Welcome to this new music mix, the second of the year in our ongoing series highlighting the latest brand new releases being spun today at Fruit Tree Records. Get straight into the sounds with this Mixcloud link, then check out the purchase and pre-order information in the tracklisting that follows:
Tracks – Fruit Tree Records – Fresh Juice 2026 Vol. 2
To get things going on the good foot this week how about a killer tune with some seriously sharp edged playing and a rough, lived in soul voice taking it out for delivery? This one is from Tiwayo’s latest album ‘Outsider’ which is set for release next month on the Record Kicks label. It is produced by the Black Pumas Adrian Quesada and promises to push this Paris born singer firmly into the spotlight, which he has slowly moved away from in recent years since his 2023 debut on Blue Note. It really is a welcome return from an artist with an incredible voice; even some of the all time greats in soul, blues and gospel did not come as close to a sound so authentically aged and fresh as this. No wonder Tiwayo was once bestowed with the nickname “The Young Old”. Get yourself on the pre-order list for the album via this link: https://amzn.to/4dau3RK
White Rose Motor Oil – Hit In The Face
Of this song, soon to be featured on their long anticipated debut album ‘Spider,’ the band say it is “for all of us who feel the need to punch-dance out our rage right now.” This is a rollin’ and tumblin’ rockin’ rockabilly thunder crack of a tune that revs its engine delightfully with every repeat of the “you’re gonna get hit in the face” chorus line. They are a red hot duo from Denver with a fire lighting zipper of a female vocalist and a love of playing fast and loud. Together they surf the waves between cowpunk and garage rock which is a pretty exhilarating place to be if you can manage to catch it. Find out more about the band this way https://whiterosemotoroil.bandcamp.com/track/hateland-2 and hear them included as part of our first Fresh Juice mix of the year here: https://www.mixcloud.com/dannyneill714/fruit-tree-records-fresh-juice-2026-vol-1/
Hannah Lew – Sunday
You can almost feel the sun rising on the springtime with the gorgeous hazy electro textures on a new track by Hannah Lew. It can also be heard on her self titled debut album due to be released on 10th April via Night School Records. She has a deep background in the US alt-rock underground with Grass Widow and Cold Beat but a new solo project is leaning more into her pop sensibilities, albeit with the sheen of a Numanoid post-punk production aesthetic. She says of this video that it is “a re-enactment of a dream I had, that the song is also based on. It was surreal to embody the subconscious and only then did I divine the meaning of the dream. The whole experience was very ritualistic.” Get the album on pre-order here: https://amzn.to/3NbTR5m
Anna Calvi (feat. Iggy Pop) – God’s Lonely Man
Anna’s latest EP project is titled ‘Is This All There Is?’ in which she purposefully sought out vocal collaborators who would fit perfectly for the role playing task required in each song. She approached Iggy Pop, feeling he would be the ideal personality to recite the destructive inner monologue of the title character in this piece. As you would expect he rises to the occasion and then some, reviving the same energy he pumped into classics like ‘Lust For Life’ and ‘The Passenger.’ The four track EP also features Perfume Genius, Laurie Anderson and Matt Berninger and is available here: https://amzn.to/3NdqwYq
Midnight Rodeo – Desert On The Run (Jenny)
Not exactly a brand new release but this is a relatively new live performance and the band are well worth a heads up for any who have not come across them yet. The song was originally available on their Bandcamp release ‘Thank You For Your Time’ and both that release and subsequent live outings show what a hot proposition this Nottingham based collective are. Their sound sits somewhere in the neo-psych garden although you can hear shimmering influences of Americana and surf rock in there too, all front loaded with a swooning vocalist and a band environment that feels like a proper gang. The vinyl may be long sold out but you can still get hold of the tracks here: https://midnightrodeo.bandcamp.com/album/thank-you-for-your-time
And finally for this week some superb, masterful musicianship on one of the best Jazz album releases of the year so far. As well as leader Julian on guitar it also features his new quartet of John Medeski on Hammond organ, Jorge Roeder on bass and Kenny Wollesen on drums. It is taken from a new album ‘Scenes From Above,’ which happens to be his fifth record for Blue Note records, which came out in January. Produced by Joe Henry it is a record that feels like a balm amidst the turbulent world we are living in right now, it never hurts to remember that people can still create something beautiful in a time of destruction, division and conflict. You can buy the album via this link: https://amzn.to/4aY9KFN
There is some heavy duty indie royalty backing on this recent single from Radhika released via Glass Modern. It features the unmistakable talents of Gerard Love, formerly of Teenage Fanclub and Lightships as well as Mitch Mitchell, previously in The Pastels. If those names conjure thoughts of floating dream pop then you are not far off the mark but that alone does not impress what a thing of melodic wondrousness this track is. It is from forthcoming album ‘Cine Pop’ and of the tune Radhika says: “I was looking through some old black and white pictures with my grandmother Soma and she said in a soft voice “I miss my mother.” This gentle intergenerational exchange was the starting point for ‘Starry Eyes.'” Get yourself a copy of this single via the link: https://glassmodern.bandcamp.com/album/starry-eyes
Shakey Graves – When The Love Is New
Shakey Graves is the performing identity of Alejandro Rose-Garcia who is both playing live regularly and releasing new music in what feels like an ever evolving artistic progression. He may have first got some recognition as a rough hewn disciple to the rootsy Americana grain of blues and folk but there is an increasing textural depth to the music he puts out. This latest release with its accompanying self directed video is a great example, yes it may well have a deceptively simple framework but the sound is dynamic and the sonics have a range to them worthy of the cinema. The further he goes, the more questions he raises about who and what Shakey Graves really is, be it experimental work, solo looping, full band improvising or mixed media, this is a journey that continues to fascinate. Several Shakey Graves titles can be explored and purchased via the link: https://amzn.to/4aKW019
Juni Habel – Stand So Still
Music does not need to nail definitive answers to the mast to be meaningful or evocative. With that in mind, it is very relatable that Juni says of this track that she does not think “this song ever decided whether standing still is good or bad. And I don’t know myself!” What we do know is that this is a timeless gem of a song that has a natural grace to it as it captures a moment of stillness and thought. This is a song that is set to appear on the Norwegian singer-songwriters forthcoming third album ‘Evergreen In Your Mind,’ anticipated to be one of the years strongest acoustic-folk leaning albums; Juni has enjoyed time well spent finely crafting this follow up to 2023’s ‘Carvings’ LP. You can get yourself a copy of the album (when it’s released on 10th April via Basin Rock) via this link https://amzn.to/4aY8Szx and this track can also be heard as the closing number in the Fruit Tree Records latest ‘New Releases’ Mixcloud mix right here: https://fruit-tree-records.com/2026/02/24/new-mix-fruit-tree-records-fresh-juice-2026-vol-1/
Henri Herbert – American Psycho
Always a thrill to present new music from this artist, who is seen and heard here attacking the piano with his own composition ‘American Psycho.’ In a past life Henri was part of the hard rocking vintage renegades The Jim Jones Revue but since that band dissolved this former child of Essex and France relocated to the US and immersed himself in the countries roots music scene. Nowadays, Henri is one of the top purveyors of that infectious, pounding boogie-woogie sound and he releases music on his own HH Records label. Catch him live if you can and head this was for downloads of his albums and recordings: https://amzn.to/40DTvrm
Clementine March – Powder Keg
Released on PRAH Recordings, this is the title track from a new album by Clementine March that builds on the artists Art-Pop style incorporating elements of chamber pop and a hint of the maverick in the unpredictable structures and changes. All of that can be heard in this one track actually, as wind instruments and strings appear to propel the song into the stratosphere following the more pastoral psychedelics heard in the opening. There is a tension between the quieter moments and the tougher textures throughout the album while the names of other collaborators (Alabaster dePlume, Naima Bock and Katy J Pearson) stand as strong indicators to the kind of single-minded artist we are enjoying here. There are physical formats of the LP available, find out more here: https://clementinemarch.bandcamp.com/album/powder-keg
Cosmic Tones Research Trio – High On Flutes
If the Juni Habel song managed to evoke the stillness of its title, so too does this mesmeric instrumental leave an appropriately flute-centred impression on the listener. This is spiritual jazz par-excellence from three US multi-instrumentalists and in fact the live clip below continues into a full set recorded at Het Stadsklooster (Utrecht) during Le Guess Who? Festival 2025 for VPRO Vrije. Theirs is a sound that thrives on a slow building approach, there is both a cosmic and organic feel to the vibes and whilst Alice Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders are very obvious comparison points, the Cosmic Tones Research Trio are very much their own entity making work that flows out of their individualist DNA. Further investigation is strongly recommended and you can get a copy of their self titled debut here: https://amzn.to/4sn04ur
This summery, laid back new single has the potential to join the ranks of the great misinterpretations in music. Like the many who failed to notice that ‘Born In The USA’ was damning, or that ‘Every Breath You Take’ was basically a stalker song, so too some might miss that ‘Xanadu’ is far from the colourful ode to an exotic holiday destination it initially appears as. The tune is a duet between the bands frontman Jesse Hartman and Nevis vocalist Anna Hadeed that has enough sunshine and sand in the production to deceptively masquerade as a sunshine pop hit with an ambient nod to Jamaican chill. But, as is depicted in the video, this is actually throwing a grenade at the materialistic idea of happiness being found in consumerism. Originally formed in the late 1990s, Laptop released three albums of arch, synth leaning art pop on Island Records before disappearing from view for a while, but they return revitalised with Jesse now joined by his son Charlie. They have a forthcoming album called ‘On This Planet’ and you can check them out more here: https://laptoptheband.bandcamp.com/
Hudson Freeman – I’m Most Me
Sometimes when new music is raining down on you there will be a chance discovery unaccompanied by fanfare or hype that stands out simply by virtue of being very, very good. So, that very thing happened with this song, captured as a live performance on the GoodNoise channel. There is nothing in Hudson’s presentation that grabs you, he has a pretty unassuming look, but as soon as he plays ‘I’m Most Me’ the thing that stands out a mile is that it is the work of a sensitive and tuned in songwriter. He is at one with his instrument as both lyrically and sonically he plugs into the exact feeling the number is trying to convey. Add to that some hot guitar abrasions and it adds up to a quiet eruption of music in the lo-fi Americana style. Hudson has focused more on the intimacy of singer-songwriting post pandemic, but you cannot fail to detect something raging under the surface. Find out more here: https://hudsonfreeman.com/
Kevin Morby – Javelin
Following a totally fresh discovery I move onto an artist who has been a firm favourite for at least ten or fifteen years at this point. Kevin Morby is dependably excellent with his releases too, having settled on an alternative folk-rock sound that whilst referencing Lou Reed, Wilco or Jonathan Richman textures is always unmistakably his own. He has recently announced a forthcoming new album called ‘Little Wide Open’ from which ‘Javelin’ is a rather promising taster. Kevin has described the record as his most personal and vulnerable yet although, by the sounds of this song, that does not mean he has lost any of his energy and musical thrust. Aaron Dessner of The National produces and by the sounds of things is leaving a welcome amount of space in the production for the performance to express as only Morby can. The full album is coming in May but for now you can get the song here: https://amzn.to/4qV05Et
Jill Scott – Beautiful People
The Roots have long been one of the best acts on the rap scene, not just because in tandem with their beats and mixing they are a super tight live unit but also because of the strength of their collaborations. Soul singer Jill Scott broke through in music in the late nineties after working with the band, amongst others, then really made her mark with a strong solo debut in 2000 that fused the rap and nu-soul styles of the day with an authentic retro texture marking her territory as the real soul deal. She has kept her quality high, possibly by not overkilling on the releases as this is her first new music in ten years, but whenever the three time Grammy winner puts out something new it has always been worth hearing. The new album is out now, called ‘To Whom It May Concern,’ you can grab a copy here: https://amzn.to/4rxeY1b
Mitski – I’ll Change For You
Mitski is another artist about whom you can say if there is new music in the pipeline, it would be wrong not to check it out for she delivers consistently. There is a perception that she belongs in the mainstream pop world but if that is the case, it is a pop avenue that I am happy to send you down because the music has depth, eloquence and range. There is also a maverick unpredictability to her, after all, the surprising support act she picked for a recent tour was the equally unique and out-there folk singer Richard Dawson. The new album ‘Nothing’s About To Happen To Me’ is more narrative driven and is available February 27th on Dead Oceans; for purchasing just follow the link: https://amzn.to/4c51Viz
India Bourne & The Big Skirts – Lava
To conclude this week, a lovely and mesmerising live clip featuring India Bourne. There is something so beautiful about a choir of voices, producing a sound with both volume and punch but devoid of the clinical tuning in modern recording standards, the human element of a choir with all its built in natural variables makes for a sound that is raw and alive. India is a classically trained cellist who was a long time member of Ben Howard’s band alongside her own Tender Central project, but she also moonlights as a vocal coach and for the past ten years, a choir leader of The Big Skirts. For further exploration into her warm, experimental sounds head this way: https://tendercentral.bandcamp.com/album/the-garden
I have featured Cat Clyde in Fresh Juice in previous years but some artists are worth returning to again and again. It was the ‘Down Rounder’ record from 2023 and a blistering set at the End Of The Road festival that originally caught my ear, although that was actually her third long playing release having put a well received debut out in 2017. Over the years many have praised her ability to put a fresh spin on an old sound but I do not see things through such a retro lens. For me, the rocking country music that Cat delivers is raw and alive, very much a legitimate part of the 2026 landscape and I am excited to hear more of her vintage modernistic flavours when the new ‘Mud Blood Bone’ album is released on 13th March; you can pre-order that right away here: https://i.concordrecords.com/catclyde
GENA – Lead It Up
This is the latest single from the duo of Liv.e and Karriem Riggins who are about to release, on 27th February via Lex Records, a new album called ‘The Pleasure Is Yours.’ It is one of the most hotly anticipated records scheduled for the opening weeks of 2026 and this promo film tells you exactly why. These are subtle soulful sounds with a jazz flare and a cutting edge that could leave you bloodied and bruised. Just listen to those savage waves of distortion that tear it up as the song enters its finale. This is only one side of the sound GENA produce, flip things over and there are strong R&B and hip-hop elements as part of the cocktail too. This video film was directed by Cam Hicks and stars Liv.e, Karriem, Errol Chatman and Aijani Payne. Get your hands on this by visiting https://lexrecords.com/
Spencer Cullum – Rowan Tree
There are many acts around today who pull inspiration from the warm analogue sounds produced by British folk bands during the late sixties and early seventies. Sprinkled with a little acid guitar magic, buzzing with the throb of electricity against a deep traditional song structure and propelled by an organic rhythm section, it remains a sound that, the more it is repurposed for the present moment, moves way beyond the evocation of an era into an increasing timeless realm. Spencer and his various collaborators across different projects has proved himself to be one of the best, so it is fantastic to welcome ‘Spencer Cullum’s Coin Collection 3,’ the concluding album of the ‘Coin Collection’ trilogy out on 27th March via Full Time Hobby. You can pre-order and reserve your copy via this link: https://spencercullum.ffm.to/cc3
Courtney Barnett ft. Waxahatchee – Site Unseen
This is a pairing that makes perfect sense on paper and is proving to be extremely fruitful in practice too. Courtney has been keeping that slacker, grunge energy, shot through with a little Lou Reed streetwise cool and wit, alive for more than ten years now whilst Waxahatchee has been responsible for some of the truly essential modern country sounds to come out of the US in the 21st century. She (real name Katie Crutchfield) appears with Courtney singing a high harmony part on this, a taster single from Barnett’s forthcoming ‘Creature Of Habit’ album which is due for release on 27th March. Get yourself a pre-order of the vinyl by following the link: https://cbmusic.lnk.to/CreatureOfHabit
John Andrews & The Yawns – Something To Be Said
Time for a bit of chilled reflection with this suitably laid back number, it comes from a modestly titled album arriving on 3rd April called ‘Streetsweeper.’ Like our previous artist, John Andrews has been on the scene for a good ten years or more now and, through his various connections in the indie rock world, has a growing reputation as a fine purveyor of vintage sounds and a classicists hand at song composition. The Yawns were initially an imaginary band as John played most of the instruments on his recordings himself but, gradually, he has evolved to the point we find him at today, capturing the authentic live sound of musicians cooking together in a room (albeit in a very relaxed manner). You can pre-order the album today via the link: https://earthlibraries.com/
The Claypool Lennon Delirium – WAP (What A Predicament)
I am sure they will not thank me for saying it but there is some real Beatle Juice bleeding into the kaleidoscopic audio of this new track. Of all the Beatles next generation, it is frequently Sean Ono Lennon that seems to be the most plugged in creatively and who so often delivers the goods. This is the band he formed with the Primus bassist and vocalist Les Claypool who have more recently expanded to include Joao Nogueria on keyboards and Paulo Baldi on drums. Once more for this weeks Fresh Juice, they are an act that have been around for about ten years and continue to evolve and stay relevant, this new music refining the ‘progadelic’ notion coined by Lennon in an effort to describe the bands music. Keep up with their new recordings and live dates here: https://theclaypoollennondelirium.com
New music is not necessarily better if it sounds like old music but neither does it have any less relevance if it happens to be built around a design classic in sound. Ginger Molasses definitely fall into the retro rock category in terms of their style but this Nevada City quintet play with enough funk and conviction to prove that, as opposed to being mere revivalists, they are in fact the real thing. Not only that but this new song, which they often close their rapturously received live sets with, is a fine piece of original writing based on the real life notorious name, Heidi Fleiss, who ran an upmarket prostitution ring in Los Angeles in the 1990s. The lyric and accompanying video celebrate Fleiss’s unlikely recovery following the collapse of her empire, as she re-established herself by running a laundromat far away from the glare of the public and the press.
I’m With Her – The Obvious Child
I am ambivalent about award ceremonies like The Grammy’s, feeling that the requirements of the industry machine are always going to dictate such events far more than any actual balanced critical appraisal of music. That said, I also always enjoy it when an act that I rate gets some deserved recognition at these glitzy shows as had happened last week for I’m With Her. They are almost a folk supergroup consisting of Sara Watkins on fiddle and guitar, Sarah Jarosz on banjo and mandolin and Aoife O’Donovan on guitar and keys. They picked up two gongs at the awards, for Best Folk Album and Best American Roots Song and are seen here on a brand new TV appearance playing a Paul Simon cover version set to appear on their forthcoming live album.
Tyler Ballgame – Matter Of Taste
‘The former Tyler Perry adopted the ‘Tyler Ballgame’ identity with the intention of bringing a more theatrical, showbusiness even, presentation to his live act and music. It was Jonathan Rado of Foxygen who discovered the singer who had built up a positive reputation performing cover versions but clearly had a voice of his own crying to be heard. This is a track from his debut album ‘For The First Time Again’ and it should stand as an inviting mouth waterer for the record as a whole, showcasing Tyler’s musical eloquence and the range of his rock classicism. The song itself focuses on the desire to find love but asserts with the philosophical reasoning that rejection is nothing to feel down about, it is after all, just a matter of taste.
Squeeze – You Get The Feeling
It is always nice to welcome back a favourite group from decades of the past, but especially so if they are delivering new music that can match the quality of their best work. But the story behind the new Squeeze album ‘Trixies’ is not quite as straight forward as that, because it is actually a record built around songs that the bands writing partners Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook wrote in 1974 when they were still teenagers. Not feeling experienced enough to attempt them at the time, the project was revived for 2026 after Difford found the original cassette in his loft and felt the songs warranted taking into the studio. On top of this great news, the band also enjoyed some creative re-ignition whilst there and put together another album of entirely new material at the same time, which should be heard in the very near future.
Marta Del Grandi – Alpha Centauri
This sumptuous offering comes from Italian singer-songwriter Marta Del Grandi who has just released a new album called ‘Dream Life.’ It is a mesmerising record that takes the listener on a journey through dreams, presenting songs that defy rules and musical boundaries with a boundless adventurous spirit and melodic sensibility. It is a panorama that navigates its way around serenity and disillusionment, gets stuck into aspirations and lifetime hopes whilst surrendering itself to the mysteries of the unknown and the deep, distant stars before ploughing on even further into the beyond. What Marta is doing with her music is developing and expanding to her own voice, the rich sonic landscapes that define Art Rock and producing on the other side a work that is alive with audio pleasure.
Young Fresh Fellows ft. Neko Case – Destination
Proving that the words “featuring Neko Case” can almost always be a guarantee of quality, this is a track from the Young Fresh Fellows new album ‘Loft’ which is presumably named after the Wilco run studio they recorded it in. For the unfamiliar, they are a legendary name on the US college rock circuit and have been around since the early eighties. Main man Scott McCaughey has strong connections with R.E.M. which probably explains the presence of their Peter Buck on an album also boasting other notable Wilco and Decemberists associated contributors in addition to the wonderful Neko. The LP did sneak out last year as a limited “Eco-Mix Splash” vinyl version, but the full official release is scheduled for the 26th March.
This weeks batch of new music recommendations are dominated by artists responding in song to events that have unfolded in Minneapolis over the past couple of weeks. To start with we have a family group from Kent who first found themselves an audience posting humorous internet song parodies during the pandemic lockdowns. This, however, is a change of tone released as a protest to the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. It is a re-working of the sixties flower-power Scott McKenzie hit ‘San Francisco,’ written by John Phillips, with new lyrics and some extra instrument parts written played over the originals back bone. The family say they chose it “because of its link to protest, its soaring refrains, its simplicity, its earnestness, and its celebration of love and solidarity. Taking on the guns, masks, fear, and falsehoods requires more than flowers and songs. But they are powerful nonetheless, especially if they remind folk of previous generations that navigated trauma, and that you are not alone.”
Bruce Springsteen – Streets Of Minneapolis
Bruce explains the writing of his new protest anthem, composed in the style of Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan, during the intro to its live debut featured in this clip. He mentions voicing his concerns that it might be “a bit soapboxey” to Tom Morello who brilliantly re-assured The Boss that, although nuance has a place, “sometimes you’ve got to kick them in the teeth.” It looks like the direct approach has cut through because as of yesterday the song was top of the US iTunes Top Songs chart. The version here is not the only one available as Bruce also recorded the song in the studio last weekend, the day after he wrote it, then got it immediately released, thus echoing the speed that songs used to enter circulation back in the days when the protest movement was a vital source of topical, social and political information.
Billy Bragg – City Of Heroes
If there is one artist who has unreservedly held onto the belief that a song can make a difference, then it has to be Billy Bragg. He knows full well that it only takes a handful of good people to bring about change and he stands in solidarity with those paying the ultimate price against injustice. Of ‘City Of Heroes’ he had this to say. “I wrote this song yesterday as a tribute to the bravery of the people of Minneapolis who, knowing that these trigger happy ICE thugs operate with seeming impunity in their midst, are still willing to put themselves in harms way to defend their community. Their resistance is an inspiration to us all.”
Yo La Tengo – Big Crime
Here is a recent live clip from one of America’s greatest ever bands, captured in the final days of 2025 covering a still very new Neil Young song taking aim at Trump’s administration in a deliberately unfiltered manner. With a similar sense of urgency to all the tracks featured so far this week, Neil’s version was recorded at a soundcheck and released with speed as a standalone single. “No more great again” is sung repeatedly as electric guitars bring the turbulence of the times to the foreground. In that sense, there could be no finer band than Yo La Tengo to pour some water on this seed, helping it spread its message to more and more ears with their own undeniable conviction.
Kathleen Edwards – Say Goodbye, Tell No One
Kathleen is one of America’s greatest living songwriters, which might sound like I am indulging in a bit of hyperbole but just listen to any of her records and then try and tell me I’m wrong. This is a live rendition of a song from last years ‘Billionaire’ album recorded at Jack Kerouac House. Kathleen says of the experienc playing there that walking in “was an incredible feeling, to step on the terrazzo floor down the hallway and into the rooms where he lived, to sit in a chair he also sat in many a night. A house preserved like a time stamp – mid-century coloured curtains, a typewriter still sitting in one of the bedrooms. His story is complicated, but compelling and his books ‘The Dharma Bums’ and ‘On The Road’ captured my imagination as a high school student and the vagabond hippie canoe kid who eventually became a songwriter.”
The Molotovs – Today’s Gonna Be Our Day
I admit I approached this band with caution because they appear to be the recipients of a great deal of media hype at the moment. Not only that but after one look at them, without even hearing a note, I knew exactly what they were going to sound like. Paul Weller and The Jam, to put it bluntly. But then, I also had to think, so what? After all, Weller himself was blatantly influenced in looks, style, sound and attitude by the Small Faces Steve Marriott when he started out and his career evolved into one of the UKs most musically celebrated. Weller also went on to be a voice of political activism, a point which also got me thinking about The Molotovs, because the one noticeable thing about the topical songs I have highlighted this week is that they are mostly coming from the old guard. So maybe it is bands like this, inspiring a younger audience, who can pick up the baton at some stage? The main reason I have included them though is the music. With the crunching riffs and hooks aplenty that are on display here, they have got the basics right and really, what better place to start could there possibly be?
This is taken from the new Craven Faults album ‘Sidings’ which is out now on The Leaf Label, a dependably bold and present day progressive label who make a virtue of the idea that there is some fun going forward. This is an act shrouded in some mystery but they are building a track record laced with expansive analogue electronic music of the mind. The new record takes its inspiration from the rusty deserted landscapes of post-industrial Northern England where the ghosts of electricity smoulder out of disused buildings, wherein ancient monuments of sound and recording equipment are recharged into existence and Craven Faults are a conduit for the thrum of sounds that re-emerge back into the atmosphere. This is electronica without limits, a sound that messes with the balance of time and space where the light and shade, the flesh and the steel, the settled and the disturbed breathe and feel as one.
Lady Nade – One Of Us
It is delightful to learn of new music coming from Lady Nade, an artist whose work balances the integrity of a folk singer-songwriter with the emotional heft and melodic flare of a serious soul artist. There are not too many I can think of who walked that line so convincingly, maybe Joan Armatrading or Tracy Chapman but either way, the singer born Nadine Gingell has had all these facets from the get go. It is said that the artists earliest influences came from the record collection of Nadine’s grandfather, which exposed her to Americana and rock ‘n’ roll as well as the more detectable elements of the Lady Nade sound. And now, ten years on from debut ‘Hard To Forget’, recorded in her kitchen, there is every reason to predict that Lady Nade’s evolution into an artist of great depth and an unmistakable creative fire is playing out before our very eyes and ears.
Lucinda Williams – World’s Gone Wrong
And while I am talking about singer-songwriter artist who are making a welcome return, here is one of the greatest ever. This is Lucinda continuing on the path of rehabilitation from a stroke using her creative energy as a font for regeneration. There is a bit of fire and anger in there too, the singer in full react and respond mode to the unfurling political situation in her homeland and stating in plain speak the way she sees it. But anyone can spout an opinion or jump on a soapbox, the craft is turning these impulses into song and creating a new piece of art; it sounds like Lucinda Williams still has all those senses fully plugged in and functioning. No wonder she has, with good reason, been called the female Bob Dylan; just like Dylan these days, the human condition and all its physical pitfalls does not dim the desire or the need to feel, write, perform and express. This is the title track from her new album.
Foy Vance – I Think I Preferred The Question
This is one that came out towards the end of 2025 by the Northern Irish singer-songwriter Foy Vance. It is a new chapter for Foy as he moves to Rounder Records and mines an earthy, muddy realism in both his sound and his composing. The track was produced by Ethan Johns which instantly ensures the offering arrives with a trademark of quality, but still it would be nothing if Vance was not on the devastating form we find him in here. Lyrically it seems to be meditating on the wonder in mystery, in the importance of enjoying the journey towards something, because maybe the feeling of fulfilment, of reaching your destination, does not match up to the mysteries of the unexplained. The disappointment of reality maybe? Well if I try and come to a definitive conclusion I am rather proving the point made in the song; instead just enjoy the drama and tension as it builds in this superb track.
Katherine Priddy – Hurricane
Not a cover of the Bob Dylan classic but instead perhaps the folkiest of all the artists I have featured this week, Katherine Priddy, tapping into the gentle soulful groove I spoke about with Lady Nade previously. More so, there is a subtle hint of smooth jazz and bossa nova at play here. All of which sit in sharp contrast to the darkness that prevails in the shades of violence in the lyric, showing an artist who is evolving away from the pure folk routes of her earlier work into a musical force across the spectrum. ‘Hurricane’ is an immense song with some irresistibly lush changes as the verse builds to the chorus. This is the third single from her new album ‘These Frightening Machines’, which is coming out on March 6th 2026.
Greazy Alice – Circles
This is some tender, laid back, rear porch, rocking chair, country balladry of a high stripe to close proceedings this week. With the ‘As Time Goes By’ album due out at the end of the month, this is from an EP of the same name released on Loose by a band comprising Alex Pianovich on vocals, guitars and piano, Jo Morris on backing vocals, Lee Garcia on drums and Will Repholz on bass guitar. There is an element of grief and the sense of life dishing out some hard lines imbedded into this tune, but a light shines through the melancholia as well, ushering a motion from introspection to hope and beauty.
I wrote about this band on these pages for my Ely Folk Festival review last year, an event in which I was dazzled by their brilliant re-ignition of the electric folk rock style pioneered in the late sixties by bands like Fairport Convention and Steeleye Span. At the time they were blessed with the guitar wizardry of Martin Simpson who has since left the ranks, but the evidence heard in their new material here proves that they remain a band plugging an essential shot of voltage enhanced energy into the folk scene. They also have a couple of big names on board too with Steeleye Span’s Maddy Prior helping out on vocals and Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson on flute. With or without the folk glitterati though, the Magpie Arc remain a band worthy of your attention. This is a preview single from their forthcoming album.
Muck And The Mires – Tripping Out On Love
This slice of frantic guitar pop, infused with a real garage rock sensibility, is released as a new seven inch single on the Rogue Records label. They have been around for twenty-five years now, releasing music that has caught the attention of anyone possessing a love of that sixties British Invasion guitar band sound and building a favourable reputation thanks to the raw power of their live shows. They were even named the number one Garage Band by the E Street Bands Steven Van Zandt once, a man who knows a thing or two about that primitive sound. So, you know what to do, get out and enjoy the visceral delight of buying a hot new 45 and get this one sailing up the charts.
Amy LaVere & Will Sexton – Time Warp
It has been six years now since Amy LaVere released her superb last album, ‘Painting Blue’. In that time new music has been scarce although she has continued to play live in the US alongside her partner Will Sexton. I am always keeping my ear out for new Amy music simply because every album since her 2005 debut has been a high end example of the best that modern country and bluegrass inflected songwriting has to offer. She is a musician with a fine ear and an easy to connect with writing style, not to mention a sublime voice and deft double bass touch. The end of the concert clip suggests a live album is forthcoming at least and, as heard with this new song, a couple of fresh numbers have crept out with little fanfare. I am certain there are many other than me still waiting eagerly for a new album of Amy LaVere songs, this excerpt hints that the wait might not be in vain.
Peter Gabriel – Been Undone
On the subject of artists who keep their audience waiting a long time between LP releases, well Amy LaVere could take another fifteen years to make a new record and she would still be no slower than Peter Gabriel between the release of 2023’s ‘i/o’ and the preceding ‘Up’ album. So the fact that this month has seen him begin another series of monthly, new moon adjacent, track drops that will, sometime later this year, form the content of another new album is a huge, very welcome, surprise. He hasn’t released a new studio album within three years of the previous one since the 1980s. My position remains unapologetically pro-Peter, my justification for the snails pace between albums always being that at least, when new music did finally arrive, it was always something worth hearing. Despite the relative speed, that is still the case with ‘Been Undone’, a dream state hymn that proves the mans soulful voice still pulls some emotive punches. When it gets its proper full length release, the new album will be called ‘o/i’.
Hen Ogledd – Scales Will Fall
We move from a man who used to make his bandmates stare awkwardly at their instruments when he took to the stage dressed as Britannia to a group where no such problems exist, it looks like everyone is raiding the dressing up box with uninhibited enthusiasm. They have been around for a few years now, building a reputation as an unpredictable shape-shifting unit wherein ancient Celtic themes and prog aesthetics are married to avant-folk electronics and experimentation. Hen Ogledd are a perfect outlet for the national folk music treasure Richard Dawson to fly his freak flag but his bandmates Rhodri Davies, Dawn Bothwell and Sally Pilkington all offer crucial ingredients to the far-out mix. This rousing tune is taken from the album ‘DISCOMBOBULATED’, out on 20th February 2026 on Weird World.
Nevaris – Ninth Sun
The key personnel in this live studio session, part of the Nevaris Project, are DJ Logic, Peter Apfelbaum, Jojo Kuo, Will Bernard, Lockatron, Angel Rodriguez, Jonathan Maron, and Matt Dickey. The newly released ‘SoundSession’ EP was recorded in a single day at Orange Sound studio in New Jersey. Playing and interpreting music written by percussionist Agustin Nevaris (who also led the nine piece ensemble) and Bill Laswell, the session was originally planned as a live stream but the sound of the live ensemble was so deep and inviting that the decision was, correctly I believe, taken to capture the sound on disc and release it to the world. The combination of dub, funk, Afro-Latin rhythms, turntablism and improvisation is an intoxicating one for sure.
Welcome back and happy new year to all. I am starting the Fresh Juice feature for 2026 with half a dozen selections that I did not squeeze in during the 2025 editions. Kicking the year off, it is Carson McHone whose ‘Pentimento’ album was released in the autumn on Merge Records. Now based in Ontario, Canada, this was McHone’s fourth solo album in ten years of releasing records created in collaboration with Daniel Romano. It is a real audacious treat of a folk-rock album, ram-packed with the kind of structurally strong songwriting that stands shoulder to shoulder with the giants of the genre, but also infused with a mysterious alien spirit that lends the record an air of the unknown, like a broadcast from another star. This is superb.
Mclusky – People Person
Returning in 2025 with their fourth LP record and their first album in twenty years were late 1990’s, early 2000’s noise-punkers Mclusky. The record ‘The World Is Still Here And So Are We’ was released via Mike Patton’s Ipecac Recordings and locked straight back into the abrasive style they were always known for. Front man Andrew “Falco” Falkous continues to bring the noise but not without some regrettable toll on his hearing. Of the above track he said it’s “the song that gave me tinnitus, so asking me about it is really cruel. it’s probably about being overwhelmed by the world because that’s what all of our songs are about.”
Jon Cleary – Zulu Coconuts
This may not be the music to suit the weather on this snowy January morning but then again, perhaps this is exactly what we need. I defy you to listen without tapping your foot at the very least, but a hip swaying frug across the floor would be far more appropriate. Maybe if Jools Holland’s ‘Hootenanny’ had booked Jon Cleary instead of the friggin Kooks I might have seen the new in with a smile rather than a grimace. This song had actually been doing the rounds for a couple of years but finally got an LP release in 2025 on Cleary’s ‘The Bywater Sessions’ album. At the New Orleans Mardi Gras, the Zulu Parade takes place on Fat Tuesday and this innuendo laced song is a nod to the prized hand-painted coconuts thrown to crowds during the parade.
Sam Shackleton – O Death
As featured on his independently released 2025 album ‘Scottish Cowboy Ballads And Early American Folk Songs’, this brief home recording offers a tantalising taste of the authenticity in Shackleton’s music. He says of this that it is “on the banjo by the fireplace at my mother’s house on the lovely Isle of Harris, Scotland. This is a great American folk ballad and is commonly sung in the Appalachian region, where it descends from much older Scottish and English folk ballads carried there by the many thousands of emigrants that made the long voyage. I really hope you enjoy.”
Ben l’Oncle Soul – I Got Home
This was a wonderous, funky single taken from l’Oncle Soul’s seventh album released in 2025 called ‘Sad Generation’. It was a real-deal slice of retro soul that wore its classicist’s style with pride safe in the knowledge that the track is a killer that would grace any dancefloor. Ben is a French soul singer from Tours who is nothing new to attention grabbing cuts; he previously turned heads in 2010 with a cover of The White Stripes ‘Seven Nation Army’ and has built a deserved acclaimed reputation as a live performer who can deliver the Motown and Stax goods with a modern day cut and thrust.
Snarky Puppy & The Metropole Orkest – Chimera
Recorded live in January 2025, at KABUL à GoGo in Utrecht, The Netherlands, this is an addictive rendition of a piece from the album ‘Somni’ released on GroundUP Music. This was the second collaborative release between the award winning jazz collective and the Metropole Orchestra following the 2015 Grammy winning project ‘Sylva’. Bandleader Michael League had composed a deep, progressive even, piece that certainly warranted the grand cinematic treatment a full band and orchestra arrangement offers. ‘Somni’ could perhaps be called a concept album, exploring as it does the various dream stages of sleep in a sequential order that runs from falling to sleep to waking up. But, to be clear, this brilliant music will not make you nod off, quite the opposite.
Fruit Tree Records 