Various Artists

Bloody War: Songs 1924-1939Tompkins Square ***

Anti-war movements and their soundtracks are often perceived as a modern phenomenon but, as this fascinating collection illustrates, songs have long tuned into the grim downside of conflict. As befitting the timeframe and the performers, there is little actual challenge to authority; the prevailing mood is one of weary acceptance, with the odd touch of gallows humour, as on the title track by Jimmy Yates's Boll Weavils. The performers are mostly obscure, with the possible exception of Fiddlin' John Carson, whose Dixie Divisionenlists a range of signature southern melodies. Sound quality is variable but understandable, given that these recordings are 80 to 90 years old, and Tony Russell's expert annotation provides welcome context. The value of these 15 tracks, as with folk music generally, lies not just in their scratchy authenticity but in how they tell us more about the way we were. See tompkins square.com

Download tracks:Bloody War, He Is Coming to Us Dead, Uncle Sam and the Kaiser