Gullible Musicologists Flying Convalescent Kites,

Roddy Woomble of Idlewild’s solo album, My Secret is my Silence, has been a mainstay of my recent listening. I’ve been a fan of Idlewild since The Remote Part album – the first since they decided to stop making a terrible din. My Secret is my Silence has been lauded as a folk album, it features an impressive cast (John McCusker, Karine Polwart and Kate Rusby amongst others from Idlewild, Sons & Daughters and Foxface) but Roddy Woomble is the star. His lyrics are superb, as they have always been; a favourite of mine from The Remote Part - ‘Is consideration more like an exception – of consideration?’ The gentler folk sound of this album allows them to shine through, on gems like Every Line of a Long Moment, My Secret is my Silence, If I Could Name any Name and Waverley Steps. Whiskeyface is a jolly jig of an instrumental where the violins that flavour this album come to the fore. As Still as I Watch Your Grave, From the Drifter to the Drake and Under my Breath could easily be Idlewild songs. I doubt any singles are to be released from this album and only a few radio sessions have been used to promote this brilliant album so it’s going to take the nonsensical ravings of loudmouth malcontents like me to get people to buy it.

On the Bella Union label, home to My Latest Novel and Midlake, Fionn Regan’s album, The End of History, is a treat. Fionn is an Irish singer-songwriter who apparently has Drake and Young leanings as he strums on his acoustic guitar and sings tales of stuff. I had purchased this album before the end of the first song I heard from him, Put the Penny in the Slot might be this year’s Oxygen (Willy Mason) if the capitalist oppressors who rule the airwaves lower their strict guard and stop playing the Chip Shop Boys or the The Ill Feeling for a few minutes.

Accidents Occur Whilst Sleeping by Lupen Crook is virtually beyond description, in its darkness it drifts all over the place from evil folk music to electronic beats. It’s twisted. Our Lupen sings of rape, skeletons and dead animals. He seems as angry at society as the rest of us ought to be. I like albums like this where there’s use of lots of different instruments: guitars, keyboards, glockenspiel, harmonica, double bass, kazoo , bongos, trumpet, oboe, violins and more.

Ever since hearing Young Folks, I’ve been looking forward to the new album by Peter, Bjorn and John. I was delighted to find that on Writer’s Block, Young Folks (the second best single of the year) is amongst peers.

I’ve recently bought Broadcasting From Home by the Penguin Café Orchestra, I really like it. Vic McGlynn played a piece called Music for a Found Harmonium on her BBC 6music show (that’s soon to be ruined) and such a change in musical direction every now and again is really refreshing.

I’ve also liked Avalanches by Sufjan Stevens, It’s Never Been Like That by Pheonix, Rather Ripped by Sonic Youth and Personality by The Sleepy Jackson (although it isn’t as good as their first album, Lovers). I’m still undecided with respect to Through the Windowpane by Guillemots, I’m not sure I want to mope about that much but I do want to like it. I’m also unreliably informed that Razorlight’s new album is great (so stick that in your pipe and smoke it).