The days have got longer, and the sun is starting to glisten through the trees making this perfect timing for the latest instalment of Summer days through the folkish haze (previously vols 1 and 2). As with all our mixtapes here on TBW, there are some bands you may know and others you wish you did – and all perfectly accompanied by a jug of Pimms…

Big shout outs to the wonderful folk at Young & Lost, Song, by Toad, and For Folks Sake for pushing a few of these in my direction.

The Damn Choir are a four-piece from Chicago and who describe themselves as “sad-bastard music”, but don’t let that put you off as they write some of the most beautiful and soothing to soul music I have heard.

Daniel Zott will not be a new find for some, but I only got wind of him earlier this year and I was won over pretty quickly with the simple and beautiful songs he writes. The heartache slips through the background traffic and dissolves your heart.

Alessi’s Ark have been on my radar ever since Lauren introduced her to me a little while ago, and I’m in love. It’s easy and yet provocative, soothing and yet filled with richness. A blissful serenade.

My First Tooth make use of expansive orchestral builds to strike that emotional chord as you can fully immerse yourself in their musical masterpiece.

Trips and Falls are another fantastic find in the Song, by Toad stables. “…Corduroy Pants” combines soothing string movements with an off-kilter vocal style that almost reminds me of why I loved FrYars. A narrated a musically immersive dream sequence.

Planet Earth should be on every summer playlist with their sweet lullabies. “Goodbye Song” ticks along with an electronic back beat, but you will struggle not to fall for the love-gazed strumming and mumbling.

Twin Sister‘s Nectarine starts slowly with some easy guitar and dreamed vocals before the drums trip into the song and the song jumps along like a dance down your home street.

Beans on Toast has been on the backburner for me for a good while, and his styles vary quite a bit but the chirpy strum along of “Can’t Buy Me Love” just fits so well in here, especially with how provocative he’s decided to be writing a song to “piss everybody off”.

Peggy Sue have long been favourites around these parts, and with Kimya Dawson featured on the first of this series of mixtapes a couple of years, this cover of Hadlock Padlock is just too perfect to pass over even if I did post it a few weeks ago. The beautifully cute duet vocals on this gives this a very special twist on a already fantastic original.

Admiral Fallow are a new find for me, but Squealing Pigs is one of my favourite folk tracks of the last year already. It takes from both the aching heart folk traditions along with a pounding rhythm to drill it into your mind. Scotland is fast regaining their music scene and Admiral Fallow should find themselves at the top of that pile.

Johnny Flynn was on our first mixtape, but he continues to release fantastic folk-pop records so deserves to be featured again. Kentucky Pill has more of a pop sound that much on here but is a perfect summer tune. Sitting in the sun, smiling and this blaring at a volume is what we all want to do.

I Said Yes have twisted some fantastic harmonies and a whole mass of energy into a sunkissed wonder that should be played from every rooftop. FFS picked them for their first Allotment night, they have band members from everywhere I have lived over the past five years, what’s not to love?

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros have what will be the song of the summer for a number of people right here. The RAC mix clicks it along, upping the tempo a little, the the central sections of blissed out homecomings have been kept and should put a smile on everyone’s face. It maybe everywhere already, but it deserves to be so.

01. The Damn Choir – Love is a Trap
[Buy] [Homepage] [MySpace]
02. Daniel Zott – Living A Lie! (live)
[Buy] [Homepage] [MySpace]
03. Alessi’s Ark – Shovelling
[Buy] [Homepage] [MySpace]
04. My First Tooth – Typewriters
[Buy] [Homepage] [MySpace]
05. Trips and Falls – And In Real Life He Wears Corduroy Pants
[Buy] [Homepage] [MySpace]
06. Planet Earth – Goodbye Song
[Buy] [Homepage] [MySpace]
07. Twin Sister – Nectarine
[Buy] [Homepage] [MySpace]
08. Beans on Toast – Can’t Buy Me Love
[Buy] [Homepage] [MySpace]
09. Peggy Sue – Hadlock Padlock (Kimya Dawson cover)
[Buy] [Homepage] [MySpace]
10. Admiral Fallow – Squealing Pigs
[Buy] [Homepage] [MySpace]
11. Johnny Flynn – Kentucky Pill
[Buy] [Homepage] [MySpace]
12. I Said Yes – Whe The Night Comes In
[Buy] [Homepage] [MySpace]
13. Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros – Home (RAC Mix)
[Buy] [Homepage] [MySpace]

Download the whole compilation as a zip file:
Summer days through the folkish haze vol.3