Medhelan’s Debut Is a Finely Filigreed Piece of Earthy Synth Music that Is Steeped in Celtic Culture

Although not exactly a rarity in worldwide folklore, the idea of a ‘horned serpent’ is especially rich in the Celtic mythology from which Matteo Brusa of Medhelan draws his inspiration. Perhaps this is pertaining to the god ‘Cernunnos’—certainly horned and often known in serpent form, and whose connotations transcend (although without necessarily predating) those which […]

Faitissa – Terra aviatica

An apparently stupid question: What does Friuli have in common with Brittany? They both face vast bodies of water; here, the relatively placid Adriatic Sea, and there, the much more troublesome Atlantic Ocean. Where Friuli’s land embraces the sea in a vast gulf, Brittany throws itself in the ocean as the northwestern branch of l’Hexagone.  The […]

Halfpence & Haypenny – To Hold a Candle to the Devil

In comparison to other styles of music, folk does not lend itself to analysis particularly well. Even if, like yours truly, you have grown up around folk, it can be hard to put to paper the emotions expressed in such music. While folk differs greatly from culture to culture, there are several universal traits that […]

Lasher Keen – The Middle Kingdom

One can always expect the unexpected from Lasher Keen. When the psychedelic folk band headed by multi-instrumental husband-and-wife duo Dylan Sheets and Bluebird Gaia announced they were making a foray into musical theater, I could only shake my head with a smile and think to myself, ‘of course they are’. With this announcement came the […]

Touch the Earth – Into the Wild

Putting down some thoughts about Touch the Earth’s Into the Wild has proven to be a difficult task. Finding information about the group has been like unravelling the riddle of the Sphinx, and the album cover doesn’t provide many more clues as to what sort of music the album contains. It is a vague photograph […]

Faun – Von den Elben

I will admit that when I read Faun’s new album, Von den Elben, included remakes and covers, coupled with a signing to Universal Records, nervousness crept in. After undergoing line-up changes and the signing of a new record deal, this was always going to be a sceptical listen. I have always loved the raw and […]