018 - Johnny Flynn (A Larum)

Johnny Flynn is a blessed man, a singer and musician, thespian and a model.  His greatest talent, however,  lies with words. The lyrics to the first song are just so beautiful: a song about actions speaking louder than words. The final verses read:

"I'll soon forget what was never there,

Your words are ash and dust,

All that's left is the song I've sung,

The breath I've taken and the one I must.

If you're born with a love for the wrote and the writ,

People of letters your warning stands clear,

Pay heed to your heart and not to your wit.

Don't say in a letter what you can't in my ear."

Johnny Flynn - The Wrote & the Writ

Johnny Flynn - Brown Trout Blues

017 - John Roberts (Glass Eights)

With this album, less is more. As opposed to cheapening components through their overuse, Roberts' use of restraint maintains their value. He recognizes the potential in holding back, in building up - as well as subverting - expectation. As a result, his music appears smart, well-dressed and sophisticated. I particularly like the use of the piano, which can be heard in Pruned.

John Roberts - Ever Or Not

John Roberts - Pruned

015 - Bowerbirds (Hymns for a Dark Horse)

I don't know any other artists that make music that sounds like this. If Folk were a house, Bowerbirds would be the garden: connected, albeit distinctly. Both male and female vocalists have lovely voices that augment one another when in harmony. Overall, the album feels un-rushed and melancholic, but that doesn't preclude it from having lighter moments, as heard on In Our Talons. I like the use of the accordion, the melodica and the violin. The first two tracks are ordered as they come on the album.

Bowerbirds - Hooves

Bowerbirds - In Our Talons

Bowerbirds - Slow Down

013 - Gold Panda (Lucky Shiner)

Perhaps what makes this album worthy of note is its choice of sounds. Gold Panda incorporates what I can only reductively term Eastern sounds into Western electronic form. As such, the album feels fresh, even if structurally it remains fairly conventional.

N.B. There are two pairs of tracks on the album You/You Pt. II & Before/After We Talked, both of which work well when considered independently and collectively.

Gold Panda - Same Dream China

Gold Panda - Marriage