Huw Marc Bennett elevates traditional south Welsh music to cosmic heights on his third album, Heol Las (Blue Street). He reimagines tunes from Glamorgan—a region famed for coal, steel, rolling hills, and rugged coasts—within languid arrangements infused with global sounds, surf rock vibes, and sitar flourishes. The record shifts seamlessly from industrial valleys to the Gower peninsula, radiating vibrant beauty and energy.
Standout Tracks and Innovations
Carol Haf (Summer Carol) launches the album with gentle pastoral fingerpicking that evolves into a drum-driven guitar solo resembling a meditative raga. Cân y Saer Maen (Stonemason’s Song) weaves fuzzy organ, acoustic, and electric guitars into heavy, magical interplay. A deep bass note introduces Seth Bye’s layered fiddles, thickening the atmospheric tension.
Synthesizer-led pieces like Cân Gwasael (Wassail Song) and Yr Abaty (The Abbey) evoke eerie library music from vintage children’s TV dramas. Gwenith Gwyn 1837 (White Wheat 1837) pairs mournful chapel organ tones with cascading rain effects.
Y Fedwen (The Birch) shines brightest, capturing psychedelic essence reminiscent of lost Sain Records gems. Bennett merges two 18th-century tunes transcribed by Welsh bard Iolo Morganwg over Yusuf Ahmed’s punchy drums. Singer Angela Christofilou delivers poignant lyrics drawn from Bennett’s nieces, the first in his family to receive Welsh-medium education: “Dyma ei geirau ni / Llais yfory / Gadewch i mi chwarae / I bod yn rhydd”—translated as “these are our words, the voice of tomorrow, let me play, and be free.”
This fusion bridges Wales’s heritage with its future through fresh, invigorating sounds.
Other Fresh Folk Releases
Irish folk artist Joshua Burnside delivers a gripping album, It’s Not Going to Be Okay (Nettwerk), chronicling his best friend’s death. Tracks like Nicer Part of Town, powered by straightforward acoustic guitar, convey subtle devastation. The Last Armchair carries heavier weight, evoking country shimmer in scenes of loss and daily routine.
Finnish duo Akkajee’s Pölynkerääjä (The Dust Collector) (self-released) bursts with bold creativity, channeling folk tales through unconventional voices like church bells, derelict houses, and decaying forms. Meriheini Luoto and Iida Savolainen’s vocals crackle around nyckelharpas, kanteles, and ocarinas.
Irish-English trio the Weaving offers springtime enchantment on Dlúth & Inneach (Warp & Weft) (self-released). Meábh Begley’s button accordion, Owen Spafford’s fiddle, and Cáit Ní Riain’s piano create luminous, interconnected melodies.
