For Folk's Sake

Interview | We’re going to need a bigger boat….Tom Williams talks to FFS

Ashleigh — Tue, 15 May 2012 10:46:34 +0000

Tom Williams’ dial is clearly set to ‘overachieve’ at the moment. He and The Boat are currently on the promo trail for their second album, Teenage Blood, and getting revved up for their pledge-funded national tour. Supposedly they’re not gunning for any city in particular to be among the five that top the pledge poll, though Tom thinks it’s a disgrace that Leeds was (at the time of the interview) beating their home town of Tunbridge Wells.

The band still live in Kent, and recorded Teenage Blood in a borrowed barn at the working brewery they more or less call home. Apparently they’re friends with Old Bob who runs the brewery, “a 68-year-old man with a beard down to his waist and two beer kegs on his shoulder”. It’s quotes like that which prompted us to award them an honorary ‘Folkiest Folk in Folk 2012’ award, though Tom’s not sure about whether they really count as a folk band at all.

“We get compared to bands like Mumford and Sons and stuff who don’t even have a fucking drummer, they don’t even have an electric guitar player. You would never hear Mumford and Sons playing ‘See My Evil’. It’s a lot more muscular than that. We have a much bigger sound.”

Maybe the assumption comes from ‘and the Boat’, which they chose because it “sounded like a cool story”, though he now feels it’s a bit twee. “The problem is the name doesn’t sound like the band… originally people pictured a dingy, but I think it’s a pretty big boat.”

The new album is noticeably less angry in sound than their first, Too Slow, though the lyrics are still packed with emotion.

“I got into really quite radio-friendly music like Tom Petty and Teenage Fanclub and they always play with kind of classic chord structures. If you don’t really listen it kind of sounds a bit wishy washy, and always what’s underneath it is these really sharp lyrics. I tried to make the lyric even darker and the music even lighter and kind of scoop out the middle.”

Given that the tracks were chosen from a bank of 150 that Tom had already written, it’s not surprising they’re pleased with it, and the fact that it was made in such a friendly environment seems to have helped. It even looks good, and the striking black cross that features on the album cover is one of hundreds of potato prints which Tom helped to create (though apparently -and disappointingly – the quality was attained via a really big scanner, rather than a really big potato).

Plans for the next album are ambitious, if not completely clear just yet. They might go “darker and angrier again but less structured, or maybe cut out the middle again and go even poppier and even catchier and even hookier and even radioer and then even darker and even more visceral and even more languagey and even more wordy.” I guess we’ll wait and see what comes of that. With such a broad range of influences it’s no wonder the possibilities are endless. New music Tom’s enjoying includes Sharon van Etten, Jack White and Alt-J, though one of his earlier lyrical influences was more unlikely. “I’m sure, lyrically, Eminem was a massive influence. He’s so vivid. I don’t really listen to that much Nick Cave or that much Tom Waits, so it’s gotta be that – it’s gotta be Eminem.”

They won’t be disappearing any time soon; the kind of bands that they feel make an impact make handfuls of albums, “they don’t just make two and bugger off”. Good news, in our opinion, given the lively, accomplished gig we saw them play. They even gave us a bottle of beer – ‘Teenage Blood’, of course – from the brewery to sup while we watched. Good music and good booze is definitely a good way to win us over, plus we get to tag this interview with ‘Eminem’. Well done, Tom Williams. And your boat.

See how the tour pledges are going at detourjam , and admire Tom’s artwork here at here

words: Ashleigh Arnott

Listen to the whole darn album.

Interview | Introducing….Monument Valley

For Folk's Sake — Mon, 14 May 2012 11:01:33 +0000

Ned Younger, aka Monument Valley, is busy telling stories. A slow burn telecaster weaver of words, a lo-fi talker, a tender heart exposed. He’s been playing for a couple of years, making EP’s, taking photographs, all of which can be found on his beautifully minimal blog at monumentvalley.co.uk His new single, ‘Your Cover Blown’, captures little body moments, his London lilt perfectly complementing his delicate finger-picked guitar. The B side, called ‘Very First Alarm’, conjures up a cautionary tale of love, the dreamy accompaniment washing over the tune, melancholic but beautiful. The YouTube videos show an equally minimal recording of his stories, in his native city, fine-looking and gentle, and there seems to be a sense of another tale ready for his telling, around the corner of the street on which he stands and plays. We asked Ned some questions and here are the answers.

Hello, please introduce yourself and your music to the uninitiated.

Hi, I’m Ned. I’m from London and I’ve been recording and performing under the name Monument Valley for the last couple of years. I’ve released a couple of EPs and my new single is out in May, it’s called Your Cover Blown.

Tell us a bit about your latest single?

It’s inspired by a very good friend of mine who died a couple of years ago. It’s out via Everybody’s Stalking on May 7th. The vinyl comes with a disposable camera and a set of instructions, so I’m excited to see what comes back.

What was your best ever gig?

About a year ago we ran a show at St Pancras Old Church that was cool. Our friends Daughter and Manu Delago played, and we had some poets from ‘Hammer & Tongues’ through the evening. It was called The River Fleet and it was a good night, people keep asking us to do it again.

What’s the worst thing about being a musician?

The waiting. It’s such a big part of playing live and recording. It doesn’t come naturally to me, I’d rather be doing than waiting, but I’m getting used to it now.

What inspires you?

Walking around London is where I write the most. I walk places whenever I can and I like the people and stories that you start to see when you do that a lot. I read once that Stuart Murdoch from Belle and Sebastian did a similar thing on the Glasgow bus network.

If you won a billion pounds what would you do with it?

I’d give most of it away I think. I’d probably buy a house and make sure it had a studio in it, but other than that it would go on funding cool stuff, mostly with a social focus. Or maybe I’d just buy QPR. Definitely one of the two.

Which of your songs is your favourite and why?

At the moment probably the single (‘Your Cover Blown’). I think it’s the most complete song I’ve released, particularly because the video came together just how I’d imagined it. It was nice to play every instrument on a recording for the first time in ages too.

What are you plans for the future?

More of the same basically, keep recording and playing. I want to have the LP finished by the end of this year.

Finally, we’re always looking to expand our musical horizons. Do you have any recommendations of bands or artists we should be looking out for?

Bit difficult as I’m not super up on new music I’m afraid. I liked the Other Lives and Youth Lagoon records from last year a lot, and I was just on tour with Boy & Bear, who I enjoyed watching every night. I’m pleased Daughter are doing well, I guess most people on your site will know about them but they’re only just getting started.

Ned’s new vinyl is available to order, and the first to do so will also get a disposable camera, so you can send in snapshots, the results of which will be gathered for a special event and release later in the year. Go and get your cover blown.

words: Felix Bear Lane

Album | Crybaby – Crybaby

For Folk's Sake — Mon, 14 May 2012 08:23:42 +0000

Crybaby, real-name Danny Coughlan, seems very keen to be the new poster-boy for heartbroken storytelling. And with his self-titled debut, he may just achieve that status. This compact collection of poignant ballads will no doubt project Bristol-born Crybaby into the limelight. Musically, it travels back in time to the 1950s, and with this vintage sound, Coughlan brings a wonderful simplicity to his lyrical content. Songs such as the sweet ‘We’re Supposed To Be In Love’ and the luscious opener ‘I Cherish The Heartache More Than The Love That I Lost’ have single written all over them, as does much of the record.

It is Crybaby’s ability to create such a high volume of great, catchy songs that makes this album one you will go back to again and again. It’s also really refreshing to listen to an album that hasn’t been over-produced. The sound is authentic, gritty yet retro and compliments Coughlan’s balladry perfectly whilst also paying tribute to the earlier decades of the 50s and 60s, an era which is ever-present throughout this record.

Although most of the album tells tales of unrequited love and other romantic agony, the standout track, ‘Veils’ tells the very relevant tale of the heartbreak of war. Evoking intense sympathy for the soldier’s plight in Afghanistan and other wars, Crybaby really strikes a chord in the listener and emphasises what a waste of life the modern war can be. With a stunning voice, evocative lyrics, and great production, Crybaby really is a great addition to anyone’s music collection.

Words: Carly Goodman

Live | Dry The River @ Electric Ballroom

Angeline Liles — Thu, 10 May 2012 12:45:47 +0000

Predicting the quality of a band’s live performance based upon the music they’ve selected to play in the interim time has become almost second nature to me. I know all those wise things about not judging a book by its cover, but when the grand operatics of Michael Jackson’s ‘Will You Be There’ fill the room as the lights darken, I’m fairly confident that this bodes well for the performance that will follow. And if there’s one thing Dry The River do well, it’s performing. From the mimicking of guitar solos to interpretative dance moves, the London-based quintet seem well-rehearsed after a lengthy string of tour dates for this sold-out hometown show, their biggest headliner to date.

Appearing mismatched and cheerful, with lead singer Peter Liddle and bassist Scott Miller dressed in what could pass well for Kurt Cobain’s hand-me-downs, and slightly more subdued outfits and haircuts for Matt Taylor, Will Harvey and Jon Warren (guitar, violin and drums respectively), they begin tonight’s proceedings with ‘No Rest’. Thoughtful and withdrawn at first but quickly revealing their noisier colours, this is the perfect opener, particularly for any members of the audience unfamiliar with the debut record Shallow Bed.

You can watch the video for ‘No Rest’ right now, if you’re curious:

Liddle’s tremulous tenor vocals quiver throughout each song as they work their way through the album, billowing as Miller and Taylor join forces and deliver what surely will become trademark harmonies. Never have I heard such pretty sounds from the mouths of more unlikely-looking candidates (book, cover… I know, I know). This is balanced out by their evident ability to rock the folk out, painting a broad audio landscape. Flickers of intimacy and longing frequently lead to turbulent conclusions, but almost every song is anchored down by a devastatingly catchy chorus, with ‘History Book’ serving as an excellent example.

This relentless wavering between towering energy and quiet confession creates a sense of worship and communion, which only intensifies during ‘Weights & Measures’. Singing the first verse and chorus sans amplification and encouraging a willing audience to join in has the desired magical effect, as it transpires only half of us know the lyrics well enough to sing along, resulting in a hushed, choir-like accompaniment. The repetitive use of philosophical, mythological and Biblical references in the lyrics corresponds accordingly to this ardent atmosphere, and ‘Shaker Hymns’ positively glows.

There’s an easy camaraderie on stage, with Miller by far being the most outspoken. Lead singer Liddle reveals Miller has written out tonight’s setlist on a gym vest he found chilling out in their dressing room, and offers to throw it into the crowd’s clamouring arms. Liddle occasionally mimes the lines he’s singing, with the lyric ‘I need it like a hole in the head’ prompting a gun-to-temple motion. Darkly comic, it’s hard to tell whether this is all part of the performance or a natural gesture. Contrastingly, Taylor plays the role of classic rock guitarist with his silent concentration.

The inevitable but welcome encore sees support bands Tall Ships and Bowerbirds re-enter the stage with Dry The River to woo us with a rendition of the gospel song ‘Down In The River To Pray’. The audience match the obvious delight of the band, as they declare they “just fulfilled a childhood dream”. The night ends for good with the raucous ‘Lion’s Den’, a valiant violin only just succeeding in soaring over the commotion.

Interview | Strong, confident woman – Laura Gibson finds her voice

Theresa Heath — Wed, 09 May 2012 12:26:03 +0000

We first became enamoured by Laura Gibson with debut album If You Come To Greet Me, and again with 2009 follow-up, Beasts of Seasons. Elegiac and gentle, both showcased a remarkable voice that seemed to echo from a 1930’s gramophone. For all their perfectly-pitched nostalgia and accomplished song-writing, there was an air of tentativeness running through both records – a feeling that Gibson was holding back. Then came La Grande, a full-horse gallop through the old American south. At times cleverly ironic, at others whimsical, at still others a strange but beguiling combination of styles, La Grande was the sound of an artist truly hitting her stride. We spoke to Gibson during the UK leg of her European tour to discuss the maturation of her sound and the discovery of confidence.

La Grande is much more experimental than your previous two albums, and it feels like you’ve really found your voice. Would you agree with that?

Yeah, I feel like somehow I just got this wave of confidence and I really just gave myself room to try a lot things. I kind of had this moment of: ‘I’m going to try everything that I want to and really take pleasure in making music and indulging ideas’. I was timid in the past, maybe, which is not to say there’s not a certain strength in a timid record, but it felt good to let myself create something and expand, and reach out a little bit more.

So this is a much more confident record?

Yeah, definitely…I was going into the record almost meditating on the idea of confidence. Both personally and artistically I wanted to speak out with confidence and explore it as an idea.

What helped you achieve this?

That’s kind of the question I was pondering, and I don’t know if I came to a good conclusion of it. I think just reminding myself of what I’m capable of and – like, shake it until you make it! I feel with a few of the songs I really almost played a character that was more confident than I really was, and through that I found confidence in that way.

Listening to La Grande, we felt like we were in the old Wild West. Does this period hold a particular interest for you?

Yeah…Portland [Gibson’s current home] is on the Western side of Oregon, and you can never see that far beyond the trees. It has more of an intimate feel. Growing up on the eastern side of the state there’s wide open skies and you can see for miles and miles and there are not as many trees. People who grew up near La Grande say they could never live in a place with trees cause’ they would feel too nervous!

Part of my reason for calling the record La Grand was because I felt that, sonically, it was maybe more expansive, like the Wild West is – you can see where you’re going miles and miles before you get there and you can see where you’ve been miles and miles behind you. So I think personally and then sound-wise I resonated with that environment and that place. Although I really love so many old sounding things, I wanted to deal with structures that dealt with movement forward. I think I’m really sensitive to place and I write in a really visual way.

There’s definitely an old-world aesthetic to La Grande, something that hearkens back to an older time…

I don’t think that was very intentional. I get a lot of people describing my voice as sounding old-timey but I wasn’t really interested in making an old-timey sounding record. I think I like the sound of old radio and I wanted to include those sounds as an instrument or character that’s in the record. I think in general I’m someone that can dwell in nostalgia but I always having to challenge myself to think forward in addition to the past. I do like those sounds, I tend to listen to a lot of older music rather than more contemporary music

What kind of music inspires you?

I don’t listen to that much music! I’ve never been a big music consumer, but I’ve been listening to a lot of Brazilian bossa nova music, I really got fired by the rhythms. I also love old Delta blues and music originating in the American south.

What is it about Portland that’s producing so many great artists?

It’s a place that really encourages trying new things so I think a lot of new people move there in order to start musical projects. It’s really inexpensive to live there and it’s really beautiful… It’s exciting to see a place with so many people making great things.

So how do you feel when you’re in a really big city like London?

I really enjoy being in London and I love going to New York. I do really love the big city but I don’t think I could live there. I’ve always lived very close to nature

How has the tour been going?

It’s been good but you know, we’ve had a bit of bad luck! Coming over to the UK from mainland Europe we had a wheel fall off our van and we actually missed our first show! And then at the Lexington show part of our kit stopped working… luckily we got it figured it out but it was such a sweet crowd and a full room of really nice people and so I was really thankful.

So what’s next for you?

I’ve been so focused on touring the last few months that I’m just starting to think… I have a few songs part-way written. It’s funny because I’ve come from my last record being a meditative record and this new record is a lot more upbeat and playing these songs live it’s really fun because with the big band I can get kind of rocking! But I think I’m really excited just to have some time with me. I do have a lot ideas I’m excited about and I’m up for challenging myself again.

video

EP | The Son(s) – Leviathan

For Folk's Sake — Tue, 08 May 2012 14:08:19 +0000

The Son(s) latest EP, Leviathan, is as atmospheric as they come. From beginning to end, it is quite apparent that this follow-up to their debut album was recorded in an old, empty flat during Edinburgh’s coldest winter in 50 years. The EP has a quality of warmth being produced in the context of extreme cold. Many of the instrumental melody lines are as prominent as the vocals, making it seem as though the music is a natural force that can easily subsume the vocals. This choice was mindfully made, as is evidenced by the lyric from ‘Cocksure Boys’, “you can’t push a river / it just rolls on”. The vaporous, echoey vocals float atop the stream, elaborating upon central melody.

Leviathan is bookended by ‘Roaring Round the House’ and ‘There is No-One to Thank’ which both have straight rhythms and an emphasis on simple acoustic guitar. The similarity between these two songs — the strongest on the EP — bring a symmetry that makes the work feel complete and draws one to repeat the pleasing act of listening to it.

Words: Paul Kellner

Listen | Sansa’s new album Savior

Ian Parker — Tue, 08 May 2012 13:36:44 +0000

Finland’s Sansa blends a whole heap of different sounds on her new album Savior, which you can hear below ahead of its release on May 14. Folk, pop and electronica collide on an album produced by long-time collaborator Janne Oinas, with the pair combining to play every note between them. There’s even a nod to disco with the cover of Italian favorite ‘Boys (Summertime Love)’.

Take a listen below, and snare opener ‘Waiting For The Sky’ as a download here.

Album | Father John Misty – Fear Fun

For Folk's Sake — Tue, 08 May 2012 09:29:12 +0000

Joshua Tillman has left the milk-and-honey kindness of the Fleet Foxes to craft a more rebellious guise for himself as Father John Misty, a kind of lone cowboy in black. The sound will be familiar to Fleet Foxes fans, with echoing vocals and strong lyricism, but there’s a slightly harder, rockier edge. The absolute stand-out track is ‘Hollywood Forever Cemetary Sings’, about self-destructive girls and trying to lay the dead to rest; ‘someone’s gotta help me dig!’, Tillman sings, to such a thumping beat that it’s seriously addictive, on instant replay.

Much of the rest is great too, with the odd exception; ‘I’m Writing A Novel’, ‘Tee Pees 1–12’ and ‘Well, You Can Do It Without Me’ feel like tame honky-tonk in comparison.

If the Fleet Foxes seemingly bypass the trappings of modern life to step back into a pastoral idyll, Tillman’s vision is all about Hollywood, but he too is a bit nostalgic, this being the world of classic Hollywood, painted ladies, silent film, and horseback jaunts. ‘O I Long To Feel Your Arms Around’ is soulful, and ‘Only Son of the Ladiesman’ is self-mythology at its best (‘I’m a leaning brand of a one-night stand, I’m a ladiesman’).

‘This is Sally Hatchet’ reminds me of the Beatles’ Eleanor Rigby (‘Sally Hatchet lives in a hole in the ground, the longer it keeps raining the more she has to struggle to maintain a wonderful time’), and is one of the most intriguing and beautifully-pitched songs on the album. ‘Now I’m Learning To Love The War’ is a meditation on the guilt of consumption (‘Try not to think so much about the truly staggering amount of oil that it takes to make a record,’ Tillman begins), and ‘Everyman Needs A Companion’ is peaceful and sedate, a hammock-swinging end to the ride.

Words: Becky Varley–Winter

Interview | Introducing…Ana Silvera

For Folk's Sake — Mon, 07 May 2012 17:10:23 +0000

Ana Silvera writes opulent, heartfelt songs full of flights of birds, femme fatales, harlequins and carousels, with strong undercurrents of love and loss. If you like Regina Spektor, Kate Bush, Anna Calvi, old books, poetry, opera, or Hans Christian Andersen, you might want to listen in (try ‘Rainbows’ for a start, it’s truly lovely). Silvera kindly sat down to answer some of our questions about her new album, The Aviary.

Hello, please introduce yourself and your music to the uninitiated.

Somewhere under a tree, an old soak is reading extracts of poetry and the Old Testament and I’m playing the piano. There’s strings and waltzes and quite a few words. Sometimes a choir rocks up.

Tell us a bit about your debut album, The Aviary

The Aviary is a collection of songs that are very dear to me, recorded partly in New York and partly in London with an array of brilliant musicians.

You reference fairy tales and myths in your songs – any favourite stories?

I wrote a song called ‘Snow Queen’ which is based on the Hans Christian Andersen tale of the same name. The tale begins with the devil taking a mirror up to the heavens, and this mirror is hexed so that it distorts the person who looks in it. Those who are good-hearted appear grotesque, the brave appear cowardly, the kind appear evil. The mirror is shattered by the angels and scatters over the earth, and some splinters lodge in the eyes and hearts of humans. That’s where the tale starts but it moves through so many visions of different worlds and touches on so many important themes: loss, grief, love, searching, what it means to be human… as all the best fairy stories do.

What was your best ever gig?

Playing the main stage of the Roundhouse this year with a 30 piece Estonian choir was cool. [FFS: You can watch the performance below.]

What’s the worst thing about being a musician?

Sound checks.

And the best thing?

Pretty much everything else.

If you won a billion pounds what would you do with it?

Change the psychiatric system in the UK and beyond – I hope one day soon we’ll look back on how we mainly treat those in crisis and see it as unbelievably barbarian.

Which of your songs is your favourite, and why?

I don’t have a favourite. Sometimes favourites turn to least favoured and back again depending on the weather, what I had for breakfast, something someone said.

What are your plans for the future?

To truly appreciate the present.

Finally, we’re always looking to expand our musical horizons. Do you have any recommendations of bands or artists we should be looking out for?

It’s not exactly topical, as this is from the Seventies but everyone should go and listen to some Silvio Rodriguez.

words: Becky Varley-Winter

Live | Simone Felice @ Pocklington Arts Centre

For Folk's Sake — Mon, 07 May 2012 09:37:34 +0000

The last time I saw Simone Felice perform, he and his brothers were jumping around the stage at the Brudenell Social Club in Leeds – singing about chickens and turning a humble washing board into an instrument.

This time, at the Pocklington Arts Centre in East Yorkshire, it’s an altogether more grown-up affair.

People in the auditorium are on average about 20 years older and the set up is positively theatrical – Felice and his band on stage in front of a 200-strong, all seated, audience. There are no beer-swigging students standing at the back here.

Felice is joined on stage by the wonderful Simi Stone, whose haunting voice is a perfect accompaniment to the man from the Catskill Mountains. Close your eyes and their intertwined soft country voices whisk you away to Felice’s America. Music rarely gets this personal and the tales Felice tells are inseparable from the man himself.

You don’t need a biography to appreciate his music but to know a little of the man himself explains some of the angst and ghost-like quality of much of his sound and lyrics.

The market town of Pocklington is the penultimate date of a six-week tour, he tells us, and more than anything he’s looking forward to going home and seeing his little girl Pearl. Felice credits her for saving his life, which may sound over-dramatic until you remember that this is a man who has nearly died twice. The second time, he kissed goodbye to his wife’s pregnant stomach, not knowing whether he would ever live to see his unborn child.

Knowing this, ‘Your Belly In My Arms’, written long before Pearl’s birth, suddenly seems all the more pertinent.

Then there’s ‘Hey Bobby Ray’, which is a tribute a Native American girl who was raped near Felice’s hometown. The story has haunted him since he was told it as a child. This song, he says, was written to help her spirit find peace.

But it’s not just his solo tunes he sings tonight.

There are nods to his previous musical venture The Duke and The King, formed with old friend Robert Bird Burke, including ‘One More American Song’ and the gentle strummings of ‘If You Ever Get Famous’.

The slightly rawer but no less impressive sounds of the Felice Brothers come through too with ‘Don’t Wake the Scarecow’ and ‘Radio Song’, the latter sung in memory of The Band’s Levon Helm.

But the most moving point in the evening comes after not one but two standing ovations, when gets the audience to join him in a rendition of Dylan ‘Knocking on Heaven’s Door’.

We’ve shared in his stories, music and emotions but being asked to sing with him and join his world for those few minutes is almost engulfing.

Thank you, Mr Felice, for sharing.

Words: Natalie Marchant

For Folk's Sake

Interview | We’re going to need a bigger boat….Tom Williams talks to FFS

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Interview | Introducing….Monument Valley

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Album | Crybaby – Crybaby

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Live | Dry The River @ Electric Ballroom

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EP | The Son(s) – Leviathan

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Album | Father John Misty – Fear Fun

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