Here goes volume seven of our monthly folk round-up:
Mira Stolpe – K
First we have Mira Stolpe, a San Francisco-based songwriter, originally from Stockholm. The short bio on the email she sent us said that she is passionate about melodies and melancholy, and listening to her latest track, ‘K’, I’d say that sounds about right. The track is a lesson in focus and minimalism. Sometimes less really can be more. The second part of her bio said that she wants to sound “like a tropical bird in a Swedish forest”, and that’s a very nice analogy too. You can listen to ‘K’ in the player now, and check out Stolpe’s Soundcloud page to hear more.
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/121601754″]
Ancient Youth – Deer & the Moon
I don’t know much about Ancient Youth other than they are from somewhere in the USA and that they make lovely bedroom-folk music. They released Deer & the Moon a few weeks ago on their Bandcamp page. The EP contains five gentle and pretty folk songs. I promise by the end you’ll feel like the sleepy deer on the record’s cover.
Thom Byles – Lighthouse
Next up is Thom Byles, an English/Mexican artist based in Greenwich. He has recently released a brand new single entitled ‘Lighthouse’. The track is a sedate acoustic number, backed with Byles’s falsetto vocals. There are obvious influences (one most of all, which I won’t do Byles the disservice of name-dropping), but this is quality music in its own right. He also released a three-song EP, Things You’ve Done, back in January, and that’s definitely worth your time too. You can get both releases on a pay-what-you-want basis over on Byles’s Bandcamp page.
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/142325334″]
Side Saddle – The Postcard EP
Now to perk things up a little. Side Saddle (the recording moniker of New York’s Ian McGuiness) makes poppy alt-folk in the vein of artists such as Cataldo. He has recently released his debut EP, The Postcard EP and I like it very much. It’s catchy and warm and perfect for springtime.
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/114901613″]
Luke Elliot – Provisions EP
Provisions,the upcoming EP from New York-based musician Luke Elliot, combines strong song writing with gravelly vocals and an unhinged energy that has led to comparisons with Bob Dylan, Jerry Lee Lewis, Nick Cave et al. His sound provides the perfect backdrop for stories of love and loss in a dusty America, proving that the romantic ideas of Americana survive into the Information Age.
Opening track, ‘Benny’s a Bum’, was the title song for Dan and Paul Cantagallo’s film “Benny the Bum,” winner of the Best Local Film at the 2012 award at the Philadelphia Independent Film Festival. Check out the trailer here.
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/124710995″]
Khingfisher – Khingfisher
Last but by no means least, we have Vancouver artist Khingfisher. We cottoned on to this solo project from Craig Alan Mechler after a tip from our friend Tyler Butler, and boy are we pleased we did. Mechler, also part of the band Hallow Moon, crafts a delicate brand of folk music which has all that you could want from such a deal. Finger-picked guitars and simple, earnest vocals lead to a stirring and intimate record. There’s even a lovely take on ‘Georgia On My Mind’ included too.
If you missed it, this month also saw the release of a bumper edition of this series’ pretty older sister, Head in the Clouds.