Darden Smith’s “Marathon”: No Bull

 artists  No Responses »
Sep 222010
 

Just so you know…I’m not really intending to focus all my attention on just indie-folk or Americana  country projects.  It’s just that those are the titles that have been accumulating on my submissions list. :)

Anywho…I got a listen yesterday to Darden Smith’s latest project Marathon, due to be released in the states on September 28. Actually, “project” really is a good description for it; according to Smith’s website, Marathon is also a theatrical work in progress (which totally makes sense when you listen to the record), and soon to be a book/music project, as well.  The title is appropriate, as well–although named after a town in west Texas, Smith says the concept for Marathon has been around for a decade.

What I found most striking about the record is that it sounds more old “western” than most country/Americana efforts these days.  Really.  You can almost feel the dust in your eyes, or see the tumbleweeds rolling by–or perhaps imagine a couple of gunslingers facing each other down at high noon.  Definitely a concept record, the main tracks are punctuated by several instrumental breathers.  In fact, I must say that the instrumentals are the strongest parts of the record–every time I heard one, I was disappointed when it ended.  Additionally, props are due for the instrumentation throughout the project–very professional, very well done.

So that’s the good stuff.  In my view, the album’s weakness  is found in the songwriting–in particular, bland melody lines (something that seems to plague many indie projects).  Darden Smith’s raspy voice is memorable in itself (reminds me of the late Rich Mullins, if any CCM fans are reading this).  But with the exception of the ending track “No One Gets Out of Here,” I had a hard time identifying any strong melodies.  I found myself toiling through the regular songs, waiting for the amazing interludes in between them.  Just saying.

That said, Marathon is at the least a very respectable project, the product of a great deal of work and thought. To give you a sense for the record’s thematic feel, I’d recommend listening to the sample tracks below in order.

Local Denver folk will get the chance to hear Darden Smith soon–he’ll be making a stop at Swallow Hill on October 2.

Darden Smith: “Marathon”
Darden Smith: “Sierra Diablo”

Her Name Is Calla (and She Grows On You)

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Sep 182010
 

In my view, when you can arrest someone’s attention with a slow, soft, melencholy vibe, that’s saying something.  With the absolute absence of hype, bells and whistles, there has to be something deep within the music itself that grabs you in the gut, that makes you want to silence the surrounding noise in order to hear it.

That is exactly the effect the song below by Her Name is Calla had on me.  It was captivating and haunting all at once. I had to stop what I was doing, in fact, and blog about it.

Her Name is Calla is a six-piece indie band from the UK, and although you may not have heard of them, they’ve been around for several years, slowly gaining a following for their deep emotional vibe that breaks with convention in favor of heart. One blogger described their sound as melancholy without being depressing. I think that description fits.

The song below, “Thief”, is from their upcoming record The Quiet Lamb, to be released November 8.  As I listened to its slow, growing theme, all I could think of was what an amazing movie soundtrack it would make.   It reminded me of Samuel Barber’s classic “Adagio for Strings” (think the soundtrack from Platoon). Although it doesn’t actually sound like that piece, it sort of feels like it.  And that’s a good thing.

Do yourself a favor and listen to the whole song.  It starts slow and grows on you. See if it doesn’t capture your attention the way it did mine.

Thief by hernameiscalla

Folk Music for Space Travel?

 bands  4 Responses »
Sep 152010
 

The cool thing about the Internet and indie music is that you’re not limited by distance as to what you can find.  So here’s a spin on music you don’t see every day: a band in Germany, playing Americanized alt-folk, with a space theme.

I don’t make this stuff up, folks.

Their name is The Moonband. The name of their record is Songs We Like To Listen To While Traveling Through Space. They sing in English and play American folk. They wear space suits on their album art. (Don’t ask me where they got the space suits, but I’m guessing they didn’t come from NASA.)

Gimmicky? Perhaps. But the music isn’t.  If you listen to the record without all that space stuff in your brain, it’s just normal alt-folk, kind of quiet and reflective.  Whether you’re into the space theme or not, if you’re a fan of bands like bands like Iron and Wine, chance are you’ll be into this vibe.

The Moonband: “We Don’t Care”

The Starlings and Their Bright Light

 bands  1 Response »
Sep 112010
 

There seem to be two distinct camps these days for the Americana/folk genre, with very little middle ground.  There is no basic “current” form of it; if it’s modern, it’s “alt-country,” and if it’s just regular Americana, it sounds almost retro, pretty much the same as it has for decades.  And today’s country? Fuggedaboutit. Today’s country is basically rock with a twang. Not saying that’s bad or anything; just saying.

Listening to The Starlings new record Bright Light, released this past summer, I’d have to place them in the second category, the “old school” brand of Americana/folk.  Again, not saying that’s bad, because what they do, they actually do quite well.  This 14-song CD is well-produced and well-played–about as good a recording as any indie project could be without the financial backing of a major label.

At first glance, it might seem a bit unlikely that this band is playing this kind of music.  First of all, we’re not talking about the deep south or the dusty western plains; this band is from Seattle.  (However, two of the bandmates migrated there from Iowa, so that might explain things a bit.) Second, Joy Mills, the band’s main songwriter and vocalist, has a voice reminiscent of Neko Case–which, of course, suggests perhaps a leaning toward the alt-country category.  But no; this band is solid old-school Americana/folk, with a sound that is more “country” than even modern “country” has become.  And like I said–they are good at it.  Their sound conveys you to a different place, maybe even a different time when things weren’t quite so hectic.  It’s the kind of sound that makes you want to sit on the back porch with a beer and just watch the sun go down.

Of the fourteen songs on the record, two are standouts for me–and they represent the two emotional poles of the record. “Blue Dog”, sung by Tom Parker (the only male in the four-piece band), is a fun, tongue-in-cheek singalong tune, while “Aloysius” sung by Joy Mills is a haunting ballad. I’ve included both below for you to sample.

If you like their stuff and want to hear more, you can buy their record from their website, or below through iTunes.  If you live in the Denver area, you can check them out live as they come through town this weekend on tour. They’ll be joining locals The Hollyfelds at the Hi-Dive on South Broadway on Thursday, Sept. 16, starting at 9:00 PM.

The Starlings: “Blue Dog”

The Starlings: “Aloysius”

Bright

Eric Forsyth Lays It On Thick. Or Thin.

 album reviews  1 Response »
Sep 082010
 

The Thin of Thick Things.  Say that five times fast.

No, don’t.

Boulder pop-folk singer/songwriter Eric Forsyth is releasing his second project on September 21, a six-song EP called The Thin of Thick Things.  My advance copy has been in my ipod shuffle rotation for a few weeks now, and when one of Forsyth’s songs comes up, it is one of those moments when I go, “Wait…what song is that??”  Eric Forsyth’s sound is comprised of an intriguing blend of impressive acoustic-roots-folk guitar work underneath, overlaid with Forsyth’s surprisingly smooth, soulful vocals.  It isn’t what I’d call groundbreaking, but it’s just plain good music.

So…is it thick, or is it thin?

Well, both, actually. 

On the arrangement side, it’s thin–meaning sparse, not substance-less.  The tracks are mostly acoustic guitar and vocals, with the occasional bit of mandolin–and while it would do just as well with bass and drums, the sparse instrumentation carries it off just fine.

On the emotional and lyrical side, it’s a little more thick–but not too thick.  Sometimes whimsical, occasionally reflective–autobiographical, even–Forsyth has drawn from both positive and negative recent life experiences to craft the lyrics of the record.  His honest writing gives the recording a decent amount of depth for a six-song effort.

So, yeah, it’s both thick and thin.  A pretty good balance, actually.

If you’re in the Denver/Boulder area, you’ll get the chance to experience the thin and thick for yourself. Forsyth will be doing a CD release show on Saturday, September 25, at The Laughing Goat on Pearl Street in Boulder.  Helping him out will be the new duo formed by Megan Burtt and Ayo Awosika, Travel | By | Skylark.

Eric Forsyth: “Good Days”

Send Us a Postcard, Elin

 artists  No Responses »
Sep 012010
 

Denver indie artist Elin Palmer is a multi-instrumentalist, which is becoming a common term, especially in indie circles.  However, “multi-instrumentalist” doesn’t do justice to what kinds of instruments are being played.  Palmer, for example, plays mostly violin and nyckelharpa (a traditional Swedish instrument similar to the hurdy gurdy).  If you can name five people who play a nyckelharpa–you’re probably Swedish.

Elin Palmer, by the way, is also a native of Sweden, and loves the music of her homeland–and she has created a distinct sound on her record Postcard by weaving Swedish folk elements into her music.  I attended the CD release show last fall, and I was impressed with Elin’s talent and her music–but I didn’t get a copy of the record until just a few weeks ago.  I finally got to review the record front to back yesterday while hiking in the mountains, and the record somehow provided a great soundtrack.  It isn’t that there was any one song that just blew me away; it’s that the record itself is an experience, not just a grouping of songs. Airy, layered vocals, repetitive strings, accordians, guitars (and of course, the nyckelharpa) transported me to another place.  It’s as if the record itself is a postcard from Sweden.  It’s worth checking out.

Since releasing the record, Elin has been spending the past few months in Sweden.  Apparently, she sent us a Postcard ahead of time. :)

Postcard