Contemporary folk music would most likely not be the same without José González in it. The iconic Swedish indie folk artist who has brought us a number of subtle, yet eclectic albums and who is now returning with his fourth solo work to date: Local Valley. A sonic landscape José was happy to discuss with NBHAP author Annett Bonkowski in a recent chat.
Every now and then we ask befriended musicians to recommend us an album that inspired their own art and the stories never fail to surprise and entertain us. The fact that beloved songwriter Faye Webster was heavily inspired by a joint venture of iconic bluegrass musician Alison Krauss and former Led Zeppelin leader Robert Plant was new to us. We invited Faye to write a few lines on the importance of this very special record for her.
Isn't it wonderful to have a record that travels with you throughout most of life's weird twists and turns? For British songwriter Eliza Shaddad the iconic debut album by her American colleague Tori Amos is exactly such a piece of music. In the wake of her upcoming new album "The Woman You Want" we asked Eliza to write down a few personal thoughts on that record that shaped her understanding of music.
Swedish indie-rock artist Linn Koch-Emmery has been a longtime favourite of the NBHAP staff and after years of following her blossoming career we're really happy that her debut LP "Being The Girl" is finally out and we're sure it will become the favourite album of many people out there. We were interested in whether Linn got a favourite album as well and she suggested a more recent one from 2020. But that shouldn't stop you from discovering Dominic Fike's work.
The ongoing climate crisis can leave you numb and disillusioned from time to time. Instead of waiting for a miracle to happen or getting way too cynical it might be best to simply start doing little changes in your everyday life. Taking action is one aspect, redefining our relationship with nature in general is a whole different one. Acclaimed musician Martin Kohlstedt is fighting for exactly that and NBHAP head Norman spoke with him about his ambitious yet very pragmatic plan and how we all can learn something from it.
London's multi-talent Raf Rundell just released his new album "O.M Days" which is packed with funky grooves and explores new musical territory leading the artist on a spiritual journey. Positive energy is the leading line through and you can really sense the multiple influences that shaped the record. We invited Raf to give us a little insight into an almost fifty year old record that shaped him on the way to becoming the refined and versatile musician he is today.
Duncan Lloyd has been a driving force behind beloved British indie rockers Maximo Park for almost two decades now and their freshly released seventh album "Nature Always Wins" is another testament of that. When it comes to his own personal influences the musician shares a lot of love for this 1965 classic from the one and only Bob Dylan. We invited him to write about the record.
The singer and drummer Aaron Frazer has been around the music scene for a while already as part of several bands, but kicking off the new year by sharing his first solo effort. "Introducing..." is an album, which mirrors the versatility of the artist and while it is not quite the first thing we have heard from the musician it is his way of introducing his full creative range to the world.
