i have to thank my man, Branden for providing the best breakfast i've had in some time. so inspired was I, that my inspiration quickly turned to compulsion (once i found myself only 1 or 2 minutes into the album) to lift his latest post idea and slather a remix right here on Headfawns. ok, this album is amazing. this is an understatement. those responsible, Le Loup, are a seven (or eight) piece ensemble (featuring Sam of Christian & the Jews) that could probably split into 4 seperate groups tomorrow, it's that saturated with talent.
now, i don't pretend to know what's happening in true music currently but, if you examine Bodies of Water, Sufjan Stevens, Danielson, Grizzly Bear, Animal Collective, Menomena, Arcade Fire, Yeasayer, A Silver Mt. Zion and too many others to mention - you quickly find something important is afoot. i mean, could Panda Bear have done what he's doing (to much acclaim) even five years ago? also, has there ever been this many groups employing banjoes at the same time? it was a novelty when the Books did it...but, Sufjan, Arcade Fire, Anathallo, Le Loup? while there seems to be a return to true instrumentation, the most notable arrival (and the reason i write) is the apparent return of the voice. not that folks haven't always sang - it's more like, from what i can tell, a return to the beginnings of American popular music..like we saw in the 30's & 4o's. i'm as jazzed as can be and predict we'll see even more of this type of thing in many unexpected places in the near future. with acts like Caribou and Deerhoof really pushing listener's conceptions in front of buses, music is getting turned on it's head - in a good way. i think this (i'm still not sure what to call it- or if it even needs to be called) is the newest, most imporatant and somehow, most secret movement at play right now. i may be wrong but, i haven't been yet... not here, at least. so, in an effort to bring this meandering post home, do yourself a favor and pick Le Loup's album up before week's end.
10.30.2007
the voice returneth
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6 times the action!:
You're right on with the Americana tip on that plus the awfully titled "freak folk".
This zeitgeist makes me think of other acts unlike the ones mentioned that dealt with voice as instrumentation too as part of a "return". Bjork's "Medúlla", Prefuse 73's "Vocal studies and uprock narratives", Nobukazu Takemura's "10th" and my mind is going blank. Surely this isn't new either (Linda Perhacs rings a bell) but I think perhaps this is so exhilarating as well because the voice can be one of the most vulnerable things one can offer. Making music with your body's instrument without any foreign apparatus.
By "awfully titled" I just mean the coining of the term and not the music being made under that umbrella.
yeah, that's not meant to be by any means an exhaustive list - just some folks i'm into right now. i mean, there are tons of people exploring the voice (as there always will be)and there are also plenty that don't fit the bill. Mew, Vartiina, Anuna, Polyphonic Spree, Stereolab.. the list goes on and on - especially the farther you go back...but, i'm speaking more of a sort of unconscious collective of American and Canadian artists that all seem to be cut from essentially the same cloth, all actively pursuing a similar ideal in sound.
..and yeah, i gotcha on the "freak folk" thing - i've always hated that term. what's the standard for folk anyway? James Taylor? Paul Simon? true folk has always been a little "out there"... John Fahey anyone?
by the way, the name Bjork is never to be typed here... ever, Rubens. i don't care if she comes to your birthday party.
Awesome; I had a hunch this would spur you to action. This album is truly under my skin right now. You're dead-on in reference to the common themes among these (and other) bands.
I don't know what's causing it, or where it's coming from, but there's definitely something palpable going on in these pockets of the music industry. Adventurous listeners stand to gain a lot if they just put their ear out there.
(and Rubens, Le Loup is coming to town in December, you game?)
Le Loup wise I'm feeling the banjo tip and whenever The Booksesque referentials are felt, however the production in some of the stuff turned me a bit off. I haven't heard much though so we'll see. I'm thinking more about seeing Menomena. The money tree is definetely not in our backyard... we don't even have a backyard.
Rubens, you tell me how much it costs - i'll sponsor you. simply put, you must see Menomena. they're menomenal!
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