And back to Michael Chapman...

As you know, this has been my year of getting into Michael Chapman - finally seeing him play live and catching up on his hugely impressive (and hugely enjoyable) back catalogue.

Then along comes this cherishable compilation from Tompkins Square Oh Michael, Look What You've Done...

The serendipity of a track from Two Wings was enough to persuade me to invest, even though the label apparently couldn't cope with the logistical challenge of getting a 55 minute set onto vinyl... 

There's a really interesting range of contributors doing their own thing with Michael's songs - and, often, very effectively making them their own. There are the good compilation's twin joys here of finding new artists you then want to go and find more of (for me, in particular, Hiss Golden Messenger's fiddle-n-drone and Black Twig Pickers' rootsy stomp), and hearing known, reliable quantities in new settings (step forward, Lucinda Williams and Thurston Moore). Two Wings are spot on: gorgeously themselves.

Elsewhere, 60s/70s Brit folk-rock is properly represented, through Maddy Prior, Bridget St John and Rick Kemp - though I have to say that the last, a longterm collaborator of Chapman, is the weak link here for me... Meanwhile, Meg Baird gives an amazing impression, decades adrift and on the wrong side of the pond, of being in just that category.

Essentially, there's a wealth of treasurable stuff here - and the stuff you might not treasure is certainly worthy of your interest and attention. Thoroughly recommended.

The Proclaimers and much more...

In the interests of paternal evenhandedness it's about time for another recommendation for the always interesting and entertaining Secret Sessions, who have just put up this great video of The Proclaimers reprising their signature song '500 miles'. It's really good to see them on such great form...

And if you visit, dip into the Secret Sessions archive - I'd point you towards Skinny Lister, in particular, for some lovely folky stuff with fine harmonies.

For a description, I'm inclined to quote The Guardian 'Finally, a folk troupe whose bonhomie doesn't make us retch. Think of them as the Pogues with good teeth.'

Not an easy thought, but I'm trying...

Gum's path to world domination

Lots of splendid Gum stuff available here and a Brighton gig to launch their split tape at the Green Door Store on 6 July.

Meanwhile, Jessica Jordan-Wrench's other, gentler, musical outlet, Amy Made Me, are stepping up production: listen here.

Yes, there is a family connection, but my finely honed critical faculties allow me to give you entirely unbiased recommendations. And I can vouch for those genes.

Two Wings in Lewes

Some lovely music from Two Wings at the Needlemakers in Lewes last night...

It's a cafe that doesn't normally stage gigs and there was a somewhat shambolic air - no stage or lights, random folding chairs, a flickering subtitled film projected on a sheet. And it posed a challenge for the sound man in coping in a small space with subtle, sometimes four part, vocal harmonies alongside an exuberant drummer and amplified guitars.

Anyway, what I did hear was fine stuff and left me wanting more. There's a different dynamic from the record, not only in the balance between vocals and instruments, but also the absence of the brass section. But they're able to ring the changes instrumentally, with Hanna Tuulikki playing flute and recorder as well as guitar and driver Drew gamely stepping up to add a mandolin when needed. The musical axis lies between guitarist Ben Reynolds and drummer Owen Curtis Williams: they watch each other closely as they drive the surging music on.

What Williams doesn't do is settle into a groove and stay there: his style is questioning, punctuational, conversational with the rest of what is going on... Reynolds' Stratocaster is the dominant melodic force: the classic sound, without obvious effects. (I realised after seeing some 20 bands at the Great Escape that I hadn't heard one proper guitar solo in three days – not a gurning, widdle-widdle at the top of the neck, but some properly developed lines that take a song's melody somewhere else. Today's guitarists seem more concerned with chords and textures and Afropop chirrups. Thanks for some balance, Ben.)

So what do they sound like? The poster for the evening referred to Americana, which I don't get: for me, it is a decidedly British sound. There are definite folk roots, with an admixture of seventies rock. But it's also bang up to date and the vocal combination is clearly their own  as Lucy Duncombe's pure tone blends very nicely with Hanna's lefter-field swoops. There's a distinct whiff of prog in there too (à la Decemberists), which comes to the fore in the crashing closer 'Love's Spring', as Ben and Hanna turn their Fenders to their speakers to coax some feedback into a musical maelstrom...

OK, I'll give it my best shot: imagine that a Full House-era Fairport Convention are trying out a new female folk singer who might replace Sandy, but Dave Mattacks couldn't make it so Bill Bruford has sat in on drums, and then a time machine arrives with Kate Bush in it... 

No, you need to listen to them for yourself: trust me, you do.

Saint Dominic's Preview, etc.

The bad news is that 33 1/3 don't want to publish my projected slim volume on Saint Dominic's... Tant pis; their loss.

The good news is that I'm going to press on with the writing and get it out myself as close as possible to the fortieth anniversary of the album's release next month.

As a taster, I've posted the introductory chapter which formed part of my pitch to 33 1/3 here. If that whets your appetite, watch this space for news of more.

I'm off to Lewes tonight to see the fine Two Wings, whose album I'm really enjoying. It's having to fight for listening space with a whole slew of other fine releases, including new stuff from Patti Smith (in wonderful voice, and great to hear Tom Verlaine's guitar again, chiming alongside Lenny Kaye's), Dexys (bonkers but lovely), Neil Young (patchy, but a lot of fun and the good tracks are great), Alejandro Escovedo (only heard it once so far - no obvious surprises) and a whole lot more...