Spinney is back with this lovely split single by My Brightest Diamond and Dayna Kurtz covering each other's songs. Both women have startling voices. MBD is the brainchild of Shara Worden who has performed with Sufjan Stevens (in fact MBD are signed to Sufjan's Asthmatic Kitty label) and more recently with The Decemberists on their "Hazards Of Love" tour. Dayna is a bit of a star in Holland, has co-written with Moby and has treated many European towns to her take on folk-soul-jazz-blues.

I have a very small quantity of these hand-numbered 7" singles (with artwork by fello Asthmatic Kitty artist DM Stith) so get them while you can. There are available here at £4 plus postage and packing ahead of the release on 29th March 2010.

Hello everyone,

There are no plans for further Spinney or Hungry Hill releases for the forseeable future but the catalogue is still available to buy from this site and from any record stores still in existence. Please rest assured that orders will be checked daily and fulfilled as soon as possible after receipt.

Also I'd like to point out that copies of the magazine Comes With A Smile #11 with a CD including exclusive tracks by Tindersticks, Guided By Voices, Okkervil River ; Richmond Fontaine can be purchased for a bargain £3 plus postage and packing while stocks last.

Best wishes.


Boots

Due out soon is an EP by Anthony Reynolds entitled "Bees Dream Of Flowers And Your Summer's Meadow Breath" that features Vashti Bunyan and Charlotte Greig. Available only as a 7" in a picture sleeve with a lyric insert and limited to only 500 copies or as a download with a different tracklisting, this EP is a companion piece to Anthony's album "British Ballads" that came out late last year.

The version of "Just So You Know" (from "British Ballads") that appears on the EP is sung by Vashti Bunyan and has been re-worked by Anthony together with Anthony Whiting (who has produced M.I.A. and Animal Collective amongst others).

"Like The Sun Feeds From Flowers" was co-written with Charlotte Greig especially for this release. Charlotte is perhaps more well known as a distinctive interpreter of traditional song (and curated the compilation of Lal Waterson's songs called "Early Bird" for Honest Jon's Records) but has released several albums of her own material too.

The third song on the vinyl is a demo of a song that was initially included on the album demos provided to Hungry Hill but Anthony chose not to pursue recording it at the album sessions. Shame. Perhaps we'll see an album of those demos released one day?

The two songs that will only be available digitally via itunes were outtakes from the actual album sessions. "Now It Begins" was a personal favourite of Hungry Hill honcho Boots but Anthony has his reservations whilst "Girls With Glasses" was one Anthony supported and Boots did not. As neither could entirely agreed upon it was decided to remove them both from the final tracklisting (together with a feisty track called "Get Me To My Mind On Time" but that is another story!).

The tracklistings to both formats are shown below and the 7" is available to order via Paypal or cheque (made payable to "Spinney") exclusively from the Spinney site for £4 plus postage and packing.

7" tracklisting:

Just So You Know (featuring Vashti Bunyan)
It Isn't So
Like The Sun Feeds From Flowers (featuring Charlotte Greig)

itunes download tracklisting:

Just So You Know (featuring Vashti Bunyan)
Like The Sun Feeds From Flowers (featuring Charlotte Greig)
Now It Begins
Girls With Glasses

December 10th will see the release of Anthony Reynolds' album "British Ballads".

After several albums with the bands Jack and Jacques, this is Anthony's debut solo record. It was produced by Julian Simmons and features contributions from Vashti Bunyan, John Howard, the author Colin Wilson, Dot Allison and Simon Raymonde. Lyrically the songs on the album reflect Anthony's removal from the city (London) to the country (rural Staffordshire).

You can order it from this website for £8.50 plus postage and packing.

Whilst Barry Dransfield, one of England's finest fiddlers and interpreters of traditional song, was packing up to leave these fair shores to reside in Brittany, France, he came across some copies of two albums which he did not want to lug over on the ferry with him. Spinney duly dispatched a courier to pick up the stock and can now offer them for sale exclusively via this website.

The first of these albums was released in 1996 on Rhiannon. Entitled "Wings Of A Sphinx" it was Barry's last album before taking a decade away from recording. Featuring versions of "Byker Hill", "Gypsy Davey" and "Sheebeg And Sheemore" it is a splendid piece of work.

Barry's next foray into recording was made at his home studio. "Unruly" utilised traditional and classical music to great effect resulting in a folk/classical hybrid that brooks no rivals.

Both albums are available for £6 each plus postage ; packing or £10 for both plus postage and packing.

Additionally both albums will soon be available from iTunes together with "Bowin' And Scrapin" (released on Topic in 1978) and "Be Your Own Man" (released on Rhiannon in 1994) which will only be available digitally.