Iron & Wine - The Creek Drank The Cradle (2002)

Iron & Wine - The Creek Drank The Cradle (2002)

Having just listened to Horse Feather's album, I figured it would only be just to follow it up with what many consider to be at the forefront of the folk industry in the modern era. Sam Beam's efforts have given the genre a much-needed shot in the arm, not distinguishing countless other efforts over the past decades, but the genre was in need of some fresh blood. What Beam brings to the genre and music in general is a new approach to how music communicates with the listener. This isn't through simplicity, even though that's the main sound one may get from first listen to his debut album, and not through strange experimentation, but through a few advantages that Beam has to his arsenal.

At the forefront are his lyrics. They are beautiful and poetic at many times, but are also so simple in their premise that it baffles the listener. Take listen to what Beam focuses his attention on during his songs. It's hard to find a single song on here that doesn't have a recognizable line from it, but they are beautiful in almost all parts. Here's a few fun ones: "Grace is a gift for the fallen dear" ("An Angry Blade), "You're a poem of mystery" (Faded From The Winter), & "love is waiting and better days" ("Promise What You Will").

With the lyrics comes his attention to detail. Previously Beam taught film and it constantly comes up in interviews that there is some correlation between that and his music. Music and film already have such strong storytelling components between the two that, yes, that judgement is definitely true, but that doesn't mean the music George Lucas would record would be half as interesting. It's more personality than anything else and what Beam chooses to sing about, or more importantly how it' about. He focuses on small details and repeats lines constantly, building up suspense between such minute details like a bird stealing bread in different locations or a match being struck on a keyhole.

The music itself is complicated and concrete all at once. "An Angry Blade" has guitar hitting like rain on a window, striking at such precise moments that sound entirely different on another song on the same album "Muddy Hymnal." The album is mostly percussion-less often just Beam solo with a guitar being mixed on a 4-track, but he creates a White Stripes-like illusion of a much fuller band through such lack of instruments. The slide guitars weave in and out of songs and duel at some points ("Faded From The Winter" contains some great stuff) but also emphasize the music, not providing filler between verses but more of a path to the next portion of the song.

Another of Beam's driving forces is his voice. His melodic half-whisper is not only unique to music but creates a tone that is entirely his own. Throughout the album one gets the sensation that he is sharing something entirely intimate with the listener, something he has been pondering for months on end and is only now sharing with you through his song. It's easy to dismiss it as lazy or just bad in this American Idol karaoke age, but what Beam does is more impressive than most singers do. Listen to his voice on one of his early great "Upward Over the Mountain" and you can hear a voice being crafted in the song, a hesitation to sing it out as loud as possible but more to share a private coming-of-age moment in one's life.

The album's only downfalls are just a glimpse of what is to come. Iron & Wine have a great debut here that easily surpasses many bands that have come before and imitators that are to follow, but is does get caught up in its own genre a bit too much. Everything on here is incredibly interesting and not easy to skip, only suffering from just being so similar from some of the other ones that it's hard to distinguish one from the other. I don't mean this in a bad way, but only that some of the songs are repetitive in tone and message that it's easy to get lost on the album or, more likely, forget where you are. These are minor complaints on an overall great album, like a mindless complaint like "Revolver" needed more tracks."

Standout Track: "Upward Over The Mountain"
Overall Rating: 8.9

Some Trivia For "The Creek Drank The Cradle:"

* It's basically common knowledge that Beam taught Cinematography at the University of Miami before his music career took off. Some of his film credits, aside from music for "In Good Company," are hard to come by. Does anyone out there have a list of any films he's made or worked on?

* My good buddy (and Sam Beam aficionado Kyle) points out that Beam has directed all of his music videos up to "Boy With A Coin," so there's some of his work. I'm still interested in things outside of his music, though.

* One of the album's bonus tracks, correctly titled "Carissa's Weird," was available as a 7" vinyl single. Any correlation between that and the band of a similar mis-spelled name?

* The album has many great lines in it. One of my favorites is "We all assume the worst the best we can." Anyone else got any favorites?

Horse Feathers - House With No Home (2008)

Horse Feathers - House With No Home (2008)

My interest in Horse Feathers began with the fact that lead singer and main member Justin Ringle composes all songs on his own. Later Peter Broderick mixes everything and adds in all of the orchestra to go along with his music. This isn't a bad thing whatsoever, and Horse Feathers is able to inhabit the chamber-folk genre quite well. But it does make the inception of the songs a more interesting prospect. Would these songs work better as solo guitar songs (like Iron & Wine?) or do they succeed with the additions of strings, banjo and percussion? In most cases, yes, and quite well.

Horse Feathers aren't my kind of music whatsoever. Not to say that I don't enjoy a good folk band every now and then, but folk music is one of those genres that it's easy to sound like he's imitable. Only so many times can someone seem like a Bob Dylan suck-up or Iron & Wine, to the point that being an ambient band is hard not to get compared to Animal Collective or Aphex Twin to some extent. When a band does a genre successful, it's immediate that anything that sounds similar will be labeled impersonator, thus making their music fake.

Justin avoids these trap falls for the most part. Sure, some of the songs fall into this category and don't attempt to do anything with the genre but inhabit it, but the songs on here that excel at it are really worth the time to listen. Ringle's wavering falsetto is the strong point of the band that sets it apart, never has vulnerable sounded so real in folk music while still singing about a message. The album starts out strong enough and maintains well, even though "Rude to the Rile" never seems to get its building momentum going. "Working Poor" is an excellent banjo-laden track that accelerates with such subtly into a call-and-response, breaking down immediately and building back up again. "Albina" does a similar technique as well, the instruments on the album emphasizing the urgency in Ringle's lyrics.

The slow songs work too, as "Helen" and "Heathen's Kiss" prove. But overall there is a sense of laziness throughout the album, not on the band's part, but on an ability to expand this genre further. There are some really good songs on here that inhabit it quite well, but what hasn't been heard here before? Halfway through the album the music suffers and falls into background music category, which is a shame because the stuff on here is good enough. There is something that Horse Feathers has going and with each attempt I feel they will get there, but until then it's all genre and nothing breakout. That doesn't mean that they should do something crazy, but without one track that really illustrates what separates this band from the rest make it hard to hear what all the fuss is about. They'll get there.

Standout Track: "Working Poor"
Overall Rating: 7.5

Some fun facts not mentioned in the review:

* Justin Ringle's band are labeled as being from Portland, OR, which is true, but the guy was born and raised in Lewiston, ID. He simply moved to Portland in 2004 and would play under the moniker Horse Feathers until Peter Broderick heard his stuff and became another member as producer.

* Peter Broderick's other works include: Norfolk & Western, Dolorean, and Loch Lomond.

* Peter's sister, Heather, plays Cello on the records, but does not tour with the band.

* Singer Ringle doesn't intend that all lyrics are understood clearly, but has stated in interviews that he wants more to match mood than add clarity.

* Some more of Ringle on my favorite track, "Working Poor:" "I think in 'Working Poor,' for instance, the contrast between the words being about hardship, yet the music staying somewhat upbeat, kind of gives some sense of hope." Read more of an interview Here.

Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes/Sun Giant (2008)

Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes/Sun Giant (2008) *

On first listen I took Fleet Foxes sound for granted. I didn't get what they hype was about that surrounded the Seattle band, they just sounded like folksy group that were doing what others have done before and wasn't that impressed. But after seeing them at Sasquatch I have to admit that my appreciation for them has grown immensely. That's not to say that I'm still thinking they pulled a Vampire Weekend last year and got a little too over-hyped, but it was deserved to say the least (IMO I think Gaslight Anthem deserved more of the praise, but that's when we get to the G's people).

So lets break it down why Fleet Foxes has left an impression on the music world. They have a unique sound to say the least, a combination of impressive vocals from singer Robin Pecknold, his baroque poppiness invested into their folksy sound that is matched by the wispy guitar and harp throughout the album. Never before has an album been able to match space so well, creating a very unique area where this music exists and the instruments are free to float in and out of each song in such a heavenly way. Listen to the guitars and vocals mix together on "English House" and it's apparent right away how important the building of each song is to the band. They're quick not to use the gimmick over and over (thus not making it a gimmick) and instead use it as just another instrument.

Of all the songs from Sun Giant, "Mykonos" stands out the most. The breathy chorus lifts Pecknold's beautiful voice to, again, a heavenly state, creating the most pop-like song that's been made in some time in the folk tradition. The breakdown in the middle of the song slows everything down. "Brother you don't need to turn me away/I was waiting down at the ancient gate/You go wherever you go today/You go today" they sing in perfect harmony, making the song more like a battle call-to-arms than you're simple folk song of the past.

On their debut album the songs are much focused, more of this quality of songs. Here they change their style a bit more and take light risks, but risks nevertheless. "White Winter Hymnal" starts off with a beautiful opening a Capella sing-song that carries the whole song, joined by the whole band and continued through the song. Folk rock has never sounded like it could fill an arena more than here. Repeated listens of the album will showcase these qualities more, the little touches throughout the album of how seamlessly it flows from their giant whispering anthems to an immediate breakdown with the whole band in full force.

They also change their style up more to take full advantage of their strengths. "Tiger Mountain Peasant Song" focuses on just the lead vocals and a solo guitar, still floating in space but more somber than many of their other pieces. They prove that they don't need to do the whole choir thing every song to still craft a lovely piece of music. Or the more awkward (in a good way) "He Doesn't Know Why," that staggers to it's eventual beat in an unconventional way. "Your Protector" is a humble cry to wanting to keep a love as close as possible even though that love wants to run free. Their imagery the lyrics evoke are matched by the rustling guitar and strings in each song, the building drum in the back that makes each song more of a war march than a ditty.

If there's anything that FF suffers from it's their choice of style. I'm not implying that they should go out and make a punk rock opera anytime soon, but because each song follows the same pattern that makes it so good is also what makes it suffer too. "Meadowlark" is one of the only lulls in the album, not because it is a slower song (even by their standards) but because it never seems to find itself. Their album changes this pace up quite a bit to the point that it's masked but still present, which will make for interesting releases from the band to come. For now it's a great way to start and sets the stage for what is to come from Fleet Foxes. Hopefully they can stay their own unique path instead of using their gimmick to its full extent to become exactly that, utilizing their poetic lyrics and beautiful harmonization to continue to create such pretty, complicated songs.

* I combine these albums into one because their EP was later released as a bonus disc to their debut album, so it makes sense to simply combine the two.

Standout Track: "He Doesn't Know Why"/"Mykonos"
Overall Rating: 8.6/10