I’d been hopeful that the Quiet Revolution would be able to return to it’s regular fortnightly live broadcasting from 8 December. However, following the announcement of the new lockdown tiers, HFM Radio is extending it’s temporary reduction in programming with each day’s live show’s ending at 9pm. This will of course be reviewed at a later date and I’ll keep you posted.
This won’t stop the show though as I’ll continue to put together shows from home and these will be uploaded to my MixCloud account. If you haven’t checked this out now’s the time to do so.
I’m aiming to upload a new show in the next 2/3 days, then some favourite releases of the year specials and hopefully a programme featuring alternative seasonal songs. Stay tuned and keep and eye here and on Twitter for more.
Unfortunately as a response to lockdown HFM Radio has made temporary changes to its schedules resulting in a reduction in live programming. This means all specialist music shows with a 9pm start time won’t be on air until December. Hopefully (fingers crossed) my next live show will be on 8 December.
I plan to record a show which I’ll upload direct to Mixcloud during the month so please listen if you fancy doing so.
Following on from my blog post yesterday here’s the first of what may well be a number of sequels…
I’d like to credit Alec Bowman, a film-maker, photographer and fine musician in his own right for introducing me to Arborist. Here’s a song I’ve been playing on repeat, A Northern View from their same name album.
It’s that time of the year again. The music magazines are already publishing albums of the year from their perspective. Over recent times I’ve made it slightly easier on myself by dividing the year into two. So back in June I posted in three separate instalments the standout albums for me up to that point. And now here are the my favourites from the second half of 2018.
Before I post any further, I recognise there is always a risk, whenever you post a list like this, that another fantastic album or EP is just around the corner. I’ve got that covered anyway, I will post an addition in a few weeks from now should I stumble upon a few brilliant new releases that are too good to leave out.
Oh, and one other thing. I’ve always struggled with brevity, if you listen to the show regularly and my conversation between tracks you’ll understand I’m sure. So this is not a lovely neat list of 10 or 20 records. That’s just impossible to slim all the great records to that small number. And finally it’s not a list that is in any sort of order. It’s simply a random posting up of the records that have meant something to me with wherever possible a video of a track I like from the album or EP. I’ll filibuster no more, here’s the list…. Enjoy exploring and please feel free to post up any comments and indeed recommendations you may have for me for releases that are your favourites from 2018.
Jess Morgan – And I can’t keep still EP
Eliza Gilkyson – Secularia
Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus – Boygenius EP
Katherine Priddy – Wolf EP
Kristian Kjellvander – Faux Guernica
Rab Noakes – Welcome to Anniversaryville
The Milk Carton Kids – All the things that I did and all the things that I didn’t do
Jess Morgan – Blue Jay single
Steve Tilston – Distant days
Robby Hecht and Caroline Spence – Two People
Alden Patterson and Dashwood – By the night
Jason McNiff – Joy and Independence
Lera Lynn – Plays well with others
The Innocence Mission – Sun on the square
Lachlan Bryan and The Wildes – Some girls quite like country music
Amanda Shires – To the sunset
Drew Morrison and the Darkwood – Electric-Notes Wild
Elephant Micah – Genericana
Lori McKenna – The Tree
Kerry Devine – Away from the mountains
The Cowboy Junkies – All that reckoning
M G Boulter and the Free – Blood Moon EP
Dan Webster – Devil Sky
Vanessa Peters – Foxhole Prayers
Grace Petrie – Queer as folk
Treetop Flyers – Treetop Flyers
Tunng – Songs you make at night
Drew Morrison and the Darkwood – Electric Notes Wild
Curse of Lono – As I fell
Me for Queen – Loose end
Gilmore and Roberts – A problem of our kind
Annie Dressner – Broken into pieces
Austin Lucas – Immortal Americans
Glorietta – Glorietta
The Willows – Through the wild
Ciara O’Neill – Arrow
Martyn Joseph – Here come the young
Sinnober – Projection
David Berkeley – The Faded Red and Blue
Ed Harcourt – Beyond the end
Kitty MacFarlane – Namer of clouds
Phillip Henry – True North
Jesse Matas – Tamarack
Kelly Oliver – Botany Bay
John Smith – Hummingbird
Marc Ribot – Songs of Resistance 1942-2018
Nathan Bell – Love bones and stars
Trevor Moss and Hannah-Lou Fair Lady London
Cam Penner – At war with reason
Karine Polwart, Steven Polwart and Inge Thomson – Laws of motion
I remember seeing Jack Harris play a set in the Saloon stage at Truck Festival a few years back. I really like what I heard and made a mental note to investigate his excellent music further. And when Winter Wilson appeared on the show to do a live session in 2016 I asked them to choose some tracks they enjoyed by other artists or bands. It just so happened one of them was by Jack Harris, Sylvia Plath’s Lullaby, a superb song from The Flame and the Pelican.
So I was delighted when I discovered Jack had a long awaited new album out, produced by Gerry Diver, a fine producer. The album is The Wide Afternoon. Listen to it and you can completely see why fellow singer songwriter, and another Quiet Revolution favourite Anais Mitchell describes him as “a priest of song” and Q magazine refer to him as “a unique lyrical mind”.
The album offers 11 new songs inflected with folk and blues. The overall sound of the album is fascinating in itself, Gerry Diver weaving in violins and eerie percussion. There are songs of dangerous men, literary women, stolen horses, waterlogged houses and vanished birds. All in all another brilliant release from the Welsh singer songwriter.
Devon Sproule The Gold String
I’ve been a fan of Devon Sproule’s music since I was sent a copy of her 2007 album Keep Your Silver Shined. A great album and I’ve followed the Canadian/American musician’s career since then. A couple of releases have followed that one on Coventry-based record label Tin Angel Records and an excellent collaboration with Mike O’Neill called Colours.
So I was really pleased that Devon released a new album this year, The Gold String. And as you might imagine it’s another superb record. Great live too, I was lucky enough to catch Devon at The Greystokes in Sheffield in March. But don’t just take my word for it, here’s what others have said “Sproule’s lyrics glance off each other arrestingly, juxtaposing images.” (Financial Times) and “Her quirky affectations bring to mind Bjork, and forays into the dark, Michelle Shocked.” (Village Voice).
I’ve enjoyed Robb Johnson’s music for years now. I like his social conscience and the political dimension that come through in many of his songs. Check out his back catalogue and songs like Hope St Tomorrow Afternoon, Be Reasonable and many more. He also does humour extremely well and tenderness, songs that will bring a tear to your eye, such as the gorgeous Don’t close the bar. But these are from his previous albums yet the new album My Best Regards is full of songs that are equally as compelling as the ones I’ve mentioned already.
On the album Robb is joined by pianist Jenny Carr and bassist John Forrester, as well as his son Arvin playing drums and percussion. The songs cover subjects from the personal to the political; from birthdays to migrations; from late night bus stops to the Sidmouth promenade; from Babbacombe Model Village to Franz Kafka and Prague. They additionally cover new babies in Hollingdean, MPs’ 10% pay rises, and Turkish red wine and charity shops in Broadstairs. My standout track, if I have to select just a mere one song is When the Tide Comes in recorded with the Palestinian singer Reem Kelani. I must have played it a good few times on the show. And I can envisage it finding it’s way onto a future playlist too.
Check out my Best Regards, I feel certain you’ll like it.
I must acknowledge that I’d not come across Joe Purdy until I received a copy of this album in the post. I try and discover as much new music as I possibly can but sadly some good stuff can escape under my radar. But with Joe Purdy better late than not at all.
This record is excellent, an American singer songwriter with a Dylan-like vocal style in some respects. In fact he’s been described as planting his feet deep in the tradition of folk artists such as Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan and Phil Ochs. Right up my musical street, protest songs for 2016, Joe’s been referred to as a passionate observer and participant of our times. Yep, I’d concur with that. He’s a great find, only wish it hadn’t taken me quite so long.
Children of privilege is my current favourite song from the album. Have a listen here.
