We’re not going to regale you with a whole bunch of Halloween themed folk songs – on the grounds that we haven’t exactly been swamped with them. Somewhat of a surprise, but perhaps a lot of the American cohort of the folk music world have other things on their minds as we head into the end of October and look the first week of November in the eye. Christmas! Of course, everyone’s fixated on Christmas so it is worth mentioning that now is the exact best time to unleash the musical charms of the Winterval season in preparation for our upcoming Jingle Bells Friday features. The exact worst time to unleash a banjo driven Appalachian sounding paean to the New Year would be the last week of December, as we’ll all be on holiday and hitting the eggnog hard.
But onto October, and a new song from Anne Malin – ‘River‘ is a modern twist on the betrayed lover theme so popular in folk through the ages. There’s a drowning of a heart in a river – either a figurative or perhaps more likely a literal event as Anne Malin’s lyrics brush up against despair and into the realm of the spectral observer: “my love is too pure and good and honest for you / You who don’t know how to die.” ‘River‘ is taken from the new album ‘Strange Power!‘
‘Fiveways‘ is the third album from Hank Dogs, the Joe Boyd championed folk band from the 1990s. Consisting of Andy Allan, his partner Piano and Lily, Andy’s daughter from a previous relationship they released two albums either side of the millennium, but the band split up when Andy and Piano parted in a real life sense. However, there was a third album…recorded in 2010 and…languishing in a draw…until now. The belated issue on Scratchy Records was also accompanied by a couple of reunion gigs…and who knows, maybe more? The press release suggests the music as appealing to fans of Pentangle, and that’s a pretty on the nose call.
Traditional meets a modern drone and beats approach to folk on the most recent single ‘Elsie Marley‘ from Frankie Archer‘s new EP ‘Pressure and Persuasion.‘ Frankie Archer has also recently been out on tour with The last Dinner Party, which suggests that “treacle-bop electrotrad“, as Archer describes her music, is the perfect accompaniment to…hmm… a glam/prog-rock mash up. ‘Pressure and Persuasion‘ is not just a riff on an Austen-esque title, it’s more about how the folk songs of the past refelct on today’s lived experiences, as Frankie Archer explains: “These stories tell of girlhood and womanhood. Pressures to behave, to speak, to look a certain way. To be attractive but not try too hard. To be chatty but not too opinionated. To be sexy but not a slut. To say ‘thank you’ to a creepy advance because it’s just a compliment. To smile when a man tells her to – because women shouldn’t look miserable, god forbid angry. To marry the right person. To support a man. To be a mother. To give their body in exchange for flattery and gifts. To be persuaded after saying ‘no’ because women should be nice and agreeable. Listen to the parallels between these stories from hundreds of years ago and womens’ experiences right now and think – what’s going on here and why can’t we move on?”
Bluegrass / Old Time Stringband The Downhill Strugglers have a new album, ‘Old Juniper,‘ out on Jalopy Records – and it marks a first for the band since it is the first album they have released that contains only matrial from band members Walker Shepard, Jackson Lynch and Eli Smith. And it has attracted some pretty big name praise from the likes of Alice Gerrard, Nora Brown and Tony Garnier to name but three.
Formerly on Smithsonian Folkways Recordings (under the band name the Dust Busters), The Down Hill Strugglers carry forward the sounds of the old, rural America. Eli Smith, Jackson Lynch, and Shepard harmonize in the high, lonesome style and the band plays an array of instruments, including fiddle, banjo and guitar, as well as harmonica, banjo-mandolin and old fashioned pump organ. ‘Let The Rich Go Bust‘ has a pretty easy to catch manifesto – if someone has to suffer financial hardship then all thing considered they’d prefer the rich take the pain, ‘cos the poor already have it.
‘The Ghost of the Burnside Road‘ is Joshua Burnside‘s reflection on becoming a parent, and is taken from the album ‘Teeth of Time‘ which will be released next year on February 28th. The song, and the album it comes from, provide some mixed feelings as the Belfast based singer explains “This album was written against the background of my becoming a father for the first time, and of my family growing alongside my wife Emily. And, alongside that joy, comes a lot of fear and anxiety, both of which are also pretty prevalent throughout this album. The songs were written between Belfast and Comber, Donegal and Paris, and recorded in my unsound-proof studio in Belfast city centre. So the sounds and life of the city and countryside, alongside that of my son, are all key parts and drivers of the tracks on this record.”
And it’s time for the Classic Folk Track – and as we’ve been quite traditional over the last few offerings, here’s a traditional song given the kind of take that would help to launch a whole new direction for folk – folk-rock progenitors The Byrds gave the world an abbreviated version of ‘John Riley‘ on the album ‘Fifth Dimension‘, and nothing was ever the same again.
