Guardian Music — Often dismissed as parochial, this music is celebrated at festivals, awards ceremonies and on TV. But where does it come from, asks Rob Young"The unconscious music of the folk has all the marks of fine art: that it is wholly free from the taint of ... more info

Aquarium Drunkard — (Sevens, a recurring feature on Aquarium Drunkard, pays tribute to the art of the individual song.) The shifting landscape of commercial music has forced the industry to reconsider how to best deliver its music to an audience. It has also, inadverten... more info

Guardian Music — (Heavenly) Only a year separated the Magic Numbers' sparkling eponymous debut and 2006's misfiring Those the Brokes, which saw only one song clocking in at under four minutes and several over five. Their four-year absence since suggests a major rethi... more info

Silent Uproar — Emmett Malloy, director and Brushfire Records co-founder, is planning a Nick Drake documentary project. Malloy says it's "a nice, multilayered piece" consisting of a film, tribute album and book. So far, Jack Johnson, Andrew Bird and Matt Costa have ... more info

Guardian Music — Hard Rock Cafe, ManchesterSeth Lakeman has managed to sell folk to people who buy four CDs a year from the supermarket by creating the musical equivalent of the bodice-ripping blockbuster. The fiddle-playing top 10 star is a dark, brooding presence, ... more info

NME — The Emmett Malloy project already has artists such as Jack Johnson and Andrew Bird on board more info

Guardian Music — The band have ditched indie-rock for a more audacious sound on their new LP, writes Paul MardlesBombay Bicycle Club don't take kindly to praise. Tell the north London quartet that their new album, Flaws, sounds like the work of folk veterans, rather ... more info

The World Forgot — If you can remember all the way back to 2009 the Dessner brothers (from The National) helped out Red Hot Organization with a little compilation album entitled Dark Was The Night (amazon) (itunes).  To be honest it’s ok if you’ve forgotten this s... more info

Guardian Music — This Fulham four-piece make jaunty post-Pete Doherty skiffle-rock that has earned them an Ivor Novello nominationHometown: Fulham.The lineup: Will Adlard (vocals, guitar), Ali Digby (bass, cello), Ed Adlard (drums), George Eddy (guitar).The backgroun... more info

Guardian Music — The recent passing of several much-loved musicians reminds us that the obituarist's art is to make writing about death seem life-affirmingAs 2010 draws towards its halfway point, the time seems right for an excursion into the kind of broader strategi... more info