A rocking vicar, a holy ghost and some sisters of mercy are among the sacred treasures currently on Melanie Xulu’s turntable

Since reviewing Sister Irene O’Connor’s psychedelic devotional oddity Fire of God’s Love, I’ve been on the lookout for more music made by monks and nuns. A friend recently pointed me towards Paradise Metal by Father Dionysios Tabakis and I (naturally) couldn’t resist a deeper dive. The debut release from the 53-year-old Greek Orthodox priest, the album combines fretless electric guitar with the traditions of Orthodox chanting. Opening track “Relaxation Music with Tanbur” drifts in on birdsong, running water and that distinctive guitar sound before giving way to DIY devotional hymns, extended drones and stranger experiments. A highlight is “Techno ἐν Μοναστηρίῳ” (“Techno in the Monastery”), a delightfully wonky burst of choral chants fused with electronica that somehow makes perfect sense within the album’s world. I often look to dusty private-press records from the 60s and 70s for oddities and obscurities, yet Paradise Metal proves that psychedelic religious outsider music is still alive, and every bit as obscure, in 2026.

Inspired by recordings discovered in the vast archive of the peyote-dropping 78rpm collector/mystic Neo-Gnostic bishop Harry Smith, Marisa Anderson’s The Anthology of UnAmerican Folk Music looks beyond America’s borders to explore traditions from regions that have found themselves in conflict with the United States since 1970. After gaining access to Smith’s collection in 2023, the Portland-based American Primitive guitarist immersed herself in recordings from Afghanistan, Vietnam, Yemen, Cambodia and beyond – painstakingly learning and reinterpreting them through her own distinctive musical language. The album presents nine instrumental pieces shaped by research and experimentation. Whether drawing from Pakistani qawwali or Syrian taqsim, Anderson approaches each source with curiosity and humility, creating performances that honour their origins while remaining unmistakably her own. At times frantic and intense, elsewhere meditative and serene, these pieces make for a powerful reinterpretation of music from beyond America’s borders.

Over the course of five solo albums, Alison Cotton has established herself as one of the most distinctive voices in experimental British folk music. The Gods Laugh continues that trajectory, weaving together drone, improvisation and haunted atmospherics into a record that feels strangely ancient yet timeless. Cotton layers viola, harmonium, hammered dulcimer, piano, recorder, melodica and percussion into compositions that reveal new details with each listen. Producer and partner Mark Nicholas contributes drums, bass and, for the first time on a Cotton release, synthesisers. Created in the aftermath of her father’s death in 2024, The Gods Laugh is among Alison Cotton’s most personal and mesmerising works. Tracks such as “The Final Harvest” and “Sprigs of Heather” carry an emotional weight. In a way, grief becomes another powerful element within the music’s wider landscape. This is a record that rewards patience, deep listening and close attention.

A delicately dreamy and moving posthumous release, The Final Painting serves as a fitting farewell to the singular world of Ed Askew. Across a career spanning decades, the cult underground singer-songwriter, poet and painter remained steadfastly committed to his own vision, and this final album feels entirely true to that spirit. Completed after Askew’s death in January 2025, the record features contributions from Sharon Van Etten, Bill Callahan, William Tyler among others, surrounding Askew’s distinctively fragile voice with understated warmth and care. The title and artwork were chosen during Askew’s final conversation with producer Jerry David DeCicca, drawing on the unfinished painting left in his apartment. Like Frank Sinatra’s Watertown or David Bowie’s Blackstar, The Final Painting confronts mortality without losing sight of beauty, love and wonder. It stands as a poignant final statement from a truly unique artist.

Before they became cult favourites as The Roches, sisters Maggie and Terre Roche recorded their debut duo album Seductive Reasoning with Paul Simon in the producer’s chair. Released in 1975 and largely overlooked (the album was labelled “a flop” in some reviews of the time) in my opinion, Seductive Reasoning captures a pivotal moment in the sisters’ musical journey. What stands out immediately is the songwriting and their ability to merge humour and heartbreak at once. “Telephone Bill” strips romantic disappointment down to its essentials, while “If You Empty Out All Your Pockets You Could Not Make the Change” showcases the pair’s playfulness. Elsewhere, “Underneath the Moon” channels the warmth of early-70s singer-songwriter pop à la Carole King. There’s a youthful energy running throughout the record, as well as a confidence that hints at what was to come. An essential starting point in The Roches’ discography.

Recorded in Hawaii in 1973 by couple Margaret Morgan and Patrick Cockett, These Trail’s self-titled sole release remained virtually unknown for decades before its rediscovery by collectors of a psychedelic folk persuasion. The band never performed live, but were joined in the studio by singer-guitarist Carlos Pardeiro and producer Dave Choy, whose arrangements helped shape the album’s distinctive atmosphere (namely, a cutting-edge ARP synthesizer). Their songs feature acoustic guitars, dulcimer, tablas, and close harmonies all inspired by the beauty of island life. Tracks shimmer in and out, altogether dreamlike and psychedelically transportive. A magical slice of timeless hippy acid folk that continues to cast its spell on new listeners.

Father Dionysios Tabakis Paradise Metal (Heat Crimes, April 2026)
Marisa Anderson The Anthology of UnAmerican Folk Music (Thrill Jockey, May 2026)
Alison Cotton The Gods Laugh (tak:til, June 2026)
Ed Askew The Final Painting (Drag City Records, July 2026)
Maggie & Terre Roche Seductive Reasoning (Columbia Records, 1975)
These Trails These Trails (1973 / Drag City, 2011)

This article is from Idler #111.

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