Acid Folk review page 29

Fire Rec. Sphyr : A Poem For M (CAN,2003)****?

I bought a few Fire records and Acuarela albums and a couple of other sell-outs rather cheaply, for which the Fire records albums still stands out. Also Sphyr is a remarkable album, in a very unusual style, not sure if this has been tried before. This will be the first ever review of mine of an album with relation to hip-hop, a genre I usually hate a lot for its vulgarity (in content and in consciousness especially) and for its inferior ideas towards the voice and music (-however I can stand the humour in Eminem for instance, an outsider in its field to a degree-). Derek Stephens more is like a beat poet who takes his black voice from hip-hop to beat poetry to spoken word of literature and half singing with the slower rhythms and longer vibrations with more melody, with more variations and ear to what could happen. The accompaniment or another element is led by Spanish or classical guitar, flute improvisations and moody or dialoguing and more melodic accordion. This turns the “rap” effect much closer towards the acid folk territory with just that extra touch of sonic ranges of attention. (I didn’t dig the lyrics well enough yet). Occasionally the band leans to triphop/postrock in an acoustic version. The band was set up by guitarist Ohad Benchetrit and drummer David Mitchell, both also members of the Canadian post-rock instrumentalists ‘Do Make Say Think’ together with accordionist Milos Popovic and beat-poet Derek Stephens.

Audio : “Momentum”, “Life Won”, “Interwoven Between 3 Sides Revolving”

& on http://www.rhapsody.com/... & on http://www.boomkat.com/...

Label info : http://www.firerecords.com/... with release info with audio : http://www.firerecords.com/...

or on http://www.firerecords.com/downloads/...

Other reviews : http://www.dotshop.se/ds/release.php?code=FIRECD86&rand=175631363

& http://opus.fm/view/sphyr_a_poem_for_m/

Descriptions on : http://www.geocities.com/beatsketching/rec_reviews/sphyr.htm

& http://www.normanrecords.com/records/51169

Borne! Rec. Arborea : House Of Sticks (UK,2009)****°

For Arborea’s music you need to give yourself time (even when this experience is received with pleasure) to settle yourself into the situation of their music. It is as if it has its own rhythm, its own sound, its own pulsation, it’s natural cause and response. It is a shame that the digipack doesn’t contain any lyrics or additional information, so it does need that sort of settlement in quiet contemplation and real listening.

The songs have some variations of beautiful vocal overdubs, are carried by fingerpicking rhythms. “River and Rapids”’s song has a certain specific and beautiful overdubbed effect on the voice, is dramatic contemplation on a banjo rhythm, some handclaps and earth drum, singing the song into a dream-the-earth-rhythm. A song full of compassion which really sounds as if written by and with the vision of an angel is “Beirut”. “Won’t you take me down..” ..to this or that town (from Beirut to New York) ; “People come and go...” ... “Paradise is now, it’s all around”... These words find its balance like a balance tool on the synthesizing rhythm from within the song. It is so complete in range with awareness of dramas all over the world as well as all of its possibilities. For me it is a ‘classic’ song which I hope finds wider recognition. The sweet heavenly voice of Shanti, with the finger pickings and texturing arrangements of pickings couldn’t form here a more complete eternity, an impulse which could spiral like a wish into the world forever. “Alligator” continues a certain inner life’s vision of a more shaking rhythm with guitar, violin plucks and slide guitar, as if more about something like on the alligator rhythm of a city life ? “Dance, sing, fight” with once more some other beautiful vocal overdubs, is fingerpicking and singing (and a bit of sliding) its way through certain words that have a meaning even when in simple series, like a sum of words, of colours, in combinations that vibrate, just like life again. From its overviewing spirit the contemplations are also about being realistic. “Look Down Fair Moon” is a beautiful contemplative nearly instrumental, almost humming in eastern style is this improvisation on a banjo-like instrument, reminding me of some eastern instrument and playing (Chinese,..), before it returns to more Appalachian modes of improvisation. “House of Sticks” sounds like a lullaby with whispery overdubbed vocals and reverb feedback of pre-recorded notes as an arrangement, before some slide guitar/harmonium/percussion ending, with electric guitar, hand shakers, like a sad mood a bit. Also the last few tracks are like left over loner moods, like drifting sand on the shore, or like old leaves by the wind, neutralising with a different sort of quietness, from outside.

A short album, with its own spaces beyond limits.

Info & audio : http:// www.myspace.com/arborea2

Info : http://www.sonicbids.com/epk/epk.aspx?epk_id=104366

Label info : http://www.acuareladiscos.com/index.php?/en/noticias/arborea_folk_crepuscular_desde_maine_usa

Blog : http://arboreamusic.blogspot.com/

Other reviews : http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/jn3n

& http://www.babysue.com/2009-March-LMNOP-Reviews.html#anchor112785

& http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/93321-arborea-house-of-sticks/

& http://wearsthetrousers.com/2009/04/09/sounding-off-march-2009-i/

private Magpie Magazine : Issue 4 (UK,2009)****

I used to be a visual artist mostly. This made my imagination more visual for a large part of my life, even when I read a lot of non fiction books and was into theoretical thinking also this was influenced and helped by visualisations like in the context of history. The development of theoretical consciousness also still was visualised by some guiding process of structures and shapes that still had significance for me. Even today when I listen to music visualisations occur. I often see what is happening in visual formats. What still is less understandable for me is how people stick with downloads nowadays. For direct-life energies based upon body beats and reactional noise, I can still understand. Acid Folk however needs to breath with life, with visualisations and colourful imaginations. I prefer to touch the artwork and to sense the sensitive world around it. But CD’s aren’t books with illustrations or full of photographs to illustrate these real things enough,. They are not enough associated or involved with clothing, with looks or with what people need more for it. What compensates a bit for me and shows more of this communal world behind it is Magpie magazine. It took me however up to edition four before I really checked it out.

...

Magpie magazine is, according to edition four, “celebrating the new folk revolution in art, music and writing.” This helps. ...

Myspace related to the new folk people is a good tool and helps to be connected to familiar visions and ideas (for me it was one of the most successful ideas of the last few years to guide this process). Of course I also notice how certain mainstream music styles and people are only in it, like parasites, for their own purposes, not interested in discovering for instance a distinction between certain levels of creativity in life. Acid and New Folkies however are into art, true friendship, sensitive worlds, and vintage clothing, just because it looks humanly friendly.

(When I went to study in a small town, noticing how everybody was dressed there as if they could enter a football stadium or sport hall cafeteria every minute, I was criticised for not being modern enough because I wore coloured clothing, flower T-shirts or psychedelic colours as if I was the backward person and they were extremely modern, while they looked just boringly ordinary to me. I just wish there were more colours and styles or more variations than that. While I didn’t mind how people were dressed, like metalfreaks or generalised free time joggers they were able to make an overly easily made distinction without further signification).

The Acid Folkies have their own way of art. I was disappointed when I was confronted in Antwerp with the pretty empty-headed, uncreative, business-based-faking people narrowmindness of those who led the modern art departments, while it seemed they did not even seem to understand to what the modern art has evolved and why and what it’s purpose was. Today it has been stripped of many possible connections. But where is the heart of things, the concept of a deeper contributing vision, and especially, the human connection ? I could imagine a wonderful exhibition of all these wonderful artists and illustrators who are able to make that connection to add life, something real. This is not a hippie-faked world. This is only a return to reality and real people who felt a responsibility and patience for materials, forms and content, and even for aesthetics, and who found some connection whatsoever with other human beings, with nature, a cultivated achievement that still is available if people really wanted to share this. What a wonderful exhibition could be a meeting point of such artists and musicians, also nature should be involved to make it real. This magazine is luckily already some start to bring the myspace potential further to a real gathering place, a protected small collection of this on paper. Some of the artists are now hanging closer together with a general idea behind it. Well done !

Magpie magazine is a rather small, silk screened colour copy magazine, which looks lovely, a bit of an art object on its own. Recommended.

Besides illustrations, literature you can also find a few reviews of acid folk related artists.

Info : http://www.myspace.com/magpiemag

& http://magpiemagazine.blogspot.com/

& http://www.magpiesnest.moonfruit.com/

& previous issues : http://ladylavona.blogspot.com/2008/02/magpie-magazine_26.html

& http://www.faenation.com/2006/07/26/magpieone/

Borne! Rec. V.A. : Leaves Of Life (US/..,2009)****

I almost overlooked this album because I thought I knew most artists and songs, but the Arborea band who produced this album pointed me back to this release telling me there were only original tracks recorded for this album. And now I’m glad I didn’t miss out. It truly is a perfectly compiled, 75 minutes long album, which is a perfect introduction to the moods and influences of the more clear-minded acid folk scene, providing a chance for the sort of atmosphere this brings along.

Some people asked me before to introduce them to some Vasthi Bunyan like singers. I guess they needed this sort of singer/folk atmosphere as a reference point. Well, I can point these people also in this direction, for here are some of the gentle heart female voices gathered. We have first of all Alela Diane with her soul sister Mariee Sioux who delivered their version of the traditional “The Cuckoo” sung with their nice sister voices, followed by Rio En Medio with Israel Cilio which surely fits this reference frame, a song with a hushing, sweet and story-telling vibration, with accompanying guitar and texturing percussion/Rhodes/harp. The first track I heard from her. A bit further we have Marissa Nadler guided by Myles Bear on different instruments, who became recently a known figure within the scene. Also fitting within the same frame is Arborea’s track with mostly rich coloured picking instruments and lead female vocals with some overdub voice recordings (with an effect on the voice) and slide guitar. Another sweet voice in the same atmosphere, with lots of people helping for the arrangements, is the nicely arranged Larkin Grimm’s track. A more sad sweet voice is heard by Mi and L’Au, breathing its song more slowly, accompanied by acoustic and electrified acoustic guitar.

A different sort of voice is Ora Cogan (although I notice more voices like this more and more), who is able to break up her voice in timbre, with a blues-soulful quality, while remaining within a folk-flavoured area. She contributed a home recording accompanied by guitar picking mostly.

While these sort of voices can be heard on the first part of the compilation mostly, I noticed that more richly coloured picking instruments like banjo are used more often than for instance guitar. Whenever the band arrangements dominate the mood is slower, hypnotic, almost like a heart-felt lullaby. Several of such songs touch a mood just slightly, then fade away. These are like perfect intermezzos in between the songs. Singer-songwriter and arranger Fern Knight delivered such a track. (Expect a new Fern Knight soon). Arranged with Jim Ayre and Jesse Sparhawk (harmonic voices, harp, harmonium, drums, percussion, electric guitar), this is such a, beautiful, ritual-alike emotional-rhythmic intermezzo. Another track in this category is heard by Starless and Bible Black which starts with a for me almost Pentagle-alike intro (acoustic pickings with double bass) before evolving with a rather improvised high female voice like some sweet dreamy folk-flavoured intermezzo. Citay’s track is with dreamy series of notes on guitar with some rhythmic droning effect, some vocal harmonies.

I realize that whenever performing such tracks with more members I quickly get a feeling of brother-and-sisters communal energy, also due to the sing-together harmonies in singing, and almost ritualistic improvisation on some breathing rhythm. Cursillistas’ track for instance sounds like a by no-subject inspired ritualistic lullaby group improvisation with banjo, voices, hand claps and shakers and drone effect. Also Silver Summit’s sort of intermezzo track is a dreamy short track with a psychedelic drone, chords on baglama, and the singing swaying on top of some series of mood chords. Also Big Blood, a weird-folky offshoot of Cerberus Shoal (featuring Colleen,Caleb,Nixsa), provided a sing-along post-hippie brother-and sisters singing song. And also Magic Leaves uses fine harmonic group voices along wth texturing arrangements of melancholically slow accordion, shore water sounds, slide effects, evolving on the rhythm of seashore waters, slowly singing with low voice, with backing vocals.

In between those are some male artists mostly guided by their own guitar, like Devendra Banhart with overdubbed voice and guitar and Micah Blue Smaldone on guitar and voice with a track taken from a WMFU recording, and Mica Jones on banjo with American accent, with a song melody following at first more closely the banjo-rhythmic pickings, then with a second more strummed part with some bass keyboard/guitar/drums arrangements.

David Gardland’s track still fits better with the group feeling moods, having its own backing vocalists providing its brothers and sisters feeling rhythm of singing around some dinner table. Basically a post-Americana folk song, through its arrangements (accordion, glockenspiel, flute, slide guitars, banjo,..) this becomes more communal, in a comfortable way of feelings.

Eric Carbonara’s track is just a moody finger picking instrumental.

It is incredible to see how much worthy material certain artists still have in their archive for release.

All proceeds from Sales are being donated to the World Food Program and Not On Our Watch agencies.

Audio on http://darla.com/... & http://mp3.rhapsody.com/...

Label info : http://bornerecordings.bigcartel.com/product/various-artists-leaves-of-life

Article : http://altmusic.about.com/...

Other review : http://brainwashed.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7632&Itemid=90

The benefit programs : http://notonourwatchproject.org/ & http://www.wfp.org/

Reviews of Alela Diane : http://singersong.homestead.com/AlelaDiane.html

Reviews of Mariee Sioux : http://singersong.homestead.com/marieesioux.html

Rio En Medio : http://www.myspace.com/daniellestechhomsy

Reviews of Marissa Nadler : http://singersong.homestead.com/MarissaNadler.html

Reviews of Fern Knight : http://singersong.homestead.com/FernKnight.html

Reviews of Devendra Banhart : http://psychedelicfolk.homestead.com/DevendraBanhart.html

Reviews of Arborea : http://www.psychedelicfolk.com/acidfolkreview16.html & here & here

Reviews of Mi and L’Au : http://psychedelicfolk.homestead.com/finland.html & here

Reviews of Micah Blue Smaldone : http://singersong.homestead.com/MicahBlueSmaldone.html

Reviews of Larkin Grimm : http://www.psychedelicfolk.com/acidfolkreview13.html & here & here

Mica Jones : http://www.myspace.com/micajonesmusic

Review of Starless and Bible Black : http://psychedelicfolk.com/acidfolkreview21.html#anchor_701

Cursillistas : http://www.myspace.com/cursillistas

Review of Silver Summit : http://www.psychedelicfolk.com/acidfolkreview21.html#anchor_709

Big Blood : http://www.myspace.com/bigblood24

Reviews of Eric Carbonara : http://psychevanhetfolk.homestead.com/minimalism.html & here

David Garland : www.myspace.com/davidgarlandmusic

Magic Leaves : www.myspace.com/magicleaves

Citay : http://www.myspace.com/citay07

Reviews of Ora Cogan : http://singersong.homestead.com/OraCogan.html

Anni Rossi : http://singersong.homestead.com/OraCogan.html

Room40 Rec. Tenniscoats : Temporacha (JAP,2009)****'

Having heard one more release by the band, I expected another good one, but this exceeded my expectations completely. You can consider this album as a concept on its own. It is based upon improvisation by the duo at Wako-Jurin Park and by the Koma-Gawa river. I have never heard so much attention to sound on its own, and to space and the environment. This pretty much is meditating and improvising in addition to what the environment has to offer. It rediscovers a lost gift of men to use its ears to create music into its environment and to react with it, not against it.

On “Ichinichi” the first few notes on acoustic guitar keep lots of respectful distance, create their own space before becoming one with the existing space. The oscillating accordion is like breathing a few times, taking it in calmly. Silence becomes the most prominent sounds. You can hear some birds at a distance. “Ninichime” continues in the same vein, with doublets on keyboards and acoustic strums with occasional traffic approaching and leaving, all becomes like an interaction, breathing its sounds in space with its own life. “End Of The Day-slight hunger” is a sound exploration of what sounds a bit like a thumpiano combined with piano, a combination which gives an original new flavour of what sounds somewhat synthesized like a toypiano, into two sounds, an interesting sound world, with some touches of insect-beeping chords on what presumably is a keyboard. On “timeless” we hear another interesting close sound combination sounding like coming from a flute organ, moving organically a bit like a door moving by opening and closing by the wind, while rain or water can be heard in the background. Besides a few occasional sounds produced in the environment, a second part is produced by slowly played thumbpiano with wooden blocks, an expression as if from some Japanese classical opera without actors, but only with nature and the expression of its conditions. This is also while water in the background is streaming downwards. There is some space between the playing but the melody evolves. As a reaction to the plucks and ticks and rain doublets of organ respond, first like a claxon, then with free and a few longer notes. Brilliant is “Do”, a word response (“do”) to splashing (of some leaves?) on the water. Also this gives a beautiful sound conceptual and meditative call-and response idea expressing the whole condition, not louder or more than is needed. Eternity captured. Beautifully. On “Sitting by” the clicks are slashed on the ground leaving a trace of echo in the distance (a wall or something bigger), while some acoustic guitar picking improvisation is inspired by the moment. Two guitars pick their way further, like a journey on its own, somewhat minimal but still with strange details of combinations, with a certain natural randomness, just like the rain itself. On the last track, “Dream is refreshing” the people participating became much more aware of their own appearance, perform a subtle voice improvisation, play organ drone notes, add minimal tapped acoustic guitar melodies. The singing is like a lone improvisation in the garden. The presence becomes even more real and human, a few real words starts to appear, and while a bird whistles like the master’s voice of nature in the background, the album makes it’s closer simply by the word “stop-p”. A brilliant experience.

How others compose something like a subtle laptop recording this is an all real (improvisation) and for real (sounds) recording.

Audio : "Ichinichi", "Timeless", "Do" & on http://digital.othermusic.com/...

Info & audio : http://www.myspace.com/tenniscoats

Video on http://room40.org/blog/?p=93 & http://www.youtube.com/...

Label info : http://www.room40.org/releases-temporacha.shtml

Review with audio : http://www.boomkat.com/item.cfm?id=167327

Other reviews : http://www.foxydigitalis.com/foxyd/reviews.php?which=4422

& http://brainwashed.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7467&Itemid=64

& http://danrule.com/2009/06/29/tenniscoats-temporacha/

& http://www.xlr8r.com/reviews/tenniscoats/temporacha

& http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/92657-tenniscoats-temporacha/

& http://www.textura.org/reviews/tenniscoats_temporacha.htm

Previous album reviewed on http://singersong.homestead.com/Tenniscoats.html#anchor_292

Willkommen Rec. V.A. : Willkommen Collective volume 1 (UK,2009)****

Music for some centuries used to be 'cover music' and coverage commissioned music where only a handful of composers stood out as individuals, after the war it was especially certain interpreters, sometimes also writers of songs who stood out, since the sixties groups became a new entity, both as composers and performers. Because certain music forms begin to have a hard time to survive within a mainstream world it isn’t a bad idea to form also collectives and communities with several likeminded groups, something which Willkommen Community did. Their players are in a lot of bands, often around Bristol, and they all play with one another, supporting each other’s bands. I have already discovered the great Shoreline and Sons of Noel and Adrian (who’s 2008 release for me was the best acid folk album of that year), it seemed there’s a lot more under their wings (also Hamilton Yarns seems to be involved). We have most often great acid folk with often sweet or nicely coloured voices of the vocalists, with vocal arrangements, sometimes distinctive guitar pickings and violin/cello/thumb piano plucks and interesting orchestrated chamber-arrangements, the accompaniments of many groups are related, the singers are different, and so it seems as if most bands are like one super group into smaller sections with some nice variations and some differences depending on who’s leading or who is involved (a folktronic influence by Hamilton Yarns is a distinctive style element). Some of the later tracks are clearly a bit less acidfolk, more singer-songwriter inspired, while the arrangements make the bridge. The Leisure Society is clearly also more electric, heavier or more psychedelic, also they fit pretty well. A perfect compilation and introduction to the label/community.

Involved in CD order are Moonshine Moonshine with ultrasweet vocals singing a well arranged “Violet (says)” (you can expect her release soon), The Laish Quartet, Sons of Noel and Adrian, Shoreline, Kristin McLement, Hamilton Yarns, The Miserable Rich, Redwood Red, Christian Silva, Atlas Crease, Kopek, The Leisure Society, and The Climbers.

Edition of 1000 Silkscreened hand made cd’s.

Label info on http://www.willkommenrecords.co.uk/

& http://www.facebook.com/pages/Willkommen-Collective/31689220473

& with audio on http://www.myspace.com/willkommencollective

Live review : http://earz-mag.com/2009/06/review-willkommen-collective-union-chapel-london-12-june-2009/

& http://anikainlondon.wordpress.com/2009/06/13/review-willkommen-collective-at-union-chapel/

Previous reviews of

Sons of Noel and Adrian on http://www.psychedelicfolk.com/acidfolkreview26.html#anchor_937

Shoreline on http://www.psychedelicfolk.com/acidfolkreview17.html#anchor_450

& http://www.psychedelicfolk.com/acidfolkreview26.html#anchor_932

Hamilton Yarns on http://www.psychedelicfolk.com/acidfolkreview11.html#anchor_247 &

& http://www.psychemusic.org/folktronica.html#anchor_223