Folk 364 Items

On his debut album Half Mirror, Matthew O'Connell superimposes warm analog synths onto self-described "confessional folk" with a simultaneously cosmic and earthly outcome. Tracked at home in the mountains of North Carolina using a vintage tape delay, electric guitar, and a self-designed synthesizer named `Balsam,' Half Mirror is at once a lonesome push-pull of electronics humanized by folk elements, and folk music made alien by electronic adornments. O'Connell's own story is just as captivatingly segmented. While growing up on a farm in Palmyra, Indiana, he became obsessed with metal drumming and spent most of his free time practicing in the garage, occasionally recording on four-track tape machines with his brother Joe (Elephant Micah). Reflecting on those formative years, O'Connell says, "I think that period instilled two things in me: a long attention span, and the ability to work obsessively on something in solitude." It's these monastic inclinations that helped form the spirit of Half Mirror. While in college, his interest in math led him to participate in a six-month intensive study program in Budapest, Hungary. There, he continued writing song fragments on a borrowed guitar and fiddling with musical electronics at the Kitchen Budapest_a collective of artists, theorists, and coders. In 2011, his interest in electronics and engineering led him to Asheville, North Carolina, where he worked for Moog Music calibrating and building synthesizers, and testing vintage analog delay chips by day. At night he would spend his time building homemade synths and writing songs. It was here in Asheville that he began the bulk of the work on Half Mirror, imbuing his music with the qualities of his environment almost by necessity. O'Connell made a deliberate effort to keep the album's production sparse. His interest in restraint stems in part from his love of albums like Nearly God by Tricky and Ghost Tropic by Songs: Ohia, both of which feature uncomfortably bare vocals and uncanny production that commands the listener's attention. Additional inspiration came from Mark Hollis' striking minimalism, and the freeform songwriting of Arthur Russell and John Martyn. Filtering the poetry of fractured, imperfect memories through a lush, yet sparse palette of sounds, Half Mirror evokes a profoundly moody sense of place: the fog heavy in the mountain peaks, the dew present on early morning walks, and the musky smell of rhododendrons in the air.

Lp Ltd Edition Gold Vinyl (500 Copies) + Bonus Fire Records Compilation Cd. Brigid Mae Power Paints Expansive Songs That Are Effortless, Hypnotic And Folk-Oriented Like Judee Sill, Bill Callahan And Sharon Van Etten. The Third Album From The Celebrated Singer/Songwriter, 'Head Above The Water' Is A Coming Of Age Opus Featuring A Ground-Breaking Amalgamation Of Traditional Folk And Country - An Engaging Blend Of Strings, Bouzouki, Piano And Power's Distinctive Vocal Make This An Achingly Beautiful Body Of Work. Recorded In Analogue Studio The Green Door In Glasgow With Alasdair Roberts Co-Producing Alongside Brigid And Peter Broderick. It's A Continuing Tale Of Everyday Survival; More Diverse, Different, A Bigger Canvas, With Broader Brushstrokes_ Country And Traditional Folk Rub Shoulders, Making For A Juxtaposition Of Threads, With Added Instrumentation From Five Musicians Lured Into The Studio To Provide Larger Dynamics. 'Head Above The Water' Continues In That Vein Becoming More Ethereal, More Personal And Even More Alluring. After Two Lauded Albums For Tompkins Square, Brigid Mae Power Released Her New Album On 5th June Via Fire Records. Now Available On Ltd Edition Gold Vinyl. "Power Meditates On The Dichotomy That's Always Existed In Her Work, Melding Atmospheric Bliss And Stark Desperation." Pitchfork "Power Invokes The Elements, Either In Contrast To Internal Weather Or In Sympathy With It." The Guardian. "Haunting And Haunted" (The Line Of Best Fit) // "Stunning" ???? Pitchfork // "A Triumph" ????½ Uncut // "Remarkable" ???? Mojo // "Extraordinary" Sunday Times // "Ethereal" The Guardian // "Power At Her Finest" ???? The Line Of Best Fit // "Enthralling" The Metro // ???? Financial Times // ????? Hi Fi Choice // ???? The Guardian // ???? Irish Times // ???? Record Collector // ???? Music Omh //

Recorded at Studio Koltrast Hakefjorden, which González set up in his family’s summer house north of Gothenburg, Local Valley “is similar to my other solo albums in sound and spirit,” he says, “a natural continuation of the styles I’ve been adding through the years both solo and with Junip. I set out to write songs in the same vein as my old ones: short, melodic and rhythmical, a mixture of classic folk singer songwriting and songs with influences from Latin America and Africa. It’s more outward looking than my earlier works, but no less personal. On the contrary, I feel more comfortable than ever saying that this album reflects me and my thoughts right now.”

On Local Valley – which follows the 2015 release of González’s acclaimed Vestiges & Claws – he sings in three languages (English, Spanish and Swedish) and it provides a welcome reminder of the Gothenburg, Sweden-based artist’s understated appeal and singular ability to communicate discreetly.

After a hiatus of over eight years Fuzzy Lights are making a welcome return. Burials is the follow-up to the critically acclaimed album Rule of Twelfths, and the fourth album from the Cambridge-based post-folk collective.

Their sound has been stripped back to its component parts, deconstructed and rebuilt under less obvious influences. There’s a bedrock of folk-rock - predecessors like Trees and Fairport Convention - but this is then built upon through multiple layers, from the stillness of Talk Talk to the orchestral chaos of Godspeed You! Black Emperor. With Burials Fuzzy Lights have cultivated these sounds and influences into something new and fresh that distances the album from the rest of the folk-rock crowd.

The most striking element of these songs is how intimate they are. Lyricist Rachel Watkins has revealed a lot about herself in these seven songs, which have been written from a very personal perspective. Raw experiences have been distilled into each piece, her translucent vocals often betraying the content of the songs themselves. The album is bookended with the most personal of these. Opener ‘The Maidens Call’ reveals her loss from suffering a miscarriage, whilst album closer, ‘The Gathering Storm’ frames the rallying cry of women’s rights around how individuals must work together now, and in future generations, to destroy prejudice. There is also engagement with humanity’s immediate surroundings and the environment. ‘Under The Waves’ deals with devastation of coral reefs, ocean resources and our natural world, and ‘The Graveyard Song’ imagines the perception of time from the juxtaposed views of a yew tree and a young woman.

As scenarios, paths, and outcomes shift around us, Burials’ amalgam of glowering, intense instrumentation, timeless, weightless melody, and exactingly revealing lyricism carves a very particular path through the world. This is music that tears us away from the everyday not just as a form of escapism, but as a means of self-reflection on hardship and the strategies we develop to overcome it. It is the band’s rawest yet most accomplished statement to date.

'The Extra Ordinary' EP is the debut release from London based musician, composer, producer and singer Emilee. Also known as Moggli, Emilee boasts a vast back catalogue collaborating with the likes of Maya Jane Coles, Andrea Oliva, Shlomi Aber and Marc Romboy. This release welcomes five dreamy originals packaged alongside a pairing of club focused remixes courtesy of Maya Jane Coles and Andrade & Sam Clarence.
Maya Jane Coles fully digests the original work before totally revamping 'Rodeo' in a truly unique way as warming rich chords billow around a chugging masterpiece of house rhythms. Andrade & Sam Clarence continue the dreamlike state with Memory Land, once again taking the ethereal voices from Emilee and pairing with a rich, punchy bass line.
DJ support : Carl Craid, Rone, Joris Voorn, Joyce Muniz, Shlomi Aber, Fred P
Remixes Premiere confirmed with: Mixmag - DJ Mag spain and LA- Verzila - Upfront Beats - Moskalus
Premieres wise, Mixmag are running MJC on 25th
Radios : BBC Radio 1 show - MJC remix plays on Friday 15th Jan. Rinse FM - Pat from Slothboogie to play MJC remix on his Rinse FM show Monday. 11th Jan.
Good reviews: DJ Mag Spain supported with a news piece: https://djmag.es/the-extra-ordinary-es-el-ep-debut-de-la-productora-londinense-emilee/
Upfrontbeats supported with a review:https://upfrontbeats.com/track/emilee-the-extra-ordinary-remixes-ft-maya-jane-coles-andrade-sam-clarence
Dubkiks https://dubiks.com/2021/01/06/emilee-debuts-with-remixes-from-maya-janes-coles-and-andrade-sam-clarence/

A Musician Whose Influences Span Hard Rock, Psych, Garage Rock, And Energetic Pop, Andrew Gabbard Has Long Been A Force On Thesouthwestern Ohio Music Scene. Working With Thee Shams, The Buffalo Killers, And Currently As The Gabbard Brothers With His Brother Zach, Andrew Is Truly A Prolific Artist Covering A Wide Range. The Buffalo Killers Caught The Attention Of Dan Auerbach Who Produced Their Debut Lp And Andrew Is Currently Part Of The Touring Band For The Black Keys. Now Joining Forces With Another Ohio Establishment, Colemine Records, Andrew Hopes To Hone His Sound And Grow His Reach. His First Single As Andrewgabbard Is "Cloud Of Smoke", A Mix Of Hazy Pop Infused With Alt-Country Vibes That Feels Part Neil Young, Part Wilco, And Part Flaming Lips All At The Same Time.For Fans Of...Neil Young, Michael Nau, Wilco, The Flying Burrito Brothers, The Byrds, Gene Clark.