Wes tirey - the midwest book of the dead
The Modern Folk Music Of America
by the modern folk music of america
3y ago
it seems like each new album that comes out from the general corner of the underground musical world i have my ears turned towards is increasingly abstract and amorphous. it's as if there is a sense that it's pointless to try to meet this moment, that, eschewing any determinations here, at least feels completely fucked, with anything but longform blasts or oozes of music, found sounds, and decontextualized words; if any words at all. that last sentence will let you know i'm rusty with words too, they seem to be sapped out of us, the instinct to bathe in drones and explore the outer reaches of ..read more
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Amina shareef ali - in the dark (awake of course)
The Modern Folk Music Of America
by the modern folk music of america
3y ago
oakland, california based singer/songwriter amina shareef ali writes deeply personal songs that walk the line between pop, country and folk punk. I covered her last album 'a place to remember the dead' here in 2014, which featured alt-country arrangements of her bittersweet ballads and sometimes just bitter rock songs. the follow-up album, 'in the dark (awake of course)' due out on march 29th, has shed some of the production, favoring a stripped down sound, with mostly just acoustic guitar and a voice or two. the mid-album track 'ready 2 love U' (the stylization of the title seems to be a prin ..read more
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Elkhorn - southern star
The Modern Folk Music Of America
by the modern folk music of america
3y ago
to celebrate their 9th year as a label, charlottesville, VA based warhen records is releasing a limited edition tape of live elkhorn jams from their travels in early 2020...right before the pandemic took live music temporarily off the map. the collection, 'southern star', is a great reminder of what we have to look forward to once shows are finally safe again.  with previous live releases, elkhorn has shown their strength as improvisors and their ability to incorporate other musicians into the framework of mutating side-long jams. 'southern star' takes this a step farther by highlighti ..read more
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Fievel is glauque - god's trashmen sent to right the mess
The Modern Folk Music Of America
by the modern folk music of america
3y ago
last week i received an email from zach phillips, who used to run OSR tapes, an excellent and prolific experimental record label...purchasing that whole discography right before the OSR bandcamp page closed in 2017 has been a gift that keeps on giving, so i was excited to hear word of new musical transmissions from his corner. his latest personal project is called fievel is glauque, the product of a set of songs in need of a singer, and a chance meeting with his collaborator marie-amélie clément-bollée in his current home of brussels, after having knocked himself out by walking into a street p ..read more
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Bandcamp Friday Election Week Roundup
The Modern Folk Music Of America
by the modern folk music of america
3y ago
it's been a week that felt like a year, but one bright spot was the november installment of the monthly ritual known as 'bandcamp friday', when bandcamp graciously waves their share of artist revenue in an effort to give folks who depend on it more income during the pandemic, or if they don't, a better ability to fundraise for charitable causes through their work.  it's been a popular move, and on the first friday of each month fans of underground music can expect new releases, archived material and full discography discounts from the diverse cornucopia of musicians that use bandcamp. i ..read more
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Elkhorn - acoustic storm
The Modern Folk Music Of America
by the modern folk music of america
3y ago
acoustic storm, the latest record from east coast instrumental psych-folk duo elkhorn, was recorded at home, late at night during a blizzard, making the best of a bad situation. a big show in brooklyn had been snowed out so they took that energy and frustration and put it on tape. this could be seen as foreshadowing for the circumstances musicians and other artists find themselves in now...mother nature, in the form of a pandemic and the limits of human societal cohesion and intelligence (we are, after all, natural beings)  has put an end to the idea of safe, responsible performance, and ..read more
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Yes selma - the koker ballads
The Modern Folk Music Of America
by the modern folk music of america
3y ago
i came at the koker ballads not knowing what to expect. the discography of baltimore-based multi-instrumentalist and experimental recording artist yes selma is vast and varied, so i had no idea if i'd find fucked up indie-pop fragments or some kind of industrial free jazz. what i discovered was music made from and for our fraught times; bleak, minimal, introspective drones created with nothing but a casio, a microphone, and a tascam 4 track.  my first thought listening to this blast through the speakers of my stereo was that this is what 'no pussyfooting' would sound like if it was made ..read more
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Tapes and tubes - sugarbushey
The Modern Folk Music Of America
by the modern folk music of america
3y ago
'sugarbushey' is the brand new album from philadelphia based poet and musician tapes & tubes. it came out yesterday on UK imprint TQN-aut, and the limited edition CD is already sold out. i understand why. i have been keeping up with T&T's many recordings over the years, and 'sugarbushey' is the purest and most ambitious distillation yet of the stylistic elements they have at their disposal.  the album trades distorted pieces of observational, tactile poetry with warm soundscapes, haunted by tape errors and minimal, floating collections of guitar notes. the earthly details in th ..read more
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Buck curran - no love is sorrow
The Modern Folk Music Of America
by the modern folk music of america
3y ago
'no love is sorrow' is the third solo LP from american ex-pat guitarist and songwriter buck curran, who is currently based in italy. reflecting its title, 'no love' is a heavy and heartfelt album that draws the listener close to its intimately recorded instrumental landscapes and illuminates the darker corners of emotional experience with its lyrics.  the opening track, 'blue raga' invokes buck's well know admiration for hermetic fingerstyle guru robbie basho (for whom he curated two excellent tribute compilations) with a fluid dance between two guitars, recorded closely so that the de ..read more
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Horse apples - love and some verses
The Modern Folk Music Of America
by the modern folk music of america
4y ago
continuing on the theme of jams that preface some blood-moving pop-type action with meditative synth passages, i thought i would write a little bit about 'love and some verses', the latest track from upstate new york bedroom producer horse apples. the song opens gently with bird sounds and a bubbling, swelling synth arpeggio, evoking a pastoral morning coffee vibe. before too long, a brushed snare drum and an e-piano melody shift the gears from drone to electro-folk. the arrangement reminds me a bit of late 90's british singer/songwriter david gray, who may not have gotten enough credit for ..read more
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