Back in stock: Folk/Americana

Review: Martin Carthy's revolutionary trad-folk eponymous debut hears a repress via Topic, the label through which it was originally released. Truly, if it weren't for Carthy, both album and artist, there would be no Bob Dylan nor Paul Simon; having emerged in the early 1960s to a second English folk revival - which, while existing in the ferment of the sweats of one English folklorist Cecil Sharp, whose lifelong travail was to reinvigorate belief in an Englishness founded on myth, decades earlier - Carthy's music was wholly endemic to the latter-day revival of the 1960s, which was far less 'trad' than Sharp's in that it allowed more room for artists to experiment with the form. Though every lyric here is a folk transmission, it's as if Carthy's socialist upbringing (by trade unionist lightermen parents, no less) comes filtered through its every utterance; Carthy approaches every folk classic from Sharp's own invention 'High Germany' through to more indelible standards, such as 'The Wind That Shakes The Barley', 'Scarborough Fair' and 'Springhill Mine Disaster', all with equal legend Dave Swarbrick in tow for fiddle and mandolin duties.

Review: Hailing from Asheville, North Carolina, MJ Lenderman can be found playing guitar in Wednesday when he's not working on his own solo material. Following 2017's Him and a small clutch of self-released items, Boat Songs represents the most polished and developed set of songs from Lenderman to date. There's a country twang in the Southern stylings of his guitar tone, but overall this is classic US indie song craft which isn't afraid to be catchy and upbeat as well as resolutely rocking. If you like Guided By Voices, there's a good chance you'll be into the feel good dose of Boat Songs.

Review: It’s not too late to add to your Christmas album stockpile with one eye on next year’s seasonal celebrations, and where better to look for a classy addition than Aimee Mann’s modern classic One More Drifter In The Snow? The country legend was clear about her creative aims with the record, aiming for the moody, mysterious tone emitted by the likes of Vince Guaraldi and Julie London in their takes on festive music. It’s a record to be savoured by the warm glow of the fire, when the holiday hubbub has given way to intimacy and reflection, and truth be told these standards and original compositions will get you through the winter months regardless of whether it’s still Christmas or not around your record player.

Review: Nancy Sinatra's sophomore album, How Does That Grab You?, solidifies her status as a pop icon. Released in 1966, it features the iconic title track, a top ten hit that encapsulates her sultry and playful style. Another standout is 'Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down),' later made infamous by its inclusion in Quentin Tarantino's 'Kill Bill' films. Sinatra's collaboration with Lee Hazlewood brings a cinematic quality to her songs, creating a haunting and ethereal atmosphere. "How Does That Grab You?" showcases Sinatra's versatility, from the catchy pop melodies to the dramatic ballads, cementing as a legendary performer.

Review: Lux Interior and Poison Ivy, of Cramps fame, team up to deliver Leather Jackets and Diesel Smoke, a whopping 50-track compilation that documents their utmost personal favourite rock recordings, in the micro-veins of acid folk, rockabilly and psychobilly. We'll doff and eat our hats if both said punk legends' rising signs aren't Scorpio. With madcap performances from Donnie James with the Mighty Joe Houston Orchestra, Tall Tonio And The Mello-Dees, Chris Christian And The Chordaires, Elisabeth Waldo, Fred Katz and John Reedy and His Stone Mountain Trio among many more, this is a cavalcade of no-hit wonders, every last one of them a gem. Amounting to a contemporaneous account of the music that The Cramps heard and loved during their rise to notoriety, not to mention the lesser-known music that would've graced the halls of New York's CBGB club, of which they were favourite performers.

Review: Waxahatchee, the solo project of Alabama-born and Kansas City-based Katie Crutchfield, returns with her most confident and resilient album to date. Boosted by lead single '365', shortly followed by 'Right Back To It' and 'Bored', Tigers Blood follows an avowed 'hot hand spell' experienced by the artist while on tour at the end of 2022. But despite the enjoyment, Tigers Blood emotes in many different directions, dealing in every theme from codependency to ennui - that is, between the cracks of joy. A contemporary alt-country rock delight, Tigers Blood hears Waxahatchee do pop music right.