With that autumnal chill now prominently in the air, I figured it would be appropriate to discuss my favorite fall-time electric folk collective. There’s nothing better than Fairport Convention on the ghetto blaster as the soundtrack to a crisp, dry, cool autumn evening. Evidently, the band agrees as well. Look at all those dried up dead leaves in the old band photo above. Smokey the Bear would have had a shit-fit if he was there. I know I have a bad habit of going off-topic and chasing tangents, but it’s worth mentioning that Smokey the Bear is still totally awesome.
You know what’s not awesome, though? The notion that Bob Dylan is the end-all, be-all of folk songwriters. I tend to polarize people in my friends circle with that ol’ statement of mine “Bob Dylan… totally overrated.” Ballsy, I know. This is not to say that Blood on the Tracks and similar jam hives are not remarkable. However, some of Dylan’s accolades should have also been bestowed upon a certain premiere British electric folk collective that turn traditional folk songs and ’60s psych folk into godlike rumbles. The hippies may hang their fabric Bob Dylan posters in their living rooms in messianic ritual, claiming to be all up in on that folk tip, but they will all look at you confused when you drop the bomb of who the greatest folk artist of all time is. And that’s Fairport Convention. Perhaps I’m losin’ it, or am totally missing something, but I just don’t think Dylan could have composed what Fairport Convention did in 1969 with the magical What We Did On Our Holidays – lyrically, musically, or otherwise. A powerful statement for a powerful album.
What We Did On Our Holidays is one of the most diverse, sweeping, moody folk albums ever released. Granted, all the preceding banter is pure opinionated fodder. With all those bravado statements out of the way, it should be noted that Fairport Convention do, ahem, cover Dylan’s “I’ll Keep It With Mine.” Regardless, Fairport Convention uber alles. Continue reading ‘Fairport Convention Uber Alles’
You’re more than welcome, of course, to read my additional commentary on this matter, but if you just want the gist of it, all you need to know is that Hush Arbors‘ new eponymous record is a scorcher! It laid my ghetto blaster to waste.
I already expected Keith Wood’s (a.k.a. Hush Arbors) debut for Ecstatic Peace to valiantly score from the three-point line. I had a chance to see him play a great opening set for pal and collaborator Six Organs of Admittance circa late 2005, so I thought I understood what I was getting into. Turns out I was wrong. I did not expect Hush Arbors, just released Tuesday, to be a comprehensively destructive force of mysticism replete with melodic beauty and modal explorations.
Hush Arbors, as far as the whole freak folk/New Weird America thing goes (I begrudgingly use this term), has always struck me as the obvious choice for ambassador of the aforementioned movement, as he offers the perfect median point for the disparate sounds found therein. Wood’s take on psychedelic folk demonstrates that it is not necessarily his intent to destroy strong structures, nor is it his intent to play it straightforward and traditional. However, Hush Arbors has gone above and beyond comparison to similar artists. It’s no longer fair to say “this is a great offering from the New Weird America camp,” it’s only befitting to describe this self-titled record as a monumental collection of music that stands up against any album, anywhere. I’m not trying to overhype this really, but Hush Arbors rules so hard. Hush Arbors’ adventurous, wide-ranging sonic paintbrush invokes the past whilst thrusting the very notion of folk rock into future territories. In short, Keith Wood just dropped the type of album that separates the men from the boys. Continue reading ‘Hush Arbors Releases a Scorcher’
I should be releasing my best of 2008 list next month at this time. As a preview, you can bet that San Francisco’s Sic Alps will be firmly planted in the northern latitudes of the list. This isn’t your father’s unwashable, filthy, no-fi psychedelic rock scuz – Sic Alps twist, creak, and thump, taking you on a cosmically damaged romp through west coast good vibes and future shock trepidation.
Why I didn’t czech out the group earlier is a mystery to me. Their debut Pleasures and Treasures was released on Animal Disguise, home to my good friends Warmer Milks. The latest, U.S. Ez, has a comfy place on the Siltbreeze roster with the likes of Charlambides, The Dead C, and hey look, U.S. Girls (see below). Sic Alps certainly drink from the same goblets as the highest in psych rock royalty, but they also bring the goods to back up their seat at the table. Continue reading ‘No-Fi Psych with Sic Alps, US Girls, and The N.E.C.’
Lulz. As reported in my previous post, Darker My Love’s forthcoming album is titled 2, and now Dungen just announced their forthcoming jam hive, out sometime in October. And wouldn’t you know that it’s titled 4. Psych dudes have been watching Sesame Street as of late and are really stoked about numbers. Pitchfork released the track listing yesterday, but I won’t list it here since – I dunno, does it mean anything to you? I get confused at IKEA. I had the privilege of seeing Dungen in New York during CMJ ‘05, and they are some of the most talented musicians I’ve ever witnessed. Where they lacked in a lot of visuals, they made up for in pure prowess – they’re the type of dudes who make you feel bad about your skill level if you play an instrument. Check out Dungen’s website to get pre-order info and to peep their really awesome hair.
Love Black Moth Super Rainbow. They’ve been super busy as of late, from rereleasing all of their back catalogue (including Start a People, my favorite record of last year that wasn’t realy released last year), to supporting the Flaming Lips, to their Zodiac Girls release. And now they have a new rarities collection due for September called Drippers. Prolific. And you know, I think this Sesame Street image matches the feel of BMSR as well, so we’ll let it hang.
MP3 :::
Black Moth Super Rainbow – Happy Melted City
Dungen – Familj
