Three Chords and the Truth UK

  The narrative behind the album is Track Dogs 20th anniversary. An achievement in itself coupled with the band releasing over 11 albums and cultivating a trademark sound. Self irony is evident in the title as existing fans will be reassured that a successful formula has only been tinkered not cast aside. STILL AT THE MUSIC with its implied work-in-progress is a dozen-strong collection of tracks delivered with a crisp assertiveness. The album is an antithesis to the grower as it reaches peak appeal in first play without any significant drop off as its durability is tested. Snappy songs and a polished groove cut deep appealing as much to fresh listeners as those fully in tune to an international outlook blending influences from Latino to folk to Americana.   The acclaimed Madrid-based quartet are renowned for a tight instrumental core of guitar, bass, cajon and trumpet. The latter being the most definitive in mid-stride, Over the years sound expansion has utilised banjo, ukulel...

  Free Dirt Records have been at the heart of American folk and roots music for 20 years releasing albums that have been picked up and reviewed all around the world. Some of their alumni have become household names, while others remain embedded in their own communities. The constant is whatever the slant - country, folk, old time, bluegrass, singer-songwriter - the music is pure, authentic and dealt in an idealist wrapper. My single most memorable engagement with Free Dirt is being exposed to the utterly gorgeous music of Dori Freeman in 2017.  To commemorate this milestone the label have released a dozen-strong collection of demos, b-sides, live cuttings and the odd brand new song, though all now having a debut recorded format. Each artist breathes the Free Dirt ethos. Some have a profile overseas, others may be a new name to many. The collection is a worthy insight to what the label does and is  a fabulous listen to anyone with a fondness for this style of Americana mus...

  Transatlantic duo A Different Thread reached the penultimate stop of a hectic October UK tour with a show in a place and area that has been kind to them in the past. Prior to a successful reunion in North Carolina, the English Midlands was one of the locations for the transient relationship between Alicia Best and Robert Jackson. The Kitchen Garden has been supportive, hosting shows and scheduling at festivals, while local radio has been a loyal advocate through airplay. The scene was set for a return to catch up with familiar faces, this time in proud possession of a current album that upped the ante of this industrious and innovative roots act. The narrative behind A Different Thread’s near decade existence is well-documented and a sign of the times where movement between lands is impaired. You could be in novella territory or a short indie b-movie script charting the journey to where we are today. The soundtrack could easily be the latest record, which proved the centrepiece o...

  Character immersion is a key facet of Ags Connolly’s writing, likely aided by his other shift as a published novelist.. You sense the work of a man in a parallel existence. His songs hit the mark as the mind is displaced from rural Oxfordshire to a random barroom in Austin or Fredericksburg. The tools are sharpened on his latest album with a schooled capability to read the classic country rule book. Alongside a dive into the complexities of human emotion, YESTERDAY’S MAN refines the sonic landscape with tender layers of delectable pedal steel heading an exemplary musicianship.  Ten tracks form this optimally received album where not a breath is wasted. The sculpted vocals set the scene. The lyrics drop subtle clues of context. The effect leads the listener along a highway littered with rueful debris and contemplative charm. Connolly’s pen carves a caricature, while the sound induces the odd two step, shuffle or gentle sway to the sad chords of a resigned beat.  Nost...

  A fruitful dive into a body of work is on offer when English folk outfit Bird in the Belly hit the recording trail. Following their 2022 post apocalyptic album After the City, the quartet return with a multi-layered effort exploring the unusual, the macabre and the forgotten. The base of ONLY DOGS AS FRIENDS is the premise of a dozen tales spun through adapting traditional song and poetry, and writing original lyrics. Words, voice and instrumentation construct a powerful collection. Some are awash with hooks to drive the impact, while others are of a more challenging persuasion. The outcome pushes boundaries and evokes an idiosyncratic style.  An end of October release date is appropriate for the eerie and morbid themes. No more than a gruesome mass act of drowning children in the river as told in ‘ Hen’s Egg’. Death takes a different turn in the title track with ‘ Only Dogs as Friends’ telling of a deceased body laid in public eventually identified by a faithful pet dog.. ...

  Fanny Lumsden is an artist of varying shades. A euphoric stage show hellbent on loosening the shackles of any sedentary observer contrasts with a thoughtful recording artist filing her thoughts through considered songs. This twin approach is doing no harm as her stock is particularly growing in Europe where the gigs prove an unforgettable experience, festival bookings are becoming sought after and album awareness is growing. 2023s HEY DAWN was an introduction overseas for many, though Lumsden is an established award winning artist in her native Australia. The upward trajectory is set to continue now TRADITIONS lays out its worth for keen observers to savour.  Country trappings adorn Fanny Lumsden’s work through her rural lifestyle and perceptive writing dealing in observational emotion. The soundtrack blends minor roots instrumentation with layers of pop/rock sensibility and her songs follow the trail of the 90s/00s country mainstream when women broke the ceiling. The latest...

The art of subtly crafting a distinctive album is explicitly exhibited by LA based songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Abby Posner. REST & RISE frames the duality of how an individual responds to a catalogue of adverse situations The album falls into two camps defined by vibe and tempo. The opening half is introspective and moody lamenting a parting within a scope of mindful musicianship. Shackles are thrown off at the midpoint and spiky punchier sounds prevail. Yet despite the switch in shade the writing continues to muse and dissect. Even when Posner comes out fighting, there is still an underlying feel of trying to make sense of it all. The result is a compelling record best comprehended head deep in the lyrics, though sparky melodies and alluring segments sate the tasting experience.  The album format was almost built for this song collection. Posner, the sole writer and prime musician albeit aided by guest vocals and additional pedal steel, meticulously places the track...