The songs that Shirley Collins sings are like time capsules, each with vast histories waiting to be uncovered. Some have journeyed across decades, even centuries, shape-shifting and meeting each ...

In every culture, specific tunes linger in the background of childhood, chanted on playgrounds, echoed in classrooms, or sung around campfires. These melodies often seem falsely simple but carry ...

In spite of apparent differences, folk and folk-inspired music from the roots to the avant-garde is characterised by certain common features – simple, square rhythms, extended repetition, simple ...

How confidently could you define folk music? Such is the staggering range of songs that can be attributed to this disparate art form in 2012, that “not very” is a valid response. It’s no surprise ...