The EP opens with ‘Drinking Song’, a track which began life as a simple, finger-picked number but is here brought to life with full instrumentation. There is an ebb and flow to the rhythm, the lyrics expanding into hummed harmonies before contracting back into words which snap, taunt feeling, and relax once more. “There’s a light at the end where I smoke,” she sings, quite breezily, before the impassioned continuation. “And you’re name puffs and colours with people I know / and the song that was stuck in her head becomes all the words you forget”.

‘First I’m Sorry’ is almost Mitski-esque, a folk song electrified and submerged in reverb from which Heynderickx’s warbled vocals leap and dive. Detailing a change of heart or mind, the track accelerates gradually, as if the confidence in her words grows as the song progresses, before slowing into a quiet clarity in the final lines.

“Mother knows I drown in my lies
Father knows I learned my lesson the second time.
Ask me where I’ll go I’ll say do not know
No, I do not know”

Here, Heynderickx’s describes a sense certainty which cannot be explained, a gut feeling, a belief that change can be right without possessing any answers or plans. The title track sees this flipped on its head, the pace dropping and ambiguity flooding into the spaces between notes. The intricate guitar and slow, steady thump of percussion lends an air of dusty Americana, and the whole song is cloaked in something strange, the vague menace of Southern Gothic backwoods. “Am I down in the river bed this time” she sings, “picking fish heads and eating out their eyes?” The understated vocals and hushed harmonies rise toward a tumultuous finale, where guitar and drums run a frenzied race leaving Heynderickx to shout through the squall. Closer ‘Sane’ emerges with renewed hope, returning to a point of comfort as an anchor against the anxiety and confusion in an Angel Olsen-style folk/rock hybrid, which is somehow vulnerable and defiant all at once.

“Why am I frightened if it’s all just a game?
But the look in your eyes kept me sane”

If that doesn’t convince you that Haley Heynderickx is worth your time, then listen to the Fish Eyes EP in its entirety below and see for yourself.

Fish Eyes EP will be released on the 29th January and you can pre-order it now via the Haley Heynderickx Bandcamp page. Heynderickx’s Facebook page hints at a full-length later this year, so keep your fingers crossed and eyes peeled.

Artwork by Hasmood

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First up is a brand new single from John Statz. ‘World of War’ is taken from 12 August, an upcoming album of duets that Statz recorded with fellow folk singer Josh Harty. The album is due for release on the 18^th of February via Money Wolf Music, and we hope to write more about it closer to the date. Also, if you happen to find yourself in Kansas City, Missouri on the 18th of Feb then get down to the Czar Bar for the release show (which also features Zachary Lucky!!).

Stampede Road – Old Town

Stampede Road is Graeme Duncan and his Edinburgh based band. Their new single ‘Old Town’ starts off as a ruminative acoustic ramble before blooming with drums and electric guitars at the close. It’s really good and I certainly want to hear more from them.

Jess Williamson

Just a quick reminder that Jess Williamson’s brilliant Native State (which we first mentioned during our Advent calendar series) has just been released and is available to order as a digital download or on “Texas Flag tri-colour vinyl” (which sounds really cool).

Copper River – To the Grave

I can’t find much info on Copper River, except that he’s a man from Seattle, WA who makes great folk music. Check out his newest release, the single To the Grave, above. He also has several other EPs/demos/covers on his Bandcamp page which are definitely worth checking out.

Old Man Canyon – Phantoms & Friends EP

Phantoms & Friends is a five song EP from Vancouver’s Old Man Canyon. The EP can be aptly described as folk-rock (a good comparison is fellow Vancouver residents Wake Owl). My current favourite is the title track, with its catchy sing-a-long chorus. Listen above and then buy the EP, it’s worth it for that artwork alone.

Brian Payne – Brian Payne

Colorado-based singer/songwriter Brian Payne has just released a self-titled EP and I like it a lot. Stream my current favourite track, ‘Where the Good Folks Shine’ below, and then head over to Bandcamp and get the EP for just $4.

Wes Tirey – Home Recording

Last but not least is a new release from Wes Tirey (who we spoke to back in August). Home Recordings is an album of solo, improvised, experimental guitar stuff (and some super-weird noise stuff – see ‘Her Name Was Jackie’). It was released by Orange Milk Records and available as a digital download or on cassette tape via Bandcamp.

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Well now that has all changed. The band have created their debut album, The Private World of Paradise, which will be unleashed on the world in March. The album was produced by Richard Swift, who most notably produced the last two Damien Jurado albums. The sonic expansion in Jurado’s output as a result of this collaboration is also evident here with Wake Owl. It sounds like the band are experimenting and growing as musicians and that can only be a good thing.

The first single, ‘Candy’, was premiered over at The Music Ninja earlier this month and can be streamed in the player below:

The Private World of Paradise is out on the 4th of March via Vagrant. More details (presumably including pre-order options) will be announced soon.

The post Advent Calendar [20th]: Wake Owl – Candy appeared first on Various Small Flames.

The band’s sound is heavily influenced by folk music. The twist is that as the band are also influenced by indie rock, presumably due to the fact they are based in the metropolis of New York. The press release puts it rather nicely (and a lot better than I can) when it says:

Their sound combines the rustic orchestrations of folk music with the instrumental timbres and lyrical musings of modern day indie-rock.

There is a lot of vocal swapping during the album, which serves to highlight the band’s emphasis on creative collaboration. See for example the difference bwtween Brothers (in the player below) and the female-led closer Zobeide (The Wake). The most easily identifiable touchstone is other contemporary folk-rock bands such as The Head and The Heart, Blind Pilot and Wake Owl. If you are a fan of those bands, or of modern folk music in general, then I highly suggest you do yourself a favour and check Little Sur.

Check our Brothers (which was released as a single back in February of last year) in the player below. You can download the EP/album for however much you want over at bandcamp, which is a very generous offer indeed.

The post Little Sur – You Ran With Me appeared first on Various Small Flames.

15. Isaac Delusion – Early Morning EP

(Cracki)

14. Shipwrecks – Whatever

(Self Released)

13. The Long Haul – Debtors

(Tangled Talk)

12. Daniel Rossen – Silent Hour/Golden Mile

(Warp)

11. Snow Mantled Love – Romance 126

(Self Released)

10. Wake Owl – Wild Country

(Vagrant)

9. Groundislava – TV Dream

(Friends of Friends)

8. Why? – Sod In The Seed

(Anticon / City Slang)

7. The Wandering Lake – Ashame

(Self Released)

6. Memotone – Hands

(A Future Without)

5. Throwing Snow – Clamor

(Snowfall)

4. The Antlers – Undersea

(Transgressive)

3. Shlohmo – Vacation

(Friends of Friends)

2. Tyler Butler – Violence

(Self Released)

1. TNGHT – TNGHT

(Warp / Lucky Me)

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Sons of an Illustrious Father – We Are Dead and Reborn

(RIYL = Indie Rock, Folk, Americana)

South of Lincoln – The Monsters Bathroom Sessions 

(RIYL = Americana, Folk)

Spanish Prisoners – Gold Fools

(RIYL = Psychedelic, Dreams)

Strand of Oaks –Pope Killdragon Demos

(RIYL = Indie Rock, Folk, Creepy Synths)

Turf War – Cheers to the Years 

(RIYL = Punk Rock, Fun, The Black Lips)

Two Bicycles – I’m Not Afraid To Wait For You (Single)

(RIYL = Ambient, Lo-Fi, Grouper)

Tyler Butler – Live on CJSR

(RIYL = Folk, Acoustic, Ambient)

Tyler Lyle – Halloween Slideshow ‘11

(RIYL = Folk, Indie Rock)

Vacation – Locust Lane

(RIYL = Bedroom Pop, Psychedelic, Woods)

Wake! Owl – Wild Country

(RIYL = Folk, Indie Rock)

Writer’s Strike – Stay Down

(RIYL = Indie Rock/Pop, Catchy Songs)

The White Album – The Album

(RIYL = Folk Pop, Scandinavia, Seabear)

Wise Children – The Woods

(RIYL = Folk Pop, The Middle East)

Wugazi – 13 Chambers

(RIYL = Fugazi, Wu-Tang Clan, Mash Ups)

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