With a title nodding to the spectre of ‘fake news’, in fact the Wisconsin singer-songwriter’s third solo album had less to do with the current climate - though certainly nods were sent in our general direction - and more to do with the personal. Though a lot of fuss was made for the fact that Trapper has now officially co-written a song with Bob Dylan with ‘On, Wisconsin’, it was the pop highs of ‘If All My Nines Were Xs’, ‘Sleight of Hand’ and ‘Drive-Thru Divorce’ that stuck out. Of course, the searing cover of ‘Freight Train’ and #MeToo-leaning ‘What You Do To Her’ helped sharpen those softer Americana edges.

A defiant statement preempting the (incorrect) assertion that Skinny Lister might be a one-trick pony, this album simply pulled out every trick they had in full view of everyone. The result is a glitterbomb of stories, sounds and tones. It’s very easy to pick any one song from the hat but ‘The Shining’ - not at all featuring the axe-wielding Jack Nicholson - is a New Wave-style disco shimmer. Meanwhile, they somehow make a folk-strummed metaphor about running out of petrol on the road ring rather poignantly. It is without any doubt that Skinny Lister have now proved they are reading from several song sheets, and without abandoning their roots entirely, they’ve fuelled their sonic palette to go in any direction they like. Watch the video for ‘Second Amendment’ below as proof.

Johnny Lloyd somehow put out two records in one year, his debut solo album Next Episode Starts in 15 Seconds, and a collection of home demos which chart his solo career to date including early versions of tracks from his first EP Dreamland, released in 2015. Next Episode… is Johnny leaving a beloved sound behind, instead pouring himself into a record bereft of adornment. Acoustic guitars ring out, harmonica squalls and Johnny honestly comes into his own with thoughts of fatherhood and stepping confidently into being an adult, even as humanity flounders. Low Fidelity, Volume 1 charts his progression fresh from his previous bands to his debut album, six years of songs recorded on an 8-track device, painstakingly put together at the time and saved for posterity. You can now listen to an artist growing before your very ears. Expect Volume 2 in 2020. 

Frank Turner had yet another banner year in 2019. As well as taking his own festival Lost Evenings international for the first time, he released brand new album No Man’s Land (which you can get from our shop while stocks last), while we released the fourth in his tenth anniversary edition records, Poetry of the Deed. This version available on limited edition double vinyl came with demos of the entire record as well as brand new refreshed artwork. At time of publishing, we don’t have any left on our site, but search around and you may find a few vinyl copies left.

We also released the video and mp3s of the hard-to-find Union Chapel set from 2009 which you can download here.

And finally, Möngöl Hörde saw fit to grace us with two new songs which we released on mp3. Check out selfiestiximatosis and Godfrey Newman. They even made it over to North America for the first time. Perhaps they’ll come riding our way again soon.

After 2018’s excellent return after five years away, This Remedy, Larry and His Flask kept the momentum going with a ten-track compilation which contained a variety of takes from the This Remedy sessions – alternate versions, demos, unreleased songs – with a handful of super rare early songs. It’s a fascinating document of how a band gradually crafts the finest record it can, yet still leaving remarkable alternatives in its wake.  Listen to ‘Long Way to Go’ below.

In a year when battlelines were not so much drawn as seared into the very Earth, and the outcome would dominate the hearts and minds of many, My War Is Your War made more sense than all the political dicking about in the world. Abrasive yet hearty and melodic, the Scottish-Scandanavian duo invited us to partake in their revolting. Walking the line of chiming melody and excoriating polemic,  the video for ‘Year of Rage’ sums up their second record perfectly. Watch it below.

Fresh from some bad experiences, and while touring his debut album from 2018 Son of the Smith, Seán McGowan put together a five-track EP exploring his issues. Rather than the collision of brash and considered that Son of the Smith represented - a cornucopia of wordplay, punk thrash and emotional outpouring – this EP stripped back to acoustic roots, and got introspective. It layered strings and voices to build upon melodic sketches. It revealed Seán’s desire to get his songs from the core of his being and out into the world.

Listen to ‘Silk’ below.