You mean the Agoraphobic nosebleed post? Yeah I don't think they will be your thing booboo!

Kate Rusby is a name I first came across as the soundtrack provider (along with her then partner John McCusker) to a small English indie film called Heartlands starring Michael Sheen (later making waves with the film Frost/Nixon). As an avid film fan if I hear a great soundtrack I checkout the end credits of a film for artists and whether the soundtrack is available etc. after a very, very long search I managed to find the soundtrack which then lead me to Rusby herself.

Still in her early 30's now, Rusby has clawed her way to the upper echelons of the British Folk scene which barely get's a solid mention in this country (shocking considering our history) and is virtually unknown outside of this country. Stats like this make me extremely despondent when the U.S has it's own burgeoning folk scene that encompasses many genres with artists such as Iron and Wine and Okkervil River along with acoustic artists such as Bon Iver who attract international audiences whilst a British-centric artist such as Rusby is barely known.

Folk music can easily fall into a stereotypical image yet Rusby remains faithful to lost Folk songs and to her own songwriting abilities.

Here is the scene that she won me over in the film, playing live and herself within the film. Skip to 1:55 for the second track.:



and here is the second track in it's entirety:



Further listening:

Hourglass
Underneath The Stars.

I love Kate's music. When I first heard her rendition of the ancient Celtic folk song I'm Stretched Out On Your Grave on a local Irish music radio show, it sent chills up my spine. Apologies to Sinead O' Conner but Kate's version of the song is the best I've ever heard.

The production and mastering of the song is so pristine in fidelity, it feels like she's sitting on a chair next to you singing the song.

A good mate of mine told me about her a little while now ago, although I have never heard of her. I'm not a big fan of folk but I need to educate myself a little better I think. I may check her out.

wow, very lovely, jackhammer. her voice is so full of feeling.

Folk music is such a personal thing and if you like it then it's richly rewarding. Glad you like it :)

Wow. I love her voice, a lot. I definitely need to get into this artist.

If you need linkage just let me know.

Just listened to Hourglass, and loved it. Annan Waters was one of my favourites, loved how the piano was introduced about 30 seconds in. Also though A Rose in April was very touching.

A really beautiful album that feels somewhat timeless. Thanks so much :)

I will sort out a link for her 2003 album Underneath The Stars which is even better.

Good pick Lee.
Kate Rusby is a rare talent.

@Gavin B. Talking of best versions. This version of 'Our Town' is my favourite.
Kate manages to make those flat north of England vowels sound beautiful.
No mean feat!
Liam Gallagher and The Arctic Monkey's...take notes.

Edit: double click the vid to listen.

Kate's version of Our Town puts a lump in my throat because she could be singing about the demise of the town I grew up.

Iris DeMent's countrified original Our Town is also great but I like Kate's Celtic flavored rendition.

I have not heard her version before now. Cheers for that David. If you get the chance to see the film 'Heartlands' then I highly recommend it.

There is something about monotonous music with a deep bass line that has always appealed to me. On my travels and with my recent penchant for Electronica I have been lead to a Spanish Duo who work with local musicians for the vibe. Not money. Not Fame. Not adulation. Just chilled out grooves that are regulary played in the world famous Cafe Del Mar. Music is one of those things that heard in the right time and place, lends itself to something better than the sum of it's parts. This is not a groundbreaking track either musically or technically but it is honest music and that's what I'm here for. Fu the trends. I just want to enjoy tonight.

^ Groovy, perfect for my Sunday morning. I think I've heard another song by this group before that I liked... New World Airlines? Anyway... great stuff.

In saying that, this post is semi-decent. Other stuff to look out for includes Kora, Tiki Taane (really big down here last year, formerly from Salmonella Dub), Salmonella Dub, The new Fat Freddy's album etc. Reggae is a really big thing here, it's got a huge following.

YouTube - Always On My Mind by Tiki Taane

Actually this is pretty good. I really like the backbone beat, the guitar hovering over it is smooth as smoke, and the vocals are beautiful. Good pick, I'm actually pleasantly surprised. You've given me yet another band to look into, thanks for the entry.

Oh yeah, The Black Seeds are pretty dece live. Still really wanting to see Kora yet.

Never be pleasantly surprised just in awe rofl. No seriously I'm pleased that you liked the post and if u need PM'S just holler.

Yup. New World Airlines is off their 'Best Of 2' album.

I still like to think that this is the greatest Electronic song ever recorded. It is now over 10 years old yet it stil has the power to astonish in it's brutal simplicity. It is literally one of the most intense songs I have ever heard running from smooth ambience to gutarall heaviness and still easily holding it's own shape and form. One minute you just want to drift into a deep sleep and the next you want to stamp on all the ill's of the world.

Rarely has such a synthetic sound clawed it's way inside your head only to sit and fester it's benign genius. Quite simply is a track that reeks of perfection.

Heavier than most metal, amazing track.

You've convinced me to get into electronic music more, something I'd never really given a chance. This is an amazing song, very intense. I like it.

Once you have heard Mezzanine you will be instantly smitten. Anyone who says it's a bad album regardless whether they like it or not are tone deaf as far as I'm concerned.

well now, i wouldn't say that, but still a good track.

Not necessarily heavier in the traditional sense, but as far as atmosphere goes then definitely.

A part of the British Hardcore Punk scene from the early 80's that was as influential to crossover punk and thrash bands as the more lauded American bands of the time. Formed as an offshoot of the seminal band Discharge, Broken Bones sound incorporated the ferocity of punk with the Metal orientated sound of early Thrash bands.

What do you mean you have never heard of them? now you have and if this genre is your bag, then this 12" E.P is essential.

ok then i agree with that.

Well, I havent got the chance to check out all of these, but hell, Fat Freddy's Drop IS kickin'. Agoraphobic Nosebleed was mind-melting, but somehow amazing at the same time.

Thanks for the recommendations

That was some seriously awesome guitar. Is most their stuff like this or is this song just really good? I gotta check these guys out.

This particular bunch of songs are of the same sound. I will get a link to you!

Consider me a believer.
A link would be greatly appreciated.

During one forty-hour period in 1973, folk musician Gary Higgins and his band of five -- guitarist Jake Bell, cellist Maureen Wells, keyboardist Terry Fenton, mandolin/flutist Paul Tierney and bass player Dave Beaujon -- laid down one of the saddest, loveliest acoustic recordings you'll ever hear, the now semi-legendary Red Hash. Time was tight because Higgins had recently been arrested on drug charges and was facing years, maybe decades in jail. Money, too, was in short supply. The entire album was recorded on four-track, giving it the warmth and immediacy of live performance, but making it hard to hear instruments like bass and drums. Even so, its haunting harmonies and wistful mood are amazing; in addition to being an absolute distillation of 1960s and 1970s folk, it hints at the skewed purity of contemporary psyche folk.

Higgins disappeared after Red Hash was released, first serving out his sentence and later marrying, having a child and spending his time as many of us do, making a living rather than pursuing his dreams. Although Higgins and his friends recorded a few more songs together -- two of them appear on the Red Hash reissue as bonus tracks -- there was never another record. The whole unlikely experience seemed likely to drop into the black hole of lost albums.

Then, during the 1990s, word began to spread about Red Hash. Pirated copies appeared for sale on the Internet. Tracks were played on influential freeform radio stations like WFMU. Musicians, most notably Ben Chasny of Six Organs of Admittance and Comets on Fire, cited the forgotten disc as an influence; Chasny even covered "Thicker than a Smokey" on his 2005 album School of the Flower. Zach Cowie, then negotiating to bring Comets on Fire to Sub Pop, received a burned copy from Chasny and immediately became fascinated with the album. He embarked on a quixotic quest to find its author, mailing off hundreds of letters and calling every Gary Higgins he could find in Connecticut phone books. Finally, he located that Gary Higgins -- still in northwest Connecticut, still writing and playing songs in his spare time, still holding the master tapes to his one and only full-length album. The album was remastered and reissued on Drag City in 2005.

I like that song! Also a great story - I had never heard of Gary Higgins before

Oh, yeah, great preview and story behind the album! Definitely will be checking out, I love folk and love those decades as well.

It's sad that so many things like this go unfound for so long. Jackhammer, you do a good deed here, uncovering hidden stashes of beautiful works that should be appreciated.

If anyone want's a link for the Red Hash album PM away!

I do! I do!

I haven't looked in this thread in awhile, but it's great to see it's still full of music I'm pretty interested in.

Link on way and please to all who I have sent the album to-let's have some opinions whether good or bad!

Red Hash is definitely a good album. Classic melancholy folk that goes somewhere. Almost every song is really interesting despite how soft and low key they are. My one complaint is that one or two of the songs sound horribly dated. "Unable to Fly" for example is just way too authentically hippie-ish for me. Really cloying flute and high-pitched vibrato vocals remind me of why I don't like much late 60s/early 70s folk. But still - I do really like most of the album a lot. Makes me think of Nick Drake if he was an American hippie.