International duo Freedom Fry's "Classic" is one of those wonderful, feel-good songs that just about anyone can fall in love with. I understand they consider themselves alt-folk, but to me, they sound like pop that just so happens to have folk elements. Very impressive pop, though. The...
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Category Archives: Folk
#CONCERT REVIEW: GABRIELLE APLIN, HUDSON TAYLOR & JOHN SPLITHOFF AT THE MIDDLE EAST DOWNSTAIRS 2/24/18
review and photos by Michael McCarthy This past Saturday night, 2/24/18, I had the opportunity to check out the English pop/folk singer/songwriter Gabrielle Aplin in concert for the first time at The Middle East Downstairs in Cambridge, MA. Simply put, she was fabulous. The same can be said of her opening acts, Hudson...
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A TALE OF TWO SISTERS: AN INTERVIEW WITH REBECCA AND MEGAN LOVELL, A.K.A. LARKIN POE
interview by Michael McCarthy “Black flowers grow in a garden / I put them all in my vase,” sings Rebecca Lovell on “Freedom,” one of the most powerful songs on Peach, the new album by sister duo Larkin Poe. She sounds downright ferocious, like she might bite your head off if you look...
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STREAM, STREAM AWAY: AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH MEGAN DAVIES
interview by Michael McCarthy Several years ago, Megan Davies opened a Youtube account and posted a video of herself doing an experimental, classical guitar piece. It didn’t get many streams, but she kept the account open and eventually started posting other things. Those things being actual songs. Most of them were covers. Some...
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SPECIAL SUNDAY #SONGOFTHEDAY: ANGUS & JULIA STONE: “SNOW”
Brother and sister duo Angus & Julia Stone continue to take one's breath away with their new single, "Snow," which feels a lot more like summer than its namesake. The overall ambiance of the track -- particularly its lovely background music -- reminds me of The Beach Boys....
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#songoftheday = AUNI: “THE RIVER”
With all of the different ways to discover new music these days, it's not very hard to find a great song. Finding one so beautiful that it gives you goosebumps, however, can be rather difficult. Well, that's exactly what we have here today with Auni's ethereal...
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#songoftheday = SAM LEVIN: “HIDE AND SEEK”
"Hide and Seek" by Sam Levin is a wonderful folk-tronic tune that mixes acoustic guitars and electronic beats with vocals that split the difference between pop and folk. There's a playful element to the song that reminds me of Ben Lee's music. I'm also reminded of...
AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH SARAHJANE GIBSON OF STREETS OF LAREDO
interview by Michael McCarthy On October 21st folk rockers Streets of Laredo will release their sophomore album, WILD, via Dine Alone Records. The album is a spectacular set of tunes rich in kaleidoscopic color with lyrics that are inspiring as they inspired. With several different percussive instruments, horns, bass, electric and acoustic guitars...
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#songoftheday = OnDeadWaves: “California” / “Comfortably Numb” (Dusk Versions)
onDeadWaves, the duo comprised of Polly Scattergood and James Chapman, have released Dusk Versions, two trippy tracks that will have you feeling like you're gazing at the sun as it sets. First, is "California," which is performed sans percussion, giving it a somewhat eerie vibe. You...
#songoftheday = TAMMY: “HATED IT (WITH YOU)”
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#songoftheday = ON DEAD WAVES: “CALIFORNIA”
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#songoftheday = KT TUNSTALL: “EVIL EYE”
We last heard from singer/songwriter KT Tunstall in the form of her Invisible Empire // Crescent Moon album, which was a haunting and delicate, folky affair. Her latest single, "Evil Eye," is perhaps best described as pop. Irresistible pop that'll surely brighten your day and make...
YOU HAD TO BE THERE (PART 2): BOSTON CALLING: SUNDAY, MAY 29TH, 2016
reviews and photos by Michael McCarthy As I previously mentioned, I was unable to make Boston Calling on Saturday. First, I woke up late at 11 when I’d meant to get up at 9 and take the 11 train into Boston from Lowell. Then I went to the train station to take the...
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POLLY SCATTERGOOD: THE LOVE IS POP INTERVIEW, TAKE TWO
We previously interviewed the insanely talented Polly Scattergood in January of 2014 after naming her electro-pop masterpiece Arrows our Best Album of 2013. Now she’s back but this time she’s delivered something that’s practically the exact opposite of Arrows, onDeadWaves, a very organic sounding, psychedelic folk record made as a duo with James...
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An Exclusive Interview with Norwegian Singer/Songwriter BELLMAN
Our readers in the U.S. might not have heard of Norwegian singer/songwriter Bellman yet, but in some parts of the world he is a very big deal. He released his critically acclaimed debut album, Mainly Mute, in 2009 and had his first big hit single with an uplifting song called, “Spaceship Move Slow”...
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