The Unthanks tend to lark about onstage, but when they play they infuse their work with a rare sensuality and seriousness. Sisters Becky and Rachel Unthank, along with pianist and producer Adrian McNally (Rachel's husband), form the spine of this quintessential North of England band. Their music is rooted in local traditions and place, but their championing of "old ways" is set against influences as diverse as Miles Davis and the Bristol sound, post-classicism and colliery bands. Mount The Air is their most ambitious work and places them in the same league as the likes of The Gloaming and the Punch Brothers. Traditional songs sit naturally with new stories, forming an often sublime meditation on time and heart. The sisters inhabit the songs with great sensitivity while McNally's imaginative settings weave all 11 tracks into a brilliantly realised whole. the-unthanks.com