#nu folk

[tribulations-of-flesh]

[n0ctvrna]

We've grown apart so quickly, left here out of love.

Nocturna

[sngalbums]

Love Guides A. harlana

When did folk music simply become “sad music” to the indie masses? Gently strummed guitars and atmospheric production can achieve a range of emotion; I do love anything that allows me to contemplate the depths of the psyche, but these sounds more often than not come from a positive place. New York songwriter A. harlana, né Juno Roome, writes lullabies about the love he has for his partner—a genuinely joyous feeling that levels out unhappiness, at least in the present. 

In 2019, Roome released so much that I frequently lost track. First there was ada belle, a January EP, followed by an ambient record in April, a cover in May, singles in June and September, and a spoken word record in August. He is comfortable in any context, it seems, allowing the sounds—any sounds, his sounds—to bear his soul. 

ada belle, a three-song release that doesn’t necessarily represent the year for A. harlana, still feels like the crowning jewel atop all of his 2019 musings. It opens with a slow, melancholy melody on “textile workers,” featuring lyrics that never quite fit into it. Roome creates his most iconic harmony as he emphasizes different syllables in the chorus: “can’t you see that it’s all poured o-o-o-out?” Roome’s whispers are practically inaudible, and certainly unintelligible to my ears, but provide a deep comfort that doesn’t require denotation. Then again, his voice is not what propels this record—it is the cautious instrumentation. 

While it is the opening hook on “textile workers” that most frequently gets stuck in my head, “faces” and “the thunderings are nearly through” tell more complete stories with guitars, percussion, and production. There are plenty of vocalizations that don’t amount to lyrics, just added sounds swirling in this electric storm of passion and private philosophy. 

Everything that has come after ada belle feels like a drifting continuation—similar themes and melodies appear, but he is always growing. There is courage in “if i’m a bird,” and there is fear in “my dear, i will think of you.” And love always guides him forward. 

A. harlana | buy ada belle | website | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Soundcloud | Bandcamp

[burden-in-my-hand]

This is fan-fkn-tastic

[joemuggs]

KC RULES OK

It’s funny the way memories trigger memories. Just a couple of days after I published this article on folktronica, which tangentially mentioned King Creosote, a new record came out by Andrew Weatherall and Nina Walsh, who made me laugh ridiculously when I interviewed them, which reminded me that the only person who’d made me laugh more in an interview scenario was King Creosote, in this 2005 interview for a now defunct Channel 4 microsite. With Weatherall and Walsh it was the reefer smoke that filled the kitchen that predisposed me to laughing with KC it was pints in a tatty pub in Brixton next to his PRs’ offices, but in both cases they were just funny. This is heavily edited, retrieved from my emails; I wish I could find the full transcript but I can’t, so here it is.

Who are you, then?

I’m a singer, mostly.

And where are you from?

I’m from Fife.  It’s a dog’s head.  Well, it looks like one on the map, with St Andrews as the eye.  It’s very scenic, apart from the golf courses they’re building everywhere, but it’s beautiful, and it’s ludicrously laid back.  People will leave their shops, you’ll get queues in the hardware stores going “where’s Alasdair?”, like the Marie Celeste or something.  Mobile phones don’t work there, and there are no chain shops, no Burger King or Costa Coffee.  It’s great!

What do you get up to there?

Well, Fence Collective has been running for about ten years now, but that included at least five years completely in the wilderness – just me and my brothers contributing to it – it wasn’t until about 2000 that it started gathering momentum.  We were just doing it for local people really up til then.  We were just selling CDs that we made ourselves, it’s not like 40,000,000 Mariah Carey records upsetting the global economy, it was more like “let’s put some music out and see who hears it”.  

What do you mean? Are you saying you don’t want to be the biggest singer in the world?

No!  I don’t want to be cool, I hate that winning thing – people that enjoy winning, that’s just a total farce thing isn’t it?  People who get excited by winning!  Why would you want to be like that?  I find people who want to win all the time just… just… oh god, really embarrassing [he hides inside his sweater for a moment]   As genuinely defeatist as I was about what I did, though, I thought someone must want to buy this record.  Even though the bands I’d been in before had been pumping party bluegrass stuff, people were starting to remember the songs, and ask me about them, and that was the element that I was trying to appeal to when I started pushing my solo stuff.

And are you a beardy folker?

No, my music comes from all sorts of influences  I’ve certainly got respect for those old songs, though.  They lasted for centuries, and they were such incredibly clever songs, either hilarious or massively dark or really cleverly dirty.  And it really puts pop songs in a bad light; you think ‘why would anyone bother writing this?  It’s just a silly chant’, in fact since recording came about it’s all got skewed… all these records are really unimportant compared to songs that people actually remember and share.  Makes you wonder, though – we’ve still got lots of really dark folk songs about stabbing and shagging and all that, but what about the ones people don’t remember? Are there even darker, weirder ones that got written out of history? 

You’re really prolific aren’t you?

I suppose so, but why not?  It’s awful now, when bands get stupid hype and they have trouble with their FIRST album, they don’t get any chance to develop their songwriting or their fanbase.  I’ve done… god, about thirty albums now – ok they’re not highly produced, they’re just done at home, but still they’re all songs I’ve written.  People seem to think that’s mental, but sod it, I had a job for most of that time, it’s not like I was putting loads of effort in - it just happened that one night a week I’d sit down and write a song.  Easy peasy…  I don’t have a TV, see.

What’s the best thing you’ve found in a hedge?

Dave Weirs.  An old friend of mine.  He’d gone over this embankment on his bicycle, and he was really lucky.  I couldn’t see because he’d gone round this sharp right hand bend and vanished; I was shouting out, and it was all echoing around in the valley, then suddenly I saw him there – still on his bike, but upside-down and sticking out of this hedge.  Not too badly hurt but shocked.  That was a good thing to find in a hedge.

Have you ever been scared and/or excited by a horse?

God I’m terrified of them.  I tried to overcome my fear of horses on this farm, and this big bugger just came and stood on my foot.  That was it, I won’t go near them now.  Someone said ‘they sense your fear, you know’ and I was just like ‘so they’re taking the piss, aren’t they?’.  Don’t like them at all.  Sarcastic bastards.

Which body part could you happily live without?

Actually, all those gangly bits down below, they’re a bit weird.  Not yet, but once I get to a certain age and my mind’s given up on them, I reckon it’d be ok to just look like an Action Man down there.  Not now, though.

Do you have recurring dreams?

Yes, rotating dreams.  I dream that I’m spinning, and I shout out to people to stop me: they’ll put their hand out to stop me, but then just for a laugh they’ll let go and let me spin.  Horrible.  Even worse when it’s underwater spinning dreams – really sick-inducing.  I have dreams where people are possessed by an evil small dog too.

Could you write a song about running a website?

Yes.  It would be a combination of the worst bits of Franz Ferdinand, Kaiser Chiefs and Arctic Monkeys, and it would go “Look at me… please… PLEASE!”.

[pgeville]

*WEDNESDAY // 06-14-17 // 

-folk show - tour kickoff w/ SIDNEY READY // PAPER SWEATERS // DR SHOGGOTH // OBSOLETE SOLACE // doors at 7:30 - music at 8:45pm // 4$  https://www.facebook.com/events/1407054992680999/

-Evansville Letters to Prisoners LETTERS NIGHT  https://www.facebook.com/events/275486899589910

[open from  6pm - 11:30pm]

[thelosthearttapes]

I was sailing around this world Drifting thru myself Looking for a land dock

But I stopped my sail 'Cause I saw her shape A shape who's made of scales And i scuttled my ship Only to go with her

Because I'm still in search From the deep of the sea And I see That my mind was the same That my fears were the same

Can't entertain you anymore My love I'm so bitter How could we go further now ?

I don't want you to keep me close I wish i could laid the rose, upon our grave Somewhat damaged And not so used By you my love

Now I have to deal with my fears Thru the pain and the hatred And I'll be no longer I don't want you to make me sorry I don't want you to make me afraid I don't want you to make me sorry I don't want for you to be desired

We shed our clothes And went for a swim Luna of the seas Above me you shed the tears I receive to live And I drink to dream What if I sink to drown

Luna of the seas ?

[tribulations-of-flesh]

Erde, rip my heart out.