Back in the day, as the kids say, we all knew what folk was – earnest young men and women strumming away plaintively, dreaming of a record deal, or at least sharing the bill with some Nick Drake wannabe at some scummy rained-out festival in a Welsh coal pit. Things aren’t so clear these days; the folk revival has none of the cohesion, but is richer for the diversity of sub-genres: Nu-folk, Neo-folk, American Primitivism, free-from avant-folk, campfire pop, medieval electronics and just straight experimentation all fight for your attention on Folk Off, a two disc compilation pitching each side of the Atlantic into battle in a kind of weird psychedelic Pop Idol. Big scene names include Vashti Bunyan, Vetiver and Au Revoir Simone, the lesser-knowns bring some high points too – the UK’s North Sea Radio Orchestra, Deep Elem who ironically channel Pavement, and Tunng with a cover of Bloc Party’s “Pioneers”. The American selection is less inventive, nonetheless staunch traditionalists should steer well clear; the rest of you ought to check out some cool Nu-Folk on Community Radio Hamilton’s Weekday Breakfasts.

Phil Grey