Billy

Some very satisfying words in album titles this week, if you’ll forgive the fairly tangential way of starting a blog: “Veckatimest”, “Bitte Orca”, and today, “Balf”. “Balf Quarry” is the new album from the Magik Markers – according to the sleevenotes, “A stone quarry in Hartford, CT which has mined traprock since the earliest days of the city.”

Inspired covers. An all-star cast. Result? A career-best set

Billy Bragg, Idlewild also to play the two-day multi venue London festival

The full transcript of the interview from Uncut's cover feature

Faithful take on Alan Moore's 'unfilmable' graphic novel

I have a default rant about the parlous state of most modern British folk which I wheel out here every couple of months or so. Jim Moray and Seth Lakeman are unfailingly indicted, and Alasdair Roberts is held up as the excellent exception which proves the rule. It’s nice, then, to be presented with a new Alasdair Roberts album, “Spoils”, to justify my prejudices.

Missing signer discovered living in south of England

Reissues of first three albums by the high priestess of “American Primitive”

US folk siren adds muscle to her delicate songcraft

If ’66 were ’09: Black Keys man cuts vintage-sounding solo set