Hurray For The Riff Raff – Hurray For The Riff Raff (Loose)
Arcane goings-on in a creaky Americana/ Folk crossover style from this New Orleans-based gang led by singer/ songwriter Alynda Lee Segarra. She has an enviably old head on her youthful 23 year old shoulders.
Jimmy Campbell – Live 1977 (The Viper Label)
Intimate, acoustic guitar and vocal recording from Liverpool’s legendary ‘lost’ hero. Jimmy Campbell fronted brilliant, unsung Merseybeat band The Kirkbys in the mid-1960s, tuned into psychedelia and briefly threatened to morph into a Scouse Nick Drake on the cusp of the 1970s. This recording is believed to be his only solo set in existence.
Occult Detective Club – Crimes (Alive! Records)
Crunching, no-nonsense hardcore Power Pop set from a youthful Texan quartet with distinct Anglophile leanings.
Watts – On The Dial (Watts Recordings)
Truly stylish Retro-Rock with a swaggering, Stones-style edge from the stalwart Boston quartet.
Windings – It’s Never Night (Out on a Limb Records)
Fine sophomore LP from young Irish quintet with a penchant for glorious introspection and the occasional Dinosaur Jr-esque hardcore Punk/Pop blast.
Richard & Linda Thompson – Pour Down Like Silver (Island)
Classic genre-defining Folk-Rock. Still engages and thrills over three decades after its’ initial release.
Terry Edwards – Clichés (Sartorial Records)
Better known as one of the UK’s finest horn players for hire, Terry Edwards has guested with everyone from Madness to the Tindersticks. However, with ‘Clichés’, he has recorded a ‘covers’ LP with a difference. It’s a largely acoustic guitar and vocal record with startling versions of songs from artists as disparate as Alex Chilton, Chet Baker, James Brown and Dr. Feelgood.
The Soft Boys – Underwater Moonlight (Yep Roc)
A milestone in the development of quintessentially English psychedelic pop. Originally released with little fanfare in 1980, it has since established itself as a cult favourite and fully deserves its’ recent re-issue from the mighty Yep Roc label.
Little Miss Higgins – Across The Plains (Manitoba Film & Music)
This fiery Canadian purveyor of Country-Blues returns with a sassy and resonant third studio album.
Various Artists – The Bristol Reggae Explosion 1978-1983 (Bristol Archive Records)
Perhaps best known for helping give birth to the genre ‘Trip-Hop’ with the rise of Massive Attack, Tricky and Portishead, the British port city of Bristol has always known how to dance. In the Post-Punk years, it boasted an enviable Reggae scene and this fabulous 14-track compilation brings many of the tightest grooves and spaciest dub mixes from the period together under one umbrella.
