This week I have been busy out in the garden getting ready for spring, focusing on family and loving the beautiful weather. The idea that ‘a beautiful garden is never finished’ reminds me that there is no point waiting for everything to be perfect… you should just enjoy it as it is…

Now let’s talk about Beth Malcom. I have included track one from her mesmerising and transformative album Folkmosis. The opening medley of this album ‘Osmosis Medley‘ is emotionally charged, authentic and exquisite. It serves as a gateway to a journey you will not regret going on. The mixture of songs, music, and spoken word on this album is delicate, tender, demur and inviting. Folkmosis is long listen you should take the time to savour, it is like an evening with friends, personal and full of fondness, light a fire and let Beth speak directly to your heart. 

Next up is a special uplifting collaboration from Angeline Morrison. I was drawn to Angeline initially because she is drawn to nature in a way which is wonderfully submissive, yet she has a unique approach to song construction which is so subversive and these two ideas combine is quite enchanting. Give Aneline some time to open up your listing song book and let the magic in. 

Luna Keller has been on my watch list for ages, I love her voice and tone, but some kind of new alchemy has happened in her latest collaboration ‘paper dreaming‘ with Canadian Indie-Folk legend Genesis Ritchot. 

Amble, the 3-piece pop-folk rising stars, released ‘Swan Song‘ this month ahead of their next album release in may… This tender  and emotional track has been burrowing into my soul a bit, and invites us to reflect on our lives and “raise a glass for every distant dream in hope”. 

The Album – ‘Things found in books‘, follows on from introduction track ‘The things you find in books’, from week12. 

The Album draws inspiration from a notice board which hangs in a Culzean Castle second-hand bookshop, which collects the store’s greatest stories. Lost and discarded notes, photographs, old receipts, letters, postcards – fragments of people’s lives that each tell their own tale and even inspire new ones. We featured the introduction song to this album last week, and amongst the gems in this great work, is ‘baby blue‘.

Charlie Root, who also appeared on last weeks list with “Ode to a nightingale”, returns this week with a pure Dylanesque new release “Ghost in the gutter”… Having nurtured a Dylan obsession for over 30 years this latest work by Root is like putting on an old coat, and discovering a tenner in the pocket…. Surprising and comforting in equal measure. Charlie has an extensive back catalogue online and if you have a spare afternoon I would suggest a journey down this particular rabbit hole…. 

The Album ‘Airs On a Sixstring’ is the latest release from the self-confessed flower child, Roberta Smith, and it feels like it was beamed here directly from the smoky coffee houses and folk clubs of the roots movement at its zenith.  I could have chosen anything from this deeply authentic and generous EP, but my favourite is ‘Howling at the moon’.

Moving on to Something special from Odettee Michell, since her debut in 2018, she has been honing her sound and refining her style.. This Award winning multi-instrumentalist has forged something brilliant and golden with this heartwarming and lustrous new EP ‘hourglass’. In this collaboration with Callum Gilligan (who was featured on our playlist #10.2025) she says “let the embers burn and we’ll watch the seasons turn” . This juxtaposition of time passing is lovely and works to remind us that things have a rhythm and the syncopation of a single fires embers fading in the context of a whole year can be a very special moment amongst to people in love.

Megan Linford, is a nostalgic and faithful up-and-coming solo artist, and is my one to watch this week. She draws her inspiration from the classics of Folk and Americana and has already supported some of the biggest names on the scene. This latest release, ‘tom’s Song’ is mature and reflective, original but wonderfully familiar, and could be a formative moment in her development. Keep a close eye on Megan. 

Megson have been featured before on FML but I am particularly taken with their latest release ‘To Get Home’ which coincides with their first full UK tour, featuring Double Bass by John Parker (of JCB fame) . 

Fair Weather Son, Cat Dad and Singer Songwriter Mark, ex-drummer with Hamfatter and collaborator with many brilliant artists, including ” Boo Hewerdine” releases “Lazy Bones” this week which in some sense feels like a self-actualisation. iFair Weather Son has a song store worth exploring but to me his latest release is his finest work yet. 

Last year, Susy Wall released the beautifully and otherworldly 11 track album the spaces in between, which is a peaceful and contemplative special recording. I would strongly recommend a Sunday snooze in the sun with this album on a good pair of headphones, so to introduce you to her amazing work (if you don’t know her already) I have chosen ”shortest day‘ by way of a primer. 

Jack Warnock blows in from County Derry and this multi-instrumentalist has been sharpening his song writing axe since a young age. His trad-folk style is inspired by the greats of Irish music, and Doyle, Edey, Boyd and McManus are deeply engrained in his sound. Other than his delightful vocal performance what I like the most about this track is the production value, everything has space in this recording and the soundscape feels like a well curated garden, everything in its place. 

Glasgow based Nico EV’s 2023 single release ‘just hold on’ sprang to mind as I was building this list, and it provides a lovely peaceful moment of reflection. Nico voice is so welcoming and accessible, and this is a great track to start with if you are going to discover her brilliant and comforting back catalogue. I look forward to her next releases…

If you want to subscribe to our weekly list you can do so here….

This is the Week 14 list published on 31st March 2025 and running until 7th April , 2025.

The List. #014.2025