Elephant Revival – Break In The Clouds [ep] [2010]

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Elephant Revival (ER), the neo-acoustic quintet, represents an emerging new genre referred to as Transcendental Folk. With an all-encompassing approach to musical style, the band creates a unique sound that is both unmistakably modern and soaked in all manner of tradition. Sharing in the art of songwriting and singing are members Bonnie Paine, Sage Cook, Dango Rose, Daniel Rodriguez and Bridget Law. They play an array of acoustic instruments such as washboard, musical saw, fiddle, banjo, mandolin, guitar, upright bass and djembe.

Zulya and The Children of The Underground – Tales Of Subliming [2010]

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Since her arrival in Australia in 1991, Zulya Kamalova has been awing, bewitching, educating and captivating audiences with her Westernised interpretations of Tartar and Russian folk music and this may well be her finest hour.

Dispensing with the Children of the Underground moniker, though keeping the members and adding hosts of other instruments, Tales of Subliming is a monumental achievement, likely to bring her another ARIA for World Music Album of the Year. Expanding from the more traditional folk flavours of earlier releases, this is a free-flowing and inspiring album with production and instrumentation reaching new heights; Kusturica soundtracks and early-80s Tom Waits are the most commonly mentioned touchstones but they barely scratch the surface of what lies here.

Ozark Henry – Hvelreki [2010]

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He’s a prolific and passionate composer/performer and effortlessly connects with other artists from other disciplines, for example in film or fashion. Which leads to fascinating side-projects in other arts. “Our common ground is that we all observe the world around us and comment on what we see or experience. What we create is a personal reflection on our society. I love film, fashion, architecture, plastic arts and literature: they give me new insights. Very inspiring!”

Brett Nelson – Buffalo Jump Art & Crafts [2010]

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Brett Nelson’s debut full-length release Buffalo Jump Art & Crafts reflects his prairie roots, but is most definitely at home on the road and in the cities and towns he passes through. Harmonicas, spacey electric guitars and keys, dobro guitar, expressionistic drumming, field recordings, and one After the Gold Rush guitar solo all help tell the story. Like the three EPs released before it (Now available through independent label Fan Club Music Club), home-recording was the Way. It’s a sparse, honest portrayal of a baker’s dozen folk-roots and blues-inspired tunes by a youngster from a small town with a guitar and some stories to tell. And not to mention a bit of rock n roll, now and then.

Eleanor Murray – Oh Thunder [2010]

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Olympia, WA, warble-songbird Eleanor Murray weaves songs from ferns and yarn. Music that is like looking into a glittery glass terrarium; each track is a miniature world of fog and trees. An album of country-folk dreams to make you swoon for a forest.

AnneMarieke Coenders and Wim Sebo – Go [2010]

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Annemarieke Coenders is a singer/songwriter from Groningen, the Netherlands. For 15 years she was part of the folkgroup Ygdrassil, with which she made 5 albums. Known and admired for their intens harmony-singing, Ygdrassil toured in several European countries. After the end of Ygdrassil Coenders started to cooperate with drummer and soundscape artist Wim Sebo. He adds a wonderful and dynamic layer to Coenders’ poetic songs. Using an electronic drumkit, Sebo combines drum and non-drum sounds in a very subtle way. Violin player Hans Battenberg and trombone player Obed Brinkman are frequently joining Coenders and Sebo on stage. In 2010 Annemarieke Coenders & Wim Sebo released their debut cd Go (CRS). “Dutch folk classic! All songs on Go are of a great beauty, Coenders impresses as singer and songwriter” (HEAVEN) “New duo explores the stirring frayed edges of folk idiom, a surprising and successful combination” (KindaMuzik) “A wonderful album. Go Annemarieke & Wim, play on!” (Platomania) “Intimate songs with a compelling power” (Leeuwarder Courant) “With Go Annemarieke Coenders & Wim Sebo delivered an album which, for connoisseurs, belongs to the very best” (Johnny’s Garden)

Unicorn In Trash – Unicorn In Trash [ep] [2010]

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Lucie Thorne – Black Across The Field [2009]

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“Without exaggeration Black Across The Field is as good as anything I’ve heard this year… Growling with warm tube overdrive, stinging like Neil Young… this is a diverse, profound album… with nuances subtle and breathtaking”
Martin Jones, Rhythms Magazine, March 2009

“This is one of the finest female vocal albums released by an Australian in the last few years. The whole album – from her band, to production, to the songs – is first-rate…make the effort to seek this fine album out”
Readings Monthly, May 2009

“Australia’s PJ Harvey, possessing the punch of Cat Power and the wise words of Joni Mitchell”
Courier Mail, June 2009

Tara Linda – Tortilla Western Serenade [2010]

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Equipped with a sultry voice, button accordion and bass, chanteuse Tara Linda plays jazzy blues, Latin torch, and spaghetti western. A Hohner-endorsed artist, she writes new tangos, waltzes, and boleros, & skirts global genres to blend them into a style uniquely her own.

A Texas native, Tara began drumming in rock and punk bands in Austin, Texas, fell in love with “torch” singing, and later picked up the accordion. “The accordion takes you around the world like no other instrument,” Tara says, “from Argentine bodegas, through French cafés, and to the borderlands of South Texas. As a vocalist, the accordion is perfect…emotional and endlessly expressive.”

Elvis Costello – National Ransack [ep] [2010]

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Bonus EP of National Ransom