The Loft Tapes

Sheffield-based Mishra were founded by Ford Collier and Kate Griffin using money from the first Christian Raphael prize to foster young talent at Cambridge Folk Festival. Originally a duo, as Mishra they're joined by tabla player John Ball and bassist and bouzouki player Joss Mann-Hazell, augmenting their own banjo, guitars and eclectic percussion.

Their brand of global folk is strongly Indian-influenced, but with the Americana of Griffin's clawhammer banjo style and Mann-Hazell's jazz inflections, it remains an airborne amalgam of cross-continental pollinations. It was recorded live in the loft of a Gloucestershire farmhouse onto analogue tape, and displays a warmth and intimacy. The drone layers and percussion of ‘Intro’ bleed into the banjo-led ‘Road Dust and Honey’ before Collier's Irish whistle comes to the fore on ‘Chase the Sparrowhawk’. ‘Deep Seas’ sounds a little like unplugged trip-hop before breaking out into a reel, while a fine cover of Gillian Welch's ‘Scarlet Town’ and ‘Ring in the Changes’ focus on Grifn's banjo and voice. This album opens up like a really great café on several floors with more menu than most. More servings, please.