Items12The creator’s order
  1. 1Fleet Foxes (2008)Fleet Foxes (2008)Released 1 Jan 2008Robin Pecknold and his Seattle quintet made baroque folk feel like the most urgent sound on earth. Soaring four-part vocal harmonies drenched in cathedral-like reverb, ringing twelve-string acoustic guitars and rolling tom-tom drums create a glorious sonic bridge between 1960s British folk-revival…0
  2. 2For Emma, Forever Ago (2007)For Emma, Forever Ago (2007)Released 1 Jan 2007Justin Vernon made Bon Iver's debut alone in a remote Wisconsin cabin after illness and a break-up, and it became an indie folk touchstone. He layers his fragile falsetto into a ghostly choir over resonant acoustic strumming and distant horns, so Skinny Love and Re: Stacks feel both homemade and…0
  3. 3Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You (2022)Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You (2022)Released 1 Jan 2022Big Thief's sprawling 20-song double album was recorded in four very different places, and the shifting rooms keep it fresh. Fiddle, jaw harp, country ballads and scrappy rock songs all circle Adrianne Lenker's earthy, unguarded writing. For an indie fan it is the perfect bridge: a band you may…0
  4. 4Our Endless Numbered Days (2004)Our Endless Numbered Days (2004)Released 1 Jan 2004Sam Beam, recording as Iron & Wine, moved from home recordings to a warm full band here without losing the hush. Banjo, slide guitar and whispered harmonies evoke Southern landscapes and quiet domestic rituals, and Naked as We Came shows how much a two-minute song can hold. A gentle record for…0
  5. 5Song for Our Daughter (2020)Song for Our Daughter (2020)Released 1 Jan 2020Inspired by Maya Angelou, British songwriter Laura Marling addresses an imaginary future daughter with wisdom, compassion and fierce dignity. Arranged with lush string quartets, Laurel Canyon-style harmonies and immaculate fingerstyle guitar, the album is a masterclass in modern folk elegance.0
  6. 6Liege & Lief (1969)Liege & Lief (1969)Released 1 Jan 1969Fairport Convention's landmark is often called the birth of British folk-rock. Sandy Denny's clear, majestic voice and Richard Thompson's fiery electric guitar plug centuries-old ballads such as Matty Groves into a driving rock rhythm section, which is exactly why it suits rock listeners: the songs…0
  7. 7Just Another Diamond Day (1970)Just Another Diamond Day (1970)Released 1 Jan 1970Documenting a journey by horse and cart across the British countryside, Vashti Bunyan's delicate debut became the sacred text of the freak-folk movement. Gentle acoustic fingerpicking, pastoral recorders and Bunyan's whisper-soft vocal delivery create an enchanting, innocent rural dreamscape.0
  8. 8Ys (2006)Ys (2006)Released 1 Jan 2006A monumental piece of avant-folk ambition. Joanna Newsom's intricate pedal harp and idiosyncratic voice are wrapped in Van Dyke Parks's sweeping orchestral arrangements across just five long narrative songs. It asks for patience, but listeners who love ambitious, wordy indie records will find…0
  9. 9Bert Jansch (2015)Bert Jansch (2015)Released 1 Jan 2015Recorded in a London flat on a borrowed acoustic guitar, Scottish icon Bert Jansch revolutionised acoustic playing. His innovative clawhammer fingerstyle, blues inflections and dark modal tunings influenced generations of alternative guitarists from Jimmy Page to Nick Drake and Neil Young.0
  10. 10I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight (1974)I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight (1974)Released 1 Jan 1974Richard and Linda Thompson's bleakest, best-loved record turns English working-class life, pub nights and quiet desperation into gripping drama. Linda's stoic, devastating voice and Richard's stinging guitar leads give the songs a punk-adjacent bite; the title track and Withered and Died are the…0