On Tuesday 5 March the Official Charts Company in partnership with English Folk Expo reveal the Top 40 best-selling and most streamed folk albums released in the February reporting period in the UK by UK and Irish artists. The chart is first announced to the public at 7pm GMT as part of the Official Folk Albums Chart Show presented by Folk on Foot via their YouTube channel.
There are six new releases in the February chart, including a brand-new top three!
In at no.1, The Pendulum Swing (Cooking Vinyl) is the follow-up to Katherine Priddy’s highly acclaimed 2021 debut The Eternal Rocks Beneath. Speaking about the new album Katherine says; “my songs have matured since my debut, seeing as most of those were written in my childhood, but despite moving forward and feeling the need to do something different with this second release, I still can’t help but return to those fundamental, unchanging things at the root of it all: home, family, love.”
Close behind at no.2 is Sea Songs (Deutsche Grammophon) by Bryn Terfel. Featuring a whole host of special guests, including Sting, Sir Simon Keenlyside, Fisherman’s Friends and Calan, the album presents a rich and diverse repertoire of traditional music with sea shanties, spirited sailor songs and maritime folk tunes in brand new arrangements.
At no.3 is The Pilgrim, Their God and the King of My Decrepit Mountain (Heavenly Recordings). The latest release from South-London-based 6-piece Tapir! follows a three-act structure –as three four-track EPs which tell the story of an ambiguous red creature known as The Pilgrim, on a journey across a mythical landscape of eerie forests, stormy seas and unholy mountains populated by beasts, injured birds and idealised eidolons. A fantastical offbeat fable carried along by heartfelt vocals and the band’s idiosyncratic melodies.
The Longest Johns are in at no.10 with their new offering Voyage (Jetsam). Their 5th studio album, which was funded entirely by their loyal fanbase, comes 10 years after the Bristol-based band first met and promises a unique take on traditional folk and shanties, informed by seafaring history and inspired by key moments and landmarks which have sparked stories, tales and legends throughout the centuries. The album release is accompanied by a UK, Europe, US and Canadian tour throughout 2024.
At no.30 is Spin (Make Believe) by Scottish fiddlers, RANT. After a decade performing together both traditional and self-penned music, this album sees their take on influential tracks from their formative years including tracks from Capercaillie, Solas, JPP, Vasen and Liz Carroll.
The final new entry on this month’s chart comes from neo-trad trio Project Smok with The Outset (Project Smok) at no. 33. The second album from the Glasgow-based band builds on the genre-bending style the group is well-known for, with more new-age pop and electronic influences.
The full Top 40 list can be viewed HERE
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