Irish label Nyahh captured the sounds of rowdy pub backrooms, the Gentle Good reimagined folk songs from the National Library of Wales and a legend revisited her past
By Jude Rogers
10. Tamsin Elliott/Tarek Elazhary – So Far We Have Come
The maqams (melodic modes) of classical Arabic music meet with English folk flourishes in this exploratory project between Bristolian multi-instrumentalist Elliott and Egyptian oud player Elazhary. They bonded in Cairo before the pandemic and their musical connection feels affectingly deep. Sixteen tracks whirl between seductive elegies on an accordion (tuned to achieve microtonality), Playford dances, twitchy field recordings, and pastoral reveries. Accompanying players also add gorgeous touches, including singer Leila El Balouty on Palestinian song Amy Abu El Fanous (The Lantern Bearer) and Daniel Gouly’s interventions on clarinet. Read the full review
9. Hack-Poets Guild – Blackletter Garland
The tangling of the characterful voices of Marry Waterson (brilliantly continuing the legacy of her mother Lal) and Lisa Knapp (architect of 2017 modern folk classic, Till April Is Dead: A Garland of May) was always going to result in something special. Add Nathaniel Mann’s soft delivery and sound design and Gerry Diver’s quivery, cinematic production and this set of broadside ballads grows fresh, sturdy roots in the present day. Intriguing textures like the bed of plucked, bare strings on Cruel Mother and the spectral layering of voices on Laying the Ghost keep on surprising. Read the full review
8. Various artists – A Collection of Songs in the Traditional & Sean-Nós Style
An electrifying anthology of unfiltered contemporary traditional singing, captured in echoey kitchens and rowdy pub backrooms. Nyahh is one of Ireland’s most exciting small independent labels and this beautifully curated set reminds us of the many talented individuals that bubble up in local scenes who remain under-promoted. The many gorgeous performances include Michael Frank Ó Confhaola’s take on Róisín Dubh, his voice flitting and fluttering like a skittish bird, Thomas McCarthy’s clear storytelling and Nell Ní Chróinín’s joltingly warm Banks of Sullane. Read the full review
7. Brìghde Chaimbeul – Carry Them With Us
A collaboration with avant-garde saxophonist/multi-instrumentalist Colin Stetson, Chaimbeul’s second solo album sees her smallpipes blending bitingly but beautifully with his less muscular than usual but nonetheless magical playing. These arresting, hypnotic compositions explore folkloric tropes like the dark recesses of the childlike imagination and communication with birds. With dissonance often stuttering next to moments of deep beauty, this feels like an album both of its time and out of time.
6. John Francis Flynn – Look Over the Wall, See the Sky
An excitingly singular figure on the Irish music scene, Flynn departs from the ancient atmospheres of his 2021 debut, I Would Not Live Always, to embrace the essential weirdness and cross-genre potential of old songs. Harry Smith anthology staple Mole in the Ground becomes a propulsive, post-rock excursion, carrying shadows of the work of Will Oldham. The Seasons slumbers in a mood of spare, haunted jazz. Within a Mile of Dublin’s playful reel collapses surprisingly, and brilliantly, into anarchic fuzz. So many ideas bristle here.
5. The Gentle Good – Galargan
Taking folk songs from the National Library of Wales, Gareth Bonello’s genius is to create a deceptively simple soundworld spanning various shades of the blues. He gives these Welsh-language songs Sandy Denny-like moods of dimly lit, humane clarity: dressing them gently with beautiful arrangements on the guitar, piano and cello, his singing voice is precise yet gentle. This album lands like an evergreen classic. Read the full review
