Folk is pretty much what we do around here. Sure we love a good singer songwriter as much as the next craft-beer-swilling millenial, but give us some jangly folk and an ironic novel you’ve probably never heard of – and – well, we’re happy. Here’s some great music to accompany that activity you love – hiking, reading, board gaming – that even your hipsterest friends haven’t tried yet:
The River Monks – Home is the House
-Certainly deserving of their own album feature, The River Monks are the exact kind of banjo-driven happy-harmony folk music indicative of the 21st century folk revival. Great toe tapping music and brilliant harmonies will bring listeners back for more and more. Oh and they don’t really sound like anyone. They have a unique sound. We’re hoping this is a new “thing” – a sort of countrified folk sound coming out of the Great Plains.
Eagle Lake Owls – Self titled
-A band isn’t always made by a lead singer, but with the Eagle Lake Owls that’s absolutely the case. This Winnipeg band doesn’t list a single credit on their bandcamp page, but whoever this gifted lead singer is, he has a quintessential folk vocal quality. There’s something about the easy chord progression of this music that is exactly what we crave. Raw and real, this album is a phenomenal debut.
As the Sparrow – In a Box EP
-Compared with the previous band’s stripped down folk sound, As the Sparrow has the “big folk” sound. With credits you have to scroll to lead, there are quite a few members of this band and it really fills the sound. From banjos to multiple guitars and tons of percussion, it’s really an inspiring and full sound throughout the album. The voices are a bit more theatrical than the typical soft and subtle folk style, but they are good. Give them a shot.
Daisy House – Beaus and Arrows
-If you’ve been missing 70s female vocalists like Karen Carpenter and vintage Stevie Nicks, give this album a spin. Tatiana Hammond is a name you want to keep at the front of your mind in the coming years. She’s a force in the folk vocal world. This album has everything we might ask of a sophisticated kind of new folk music. It’s not the “jangly folk” made popular by bands like Edward Sharpe. Rather, it harkens to a “high culture” and Old World flair. It has heritage. You can almost taste the age.
Buster – Self titled
-The cover art for Buster’s album is three people who look like friends having what seems to be a nostalgic moment. I can think of no better “image” for this album. It’s the perfect album to have on in the background of a gathering of friends. It feels like an old country album that you can all agree is “good.” They have the right amount of harmonies to be comfortable and sweet without sounding over the top. It’s a relaxing and strangely familiar album. You’re sure to find a lot friends who can get into this one.
