Playlist “Psyche van het folk” Radio Centraal, Antwerpen : 2005-04-13 New singer-songwriter releases (second part with various emotionally gifted moments). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ * Tract Rec. V.A. : A formal Apology, -free CD with the Will Oldham Tribute CD- (US,2004)*° Tr.5, Everything is Fine : “Ostrich” 2 min * Tract Rec. Everything is Fine : Lake Vostok EP (US,2005)*° Tr.1, “Lake Vostok” 3 min Quiet s/sw Review : http://singersong.homestead.com/poor.html * Orphanology Vollmar : 4 separate things (US,2005)***° EP : “Well…” Tr.1, “Days of Wisdom/Days of peace” 1 min Tr.5, “Don’t be lonely” 4 min Tr.8, Days of grief” 2 min 7 Another quiet s/sw here with some humour and cleverness, and nice situation- sketch, with “literature” related ideas. Review : (second after) http://psychedelicfolk.homestead.com/poorminstrels.html#anchor_42 * Soft Hawk Pr. Pure Horsehair : Stray Songs (2001-2003) EP (US,2004)*° * Soft Hawk Pr. Pure Horsehair : Poison with Rainbows : songs from the Canico Sea (US,2005)**° The only group I couldn’t get in for airplay because of shortage of time. Will be used by the singer-songwritershow instead. The group shared gigs with Laura Veirs (see further down). Review : http://singersong.homestead.com/newsingers-6.html#anchor_281 * Bluesanct Elephant Micah : your dreams are beeding back (US,2005)* Somewhat sloppy intimate singer-songwriting. Review : http://singersong.homestead.com/poor.html Vollmar and Elephant Micah will come over to the radioshow in May. * Backwater Rec. Wand : When Summer comes/Behind the veil –single- (UK,1993)*** A-side : “When Summer comes” 3 min 15 Very nice hippie-Indian flavoured (tabla,flute) song track. Review : http://singersong.homestead.com/newsingers-6.html#anchor_289 * Backwater Rec. Wand : unreleased songs (UK,2005)*°° Tr.3, “Hanged Man” 4 min Tr.4, “Spires” (instr.) 1 min 5 * Backwater Rec. The Pancakes EP (UK,2005)*° Musically not interesting and not intending to be either but funny performance of absurd funny songs. Last track of it will be airplayed in the s/sw radioshow. Review : http://psychedelicfolk.homestead.com/folk.html#anchor_42 * private jerseyturnpike : permafrost (US,2004)**** Tr.2, “Counter-clockwise” 3 min Tr.3, “Still” 3 min Tr.4, “three (the most) 3 min 9 Breathy-etherial voice with amplified guitar and arrangements, with songs followed by improvisation instrumental. Review : http://singersong.homestead.com/newsingers-6.html#anchor_258 * Drag City Alasdair Roberts : “No Earthly Man” (UK,2005)***° Tr.8, “A Lyke Wake Dirge” 8 min Folk voice in English/Scottish tradition. This track is with more percussion. Review : http://psychedelicfolk.homestead.com/folk.html#anchor_43 * Silber Rec. Jamie Barnes : Honey from the ribcage (US,2005)**°° Tr.9, “All those things are so” 5 min Best to listen from beginning to end. Thematically and as a concept it’s perfect. Songs are about a lung (?) disease and amnesia trough medicine. Review on http://singersong.homestead.com/newsingers-6.html * private Greg Weeks : Blood is trouble (US,2004)****° Tr.1, “Day for night” 3 min Tr.2, “Dusted” 3 min Tr.6, “Don’t you open up (your eyes)” 3 min 9 Perfect album. A classic. Similar subject like Jamie Barnes, with similar looking album cover (front Greg Weeks & back Jamie Clements). Review : http://singersong.homestead.com/newsingers-6.html#anchor_268 * Private Gloria Deluxe : Alas Alack (US,2002)*° * Private Gloria Deluxe : Accidental Nostalgia (US,2004)*°° Tr.14, “Nothing but the passing of time” 3 min Theatre-psychological drama about amnesia, chasing personal demons and beyond : a story related wordy singer-songwriter. In her latest release she’s accompanied by a more chamber music kind of orchestra. Live it was once the Eysores. Pure musically it is less interesting compared to what the direct contact with the content can give to the listener. Because it is more word importance it will be used more thoroughly in the singer-songwriter show. This is one of the musically more worked out tracks. Musically it is influenced by new Americana traditions. Will be used in s/sw radioshow. Review : http://singersong.homestead.com/newsingers-6.html#anchor_272 * Private Cathérine Feeney (US,2003)**° Tr.3, “Maggie” 3 min Slightly light melancholic Americana-bluesy singer-songwriter with simple and minimal accompaniment. All tracks hang well together, listens as a perfect whole. This is officially released the 7th of April. Will be used again in s/sw show. Review : http://singersong.homestead.com/newsingers-6.html#anchor_261 * Bella Union Laura Veirs : The triumph & travails of Orphan Mae (US,2001)**°° Tr.8, “Through December” 5 min Good big-public affective singer-songwriter comparable a bit to Suzanne Vega in songwriting. This track is with beautiful guitar and melancholic, oddly pitched strings. Review : http://singersong.homestead.com/newsingers-6.html#anchor_257 * Bella Union Laura Veirs : Carbon Glacier (US,2004)***° Tr.1, “Ether sings” 4 min (slightly shortened) Tr.7, “Shadow Blues” 5 min (slightly shortened) Considered by most her best to date release, and guess it might be so. The music is more focused, the arrangements were already good, but still it improved. Review : (second after) http://singersong.homestead.com/newsingers-6.html#anchor_257 * Secretly Can. Anthony and the Johnsons : I am a bird now (US,2005)***°° Tr.1, “Hope there’s someone” (fade out) 4 min Tr.9, “I am free at last” 2 min 6 Very emotional, with a very confronting and overexposing vulnerability which makes it a more difficult album. Antony has a very beautiful vocal technique. I still like his first album best, because it’s more emotionally balanced. Best to listen from beginning to end, and to go into the concept. Review : http://singersong.homestead.com/newsingers-3.html * Zendik Arts Wulf Zendik : Wulf Songs volume 1 (US,2003)****° Tr.1, “Lonely man blues” (1972) 5 min Tr.6, “Sage” (1968) 5 min Tr.7, “When she’s gone” (1995) 6 min 16 First track is an emotional blues song, dedicated to blues and John Lee Hooker whom he knew in Los Angeles back in the 60’s. Second track is very and strong emotional. Both tracks are accompanied by the 8-string itar, a self build instrument between guitar and sitar. On the last track Wulf is already 75. I couldn’t airplay less. Very hard not to be affected by it ! All tracks are acoustic with voice, and are like resumes of life-experiences. Wulf passed away in 1999. Review : http://psychevanhetfolk.homestead.com/Zendik.html * Zendik Arts Arol Zendik : Into the oracle (US,2003)**°° Tr.10, “Golden days” 10 min Minimal, sad and expressive emotional and improvisational blues-like reflections by Wulf’s wife, Arol, and the unique opposite Wulf Zendik part. This is a song looking back with sadness to the wonderful time Arol and Wulf had spend together and the idealistic goal that led them to it. Review : http://psychevanhetfolk.homestead.com/Arolzendik.html * pre-release Marissa Nadler : The Saga of Mayflower May (US,2005)****° Tr.1, “Under an old umbrella” 5 min Tr.6, “Old love haunts me in the morning” 4 min Tr.7, “Lilly, Henry, the willow trees” 3 min Tr.10,“Calico” 4 min (shortened) Tr.11,“Horses and their kin” 5 min 20 One of my favourite female voices. There’s a tiny progression in mood compared to the earlier release. Songs made in winter but with look towards spring trough the theme of the Mayflower. With nice fingerpickings and subtle arrangements. Will be released soon both in UK/US. I couldn’t airplay less. I might like this album even more than the first one. Marissa will come over to the radioshow in June. She will make a tour to UK and the rest of Europe, to wherever she’s invited for gigs. Review : http://psychedelicfolk.homestead.com/acidfolkreview9.html * Locust Music Josephine Foster : Hazel eyes I will lead you (US,2005)****° Tr.1, “The siren’s Admonition” 5 min -127 Another favourite voice of mine, with great colours and technique, with emotional and technical strength. Very beautiful song with guitars and sitar. This track should give an idea. Review : (second after) http://singersong.homestead.com/folk2.html#anchor_47 * MDC Rec. Sergei Kalougin (RU,1994)***° Tr.2, “The speech of the King” 10 min Tr.3, “sonnet n°2” 1 min Tr.4, “Dance of Casanova” 8 min Talented guitarist and writer. His songs are like accompanied literature. First track has splendid acoustic guitar layers/arrangement, with some violin. Second song has guitar with piano and at some point very baroque arrangements with beautiful choir arrangement, brilliantly done. Published on a Belgian label. His rock group ‘Orgia Pravednikov!’ I will mention again at later date. Review : http://psychedelicfolk.homestead.com/RU2.html * MDC Rec. Igor Smirnov / Garik Smirnov : A dream of the shadow of smoke (RU,1994)*° Tr.1, “A is alfhabeth” –prelude- 1 min Tr.13,“the time’s blamed with guilt” 3 min 4 Often a more typical Russian bard, less poetic in style but with good guitar, nice acoustic arrangements. I personally like his voice/vocals less ; I don’t understand Russian to make this compensate. These are two guitar instrumentals. Review : http://psychedelicfolk.homestead.com/RU2.html ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- This was adapted in the singer-songwriter radioshow because it happened after mine : * Night Wing Rec. Tim Hollier (UK,1971)***°° Tr.1, “Message to Harlequin” 5 min Wonderful reissue with a kind of “best of” this slightly mellow, dreamy psych singer-songwriter, compiled from his first three LP’s. Classic ! This track gives a good idea. Review : http://singersong.homestead.com/reissue.html#anchor_36 * Delay 68 Rec. V.A. : Folk is not a four letter word (US,F,POL,UK,SP,CAN,1969-2003)***° Tr.4, Brigitte Fontaine (F) : “Brigitte” 3 min Tr.12,The Roundtable (UK) : “Scarborough Fair” 5 min Perfect to listen to compilation of more or less essential folk-psych tracks, from US end 60’s-early 70’s, and beyond. First track is by French known avan- folk singer Brigitte Fontaine with an early song. Second track is a nice typical 70’s instrumental with variety of styles (from Gryphon, baroque to retro acid jazz). Review : http://psychedelicfolk.homestead.com/acidfolkreviews2.html#anchor_37 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Other playlists : http://psychevanhetfolk.homestead.com/2005.html General index page : www.radiocentraal.be/psychevanhetfolk More detailed index page : http://psychevanhetfolk.homestead.com/index.html Receive weekly this playlist before the radioshow happens and with additional linked audio, with updates of new reviews and with additional comments : Subscribe : psychevanhetfolk-subscribe@yahoogroups.com