Aguirre have turned up a gem here with this reissue of Stella Kola's self-titled debut, first released by a Fountain Flight in 2023. The name imagines a singular mythical folk figure, but in fact actually refers to the duo of Beverly Ketch (Weeping Bong Band) and Robert Thomas (Sunburned Hand of the Man), who are also joined by a range of notable characters from the US avant-psych-folk (and beyond and between) underground - Wednesday Knudsen., P.G. Six, Gary War, Jen Gellineau, Willie Lane, L. Gray and so on. Those names suggest a walk towards acid damaged experimentation, but Stella Kola chooses to turn in a different direction, channeling the soft to the touch, melancholy of the mind pastoral folk of the likes of Bridget St. John, Jessica Pratt, Vashti Bunyan et al. These are beautifully composed, performed and recorded songs, Ketch's vocal especially captivating, one of those voices that sounds as if plucked from history, classic and timeless and absolutely her own. The rest of the players fulfill their roles just as impressively, moving between the classicism of Fairport Convention, the uncanny folk-jangle of The Magick Heads and the gently applied worldly influence of bossanova or cult Turkish folk singer Selda. 14 tracks here and not a moment of excess, even when the songs are rich and ornate, a true testament to the compositional powers of those involved. A year highlight when it emerged three years ago, and still going strong in 2026. Vital stuff.
FFO: Jessica Pratt, Bridget St. John, Fairport Convention, The Magick Heads, Barbara Manning
