Something in the world has shifted because yet again I am finding myself setting aside the mastery of electric guitars and songs for slower, seemingly simpler sounds, such as those of the folk band Uniform Motion. While we miss out on their rock art concept of sketches and soundscapes created during live performance, we still manage to experience a layer of unfamiliar, emotional imagery not yet touched upon by the majority of folk artists. The acoustic guitar is doused with melodies reminiscent of Jose Gonzalez, yet the intimately wispy vocals are unique. (more…)
It’s been one of those lives. We seem incapable of escaping our never-ending days and too-short nights. We are in agreement with the Mad Hatter on this one, as time won’t do a thing we ask. Suddenly, we’ve stopped. We’re sitting. We’re staring. Only in thoughtless meditation could we possibly become refreshed enough to carry on, and Entertainment for the Braindead’s latest album Roadkill allows us to do just that. Julia Kotowski’s intricately delicate melodies float in and around you, leaving you just enough room to sigh deeply and trust that the ethereal music will do you good. The eclectic blend of swift instruments lends itself to light strumming and even daintier vocals. Her fragile songs free us from many folk artists these days as rather than being smothered into profuse listening we are swept into a place of healing. Our time ceases to matter, and the true time, the kairos of our universe, seems ripe to cover us while singing breezes of banjos and tambourines gently lull us to rest. A deeply rejuvenating creation with dewy lifts and lilts, Roadkill is easily the most necessary album for bringing us into spring.
Download: “Roadkill” by Entertainment For The Braindead
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Download: “Wasteland” by Entertainment For The Braindead
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Aaahh Records [Digital LP, 2010]
1. Sirens #1
2. Roadkill
3. Dry Wood
4. Wastelands
5. Relapse
6. Patience
7. Vertigo
8. Pirates
9. When We Were Young
10. Sirens #2
Liza and Tom are back again! Yes, British Columbia’s finest boy/girl folk/pop The Wind Whistles have blessed us with yet another collection of seriously fun tracks that are nothing short of delightful. But, Animals Are People Too shall ring a bell with a pitch very different from their debut album, Window Sills. It is safe to say they have stepped their game up. Or at least taken it in a different, possibly four legged, direction. (more…)
Aaahh Records is the purveyor of great folk from around the world; a netlabel whose brand consists of folk excellence in all its forms. The latest artist to join the Aaahh family is Sweden’s Emilie Lund. (more…)
In the last Entertainment For The Braindead release, Hydrophobia, it was decided, sans any sort of competent research, that Julia Kotowski created clever electronic folk music. But I stood corrected. It is only seemingly electronic, a swirling of various effects; instead, the music consists of random homemade instruments (“paper bins and pepper mills”), the beautiful feminine voice of Kotowski, and an array of instruments Kotowski taught herself. (more…)
Written by Ron Trembath
The Wind Whistles, composed of Vancouver’s folk duo Tom Prilesky and Liza Moser, bring out a fresh look at modern folk rock in their stellar release, Window Sill. With a happy attitude, and the musical stamina of a grizzly bear, these two wonderful wordsmiths mix the good ole old, with the newest of the new. (more…)
Written by Ron Trembath
It is so refreshing to discover an indie-core band with a positive attitude. Manchester’s Keyboard Rebel hit it hard with uplifting prose over catchy bass lines. Pop Grenade is a not only a clever title, but a descriptor for the genre these low-key monarchs have attempted to produce. Splendid pop music busts through the tattooed walls and boot cut jean pillars of the rock n roll underground. (more…)