At once a hundred years old and ten years ahead, Milkweed’s latest offering ‘My Father’s Sheep is Dead’ is endlessly enigmatic and compelling. The arrangement is sparse yet huge, the percussion thumping in your chest as haunting vocals harvest lyrics from a 1979 journal of the Folklore Society. Referring to their music as “Slacker Trad” Milkweed can be found dwelling somewhere at the cross section of traditional English folk and instrumental hip-hop (Tradlib anyone?) the sound of plucked string instruments, sampled then smashed within an inch of their life emanating from somewhere far off the beaten track. Make no mistake, this is strange and unsettling music, but allow it to drag you down the rabbit hole and you shall be rewarded. Released on compilation Slow Dance ‘23, ‘My Father’s Sheep is Dead’ is the first rumblings of 11-min suite ‘Folklore 1979’ released in full on 28th February 2024 via Broadside Hacks Recordings. -Adam Brown