Alice Barlow is not to be confused with Alice Barlow the actor, who is, confusingly, also a singer. This one is a recording artist for Domino records and also a member of South London all-female vocal band, WOOM. Her voice is her instrument, if here set against a backdrop of woozy instrumentation.

Reminiscent of the sort of languid lamentations that made Mazzy Star so integral to moods somewhere between maudlin and melancholy, the song seeps in insidiously, and, before you know it, you’ve played it 4 times in a row.

“Behind is about trying to escape yourself“, says Barlow, and it is just the sort of limpid pool where such ideas become attractive. And, yes, it is supposed to end suddenly, just like that. a name to watch, whilst waiting for more

Is there anything more soothing and comfortable than the rich organic sound of Teenage Fanclub?

Am I alone in finding this current version of the band, post Gerry Love, oddly the most charming, finding the last two albums getting more play than many of those before. A third is on the way, with this gloriously loping ditty first out.

The guitars choogle effortlessly in low gear, with the keyboards of Euros Child adding additional glow. But the glory, as ever, lies in the harmony vocals, helmed by main-man Norman Blake and fellow there for the long haul, Raymond McGinley. The tune slinks into your ear, threatening never to leave, so business much as usual.

It isn’t big or clever, it won’t shatter any expectations, but it is utterly, utterly lovely.

Ms. Carthy returns, and with more than a download too, something around which to celebrate. Or, rather, she will be, with this single the proud advance guard for a triple (!?) vinyl in the autumn. But let’s sing about this first.

It doesn’t take long to realise about whom the song is penned, words and music from Carthy and longterm writing buddy, Ben Seal. With talk of legends in the lyric, and how not to call him that, this is a loving paean to “The Daddy”. It bounces along briskly, led by propulsive drums and archly swiped strings. Closer to the Brechty-Weill style she so often espouses, it isn’t remotely folk, other than that it obviously is. Ish.

We don’t often comment on the accompanying videos, but this one is absolute doozy, with the unmistakable imprint of Marry Waterson, Eliza’s cousin, in the design, and a slew of fond portraits of her Uncle Martin swirling across the screen.

The album, Frenemies, should be a doozy!

They keep on coming – and every one’s a gem! Just 3 months on from their last single, the excellent Isn’t She Strange? ATB faves Barbara have done it again! Latest single, The Lycra We Live In is, in the words of the Tydeman brothers: “…a song about wrestling, but it’s not about wrestling. Actually, it’s also about growing up and learning and changing as you grow older.”

A surge of sound leads into a light, bright pop tune that glows with that special Barbara sunshine. The song fair rattles along; John’s on top vocal form, Henry’s tinkly piano keeps up the pace and, as ever, guitarist Dean Llewellyn tosses in a tasty guitar solo. But, this being Barbara, it’s advisable to keep an ear on lyrics and, with lines like: “Keep my mouth shut and lace my boots. From the hours in the gym to the evenings in the rain, I’ve been battling brutes,” the Tydeman brothers have set imaginations a-racing once more.

It’s now almost a year since Barbara’s self-titled debut album hit the racks and, such has been the band’s productivity during the ensuing months that I can’t believe a follow-up is too far away. We live in hope…

Barbara will be treading the boards at Cropredy in just a few days’ time and, quite frankly, we at At The Barrier can’t wait. Oh – and there’s the small matter of Barbara’s forthcoming autumn tour to think about – details of THAT can be found here.

Single #2 from Joan of Snark, the imminent (out 28th August) debut album from Nashville singer, songwriter, poet and visual artist, Winston Liv. Werewolf follows closely on the heels of Muse, a song that we recently described as: “bright, punchy, poppy and undeniably catchy.”

With Werewolf, Winston challenges the stereotype of werewolves being scary or ugly, but rather something that represents freedom and becoming your true self. As Winston explains: “I wanted an anthem that I and others could sing to ourselves when we were dealing with tough things like dysphoria, mis-gendering, and those people who refuse to understand and/or accept us for what we are.”

And that’s a message that Winston puts across pointedly in lines like: “Nobody takes claim, nobody knows my name – nobody but me. They only see what they feel – they’ll never know what’s real, what’s real about me.” The song is an irresistible slice of country-pop, awash with strummed guitars, piano and – is that a banjo I can hear? Winston’s vocals are, typically – as sweet as syrup and the backing vocals are lush and smooth. In fact, Werewolf is another triumph and the anticipation for Joan of Snark has just been ratcheted up a few notches.

On 28th August, The Jayhawks – long-time mainstays of the vibrant Minneapolis-Saint Paul music scene – will release their first new studio album in six years. The album arrives just as The Jayhawks celebrate their 40th anniversary and it reunites the band with famed producer Bob Ezrin. It’ll be called Sanctuary Park, and we’ll be covering it right here.

We’ve already enjoyed a taste of Sanctuary Park. In early July we shook our booties to Keeping Our Heads Above Water, the album’s lead single and, as if any prompting was really necessary, The Jayhawks have just issued single#2, to ensure that we keep our collective eye on the ball…

American Midnight is built upon a punchy riff that propels a breezy, freewheelin’ rock song. The sound is clean and the pace is refreshing. The band mesh tightly together – bass and drums are as one and the vocals are clear and fresh – in a Fleetwood Mac sort of way.

Sanctuary Park is already attracting a whole lot of interest and, with songs like Muse and, now, American Midnight doing the rounds, it’s easy to see why.

Just last month, we broke the news that iconic British Blues Rocker and Psychedelic Helmsman Arthur Brown is to release a new album – an album poised to stand as a profound and poetic culmination of Arthur’s 60-year artistic journey. The album will be called Nature and it’ll be with us on 4th September. watch this space…

Nature will be a reflection on a life that has been and is dedicated to the search of meaning through creativity, spirituality and artistic exploration. Bursting the Bubble, the latest in the string of singles to precede the album, epitomises those reflections as Arthur poses a series of questions. Does the planet Earth need us and our media? Is AI becoming a better guardian of the Earth than humanity? Have we lost the imagination to care for our world, its creatures and oursleves? I’m sure that you get the picture…

Bursting the Bubble is rock ‘n’ roll – but perhaps not as you’ll know it. The song has a pulsing electronic rhythm (after all, such things were invented by The God of Hell Fire, weren’t they…?) The voice is instantly recognisable as Arthur’s as are the more outré of electronic effects and the vocal expeditions into madness. And, if anyone needs proof that Arthur Brown and Sparks are branches on the same evolutionary tree, then here it is.

Oh – and don’t, under any circumstances, miss the video…