Songs Of Hope And Comfort

There's a bittersweet beauty to the passing of time – the changes it brings are just as often heartbreaking as they are heartwarming. The inevitable tension that arises from that sway is Gretchen Peters' most trusted muse. “The years go by like days. Sometimes the days go by like years. And I don't know which one I hate the most,” she sings in “Arguing with Ghosts,” the hauntingly wistful opening cut on her new album, Dancing with the Beast.

A second disc from new chamber choir Consortium, who were acclaimed for their disc of Brahms’s secular partsongs. Although Reger’s music has partly recovered from its deeply unfashionable reputation, much of this prolific composer’s work still remains underperformed. This disc offers a chance to redress the balance, both by bringing to light an aspect of Reger’s output that has been relatively neglected, and by demonstrating that the important influences on him were not just musical but literary.

Sister Swing is a fresh, exciting trio of singers which has captured the Big Band Swing era and brought it to the 21st century. Heavily influenced by groups like the Andrews Sisters, the Boswell Sisters, and Manhattan Transfer, Sister Swing brings a new sound to an old style. The three ladies, Leigh Hannah, Valerie Marston and Paula Chafey-Merrill, genuinely have a good time on stage and that transcends to their audience. An evening with Sister Swing will take you back in time to an era of glamour, romance and innocence.

John Moreland doesn’t have the answers, and he’s not sure anyone does. But he’s still curious, basking in the comfort of a question, and along the way, those of us listening feel moved to ask our own. “I don’t ever want to sound like I have answers, because I don’t,” he says. “These songs are all questions. Everything I write is just trying to figure stuff out.”

Bassist Mick Paul, best known for his work with the David Cross Band, is releasing his new album “Parallel Lives” on June 9th. The album features guest appearances by David Cross (King Crimson) and David Jackson (Van Der Graaf Generator). Says Mick about the new album, “I’m interested in the way our lives tend to mirror each other without us realising it, hence the title ‘Parallel Lives’. Two of the songs relate to my children who are now grown up, I can see how their lives echo mine and of course how my life has parallels with my parents and the way they saw things and reacted to events- and how it goes on through the generations. It is not a concept album in the traditional sense of having a story as such but I think there is cohesiveness to the overall content of the lyrics that tell some of my story. I also feel that the moods and general feel of the album very much reflect how I felt when I was writing it.”

Tamikrest return with a vivid, irrepressible rock and roll statement. Their most powerful album since 2013’s wildly acclaimed Chatma, Tamotaït finds the band not only turning up the volume, but also sharpening their ruminations on the state of the Sahara and the world beyond. Features acclaimed Moroccan singer Hindi Zahra and Japanese traditional musicians.

Sarah-Jane Morris is the British soul, jazz and r&b singer who topped the UK pop charts for a month in 1986 (with The Communards' disco version of 'Don't Leave Me This Way') and then eloquently and joyously side-stepped the mainstream ever after. Morris's magnificent soul voice and emotional power would have brought multiple Grammy awards and celebrity status to most singers with her charisma and drive. But for over 25 years of a unique career, Morris has steered by her own star, not the music industry's, and that independence has brought her a devoted audience, inspired by her belief in the power of song to change hearts and minds.

Run For Cover Records is excited to announce that they will release Ill, the third full-length from Sweden post-punk legends Makthaverskan on October 20, 2017. Deep at the heart of Makthaverskan’s new album Ill lies a burning desire, a longing to find compassion against a global backdrop where love in all its forms feels as if its being sucked from our lives. Led by vocalist Maja Milner’s barbed wail, Ill is Makthaverskan turning their sights on the world at large, chasing hope and understanding in a time when it can seem impossible to find either.