Welcome once again to the annual tradition of Song Bar’s favourite album releases of 2023. This is Part 2, and Part 1 was yesterday. There’s no such thing as a chart rundown or ‘best of’ here, and these come in no particular order …
Read moreHania Rani: Ghosts
New album: The Berlin-based Polish singer, pianist and composer returns with her bewitching voice, elevating, ethereal, minimalistic, ambient electronica and classical, with guests Patrick Watson, Ólafur Arnalds and Duncan Bellamy of Portico Quartet
Read moreMatthew Halsall: An Ever Changing View
New album: An LP of delicious, delicate jazz- and African-inflected instrumentals by the Manchester jazz trumpeter, here with a gorgeous, colourful palette of sounds – woodwind, harp, electronica, thumb piano, organ and his own beautiful brass
Read moreForgiveness: Next Time Could Be Your Last Time
New album: A mesmeric, magical and strangely beautiful debut fusing electronica, acoustic, jazz, and ambient in these instrumentals that conjure bucolic landscapes, twittering flutey birds and the natural world by Jack Wyllie of Portico Quartet, JQ and Richard Pike
Read moreCaoilfhionn Rose: Truly
Album review: Sounding like a sunlit landscape of whispering grasslands, this beautiful mix of folk, jazz, ambient electronica and gentle psychedelia comes with the pure, soft, soaring voice of the Manchester singer-songwriter
Read moreAlbum reviews roundup: Smashing Pumpkins, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Jack Cheshire, Daniel Avery, Ane Brun, The Wytches, Heather Trost, Brandee Younger and Dezron Douglas, Matthew Halsall
Album reviews roundup: Psychedelia, jazz, prog and electronica dominate this week, including a synth album by the Smashing Pumpkins, eastern flavours by King Gizzard, exquisite Norwegian vocals by Ane Grun and a superb debut by Jack Cheshire
Read moreAlbum reviews roundup: Doves, The Flaming Lips, Marilyn Manson, Toots and the Maytals, Bróna McVittie, Susanna, Anjimile, Mammal Hands, Richard and Linda Thompson
Album reviews roundup: A particularly strong lineup includes the return of Doves, The Flaming Lips’ signature sound, a farewell from Toots, a stunning debut from Anjimile, and more beauty and innovation from Mammal Hands, Susanna and Bróna Mcvittie
Read moreNew albums: Paul Weller, The Irrepressibles, Margo Price, Keleketla!, Dream Wife, A.A. Williams, bdrmm, Hania Rani, The Mystery Jets
This week includes a mellow one from the modfather, innovative electronica from The Irrepressibles, gorgeous piano-based work by A.A. Williams and Hani Rani, African and Coldcut collective Kelekelta, and kickass pop-punks Dream Wife
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