They May Put Land between Us Folkwit Records***

Mooching through the undergrowth of Bristol, you will discover that, as well as that city’s pioneering of trip-hop, there is also a penchant for the kind of inspired strain of folk/ pop music that references the classic (Nick Drake, Simon Garfunkel) and the contemporary (Prefab Sprout, Sufjan Stevens). Say hello to Joyce the Librarian (a band name lifted directly by singer-songwriter Martin Callingham from the oh-so-British Richard Stilgoe/ Peter Skellern song), a gentle indie-folk operation that takes liberally from their sparse sources while adding the textured instrumentation of strings and brass. The songs are simplistic, but intuitive and informed, meandering like a snaking garden path.

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Download: Follow Me I'm Right Behind You, Still Sleeping, Breakfast Club