Posts tagged with folk music
January 6, 2009 | New Music | 
by Francis Andrews 
|
Tallest Man on Earth, the rasping Swedish folk singer-songwriter and one of the unsung heroes of 2008, recently recorded the beautiful song A Field of Birds, a nice adjunct to his summer album release, Shallow Grave. His sound is so loose and unmanicured, and carries a poignancy reminiscent of the rusty, early Bob Dylan.
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December 30, 2008 | New Music | by Gerry Mak |
Yat-Kha are a stunning Tuvan band that combines throatsinging and traditional folk music with straight-up rock. Their album ReCovers is an awesome collection of covers of songs by Led Zeppelin, Joy Division, and Motörhead among many others, reflecting their general approach to music on the rest of their impressive catalog. Despite the modern elements, the Moscow-based group still conjures the vast steppes and endless skies of the small Russian republic in southern Siberia.
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December 29, 2008 | New Events | by Gerry Mak |
I got a chance to see yet another fantastic Tuvan folk group, Alash, the other night at Barbès in New York’s Park Slope. The tiny performance area was jammed to the point where we had to wait until people left to go to the bathroom to squeeze ourselves in (the show was mentioned on NPR earlier in the day), but it was worth braving the sweltering room and precariously full beer glasses. I appreciated the fact that the band was truly acoustic, not even using microphones, so I could really hear what was going on without the distortion of amplification. The overtones of the throatsinging were quiet, but audible, and one of the igil (horse-head fiddle) players’ kargyraa (deep bass drone produced in the vestibular folds of the singer’s vocal chords) was so incredibly low, people in the room gasped in amazement.
November 7, 2008 | New Music | by Francis Andrews |
Pink Mountaintops — a wry Canadian duo — are getting some pretty steady exposure on my stereo at the moment, and lots of others judging by their steady rise up the rock echelons. They’ve got that skaggy swagger and well-worked male/female vocal arrangements, particularly on Tourist in my Town, that drew so many people to Velvet Undergound and the other psych-stoner rock bands of that era, and the production is similarly lo-fi. Their 2004 eponymous debut album barely sold until frontman Stephen McBean released the debut album of his other band, Black Mountain, and news filtered out of this little gem. Listen to the song, Rock and Roll Fantasy.
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September 22, 2008 | New Music | by Blurt |
You may have already heard composer Nico Muhly this year on All Is Well, Samamidon’s lovely reimaginings of immigrant folk songs. (If you haven’t, you should). Mothertongue, Muhly’s second album and first for Brassland (run by members of the National), is divided into three acts. Read more
September 20, 2008 | New Music | by Derrick Stembridge |
It’s only fitting a band of Canadian rootsters like this would tap a mythical figure of folklore for their namesake. Indeed, Ottawa’s The John Henrys understand the power of the familiar. Read more
September 14, 2008 | Video | 
by Francis Andrews |
Over the last year or two I’ve been clandestinely concocting a list of ‘morning songs’ — those tracks that coax the sun through the curtains as you stretch your way into the day. They are the songs that will suddenly, and unexplainably, make you irresistible to the person lying next to you, just like high grade pheromones or a snatch lottery win. They’re ethereal, perhaps slightly melancholic, but also with the slightest hint of euphoria to accompany the supernatural brightening of the room. So far, though, I’ve only got three: Maria Callas and the Marriage of Figarro; Nick Drake’s classic, Cello Song, and this little gem of a piece, Como la Cigarra by Mercedes Sosa. Add as you wish, and let’s see if this baby works it’s magic.
August 29, 2008 | New Music | by Zolton |
We love the music of Oakdale, California singer-songwriter Brett Dennen, who has one of the finest voices in contemporary pop-folk. He’s touring Australia in September with shows in Brisbane (9th), Sydney (16th) and Melbourne (17th), in support of his beautiful new album, So Much More. With that in mind, we checked in with him to get his Secret Playlist — a rundown on what music he’s listening to right now: This Time Tomorrow by The Kinks. ‘I like this song because it inspires me to wonder what the future may bring. We never know who we will become. All we have is hope and dreams. It also makes me nostalgic for the past. It makes me feel sentimental’. Read more
June 18, 2008 | New Music | by Francis Andrews |
Bill Callahan’s Woke on a Whaleheart is a little trip I take myself on every now and then when I’m looking to really sink myself into a piece of music. Read more
April 19, 2008 | New Music | by Gerry Mak |
When you first hear William Elliot Whitmore’s voice, it’s hard to believe he isn’t a grizzled old man. The baritone-voiced one-man-band does rousing bar room ballads on the banjo and guitar that are sure to send shivers down your spine. On closer listen, Whitmore’s voice does seem slightly affected. But like Tom Waits before him, his voice is likely to age like a good scotch.
Listen to the William Wlliot Whitemore track, Dry.
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April 18, 2008 | New Music | by Gerry Mak |
Cellist Ben Sollee is like Andrew Bird with a little more soul, or Arthur Russell with a bit more bounce. Read more
April 12, 2008 | New Music | 
by Julia Hennock |
When this scruffy fellow opens his gob, something high and mighty emanates. His music is great for long drives, in cold places and long nights in warm places. We speak of Bon Iver, who we interviewed recently. Read more
April 9, 2008 | Video | by Gerry Mak |
Chirgilchin is a phenomenal group of Tuvan musicians that play traditional Tuvan folk music, which means a whole lot of throatsinging. Read more
April 5, 2008 | New Music | by Zolton |
Singer-songwriter Vashti Bunyan writes the most delicate, haunting, and unforgettable music. Read more
March 18, 2008 | New Music | by Gerry Mak |
Finnish folk band Gjallarhorn is named for the horn that the Norse god Heimdall blows to announce Ragnarock — the end of the world. The bands music is far from dark, however: their brand of Scandinavian folk music incorporates mouth harps, fiddles, flutes, and even didgeridoo in a melange of cheerful, but ethereally beautiful tunes sung in Swedish.
We asked Melbourne-based artist Justin Williams to tell us about his work: ‘I am always interested in the way humans and animals relate to each other, and the similarities we share, as well as the major differences. This work was inspired by my girlfriend’s dog, and a photo of her as a child, joining the two together as if they both cant make decisions without the other’. Read more
I love Sam Weber’s illustration of Bjork. It captures the mischievous twinkle that seems omnipresent in her eyes whilst also presenting her in an environment which pays homage to her somewhat mystical musical approach. [more about Sam Weber]
The Hatton hotel epitomises Melbourne cool. Those who value design, location, and luxury will find The Hatton the perfect Melbourne base. Read more
We really appreciate a good publication, and Shopping Hour in particular because it brings together art, philosophy, poetry and critical theory in a relevant and engaging way, without compromising on visual style. Dealing with some big ideas doesn’t have to be a dry exercise. Shopping Hour is an object you will enjoy holding, looking at and reading. Now on issue 8, you can pick it up worldwide.
Falling in between Enya, Bright Eyes, and Air, The Republic Tigers have been tagged ‘indie rock meets new age fog’. If that’s all too wishy-washy for you, then check out their new album Keep Color and watch the video to the album opener, Buildings and Mountains.
Listen to The Republic Tigers track, Golden Sand
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Dear devoted Twitter fans, you can wear a pair of stockings to pledge your allegiance, or you can wear this hat. The choice, my friends, is yours.
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One part wilderness, one part fashion, all Poppy and Moe: a vintage-inspired knitwear brand with a fabulous line-up of hand-drawn graphics. We love this brand for the nature undercurrent in their designs, all printed on chic silhouettes: a fox with flowers meets an off the shoulder pullover, a cat goddess living on a deep-plunged racerback tank. Check out our favorites in the Lost At E Minor store. Read more
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