Early Morning

Younger than that now? Somewhat surprisingly, Scottish alt-folky Alasdair Roberts revisits the work of his first band Appendix Out on his new album The Songs Of My Boyhood. Which gives us the opportunity to compare the old with the new, and that's great fun indeed.

Alasdair Roberts - Frozen Blight
Appendix Out - Frozen Blight

Glory Down The Glen

Our fave Scottish folkie is back with a band and a bang, and that's some good news. The Downward Road is a rollicking taster in ye olde Fairport mode for a new album called Pangs, which will come out late February on Chicago's renowned Drag City label. Can't wait.

Alasdair Roberts - The Downward Road

Sun Shines Down On Carlisle Wall

It´s no big step from Joanna Newsom to Alasdair Roberts. They´re labelmates on Drag City, pals with and championed by Bonnie Will Oldham and they both operate in what some people call the freakfolk genre. The former Appendix Out vocalist is a lot less freaky than Newsom though, preferring a more traditional approach to folk. And that´s cool, too.

On my fave album of his for instance, the Scotsman shows a lot of reverence for ye olde ballads he takes on. Following in the footsteps of Shirley Collins, Planxty and Nic ´Penguin Eggs´ Jones, there´s not a trace of postmodern irony here. Tastefully and sparsely instrumentated in a no-frills Oldham production, No Earthly Man simply sounds pure and timeless. For proof, listen to the beautiful infanticide ballad The Cruel Mother, starring Isobel Campbell on cello and John McCusker on fiddle amongst others. "And the lion shall be lord of all..."

Alasdair Roberts - The Cruel Mother MP3