10 new releases have entered the September chart!
Brand new at No. 1 is Richard Thompson’s 20th studio album Hippies, Thugs, and Heroes (New West). Recorded in New Jersey with James Frazee, the album has received early acclaim; MOJO magazine says “…It may be his best since 1999’s Mock Tudor, his best since 1975’s Pour Down Like Silver, or his best full-stop.”
Arriving at No. 2 is Stornoway’s most ambitious album so far, Beyonder (Cooking Vinyl). Widely recognised as a band at the intersection of music and conservation, the group continue that mission with an album of wild hope, born from isolation and exploration. Beyonder channels the powers of the natural world to reconnect us, using music to bring people closer to nature.
Fifty years since the release of his debut album, Martin Simpson’s latest offering Some Kind of Jubilee (Topic) lands at No. 5. Recorded at Jackson Browne’s Groovemaster studio in Santa Monica and completed in Yorkshire, the album weaves together newly written songs, reimagined traditional material and fresh interpretations of classics from Simpson’s extensive catalogue.
Arriving at No. 10 is the highly anticipated debut album The Stone Man (Déise) from County Waterford brothers The Wran. The Stone Man infuses traditional Irish folk songs with punk and psychedelia, allows the songs to grow and transform through atmosphere, rhythm and weight. It is an album not only about preservation, but also expansion, pushing tradition into new territory.
Landing at No. 11 is Bristol-based Lady Nade’s second album Identity. Having dedicated her career to exploring the positive link between music, community and wellbeing, Lady Nade’s most recent offering is an uplifting collection of songs about empowerment, reflection and belonging. Traversing the genres of folk, roots, jazz and soul, she invites the lister to celebrate the beautiful complexity of being human and to stand in one’s own truth.
At No. 12 is Cloch’s Claí (The World of Echo), the fourth album from Irish collective Trá Pháidín. Running traditional tunes from the West of Ireland through an intoxicating wash of jazz, krautrock and experimental sounds, the album explores modern affectations surrounding the Irish language and the West of Ireland with an uneasy humour. The songs’ serious observations are concealed within playful arrangements, making their insights all the sharper.
Edinburgh alt-folk five-piece Curiosity Shop’s debut EP Bound For The Sky (Decca Records) arrives at No. 14. In contrast with their rainy, dark and rural upbringings, this EP is bright and full of life. Drawing from singer/songwriter influences, they also tap into the world of folk, jazz and trad. Their unique sound is defined by their use of warm vocal harmonies and acoustic instrumentation featuring acoustic guitar, double bass and accordion. Curiosity Shop are distinctive, yet comfortingly familiar.
At No. 20 is Izzie Walsh’s debut album Where Do We Go From Here? (Mary’s Watching). Written while travelling the world, the album captures moments of transition and self-discovery, drawing inspiration from vast landscapes and fleeting encounters - from the isolation of Alaska to the Golden Sands of Australia. Where Do We Go From Here? is rooted in a sense of rebirth, both a personal statement and a mirror to the world around us.
Brighton three-piece Sairie’s enchanting first full-length album Beneath The Wishing Tree (Hollow Hill) lands at No. 26. The release continue’s Sairie’s exploration of early 70s folk influences, blending otherworldly atmospherics with stripped-back arrangements. Exploring themes of ghosts, fairies and tragic love, the music is like a séance, an enchanted visit to the inside of a hollow hill.
Coming in at No. 35 is the debut duo album Morning of May (Hudson Records) from accomplished fiddlers Sam Sweeney and Grace Smith. The pairing of two fiddles is a familiar sound in many folk traditions, but it has been heard less frequently in English traditional music. This album sets out to discover what happens when two fiddlers meet with this repertoire. Diving headfirst into a vast range of manuscripts and tune collections, Sweeney and Smith discovered unexplored worlds rich with possibility. The resulting album is a poignant recognition that no musical tradition exists in isolation.
View the full chart HERE.
