Reviews
Divergence
Freya Rae | Freya Rae & Louis Bingham
Scottish multi-instrumentalist Freya Rae’s new album, Divergence, is a stirring collection of self-composed tunes that riff on traditional sets and...
Reviewed by Billy Rough in issue: July/2025
Detrás da Serra
Banda De Pífanos Caju Pinga Fogo
The pífano is a type of fife flute that probably originated from Europe but was adapted using bamboo by the...
Reviewed by Andy Cumming in issue: August/2025
Elan
A confessed city boy, Gareth Bonello, aka The Gentle Good, wrote this album during a year-long residency in Wales’ Elan...
Reviewed by Elliw Iwan in issue: August/2025
Chamber Cairn
Jack McNeill | Jack McNeill & Charlie Heys
Recorded across two days deep in the Cumbrian landscape, and written, performed and produced by Jack McNeill on clarinet and...
Reviewed by Tim Cumming in issue: August/2025
All Smiles Tonight
We’ve yet to fully metabolise our experiences of the pandemic. We can relive facts of the time, list off the...
Reviewed by Olivia Cheves in issue: August/2025
Souffles
French-Syrian flute player and singer Jalal follows up her stunning 2023 album Healing Rituals with this set of wind duets....
Reviewed by Jim Hickson in issue: August/2025
Give Water to Birds
Zöj are an intriguing Australian band who defy easy categorisation. Their name means ‘Couple’ in Farsi; they started as a...
Reviewed by Robin Denselow in issue: August/2025
Toumaro
If it wasn’t for Salif Keita, Kassé Mady Diabaté would surely have been recognised as the finest male vocalist in...
Reviewed by Robin Denselow in issue: September/2025
Mirrormouth
Irish singer, composer, performance artist and puppeteer, Branwen Kavanagh's Mirrormouth shepherds us through a pensive, wistful landscape. Surrealism – both...
Reviewed by Billy Rough in issue: September/2025
Shadows
Shadows is an avant-garde exploration of South East Asian musical traditions. Like the shadow puppetry that Indonesian gamelan often accompanies,...
Reviewed by Liam Izod in issue: September/2025
