{"product_id":"alison-cotton_the-gods-laugh_2026_mdl","title":"The Gods Laugh","description":"Glitterbeat Records has confirmed the signing of Alison Cotton, an artist originally from the northeast of England and based in London, and has announced the release of her remarkable new album, The Gods Laugh. Alison has previously released her tracks on a select group of independent British labels (Bloxham Tapes, Rocket Recordings, Cardinal Fuzz, Clay Pipe Music), but Glitterbeat's tak:til label, which counts musicians such as Brìghde Chaimbeul, Širom and Cerys Hafana among its artists, seems to be the ideal home for her meditative, drone-based approach to folk music. The Gods Laugh is a powerful reaffirmation of everything that makes her music so enchanting and immersive, but with a deeper emotional resonance born from a period of grief and personal upheaval. Alison has been recording for nearly 30 years, in bands like Saloon, The Eighteenth Day of May and The Left Outsides, and her solo career, which began with the release of a cassette about ten years ago, was born almost by chance. For The Gods Laugh, Alison played viola, harmonium, piano, hammered dulcimer, soprano recorder, melodica, bowed cymbals and percussion, while her partner and producer, Mark Nicholas, played drums, bass and synthesizers. The tracks are largely improvised and recorded in a single take, layering instruments over a drone foundation. The exception is \"The Night it Darkens All Around Me\", a semi-improvised piece whose lyrics were recorded in a stream-of-consciousness style. The album also features more piano, notably on \"Sprigs of Heather\", an epistolary continuation of a narrative begun in previous albums. Alison's father passed away in 2024. Beyond the fact that he gave her the album's title and encouraged her to learn the viola, his presence is felt throughout the album. The brief, melancholic melody \"The Final Harvest\" evokes Alison's father's last visit to his beloved garden. Alison Cotton occupies a unique place on the current English music scene. The way her works, often marked by experimental drones, blend with more traditional elements places her alongside artists like Nico, John Cale and Dorothy Carter. After remarkable albums such as The Portrait You Painted of Me and Engelchen, The Gods Laugh appears to be the culmination of an incredible promise.","brand":"Alison Cotton","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57172983349592,"sku":null,"price":20260619.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0898\/4943\/0360\/files\/4030433618516.jpg?v=1779013778","url":"https:\/\/vinyles.com\/en\/products\/alison-cotton_the-gods-laugh_2026_mdl","provider":"Vinyles.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}