Underground music & arts magazine with a penchant for the more obscure
Words by Grey Malkin Alula Down (Mark Waters and Kate Gathercole) have been a standout presence in psych folk circles for a number of years; whether as a part of their local Weirdshire movement alongside fellow travellers Sproatly Smith, or releasing gorgeously realised albums such as 2018’s delicate ‘Homespun’ and the seasonal 2020/21 ‘Postcards From … Continue reading Album Review: Alula Down – Leyline
EP Artwork Words by Grey Malkin ‘Sandwood’, the debut EP from fingerstyle guitarist Sam Grassie, follows on from a double headliner single on the esteemed Broadside Hacks label (both tracks are included here) and serves also as a bewitching forerunner of his forthcoming album promised later in the year. Having played previously with folk blues … Continue reading EP Review: Sam Grassie – Sandwood
Lando Manning Interview by Brandon Pestano Brighton based acid-tinged folk musician Lando Manning has released his second EP Brighter Days, a project he describes as “an affirmation of hope that through dark times there is light at the end of the tunnel." With a distinctly dreamy acoustic sound and a gift for subtle poetic song writing, … Continue reading Band to Watch: Lando Manning
Words by Grey Malkin Belbury Poly, Jim Jupp’s long standing project on his renowned and revered Ghost Box label, have made a significant imprint upon popular culture since their debut release ‘Farmer’s Angle’ back in 2004. Instigating and inspiring much of the ‘hauntological’ trend that followed both musically and aesthetically (along with fellow Ghost Box … Continue reading Album review: Belbury Poly – The Path
Words by Grey Malkin Sharron Kraus is one of the most consistently engaging and creative artists in the current psych folk milieu, be it with her lushly orchestrated solo albums such as 2018’s ‘Joy’s Reflection is Sorrow’ and the earlier, baroque ’Friends and Enemies; Lovers and Strangers’, or with her recent work with author Justin … Continue reading Album review: Sharron Kraus – Birdloom
Buck Curran, previously a part of the critically acclaimed and influential psych folk duo Arborea alongside Shanti Deschaine, has been diligently and individually pursuing his own rich and inspired path, weaving Robbie Basho inspired raga with American primitive fingerpicking throughout albums such as 2020’s superlative ‘No Love is Sorrow’, which combined a Popol Vuh-hued sense of the sacred with a … Continue reading Album review(s): Buck Curran – The Long Distance, Delights and Dangers of Ambiguity, and Solstice – A Tribute to Steffen Basho-Junghans
Album artwork by Stephen Titra Words by Lady Godiva Far far away, down the rabbit hole, lives a mystic bard named Constantine. This storyteller has been sharing his epic wanderings in magical lands filled with castles and spells. After the fall of the kingdom he narrated at the tail end of his previous effort, he … Continue reading Album review: Constantine – Fables
Words by Grey Malkin Now here is a curious, and wonderful, discovery. From an era of creative and whimsical psych and acid inflected folk, and of private press albums that now command thousands of pounds for their scratchy yet deeply inventive takes on the musical counterculture, appears a first-time release for an early 70’s sixth … Continue reading Album review: Saphron – Red Amber
Words by Lady Godiva Stemming from Alessio Ferrari’s vivid imagination and bucolic surroundings, The Golden Pond is Upupayama’s new release following his promising self-titled debut from last year. As the artwork may manifest, Upupayāma (literally mountain hoopoe), a semi-fictional bird, still flies over the most outstanding and lush greenery. A mere glance at the sleeve … Continue reading Album review: Upupayāma – The Golden Pond
Album artwork Words by Grey Malkin Minstrels for Sleepless, or multi-instrumentalist Nick Palmer (of Directorsound and The A. Lords) along with friends such as psych folk artist Sharron Kraus, vocalists Ellen Harris and Grainne Nestor, cello player Chris Cole (Third Eye Foundation) and percussionist Ian Holford (Nectarine No.9), initially presented the long awaited My Father … Continue reading Album review: Minstrels for Sleepless – My Father the Sea & Other Fables