Better Oblivion Community Center may be a supergroup of sorts, but the name still draws less recognition that its members (Phoebe Bridgers and Conor Oberst from Bright Eyes). Maybe it’s just too complicated to remember, because a packed Shepherd’s Bush Empire proved the band’s wide appeal – lairy lads and muso pensioners, side-by-side for a night of charm and angst.

Restitute, from its music down to its title, is much about its own back story. Three years ago Eliza Carthy, a key figure in British folk music, made a well-liked album called Big Machine with her group, The Wayward Band. They lost their funding halfway through and were then rescued by 80 year old folk institution Topic Records. The album fared OK but, due to machinations no fault of the label, no-one was paid.

“Our attendees are a select group, but we have a connection,” remarked Damon Albarn at the end of The Good, the Bad & the Queen’s set. He’s not wrong – much of the band had outgrown Cardiff’s Great Hall 25 years ago, but it proved the perfect venue for this musical love-in.

Halfway through filming For Folk’s Sake, a documentary for BBC Four about Morris dancing, I received a package in the post that would dramatically change the course of the programme. It was from my mother. Inside were a number of yellowing newspaper articles from the 1920s and 1930s and some dog-eared black and white photos.

“We like people here in Estonia. I think we all here very much value being European. To all our British friends, we know that the offer of e-residency has been ticking-up constantly. You can find a sure foothold for your business here in Estonia. There’s enough space, please come.”

“If you look at music, you see theme, variation, you see symmetry, asymmetry, you see structure,” observed Dave van Ronk, the late folk musician known as “the Mayor of MacDougal Street” in Greenwich Village.

Twenty years on from No Angel, the most successful debut ever by a British woman which went on to become the top-selling album, worldwide, of 2001, Dido Florian Cloud de Bounevialle O'Malley Armstrong releases her fifth album. Spare output by most standards, though she has contributed songs (Britney Spears, Rihanna) and backing vocals elsewhere in the interim.

In the summer of 2014, there was little getting away from Hozier's "Take Me to Church". Whenever you turned on the TV or the radio there it was. It wasn't just in this country. Eventually, the song became number one in 12 countries and number 2 in the States. Of course, for the singer, this massive success also brought a big problem: how to top it? When Hozier sat down to write his new album he must have agonised about what he'd got so right first time around.

On paper, the recipe was simply a blend of soul, gospel, folk, and rock. The clever bit was how the ingredients were mixed. Hozier's music appealed both to sensitive indie rockers and those who prefer a more muscular style. That's what set it apart. theartsdesk's reviewer - a self-confessed loather of vulnerable male singer-songwriters - even opined that Andrew Hozier-Byrne had much more in common with Robert Plant than the likes of David Gray or Jack Johnson.

This time around Hozier still mixes soul with rock and folk. But now, the proportions have changed. 

Three belting soul-rock numbers open proceedings. Guest appearances by Mavis Staples and Booker T give opener, "Nina Cried Power", a rich, meaty sound. Personally, I prefer the more nuanced tone on "Almost (Sweet Music)". The guitar is light, the verse is beautifully mumbled and the whole lot just sways. It almost reminds you of Van Morrison.

It also sets things up nicely for the album's two pop-rock numbers. One works well, the other less so. "Nobody" adds a pinch of hip hop to create a possible summer hit. Unfortunately, "To Noise Making (Sing)" takes the catchy vibe too far, veering perilously close to George Ezra territory. 

Finally, we come to the brooding folk-rockers. The best of these are really quite pretty. "As it was" contains hints of early John Martyn, and the album's closer, "Wasteland Baby!" harks straight back to acoustic Zeppelin. Disappointingly, though, the quality, again, isn't even. "Sunlight" seems to never end and "Dinner and Diatribes" is just too scratchy. 

You can't help noticing too, that these are two of the album's most gloomy-sounding songs. As Hozier knows well, being musically downbeat works better when there's a little contrast. Wasteland Baby!'s finer moments - and there are many - come where he balances his natural despondency with some positivity. 

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@russcoffey

Overleaf: the lyric video to "Wasteland Baby!"