Folk music
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Review Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie and others: Songs of the Spanish Civil War review – intriguing vintage folk laments
3 / 5 starsThis intriguing compilation focuses on music made by and for US soldiers who joined the fight against fascism in Spain, writes Robin Denselow -
Passionate endings, fond farewells, sad separations or stimulating solitude, name songs that capture or reflect on a moment when two or more people are parted, says Peter Kimpton
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Which way to go? From the Mighty Diamonds to Elvis, using hands, brain or feet, RR veteran sonofwebcore goes decisively with a songlist from last week’s topic
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Beck had seemed in danger of becoming creatively bankrupt, yet his twelfth album is a thoughtful and considered record that stands out amidst the year’s digital dystopia
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Founding member of the Incredible String Band who wrote the popular Empty Pocket Blues
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Nick Hayes’s sepia artwork and lyrical prose beat with a love for Guthrie’s music and America’s beauty, and rages at inequality, writes James Smart
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Hands, feet, directions or political leanings, name your songs that dextrously play with either or both words in their lyrics, says Peter Kimpton
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Benjamin Britten’s legacy lives on with 12 newly composed songs for children and community singers. Watch schools across Europe perform them live here on Friday 28 November.
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Proof of the power of one person with a guitar, Mitchell’s conviction and charisma carry a superb show, writes Colin Irwin
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Noose ballad The Hanging Tree mobilises rebel forces and extends range of Oscar-winning actor
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Britten 100 at Aldeburgh Friday Afternoons: the Britten celebration everyone can sing along to – video
This Friday, in association with Aldeburgh Music, the Guardian will stream live from Snape Maltings a children's celebration of folk songs reinterpreted in exciting ways by today's leading composers, including Rachel Portman, Nico Muhly, Jason Yarde, Sally Beamish and Talvin Singh
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Stream new releases from Fryars’ synth-pop to Lost on the River’s folk, and share what you’ll be listening to
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This collection of rare tracks by indigenous musicians from Canada and the northern US is a timely reminder of marginalised voices and plain great music, writes Kitty Empire
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Ben Nicholls gives sea shanties and whalers’ songs an ingenious modern setting, says Neil Spencer
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Alexis Petridis's album of the week Why Family by Thompson is the one album you should hear this week – video
Alexis Petridis recommends the album Family by Thompson, alias Richard and Linda Thompson, their singer-songwriter son Teddy and various other relatives
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Review Lost on the River: The New Basement Tapes review – brings new life to Dylan’s lyrics
5 / 5 starsT Bone Burnett assembles Elvis Costello and other worthies for an album that taps into the same deep wells of Americana from which Bob Dylan’s original sprouted, writes Jon Dennis -
Heard it somewhere before? It’s time to name songs that lift the specific sounds or ideas of others into a new time or context, says Peter Kimpton
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The songwriter takes a deconstructivist approach to English folk with a record that unsettles and subverts, writes Michael Hann
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Veloso transcends his father Caetano’s reputation with this exquisite record, writes Robin Denselow
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While RR regular swawilg picks a list from last week’s topic blog, his dog’s diary informs us what kind of a week it’s been …
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In an exclusive session for the Guardian, Damien Rice performs an acoustic version of Colour Me In from his album My Favourite Faded Fantasy
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From Thompson’s folk family affair to Bryan Ferry’s latest, stream the week’s new releases
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Review Thompson: Family review – Richard and Linda Thompson (almost) reunited on son’s album
3 / 5 starsThe parents overshadow their children on this family affair, writes Ally Carnwath -
It’s 40 years since Nick Drake died, aged 26. His music brought posthumous fame and a legion of fans still keen to speculate about the details of his life and work. Now his sister has written a revealing book about the singer-songwriter
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Review Sarah Humphreys' New Moon review – terrific start but fails to match up to opener
3 / 5 starsThere are three standout tracks in the Australian troubadour’s third album, produced by longtime fan Kasey Chambers, writes Everett True -
Furry domestic felines to tigers, lions and other fierce beasts, let your cat songs out of the bag to see which ones come top, says Peter Kimpton
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Ex-husband, ex-wife, son and daughter collaborate on an album that happily – and lovingly – goes beyond mere group therapy
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The songwriter is on impressively original form in this heartfelt collection recorded with friends from the UK folk circuit, writes Robin Denselow
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RR regular saneshane’s sorts through last week’s suggestions for an impassioned selection of songs about anti-war and peace
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The folk singer’s St James Infirmary revives the spirit of 1950s Greenwich Village on Stephen Moss’s trip to New York, despite the investment bankers and tourists
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Have a look at the video for the title track of the Unthanks’ new album and let us know what you think …
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Faraway oceans, cannibals, life-or-death struggles with sea monsters … songs that chronicled the lost culture of whaling are finding a new audience, thanks to Kings of the South Seas. Author Philip Hoare looks at their legacy
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Folk musician who was a member of the trio Grace Notes and worked with artists such as John Renbourn and Bert Jansch
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Review Piers Faccini & Vincent Segal: Songs of Time Lost review – intimate vocals and plaintive cello in perfect balance
4 / 5 starsSinger-guitarist Faccini and cellist Segal combine tradition and innovation as they drift across genres, writes Neil Spencer
Music blog Eric Bogle: I don't like Joss Stone's cover of No Man's Land, but I won't sue