Category: Folk
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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 Chapman, aka…
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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” and it’s…
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interview by Michael McCarthy I was recently introduced to the music of London-based singer/songwriter Lena Laki, whose magical music is dreamy folk but with a hint of jazz elegance. Her debut EP, Take Me With, opens with a song called “Another Woman” and it’s easy to imagine Nina Simone singing it back in the day.…
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interview by Michael McCarthy Have you ever seen a magic show by one of the masters – like David Copperfield – and swore it was real? Well, I saw Copperfield perform a few decades ago and still can’t fathom how he did anything that night. The finale is the illusion that especially boggles my mind;…
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I was already excited about Iron and Wine’s Sam Beam making an album with Jesca Hoop — one of my favorite singer/songwriters — and now that I’ve heard “Every Songbird Sings,” I’m practically drooling. On their own, each of their voices tends to give me chills, they’re just so perfect that I am in awe…
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Sometimes when two artists get together and collaborate it’s a labor of love that’s largely enjoyable only to the two of them. That is not the case with Gary Lucas and Jann Klose’s just released album Stereopticon; their songs are not only accessible but a whole lot of fun. This is what you get when…
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“Little Soldier” is a beautiful Christmas ballad by the always fabulous singer/songwriter Mindy Gledhill.
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“Against my better instincts / I go against my better instincts,” sings Justin Miner during LA band Miner’s uppity, new folk rock single “Better Instincts.” At first, it sounds out like it’s going to be subtle electronica then it shifts to folk and then folk rock, by which point it will have totally won you…
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Boston Calling kicked off its sixth edition of the three day, 23 artists festival last night at City Hall Plaza and it was spectacular. People were calling it “folk night,” since the line up consisted of Gregory Alan Isakov, Of Monsters and Men, who performed at the inaugural BC during May 2013, and The Avett Brothers, who…
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Singer/songwriter Angéline was originally from Loire Atlantique in France but is now based out of London, which is where she earned her music degree. Although most of her songs are now in English, there’s clearly a French folk music influence to her sound. Additionally, she’d just visited Cuba — she loves Salsa dancing — and…
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I first encountered The Ballroom Thieves’ music when I was preparing to cover the Boston Calling music festival last month, checking out the bands I wasn’t already familiar with on Spotify. I was so impressed with their debut album, A Wolf In The Doorway, that I promptly bought their album from iTunes, as I still believe…
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I love Natalie Prass. Her self-titled debut, released earlier this year, is a fine example of how to do folk pop perfectly. If you’re a fan of Jenny Lewis, I think you’d love her, too. Their songwriting and vocal styles are similar enough that if you like one you should like the other.
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Special thanks to Maia Kennedy, contributing editor, for her excellent photos. Connect with Maia Kennedy Photography: maiakphotography.com facebook.com/maiakphotography instagram/maiakphotography DAY THREE: SATURDAY, MAY 23, 2015 THE BALLROOM THIEVES Boston’s own band The Ballroom Thieves were formed in 2011. On Facebook they describe the genre of their music as “alternative rock & folkin’ roll.” And they really could…
