Jo Bartlett – 9 x 7

It's difficult now to imagine just how marginalised the UK alt-folk scene was at the turn of the century. Plaid shirts, boutique festivals and Laura Marling records are the cultural mainstream in 2014. Jo Bartlett pre-dated them all; as one-half of It's Jo and Danny and a co-founder of the Green Man festival, her singular role in the wider folktronica movement – which also spawned the likes of the Beta Band – produced several stand-out records and helped an entire genre gain wider recognition.

Now, when not playing with The Yellow Moon Band or promoting shows, she also finds the time to release solo records – 9 x 7 being her second in four years. Bartlett fans will love Highway Found, which perfectly captures the autumnal, warm feeling that she does so well, and Rising to the Bait is a sharp, well-arranged reflection on the passing of time. There's nothing radically advanced here, but Bartlett has struck a winning blueprint nonetheless.