Kistvaen

The title of the fifth album from one of Wales’ most talked about folk bands means ‘Burial Chamber’ and is derived from the Welsh words cist (chest) and maen (stone). The ‘chamber’ in this case is Wales’ National Library in Aberystwyth, where the band spent a day scouring the archive of old songs, tunes and stories.

They produce a sumptuous sound, rippling and shimmering whether it's a breakneck reel or a mournful refrain, with fiddle and accordion snaking around one another. Considering the pedigree of the musicians, it's little wonder. Accordionist Bethan Rhiannon is also a national clog dancing champion; three-time Junior Celtic Welsh Fiddle champion Patrick Rimes also plays Welsh bagpipes; and fiddler Angharad Jenkins hails from the Welsh equivalent of England's Waterson:Carthy clan – essentially Welsh folk royalty. The band is completed by guitarist Sam Humphreys and harpist Shelley Musker Turner.

This driving mix of tunes and ballads – mainly in Welsh with the occasional moment of English – is deeply evocative of place, especially to anyone who knows Wales well. The bagpipes make some stirring appearances, and when Rhiannon's voice shines out clear, they have shades of Scotland's Capercaillie about their sound.