Something New #22
It’s a joy to discover a great new album by a band you’ve never heard of, and especially one with a great backstory to boot.
The Kasambwe Brothers have been making music in Malawi since the 1980s using homemade instruments. Their journey has taken them from street performances to international tours and now their first record. The band retain their organic, raw sound with a simple and joyful authenticity that transports the listener to their home country.
Josienne Clarke’s latest album also has a lo-fi feel. It was recorded live, stripping back her material to produce an arresting record filled with vulnerability and intimacy.
Helen Ballentine’s music has always belied the implicit expectations of choosing Skullcrusher as her musical identity. Her new album delves even further into textures and soundscapes with sometimes less compelling results but the record is an absorbing place to dive into.
Anna Calvi has been quiet for a few years, her last album coming back in 2020. She’s started a new Substack and returns with a stunning reworking of Bonnie Prince Billy’s classic I See A Darkness, accompanied by Perfume Genius. Another beautiful cover comes from Mavis Staples, taking on Sparklehorse’s wonderful Sad and Beautiful World.
Swedish experimental musician Anna von Hausswolff brings more mainstream pop elements to her gothic sounds on the latest single from her new album (out tomorrow). The Weather Station are back with a new two-track single following the Humanhood album that came out right at the start of the year.
English folk singer-songwriter Katherine Priddy returns with the first preview of her third album coming in the New Year. Ireland’s Seamus Fogarty also has a new album on the way, his first since 2020’s A Bag Of Eyes.
Among newer names, Merlyn Driver hails from Orkney, Scotland and performs folk music with a strong sense of the natural world; Quiet Houses are an Edinburgh-born, Manchester-based indie-folk/dream-pop duo.
Anthony Moore has been making music for six decades in relative obscurity. Perhaps best known as a lyricist for Pink Floyd and operating in the avant-garde, experimental pop field. His latest album will be released by Drag City next month.
Returning to albums I’ve previewed over the last few posts, there’s further excellent new tracks from Steve Gunn, Courtney Marie Andrews and Devin Shaffer.
The Kasambwe Brothers - Mtima Wanga (My Heart) from The Kasambwe Brothers, released 24 October
Josienne Clarke - Ssanna from Far From Nowhere, released 17 October
Skullcrusher - Red Car from And Your Song Is Like A Circle, released 17 October
Anna Calvi & Perfume Genius - I See A Darkness
Mavis Staples - Sad and Beautiful World from Sad and Beautiful World, coming 7 November
Anna von Hausswolff - Aging Young Women (feat, Ethel Cain) from Iconoclasts, coming 31 October
The Weather Station - Airport
Katherine Priddy - Matches from These Frightening Machines, coming 6 March
Seamus Fogarty - I Passed your House
Merlyn Driver - Onto Something (feat. Owen Spafford) from It Was Also Sometimes Daylight, released 10 October
Quiet Houses - I Know How To Dream
Anthony Moore & AKA & Friends - It’s Fear from On Beacon Hill, coming 21 November
Steve Gunn - Morning On K Road from Daylight Daylight, coming 7 November
Courtney Marie Andrews - Keeper from Valentine, coming 16 January
Devin Shaffer - Anyone from Patience, coming 7 November
Great playlist Mark! I’m really enjoying the Josienne Clarke, Skullcrusher, and Anna von Hausswolf albums. It’s lovely to hear Anna Calvi again; hopefully she’ll have a new album coming soon. I’ve not heard of Katherine Priddy. That track is lovely.