Gwobr Gerddoriaeth Gymreig 2013 Welsh Music Prize

From the Brits and Mercury to the Grammys, AMA and CMA, via any number of others, many of them interesting, the world seems awash with music awards. Canada has the Juno Awards and Australia the ARIAs and the UK has the British Blues Awards that at least in part mirror the Blues Music Awards in the US.
New on the scene is the one mentioned in the title and it is, in some ways, just as interesting as any of the aforementioned. Last week it was only the third time the Welsh Music Prize had been awarded. OK, you might simply think "what is all the fuss about?"
Well, whilst Wales is not quite like Iceland as a musical volcano (yet), it seems to be simmering with musical talent. The above award was whittled down by those that do such things to a short-list of twelve albums. Of those I already had three, so I was clearly aware of what was cooking, and was surprised that several others that I have were not amongst them. Release dates for consideration, too-old or too-recent, may well have a lot to do with some of them.
The winner, announced in Cardiff on Wednesday, October 16, was one of the artists whose album I do already have and have already mentioned in passing... Week Of Pines - Georgia Ruth from Aberystwyth. Take it as read that this was already a certainty for my list of albums of 2013. I was already smitten as I have the 'In Luna EP' on 12" vinyl.

To be honest the title track of that EP is actually one of the weakest on Week Of Pines.

New Music - Part 15 - all out of Wales

It is a while since I have done something quite like this, something so geographically defined. This morning, when perusing the detail of the End of The Road 2013 artists, I noticed that North Wales duo Golden Fable, whom I have mentioned before, are on it.
This then reminded me of three other artists/acts from Wales that have recently come to my attention. 
Of the five tracks on Casi Wyn's EP 1, which is released tomorrow by Welsh independent label IKACHING, the only one sung in English is the last and that is 'Winter'. To keep you on edge here it is.
  

This next is a self-titled album released at the start of April 2013 by Trwbador, a duo from west Wales, and actually their second album. It is available, if only very sparingly, on vinyl too; specifically white vinyl on their bespoke label Owlet Records.    

Trwbador - Trwbador (2013)

This is just the end of the start.

This next one was released in February 2013 by another independent label from Wales, Recordiau Gwymon, is vinyl 10" EP 'In Luna' from Aberystwyth songwriter, harpist and vocalist Georgia Ruth Williams.

Somewhere that folk meets blues, accompanied by harp, fiddle, percussion and much more:

This, from the 'La Luna EP', is Through Your Hands.

This is, interestingly, just scratching the surface of new music from Wales that has come to my attention in the last couple of months.