gators, New Mama (Live), Old Man (Live), Out on the Weekend (Live), pop, Reggae, Review Corner, reviews, rock, soul, Time Fades Away (Live), Tuscaloosa -
Sam Baker: Horses and Stars
This is one of the most remarkable albums we’ve had in some time. Baker half sings and half talks and plays gentle electric guitar, but his songs tell a powerful story of normal folk and it has a real power. He looks like a beardless Kris Kristofferson, comes from Texas and has a gravelly but […]
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Angel Hair, baroque, Blues, Boxes, Broken Fingers, brother, CDs, Chronicle Series, Classical, Congleton Chronicle, early, funk, Horses and Stars, Iron, jazz, Jem Condliffe, Mennonite, Migrants, music, Odessa, pop, Pretty World, Reggae, Review Corner, reviews, rock, Sam Baker, Same Kind of Blue, Snow, soul, Thursday, Waves -
Chas Rigby: Pearls
This is doubtless unfair on Chas, who’s probably 6’ 4” with pecks like a gladiator, but we imagine him as one of those underweight singers with less hair than they once had, who turn out to have led interesting but ultimately tragic lives, maybe some drugs and an arrest or two, but all giving them […]
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baroque, Blues, brother, CDs, Chas Rigby, Chronicle Series, Classical, Cockleshells, Congleton Chronicle, Dolphin Blue, early, funk, ill you Still Love Me Tomorrow, jazz, Jem Condliffe, music, Padraig Stevens, Pearls, pop, Reggae, Review Corner, reviews, rock, Saturday, Shadowlands, soul, When It All Comes Down -
Mak Grgic: Balkanisms
Solo classical guitar albums are not our favourite bag but this one looked like it might be better than average and so it is. The Balkans are famed for their folk music, noted for complex rhythms; you normally hear it in electric “gypsy” folk or punk bands. While the album consists of Mr Grgic noodling […]
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