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Reviews

Review of Spíra

Spíra

Ólöf Arnalds

Bella Union

Rating: ★★★

Ólöf Arnalds was part of the wave of Icelandic talent that swept into the broader musical consciousness in the early...

Reviewed in issue February/March/2026

Review of Roots

Roots

Kasia Kadłubowska

Go North Records

Rating: ★★★

Kasia Kadłubowska, a Polish percussionist based in Berlin, is on a journey to retrace her roots on the Polish-Ukrainian-Belarusian borderlands....

Reviewed in issue February/March/2026

Review of To long, longing, I have longed for so long // Saltwater songs

To long, longing, I have longed for so long // Saltwater songs

Inger Hannisdal

Inger Hannisdal

Rating: ★★★★

Folk music speaks to the tradition of a place, and carries a deeply personal expression. Norwegian violinist Hannisdal is schooled...

Reviewed in issue February/March/2026

Review of Whitewater

Whitewater

Erwan Keravec

Ici D’ailleurs

Rating: ★★

Erwan Keravec grew up in Brittany, but is a Scottish bagpiper, now resident in Rennes. He marches sternly between modern...

Reviewed in issue February/March/2026

Review of A Loaf of Wax (Live from MOTH Club)

A Loaf of Wax (Live from MOTH Club)

Goblin Band

Top of the World

Broadside Hacks Recordings

Rating: ★★★★

‘Willie’s Lady’ tells the story of a new wife who has more than the usual difficulties with her mother-in-law, who...

Reviewed in issue February/March/2026

Review of Lux

Lux

Rosalía

Columbia/Sony

Rating: ★★★★★

With the media of the globe showering Rosalía’s new album with superlatives and attempts at analysis, one has to ask...

Reviewed in issue February/March/2026

Review of Gil Brenton

Gil Brenton

The Magpie Arc

The Magpie Arc

Rating: ★★★★

Seventies folk provides the throbbing heart of the mighty Magpie Arc’s second full-length album, Gil Brenton. The title-track opens with...

Reviewed in issue February/March/2026

Review of Stafell Sbâr Sain: Tŷ Gwerin

Stafell Sbâr Sain: Tŷ Gwerin

Various Artists

Sain

Rating: ★★★★

Stafell Sbâr Sain (Sain’s Spare Room) is a vibrant showcase of Welsh folk at its most diverse and inventive. Released...

Reviewed in issue February/March/2026

Review of Invented Folksongs

Invented Folksongs

Anna Pidgorna

Redshift Records

Rating: ★★★

Anna Pidgorna is a Ukrainian-Canadian singer and composer, currently residing in Vancouver. Despite this album’s title, her works possess a...

Reviewed in issue February/March/2026

Review of Krope

Krope

Anton Anishchanka

Shatkavalka

Rating: ★★★★

There are three key elements to this environmental journey of an album. This Belarusian sound-shaper, from Minsk, captures carefully placed...

Reviewed in issue February/March/2026

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