Of all the timeless folk and folk-pop musicians that scour the earth, none are more true to the roots than those that possess the lo-fi nature of artists came before… long before. Polka Dot Dot Dot is one such band that follows this particular path, though their subject matter may not be that of an early Western era, nor may the harmonies and melodies. Yet they have a certain efficacious manner about them that bridges the then with the now.

One of last year’s best albums was In Case We Lose What We Have, by Olympia band Letters. It made number 23 of my favorite albums of the year. Well they’re back and they’ve joined forces with If It Ain’t Breakfast, Don’t Fix It. The DIY folk of Letters works almost too well with the wild noise of If It Ain’t Breakfast. The collective has created something outstanding that can only be dubbed lo-fi noise folk.

The folks in Kickball are masters at timing. Their songs include light elements of math rock, but it’s fairly subtle—not as prominent as, say, Battles, but still a viable part of the music found primarily in the slightly minimal but quite pointed guitar riffs and hefty, wild percussion. Even the vocals contain obscure timing on occasion. Just listen to “Fight” and you’ll get my drift.