suggestions and education for this clueless folkie, please

[campanula]

I used to keep up with music but some point in the 80s, I sort of fell by the wayside and simply couldn't keep up anymore. Plus, I have embarassingly weedy musical tastes ( Decemberists) for example. Must have words. Must be competent but mostly, must be lush. Have been hauling out some of the old stuff I have on CD (Vashti Bunyan, Nick Drake, Increds, Judee Sill, Be Good Tanyas, Gilliam Welch (yep, I have a bit of a country thing) Fat Freddys Drop, John Martyn...O, you know the stuff. I am taking a short cut in the hope that some of the Urban musos, with great taste and wide knowledge, will help this hopelessly bewildered, essentially MOR fan of gran-rock and shoegazey shit, search out some gems...please.
O, I really love a classic voice (Lee Hazelwood, Scott Walker, June Tabor, Joni Mitchell and so on)

 

[yield]

Hope Sandoval?

 

[killer b]

Do you know Sharron Krauss campanula? reckon she fits the bill - try this

 

[two sheds]

Massive Attack took over my listening 15 or so years ago the woman who sings with them on Mezzanine for example has a gorgeous voice and it's a class album to start off with.

 

[killer b]

Mezzanine was released 20 years ago, isn't the thread looking for new music?

 

[killer b]

How about Susan James? decent witchy psychedelic folk-rock - this is from 2015 but got a reissue last year

 

[two sheds]

Mezzanine was released 20 years ago, isn't the thread looking for new music?

20 years ago is new music

 

[BristolEcho]

I've no idea if she fits or not but maybe Lisa Hannigan?





Not sure if that's the best stuff to pick as some of her other stuff is a bit more folky I guess, but I love the album they are from.

 

[May Kasahara]

Jesca Hoop



Jane Weaver



This is totally my bag, will have a hunt through the hard drive for some more recs

 

[editor]

Here's a good selection you can check out on Spotify:

Topsify

Go to Topsify.

playlists.net

 

[editor]

I know they're not to be everyone's taste but this is just about my all time favourite folkie band. Glorious melancholy to the max!

 

[kittyP]

The Unthanks touch my soul, well worth looking into

 

[cyberfairy]

Lankum and The Spook of the Thirteenth Loch are both fantastic Irish folk bands- droney, experimental, political and with some cracking tunes.

 

[BobDavis]

Do you have a modern dab+ radio ? If not you should get one. They are not that expensive. Provided you are in a reasonable reception area which you can check online you will get a choice of 20 or more music stations of every music genre you can think of. Google “dab radio reception checker”. Or you can listen to any of these stations online. I like my radios though because they can just be on around the house without having faff about with online. I like modern American country music. You can listen to that on dab+ stations Smooth Country or another one called Chris Country.

I also like all the old 70s rock of course & that is on Planet Rock or Absolute Classic Rock.

 

[MrSki]

The Astronauts. Folk punk been going from the late 70s.

 

[ska invita]

Lankum and The Spook of the Thirteenth Loch are both fantastic Irish folk bands- droney, experimental, political and with some cracking tunes.

i just dipped into the middle of this at around the 3 minute mark



and i got a hint of U2 - Im not trying to do the music down, more to say I hadnt picked up on the idea that U2 has an irish folk strain within it...its the little guitar arpeggios particularly i think....echoing irish folk fiddling perhaps

as you were

 

[killer b]

There's lots of stuff about atm on the psychedelic folk tip - I think you might like United Bible Studies, who are practically a scene to themselves - they're really prolific and cover a range of styles - some perhaps a bit discordant to obviously fit your brief, but I reckon some of it will be right up your street.

Porti Sepolti from a couple of years ago is gorgeous:



They have a lot of music to check out on their bandcamp, and all their members have other things going on so you could get lost for days if you wanted...

Hawthonn make lush ethereal witch-music out of Leeds - again plenty to go at on their bandcamp, this album from 2018 is great:



The Left Outsides make very pleasant indie-folk-rock in London, bit more upbeat but I think it might work.



Their singer Alison Cotton made my fave album of 2020 which might be a step too far as the first half of the album is a 20-minute instrumental drone track... the second side might work for you though.

 

[hitmouse]

Waxahatchee fucking slaps if you like stuff on the country end of things:


Oh, I've never really developed an opinion about either Mitski or Fiona Apple, but I know a lot of people proper lost their shit over them, so probably worth checking out?
The Choir Practice only have one album, which is just called the Choir Practice, and they never got massive so not that easy to google, but they're really fucking good:


Full album is on youtube here.
Maybe Cinder Well as well, idk?
Oh, and Common Holly, who were one of my last gigs pre-pandemic:

 

[The39thStep]

Daisy House -not really into folk and god knows how you would characterise them but they are a bit like the Byrds meet Sandy Denny in parts. Brill voice jangly guitars .

 

[hitmouse]

Oh, and they're not really what you could call folky by any stretch of the imagination, but Beach House definitely fit the "lush + great voice" criteria:

They have seven very good albums, so plenty to explore if you like that.

 

[killer b]

If you wanted an overview of the current trad folk scene, you could do much worse than checking out some of the Folk On Foot front room festival streams on youtube - they are three one-day festivals which have been streamed over lockdown, with a really solid lineup each time - they're 7 hours each, so best for just sticking on in the background when you're up to other stuff and paying attention when something you like crops up.

all three are here:

 

[May Kasahara]

Tomberlin - lovely introspective spaced-out singer-songwriter stuff.

 

[May Kasahara]

I love the Delines for some gorgeous, losers-and-chancers country soul

 

[Chilli.s]

Folkie rock:

 

[editor]

Really love this from a new Glasgow singer songwriter



Great thread this, by the way.

 

[klang]

coming out of the trembling bells

 

[killer b]

coming out of the trembling bells

I was checking this out last night and it was a touch too twee for me - the final Tembling Bells album was wonderful though.

 

[klang]

I was checking this out last night and it was a touch too twee for me - the final Tembling Bells album was wonderful though.

that really is a great album! shame they split when and the way they did.

re Lavinia - must agree, although seeing her live changed my opinion.

 

[klang]

from Liverpool

 

[killer b]

that really is a great album! shame they split when and the way they did.

re Lavinia - must agree, although seeing her live changed my opinion.

I found the early Trembling Bells stuff too twee too, but Dungeness just totally nailed it. I saw them the year they released that LP when they did one set as TB, and then another set performing Incredible String Band songs with Mike Heron and it was one of the best shows of the year - just totally joyful throughout.

Since they split I've seen their drummer Alex playing with Alasdair Roberts' band - Roberts should also make this thread, he's amazing.

(here they are together this year as it happens)