Talking with the Taxman About Poetry is the third album by Billy Bragg, originally released in September 1986.This long overdue vinyl reissue comes in a gatefold sleeve and was remastered by John Webber at Air Studios using high-resolution transfers made from master tapes in Billy's archives. There will also be a limited edition run of coloured vinyl albums.For Talking with the Taxman About Poetry, Bragg embraced a more fully realised band sound with the help of special guests Kirsty MacColl and Johnny Marr and production courtesy of John Porter (Roxy Music, The Smiths) and Kenny Jones. 'Taxman...' was his first top ten album and gave the world some of his most enduring songs in 'Greetings To The New Brunette' (his first top 40 hit), live favourite "Levi Stubbs' Tears" about a victim of domestic abuse taking comfort in the music of the Four Tops, and classic workers' anthem "There Is Power in a Union".
Tracklist:
Greetings to the New Brunette
Train Train
The Marriage
Ideology
Levi Stubbs' Tears
Honey, I'm a Big Boy Now
There Is Power in a Union
Help Save the Youth of America
Wishing the Days Away
The Passion
The Warmest Room
The Home Front
UPC: 711297150865Label: Cooking VinylRelease Date: 11.27.26Format: CD
Workers Playtime is the fourth album by Billy Bragg, originally released in September 1988. This long overdue vinyl reissue comes in a gatefold sleeve and was remastered by John Webber at Air Studios using high-resolution transfers made from master tapes in Billy's archives. There will also be a limited edition run of coloured vinyl albums.Helmed by legendary producer Joe Boyd (Nick Drake, Fairport Convention et al) and his former Riff Raff bandmate Wiggy, Workers Playtime saw Bragg deliver his most tender and empathetic collection. The band featured the legendary Danny Thompson on double bass, BJ Cole on pedal steel, Bruce Thomas (Elvis Costello & The Attractions) on bass and Micky Waller on drums. Licking his wounds after another victory for Margaret Thatcher at the '87 general election, he wrote 'Waiting For The Great Leap Forwards', one of his most enduring songs, while the stunning a capella 'Tender Comrade' confronts the ugly prejudice of the moral majority. Melancholy and disillusionment are part and parcel of Bragg's songwriting, but always with a healthy dash of optimism.
Tracklist:
She's Got a New Spell
Must I Paint You a Picture
Tender Comrade
The Price I Pay
Little Time Bomb
Rotting on Remand
Valentine's Day Is Over
Life with the Lions
The Only One
The Short Answer
Waiting for the Great Leap Forwards
UPC: 711297150964Label: Cooking VinylRelease Date: 11.27.26Format: CD
With "Aion's Light", Blood and Sun's third full-length album, Luke Tromiczak brings his vision of American neofolk back to it's rawest foundations while pushing further into the borderlands between song, spell, and memory.The album was recorded entirely on the same Tascam 414 four-track cassette portastudio used for Blood and Sun's earliest demo. Songs were written and tracked in the order they appear, effects were committed to tape, and each bounced-down instrument narrowed the path ahead. Every decision carried weight; raw instinct became part of the final form.Musically, "Aion's Light" stands somewhere between 70s folk songcraft, underground black metal spirit, and the eerie atmospheres of B-movie horror soundtracks. Echoes of Scott Walker, Of the Wand and the Moon, Woven Hand, Swans, Dave Bixby, Exuma, Leonard Cohen, and Storm can be felt throughout. Guitar chords are hammered into place as a foundation for bass, keyboards, percussion, and voice; sparse arrangements gather weight through repetition, atmosphere, and the grain of the recording itself.
Tracklist:
Aion's Light
Life Lessons
Jacob's Ladder
Kiss the Wilds
Horrid Host
Gifts of Oneiroi
Axe and Mistletoe
A Nation Falling
All Is Bloom All Is Ruin
UPC: 7350142983628Label: NordvisRelease Date: 11.20.26Format: CD
On ""Light and Matter"", Caroline Marie Brooks finds herself in good company. The Ontario-based songwriter's second solo record spills over with visions of nature rendered in earthy folk-pop, locating wonder and comfort in the nourishing tendencies of the wider world's green and blue swaths of abundance while also coming to terms with the complexity of being in fellowship with other living things. Sweet, bright melodies wrap like vines around the connections in sisterhood, motherhood, friendship, and romance that she writes thoughtfully about, buoyed by intricate, percussive arrangements filled out by trusted musical good company-producer, Josh Van Tassel, and instrumentalist Dean Drouillard, with guests Christine Bougie and Colin Carbonera. Aptly, Caroline keeps the good company of good ideas, too-like encountering a special bird, walking in dense woods, considering the body of someone you love, and swimming in a pond-makes one wonder how or why anyone tries to do all the things one is apparently supposed to do as an artist in the 21st century. ""It's a lot to keep up with, but I just want to make music, make a living, be with my family, and love people, and have people love me,"" Brooks says. ""And not just for the music, either,"" she adds with a laugh.On ""Light and Matter"" Caroline extends an invitation wide and with an open heart. In ""the solitude of twilight"" or among loved ones, ""Light and Matter"" offers the balm of that simple phenomenon to be cherished: good company.Caroline Marie Brooks is a founding member of acclaimed folk trio Good Lovelies, who are celebrating their 20th anniversary as a band later this year. As a member of Good Lovelies, Caroline has won multiple JUNO and Canadian Folk Music Awards. She has toured Canada, the US, and the UK extensively.
Tracklist:
Make it Happen
Good Mother Good Partner
Katie
Mary
See Us Rise
Rose's River
Put in the Work
Retrograde
The Pool
Good Company
UPC: 623339846127Label: Caroline Marie BrookRelease Date: 10.23.26Format: CD
'Very few people have the capacity to sound like seasoned pros when playing live on college radio, but singer-songwriter Corbi Wright does. Blessed with an angelic voice that brings to mind both the folky harmony of Joni Mitchell and the husky jazz of Norah Jones, she doesn't need much to keep an audience mesmerized...Wright pens songs that are simple yet lovely ballads that evoke the kind of wintry, I-just-got-back-from-the-cold-and-want-to snuggle-with-someone-here-for-a-while type of imagery.' -Stephanie Laemoa, 'Eight Days a Week' San Francisco Bay Guardian.
Tracklist:
Love Will Win
Is This The Season
Well, The City
All The Little Ways
I'd Like To Wake My Baby
Hello Dolly
Last Night
I Can Be Like Open Arms
Can You Boogie?
Now And Then
A Modern Romantic
I Thought Of Calling Her
The Makers And The Shakers And The Mountains
I Am The Wall
UPC: 675130544429Label: Abaton Book CompanyRelease Date: 11.6.26Format: CD
A 2-CD set celebrating the 50th anniversary of Eric Andersen's first Japanese tour-which also marked the first time an American singer-songwriter performed there. Four of the 1976 concerts were recorded, and the best performances of 17 songs were selected from them-truly the best of the best. The tracks span various phases of Eric's recording career: Vanguard, Columbia and Arista. Alone on stage, he recreates the magic of those wonderful, timeless songs. A must-have album!
Tracklist:
Florentine
Time Run Like a Freight Train
Wild Crow Blues
I Shall Go Unbounded
Moonchild River Song
Sweet Surprise
How It Goes
Be True to You
Woman, She Was Gentle
Dedecation
Thirsty Boots
Come to My Bedside
Blue River
Is It Really Love at All
Down at the Cantina
Violets of Dawn
Wind and Sand
UPC: 7393210307223Label: New Shot RecordsRelease Date: 12.11.26Format: CD
Fionn Regan's eighth album, Berlin, Berlin, is a stark, intimate and instinctive collection of songs, written and recorded in just five days in East London. Arriving swiftly after the acclaimed O Avalanche, it embraces minimalism, atmosphere and poetic storytelling, unfolding like a half-remembered film glimpsed in the small hours. From the spectral opening of 'Hurricane Bruise' to the nocturnal title track and the warm devotion of closing song 'Love Blood', Berlin, Berlin moves through winter light, rain-soaked streets, lost characters and fleeting romance. Raw yet richly cinematic, it feels less constructed than discovered—a record shaped by instinct, intuition and the mysterious pull of the songs themselves.
A natural storyteller whose career stretches back to his Mercury Prize shortlisted debut The End of History, Regan has created a record that feels timeless and quietly radical: a lost cult classic waiting to be found.
Tracklist:
Hurricane Bruise
Don't Forget Your Friends
Black Silk Dress
Berlin
White Gold
Your Love Is Like Wine
Michibki No Hoshi
The Streets Are Wet With Rain
Fox Kiss
Love Blood
UPC: 617308075083Label: Cormorant BirdRelease Date: 1.22.27Format: CD
A moving live recording from the celebrated pianist, capturing the beauty and intimacy of his seasonal performances. UPC: 618321540220Label: ValleyRelease Date: 10.23.26Format: CD
Isaac Stalling’s debut album, Falling in Place, is an intimate collection of eleven songs that embraces vulnerability over perfection. Written in the aftermath of heartbreak and recorded live with close friends in New York, the album preserves the spontaneity, warmth, and emotional honesty of its creation, favoring instinct and human connection over polished production. Blending understated indie folk, Americana, and singer-songwriter influences, Falling in Place captures the uncertainty of change, the weight of memory, and the quiet hope of moving forward. The result is a deeply personal debut that introduces Stalling as a compelling new voice whose songs feel lived-in, unguarded, and profoundly human.
Tracklist:
Covers
Dusty
Anna Lee
Dream Again
Over My Shoulder
Walls
Wasted Days
Every Dollar
Little Life
Daily Faces
In Between
UPC: 732388043088Label: Stalling RecordsRelease Date: 11.6.26Format: CD
CD in Digipak.
Tracklist:
Simple Life
On a Wave
Take Your Time
Everyday
Stressed Out West
Lexi
How Soon?
Full Circle
Midwinter
Heavy Silence
UPC: 0632556093535Label: Nine X NineRelease Date: 10.9.26Format: CD
Name-checked in the Timothee Chalamet film A Complete Unknown as well as by Bob Dylan himself in the Martin Scorsese-directed film Rolling Thunder Revue, Jim Kweskin was a key figure in the 1960s folk revival. He performed with his Jim Kweskin Jug Band on bills with Janis Joplin and the Doors and at Newport Folk Festival, directly inspiring the formation of the Grateful Dead. Hot on the heels of a 2025 long-form NPR interview, this new album finds Kweskin recording some of his most beloved concert material, including songs made famous by Jelly Roll Morton, Kenny Rogers, Hank Williams, Elvis Presley, Glenn Miller with his signature wit and blend of folk, western swing, and early jazz. The album features five-time GRAMMY Award-winning pedal steel player Cindy Cashdollar and was co-produced by bassist Matthew Berlin (Howard "Louie Blue" Armstrong).
Tracklist:
Would You Like to Play the Guitar
Just Because
Dig My Grave
Mind Your Own Business
Right Now Blues
I'm Beginning to See the Light
The Moonshiner
I Love You Just Because
Chattanooga Choo Choo
The Gambler
Dr Jazz-Stomp
Bye Bye Blackbird
Never Let Me Go
The Glory of Love
Mary of the Wild Moor
Culpable Soy (Noche Serena)
Needed Time
Still Not Dead
UPC: 199384550932Label: Jalopy RecordsRelease Date: 11.20.26Format: CD
Tracklist:
Gold
Lost Her in the Sun
Runaway Fool of Love
Somewhere Down the Line
Midnight Wind
Over the Hill
Spinnin' of the World
Comin' Out of Nowhere
Heart of the Dream
Hand Your Heart to the Wind
Children of the Morning
Hard Time Town
Hollywood Dreams
Wind on the River
Wheels of Thunder
Monterey
Odin (Spirit of the Water)
Lady of Fame
The Raven
Love Has Tied My Wings
Nightman
Moonlight Rider
UPC: 4000127177599Label: Bear FamilyRelease Date: 11.6.26Format: CD
New album from singer, musician and actor Johnny Flynn and his sister Lillie. Beam Cottage is Johnny's seventh album and the follow-up to The Moon Also Rises, his 2023 album in collaboration with the celebrated author Robert Macfarlane (charted at #5 in the OCC Official Folk Chart of the Year 2023, and #57 in the Official Album Chart). Beam Cottage gathers music from Johnny and Lillie's childhood, as well as reworkings of music from Johnny's extensive catalogue that they have played live in different iterations over the years in a band together
The album opens with a new original song from Johnny, 'The Music of the Spheres', and includes the songwriting debut from Lillie 'Brockwell Park', and closes with a lullaby penned by their father, as well as reinterpretations of traditional songs and covers, such as Paul Simon's 'The Boy In The Bubble', Hank Williams' 'Rambling Man', plus 'Hares on the Mountain' and 'Iduema'.
The album was produced by Charlie Andrew (Alt-J, Marika Hackman, London Grammar), and first single, the live favourite 'The Ghost Of O'Donahue' features acclaimed South African vocal harmony group The Joy.
Beam Cottage is available on CD, classic black vinyl and limited edition corn yellow vinyl (indies exclusive).
Johnny and Lillie played two sold out shows at the Regents Park Open Air Theatre last autumn and will be playing the Royal Festival Hall on 21st November, with tour dates TBA in 2027
Tracklist:
The Music of the Spheres
The Ghost of O'Donahue ft. The Joy
The Boy In The Bubble
The Lady is Risen
Tell Old Bill
Moon River
Rambling Man
Brockwell Park
Hares on the Mountain
Between the Wars
Dink's Song
Idumea
Been Listening
Sleepy Head
UPC: 5063176130822Label: Cold Bread LtdRelease Date: 11.6.26Format: CD
Acclaimed singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Jonah Kagen announces his sophomore album, Eternity of Anything, arriving October 30 via Arista Records.
If Kagen's debut album Sunflowers and Leather was born from motion, Eternity of Anything is its inverse. The earlier record followed a year of travel in an Airstream that doubled as a mobile studio, gathering stories from landscapes, strangers and life on the road. For the new album, Kagen stopped moving. He isolated himself, stayed in one place and confronted the emotional demons and questions he had previously been able to outrun.
The result is a deliberately melodramatic and self-aware portrait of romantic turmoil. Rather than tracing a single relationship or working toward the clean resolution of a conventional breakup record, Eternity of Anything follows Kagen as he confronts a subject that only grows more complicated the longer he sits with it. UPC: 199584850825Label: AristaRelease Date: 11.13.26Format: CD
With Love Letters, drummer and composer Joost Lijbaart has created perhaps the most personal album of his career, an album on which he let's go of many of his musical certainties.After 35 years in jazz, improvisation and world music, Lijbaart asked himself a simple yet confronting question: what remains when technique, virtuosity and musical complexity are stripped away? What happens when the only intention is to play honestly?The answer was rhythm, sound and the expressive power of words.Together with young New Zealand singer, bassist and songwriter Amelie Spinks and American bassist River Adomeit, Lijbaart formed the band Sunflower. In it's music, his long-standing love of country, folk and Americana comes clearly to the surface-genres he had listened to for years but had never previously explored in a project of his own.The age difference between the three musicians (Spinks is 23, Adomeit 29 and Lijbaart 58) did not create distance. Instead, it became a source of inspiration, shaping the songwriting, the lyrics and the musical concept.Their collaboration brought back the excitement of first experiences: making music without routine and without predetermined roles.For Lijbaart, Sunflower also required a radical new approach to drumming. Much of what he had developed throughout his career, extended percussion, complex rhythms and technical virtuosity had no place in these songs. Instead, he searched for something more essential: rhythm, texture and expression through simplicity, finding exactly the right balance between instrumentation, lyrics and groove.The songs on Love Letters draw attention to the places where life may reveal itself most truthfully: in small gestures, in touch, in waiting and in care. They open up a world in which quiet actions carry more meaning than grand statements, and where silence and listening can lead to greater understanding and wisdom.At the heart of the album is the idea of equality not as a declaration, but as a way of being.In 'If I Was a Woman, ' Lijbaart consciously attempts to step into a perspective that is still too often overlooked within a patriarchal society. 'Eight Hands on a Black Cat' explores the strange contrast between the tangible, truthful experiences of domestic life and the noise and superficiality of the outside world.For Joost Lijbaart, Sunflower is not a side project, but a new artistic beginning: music made without protection, in which virtuosity no longer determines what should be said. The song does. UPC: 608917614923Label: BuzzRelease Date: 10.23.26Format: CD
After a long break, we're happy to present another masterpiece in The Fact Of Being collection. A long-awaited reissue of the legendary ambient/new-age album 'Reflections' by Laura Allan with Paul Horn.The album was recorded in 1980 and marked by the participation of twice Grammy Awarded jazz legend flutist Paul Horn. The meeting of Laura and Paul was a true miracle that brought amazing fruit. Since 80th 'Reflections' captivate the minds of spiritual ambient music fans all over the world.Magical sounds of flute, endless melodies of zither, Laura's heavenly voice lighted by meditative bells and synthesizers. A simple recipe but with great talents and unique results. Laura's reflections lead a listener to deep meditation, harmony, and to the eternal palace of inner peace. We hope you'll share with us the pleasure of listening to the record and the world become a bit more peaceful place for everyone.This is the first reissue on the vinyl since 1984 when the album was repressed the last time. After 38 years the record became collectors' dream and now it's available again as it should be. Moreover, as always, we love CDs and it's available as a limited DigiCD version. The record was mastered by Grammy-nominated Jessica Thompson which guarantees extra ordinal sound experience. Yes, a lot of Grammy here...Laura passed away on May 19, 2008, after a half-year battle with cancer. She was just 56. Enjoy Laura's art that makes her alive.
Tracklist:
As I Am
Waterfall
Nicasio
Passage
Waterfall
Nicasio
Passage
UPC: 8016670151852Label: EverlandRelease Date: 10.2.26Format: CD
2006’s Adieu False Heart saw folk-pop-country trailblazer, Linda Ronstadt, team up with acclaimed Cajun musician, Ann Savoy, for a collection of folk standards, Cajun songs, and pop hits. The pair expertly blends their voices and styles to create an authentic and truly unique album. Upon its original release, Adieu False Heart was nominated for two GRAMMY® awards. USA Today asserts, “this rootsy collection offers plenty of warm, nourishing showcases for their individual and combined gifts.”This pressing marks the GRAMMY®-nominated album’s vinyl debut. Also available on CD.
Tracklist:
Opening
Adieu False Heart
I Can’t Get Over You
Marie Mouri
King Of Bohemia
Plus tu tournes
Go Away From My Window
Burns’ Supper
The One I Love Is Gone
Interlude
Rattle My Cage
Parlez-moi d’amour
Too Old To Die Young
Interlude
Walk Away Renee
Closing
UPC: 888072758346Label: Craft RecordingsRelease Date: 11.20.26Format: CD
'I don't try to follow the masters; I try to ask the same questions they asked.' (Basho)
Tracklist:
Mystery Of The Guitar
Folia
When I Lay My Burden Down
Pretty Flower Of The Valley
I Remember Backwards Sam Firk
Banjo Blues & Raga
Dance Of The Broken Thumb
By The Bank Of The C & O Canal
New Pig Meat Strut (Hey Baby, Hey)
Flow My Tears
UPC: 675130545723Label: Abaton Book CompanyRelease Date: 11.6.26Format: CD
Some Kind of Jubilee is more than an album, it's a living testament to a lifetime immersed in music. For acclaimed folk artist Martin Simpson, this release reflects not just a remarkable 50-year recording career, but over six decades shaped by song, tradition, and continual artistic growth. Yet this is not a retrospective, it's a forwardlooking work, carrying the depth, skill, and passion of a lifetime into the present.Marking 50 years since his debut album Golden Vanity, Simpson describes Some Kind of Jubilee as ""my best work to date."" To realise this landmark project, he brings together an exceptional group of collaborators drawn from across his long and distinguished career. Among them are renowned pedal steel guitarist Greg Leisz, guitarist Zac Hobbs, cellist Liz Hanks, guitarist Louis Campbell, and double bassist Ben Nicholls. Together, they create a rich and textured soundscape that honours tradition while embracing fresh perspectives. Recorded at Groovemaster Studio in Santa Monica and completed in Yorkshire, the album blends newly written songs with reimagined traditional material and inspired reinterpretations from Simpson's own catalogue. The result is a deeply rooted yet vibrant collection that reflects both heritage and innovation. As Greg Leisz puts it, ""This music has some profoundly deep roots - so dig in."" With Some Kind of Jubilee, Martin Simpson honours his past while continuing to shape the future of folk music, reaffirming his place as one of the genre's most respected and enduring voices.
Tracklist:
The Recruited Collier
Handsome Molly
Mary Hamilton
The Grey Funnel Line
Down Where the Drunkards Roll
Ruby Bridges
Victor Jara
Sometimes I Feel Like Motherless Child (PRS Version)
Love Never Dies
Hide
William
Toy Soldiers
Icarus
Don't Think Twice It's Alright
Survivor
Sometimes I Feel Like Motherless Child (Santa Monica Version)
UPC: 714822056144Label: Topic RecordsRelease Date: 9.25.26Format: CD
After over 20 years as a professional musician, acclaimed singer-songwriter Matthew Barber embraced a new role when he became a father. In 2026, being a stay at home dad isn't an oddity, but leaving a life of touring to raise his two young sons was a dramatic shift.But how does one decide to put touring on the shelf and focus on family? We get a hint on lead single "These Days". "It's a celebration of domestic bliss" says Barber. "It's a snapshot of the day to day flow of work and family, acknowledging the long and winding journey from initial lustful attraction to diapers and daycare. It's about partnership and a deep appreciation for good fortune against all odds."Becoming a parent forces one to look in the mirror and ask, "how can I be a better person?" and "how can we make the world a better place?" and these themes weave their way throughout "Find The Time", a record that explores the transformational nature of parenthood. Of the title track Barber says, "It's about getting older and becoming more aware of the fact that our time on earth is finite. It is a melancholic reflection on the struggle to live up to ideals, but also a rallying cry to never give up doing what you do, for your own sake and for those who depend on you.""Find The Time" is about finding joy in the place you're at in life. From indie darling to major label radio star to acclaimed folk troubadour and his latest role as Dad, Matthew Barber is eternally grateful for the opportunity to make music. There will be more tour dates to come, but this time next to the cables and guitars, he'll be strapping in some car seats.
Tracklist:
Find the Time
The World Is a Bubble
These Days
Another Side
Wasn't Born to Leave You
Not My Way
Please Don't Go Hocking My Heart
Rhythm 77
Sirens in the Night
Only a Woman
UPC: 623339952224Label: Outside MusicRelease Date: 11.20.26Format: CD
Vancouver-based fiddler and multi-instrumentalist Michael Burnyeat has recorded a showcase album of fiddle tunes that wonderfully displays his wide breadth of versatility and musical prowess. He's equally at home playing BC reels as he is with Irish jigs and Texas hoedowns, and he can rip on guitar and mandolin as well as being one of the most celebrated and award-winning fiddlers of his generation. Not only does this album feature Burnyeat on a variety of instruments, but it also features many of the West Coast's finest accompanists on guitar and accordion. It's not just a straight-up fiddle album, but one that weaves stories from the old country(s) to the new frontier of British Columbia, where he was born and raised. Burnyeat is a sought-after sideman on Canada's West Coast, regularly appearing at concerts and festivals with beloved songwriter David Francey and many others.
Tracklist:
Tabor Mountain Hornpipe / Surveyor's Reel / Whitefish on the Rapids
Saltchuck
Fiddle Patch
End of Winter / Pat and Al's / Big John McNeil / Son of Bear
Keeping the Cats / Happy / Breath and the Bow
Don Ferguson's Memorial Waltz
Kitty in the Cupboard / Kink in the Cable
Little Rock Getaway
Maids of Castlebar / Mason's Apron / Star of Munster
La Sourde
Big Country / Cazadero
Hangman's Reel
UPC: 990312241706Label: Woodbox RecordsRelease Date: 11.13.26Format: CD
1976 album that defined the “freak folk” movement, adding lighthearted elements of the counterculture era to traditionally serious folk-rock motifs. In honor of its 50th anniversary, this edition features new liner notes from Jason P. Woodbury. Take a trip back in time to experience the trailblazing album that critic Robert Christgau calls the “greatest folk album of the rock era.”
Tracklist:
Midnight in Paris
Robbin' Banks
Slurf Song
a) Jackknife / b) The Red Newt
Griselda
What Made My Hamburger Disappear
Sweet Lucy
Country Bump
Fooey Fooey
Jealous Daddy's Death Song
Driving Wheel
Weep Weep Weep
Hoodoo Bash
UPC: 888072808010Label: Craft RecordingsRelease Date: 12.4.26Format: CD
In 1997, acclaimed producer Jim Scott—who produced Neal Casal’s seminal albums Fade Away Diamond Time (1995) and Anytime Tomorrow (1999)—gifted the 27-year-old singer-songwriter an Otari 8-track analog tape recorder, along with essential mics and gear. Over long winter nights in Hope, New Jersey, between 1998 and 2000, and later upon relocating to Los Angeles in 2001, Casal taught himself home recording. He captured a vast body of intimate, fully realized solo songs that comprise Book Of Stories (Home Recordings 1998-2003), the latest release exploring the archives left behind by the late artist following his death by suicide in 2019.
“Neal became really adept at playing all the instruments on his songs and making these lovely recordings,” explains Casal’s friend and longtime manager Gary Waldman, who co-produced the collection. “Although none of these songs ever appeared on any of his official albums, there are many highlights here; these are not just throwaway tracks.”Brought back to the East Coast by Waldman after surviving multiple relocations over two decades, the original 12 analog reels were played back on Casal's original Otari machine—now housed in bassist Jeff Hill’s Connecticut studio. The result is an essential, hauntingly present listening experience for longtime fans and newcomers alike.
"We weren’t sure if these tapes would still work, having not been played in 25 years or so, but we put the first reel up and out came Neal’s voice like he was sitting right there with us,” continues Waldman. "It blew our minds! Listening to these tunes all these years later reminded me of how great he was at not only layering guitar parts, but how good he was on bass and even his primitive drumming. These songs are essential listening for longtime Neal fans and hopefully for some new fans, too.”
Highlights across the 12-track collection include “Down With A Friend,” “Leave My Loving Cup Behind,” and “Where Does The Time Go,” all sparse and primarily acoustic performances. There are also a handful of more developed standouts with Casal multi-tracking guitar, bass, and drums, including the Harvest-era Neil Young-inspired “Muscatine” and the fully electrified dirge “In My Mind.” In addition to the album's 11 Casal originals, there is a reading of Tom T. Hall’s “Joe, Don’t Let Your Music Kill You,” a stark warning of the treacherous road musicians traverse. Unearthed all these years later, it’s a poignant foreshadowing of what would ultimately be Casal’s own fate.
Tracklist:
Muscatine
Down With A Friend
Leave My Loving Cup Behind
Words and Music
Dark and Dangerous Days
In My Mind
Joe Don’t Let Your Music Kill You
Something You Should Know
Where Does the Time Go
It’s Got Me Down
How Many Times
Good News
UPC: 020286251460Label: Royal PotatoRelease Date: 11.27.26Format: CD
Peter Warlock's perceptive and instinctive understanding of 16th and 17th-century music is evident in his pioneering editions of Elizabethan songs (pub. 1926), revitalising this remarkable repertoire while preserving it's distinctive character. Performed by three outstanding early music specialists and the acclaimed Piatti Quartet, these recordings combine freshness, thoughtfulness and virtuosity. UPC: 726436300346Label: Convivium RecordsRelease Date: 11.6.26Format: CD
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