Anonymous Monk is a small but growing collective of musicians based out of Washington and led by musician Ben Kamen. Earlier this year they gave us For Cedar by Eleanor Murray and now they’ve gone and done something else amazing: the first, to my knowledge, compilation calendar, featuring one song per month.

The compilation is titled Spring Calendar & Compilation 2009-2010 and includes a collective of month-related titles, like “March” and “April” and “Month #9″. Included in a thin, beautifully artistic sleeve and wrapped in a large, artistic newsprint calendar with an additional 8 and 1/2 by 11 inch silk-screened sheet, Anonymous Monk has given us a unique collection of artifacts, from the music to the physical items from whence they came.

The music, like the art, is a beautiful collection of lo-fi folk and pop, eclectic at times but always honest and from the heart. Eleanor Murray sings “November” while Kamen himself contributes with “April”. Additional names of note, recognizable to those beyond Washington’s lo-fi folk click, include Paleo “Month #9 (Shining The Moon)”, Karl Blau with “Arco Iris Alredador De La Luna”, Twig Palace with “December” and Eli Moore with “February”.

These tunes are in the vein of similar Washington labels. While K is the most recognized, it holds only subtle similarities. There is also Bicycle, which tends to focus on CD-R releases. And we cannot forget the small, similar collective Dandelion Gold. These three, combined with Anonymous Monk, are the future of lo-fi folk from the Pacific Northwest and should be noted as time-worthy.

Think of the first time you heard The Halo Benders or Microphones. My bet is that you’ll find an artist here that, while maybe not holding as much sway as those aforementioned two, have a special something that will at least remind you of what makes this style music amazing.

Karl Blau: Arco Iris Alredador De La Luna [mp3]

Twig Palace: December [mp3]

Anonymous Monk [CD, 2009]

1. Viking Moses: March
2. Ben Kamen: April
3. Spenking: Mayday
4. Golden Ghost: June
5. Ashley Eriksson: Juli
6. Karl Blau: Arco Iris Arledadore de la Luna
7. Paleo: Month #9 (Shining the Moon)
8. Ruth Allison: Apples Pies & Apple Juice
9. Eleanor Murray: November
10. Twig Palace: December
11. Karrie Hopper: New Days
12. Eli Moore: February

Written by Fense

As I’m listening to Eleanor Murray, I’m thinking an interesting thought. Could this be the sister of Devendra Banhart? Her voice quavers as she sings, much like his does so often. Her music is folk (though it lacks much of the World meets 70s Folk-Rock). It is also amazingly catchy for a genre often stale and… err… flaccid.

Murray’s album is titled For Cedar; fitting for a folk album. Opening with “Today” and “Julie” finds Murray’s quivering vocals airy, but powerful and forceful. They resonate atop her simple acoustic guitar in the rarest of ways — they’re gripping. As she launches slowly into “Walk Home”, the instrumentation broadens to include an occasional fiddle and minimalist percussion. The song builds half-way through to an impressive sound and Murray takes on a more Shara Worden-esque style of vocals (My Brightest Diamond).

For Cedar is quite a ride for a folk album. Murray starts out slowly and softly, and as the album continues the volume and speed grows and falls and climaxes again before resorting back to the softer side at the end. It throws you through loops; one moment you think you have Eleanor Murray figured out, but then she shows you that she’s not an easy catch. You cannot draw a square around her and call it good – she is undefinable. In a way, it’s brilliant – a sleepy beginning and end, and a middle that’s packed with excitement.

Favorites are plenty, from the intense “Walk Home” to equally intriguing “The Last Meal” to the more-than seven minute epic that is “Healing” near the end. There’s not a moment of letdown to be found on For Cedar.

Still, however you look at it, For Cedar is an oddity. Murray has the mature sound of an artist that’s been around a while, one who’s built an audience and following, one that’s progressed beyond her humble, small-label beginnings. But she hasn’t. She’s fairly unknown in the independent music world, and her label is Anonymous Monk, a small Olympia-based collective. It’s all quite impressive. For Cedar is quote impressive! And, frankly, I cannot wait to hear more from Eleanor Murray and Anonymous Monk!

Eleanor Murray: Walk Home [mp3]

Eleanor Murray: Electric Sky [mp3]

Anonymous Monk [CD, 2008]