The Week In Listen(ed) 8/6-15/6/26
Listen(ed) Playlist
Albums
Pick of the Week:
Mabe Fratti & Bill Orcutt - Almost Waking - Folk, Guatemala/USA, 2026
Beautiful album featuring a new collaboration between Guatemalan cellist and vocalist Fratti and American guitarist Orcutt. On the press tour for her 2024 album Sentir Que No Sabes, Fratti praised the work of Orcutt, leading to the American reaching out, and culminating in this project. The two musicians duet back and forth with their instruments, finding a harmony and showing, despite their relatively short relationship, a deep understanding of each other musically, combining perfectly into one fluid whole.
Listen: The Heaven of our Misery
Latest release from the Bristol-based trio, which is inescapable for any NTS listeners out there currently. A fantastic meander through various woozy and atmospheric jazz sounds, an instant classic through eight hypnotic tracks. Vocals weave in and out, sometimes not appearing for up to five minutes, with the instrumentation proving as medative as the introspective lyrics.
Listen: Somewhere Good
The first few tracks of this record from the Brussels based outfit pulled me in in a way that rarely happens. Opener Arcalis Riddle is a meandering track with a deep warped baseline, energetic but subtle drums with a spoken word vocal, in English, which paints a vivid picture, and climbs to a worthy crescendo. The following tracks combine various experimental and post genres creating an incredibly creative and cohesive whole, flowing into experimental jazz, blues rock and ambient sounds through to the end.
Listen: Toad Lickers, Dawn Bringers
Rounding out the week of beautiful music, this collaboration between Briton Timothy and American Niño came about when the two were playing together in the Londoner’s house on a rainy Friday in November 2025. What eventually came out of this was eight tracks full of presence and the vibrancy of collaboration between two musicians who are incredibly comfortable in their craft. Released in May 2026, the songs may have been written in the rain, but suit even the sunniest of days.
Listen: Loopy