Album: The Unthanks, Last (Rabble Rouser)

As stately and sombre as songs (mostly Trad, from the North-east of England) should probably be treated these days, the fourth album from the award-winning strings-and-sisters folksters is a thing of shivery and spooky charms.

From "Gan to the Kye" on, there is, as ever, just the right amount of respect for the source, and that, coupled with an ability to segue into a Tom Waits song halfway through, is what still sets the Unthanks apart.