For this month’s folk round-up, we give AUK’s very own folk hero, Jonathan Aird, a well-earned month off. Looking at this fine selection of five new albums, he has missed a good one. We have a couple of outstanding debut albums. New acts are always appreciated and eagerly anticipated. We have a stunning instrumental album, released on Earth Day. We feature a unique and eclectic album from a group that hasn’t released an album in almost a decade, which includes a trio of deep-cut covers alongside a host of new material. There is a lot to go through.
Firstly, we pick up the new release from Cambridge-based Odette Michell. Her sophomore album is named after a ship Michell saw a painting of hanging in a Hertfordshire pub, the SS Koningen der Nederlanden, which translates to “Queen of the Lowlands”. Following her well-received debut “The Wildest Rose”, Michell gives us a further ten tracks of stunning traditional folk music. Her vocals are crisp with a hint of that beautiful Yorkshire accent, which is almost out of reach but still there. On the gorgeous ‘Hourglass’, Michell is joined on vocals by Calum Gilligan and the two work so well together. The title track tells the story of the ship mentioned above, which was repurposed as a troop ship during World War I, transporting American Expeditionary Forces to France and later bringing back more than 10,000 troops. The fiddle again carries this soaring tune and feels like the celebration the ship and its crew deserve. When you are working with members of Fairport Convention (Chris Leslie) and Show of Hands (Phil Beer), there is no doubt the result will be stunning. Michell has produced a special second album, and it includes a lovely, lilting, waltz-like ode to St. Helens. We didn’t see that one coming. The closing tune, ‘All the Bonny Ships’, will leave you with the smell of salt water in your nostrils and an urge to play it all again. (8/10)
This is where the musical circle with progressive rock on one side and folk on the other folds over and touches for a brief moment. Inside that musical burrito are Faun Fables with their first album since 2016’s “Born of the Sun”. A lot has happened since then, and Dawn McCarthy and Nils Frykdahl, who make up Faun Fables, have been busy raising a family. The album “Counterclockwise” is full of childlike, almost adult nursery rhymes, if there is such a thing. Running at sixteen songs long, there is plenty for everyone, and it is released as a double LP in vinyl format. The cover features the family at home with the washing on the line in the background. Frykdahl unleashes his multi-instrumental vision on the album, playing guitar, flutes, bass, and glockenspiel, and filling in the horn section. Beautiful harmonies abound. ‘Ember Bell’ exemplifies this, and this is where we wander into the prog rock arena, not for the only time. ‘Widdershins’ seems slightly threatening, and as the title suggests, “against the way” or simply counter clockwise. There is a deep cut Bee Gees cover of ‘Black Diamond’, which works. Frykdahl sounds more like David Bowie than any Bee Gees; however, it’s a credible effort. There is a Jon Anderson influence throughout. On the interesting ‘Elfrida’ in particular, there is an inner Yes vibe. The band covers ‘Wonderous Stories’ in the set. A faithful and splendid version. Weird and wonderful, give this some time and you will find something magical hidden within. (6/10)
The next suite in this month’s round-up is from Natalie Padilla, an extraordinary fiddle player from Western Massachusetts. We call it a suite, as that is precisely how it is meant to be listened to. Padilla explains that it felt like a symphony with different movements. Instrumental, except for some ethereal backing from Béatrix Méthé, the record is a thoroughly enjoyable interconnected unit of music. Padilla travelled to British Columbia to work with Canadian musicians on the project; the album is titled “Eostre”, after the Germanic goddess of dawn, and also uses names of other nature deities related to forests for each of the tracks or movements. These are drawn from various cultures worldwide. Released on Earth Day 2025, we can only apologise for not getting to this one sooner but all the best things come to those that wait. Padilla worked with Canadian musician and producer Quinn Bachand, who added his harmonica and fiddle to the mix. The whole collection is beautiful; however, the standout sections are ‘Areg’, the Armenian god of the sun, which slows things down but has the most gorgeous guitar intro that could grace any americana album. It may remind you of a Gillian Welch composition. ‘Simbi’, the Kongo and Hoodoo spirit of water and forest, follows it and has a lovely lilting, waltzing feel to it with simple banjos. Halfway through, it bursts into life. The final movement worthy of special mention is ‘Aja’, which is a sea shanty tune. You may feel the sea breeze in your hair and have this urge to grab a partner and dance around the kitchen or wherever you are listening as long as you are not driving. (7/10)
Finally, we come to our two newcomers on this month’s round-up. First up is the fabulous “Westbound” album from Clementine Lovell. Born in Herefordshire, she spent many summers of her childhood in Ireland. This resonates through in the music, and the voice, which others have likened to Emmylou Harris or Joan Baez, is one of a kind. The opening track ‘Cuckoo’, weighing in at almost eight minutes, has a baroque feel to it with layers of music and changes of pace that will take you off guard. The nearly sinister middle section has a breathing accordion joined by a melancholy fiddle. Lovell sings “The cuckoo is a pretty bird”, and her voice resonates and shimmers. It is magical. This is only the opening song, dear reader, and there are nine more of them equally enchanting. There are upbeat tunes such as ‘Land Army Girl’, which tells the true tale of how Lovell’s grandmother, who moved from Putney to Hertfordshire to work on the land, found a love for life. Lovell wanted ‘John Barnett’ to sound like a music session in the pub, and she nails it. Parts of the album cover the grief of losing a loved one. ‘Here A Moment’ and the charming ‘Westbound’ are lyrically delightful. Again, Lovell’s voice may send shivers down your spine as she sings “Westbound, westbound where the Atlantic meets the sky / Spend a little time just you and I”. The song came to Lovell as she drove through a storm from Rosslare to West Cork to see her father a few years after losing her mother. Evocative and with exceptional musicianship throughout, and Lovell’s wonderful voice, this is a debut to be proud of. (8/10)
Last but certainly not least, we come to Cornwall’s Ezmay Grace and another debut album. “Lien Gwerin”, which is Cornish for Folk tales or Folklore. Grace brings us eight remarkable tales, based on original stories inspired by the area where she lives. You cannot listen to this album without learning something new, whether it’s about Cornwall or perhaps about yourself. Grace has been inspired by the gorgeous coast and the ancient villages that are dotted along the Cornish peninsula. One of the most evocative tunes is ‘Joan’, which tells the accurate tale of Joan Wytte, a local North Cornish woman who was abused, persecuted as a witch and spent her life in pain. Joan’s bones were never laid to rest for many years and have now only been buried in recent times. Listen to the album as Grace covers the story with kindness and dignity. As the lyric and Joan’s headstone say, “Joan, no longer abused”. Grace has a gorgeous voice that is perfectly highlighted on the recent single ‘Siren’. Haunting, with a lilting piano that evokes the feeling of being on a gently rolling sea as the mist rolls around, suddenly surrounded by heavenly voices from the depths. ‘The Lighthouse’ was derived from an original poem by her friend Jeff Sacree. Grace re-worked the lyrics so that they work as a song. The main character, and the lighthouse keeper, lives a solitary life guarding the light until he finds true love washed up and still alive below the 222 steps of the granite beacon. Another outstanding debut, well worth losing yourself in the tales of Kernow for the afternoon and beyond. (8/10)
