"Looking back, it was such a dumb idea," Kathleen Edwards sings on her new album, a line that sounds kind of dumb itself when it's typed out, but that in context — between laments for a lonely marriage and the ill-advised wedding that spawned it — renders "Pink Champagne" the most gutting track on Edwards's fourth record Voyageur, possibly of her entire catalog. In a general way that song, and the entire album, are about Edwards's… more »
How exactly does one identify "folk-punk"? There's no easy answer, as different artists within the subgenre's horizons arrived at its intersection via different journeys. One could argue that Woody Guthrie was not only the original folkie but also the original folk-punker; look no further than the iconic photo of Woody with a guitar bearing the slogan "This Machine Kills Fascists." Boiled to its essence, folk punk is generally tradition-based acoustic music delivered with a… more »
With Nothing Here Seems Strange, Buxton joins the ranks of folk/rock outfits that prove the deep well of Americana still has a few untapped springs. Nothing Here is swelling with boy/girl harmonies, sweeping strings and a shortwave radio texture that swaths lead singer Sergio Trevino’s voice to moody effect. Flare for ambience isn’t the band’s only trick, though. For every finger-picked guitar or lilting melody, there’s a counter balance: a wailing lead riff (“Down in the Valley”), a shuffling beat (“Lynchburg Ferry”), a breakout jam session (“Broke from Bread”). Whatever elegance they conjure is cluttered with distortion and verve more befitting garage rockers than a group of poetically-minded Texans. Their focus as tunesmiths results in a thankful lack of attitude.… more »
Laura Gibson’s third album is named for a northeast Oregonhamlet just a few hours west of her Portlandhometown. Considering that Portland has, over the past few years, grown nearly as stereotyped as Seattle circa 1993, Gibson might be forgiven for picking this moment to put some distance between her and her roots. It is typical of La Grande‘s boldness and confidence that Gibson instead chooses to point straight back at them.
Luckily, La Grande isn’t a return home as much as the closing of a chapter. On her previous albums, Gibson cleaved perhaps too closely to the popular caricature of a Portland folk balladeer — prim, precious, possibly a little bit too pleased with the sound emerging from her own monitors.… more »
These days, Leonard Cohen — who turned a gruff 77 last September — doesn’t sing so much as narrate. On Old Ideas, Cohen’s 12th record in 44 years, his voice is almost unbearably rich — quit-smoking deep, heavy lidded, and near hypnotic in its weariness. Cohen’s always been a commanding performer, but there’s something particularly indisputable about his presence here: It’s as if important secrets are calmly being imparted, as if we’re getting handed a map for navigating love, sorrow, and all the wild nuances in between. Who wouldn’t listen, and closely?
Opener “Going Home” (which was first published as a poem in The New Yorker) sees Cohen taking metaphysical stock over a yawning little string melody that, on its own,… more »
Songs that follow a linear narrative can be tricky things. Folk artists tend to over-emphasize the message, while rockers may surround their meaning with a wall of sound; nonetheless, there are modern songwriters who manage to walk the narrow path between both impulses — among them, Joseph Arthur, Martin Sexton and Richard Buckner. Add the Bay Area’s Bhi Bhiman to that list. His music is no less assertive, using sturdy but melodic guitar riffs as his foundation. Some tracks here are solo acoustic numbers, but he often brings along a few bouncy electric guitar leads, some understated vibraphone, earthy acoustic bass, and some occasionally dreamy but not overbearing production touches that make the songs sound traditional and… more »
The office folks at Righteous Babe Records put this playlist together for eMusic. It has some choice songs from the Righteous Babe catalog but also some friends, openers and influencers we either work with or just plain like to play. Hope you enjoy! more »
