Emkog Records, 2010
This lovely record floats between the simple categories of folk, psychedelic folk and dream pop amongst others. Megan Wheatley's vocals carry forward shining melodies with no less than nine supporting players offering all sorts of evocative sounds, including the usual pop rock instruments with lots of strings and winds. There is strength in the songs delivered with great care not to overpower. I see they list Kate Bush as an influence and I hear a bit of that with the creative way they construct their songs and bring the listener into a very real experience, beyond twee and short of over-saturation. I also see their music as being a broad part of the modern scene of folk offshoots like Joanna Newsome. I hear classic psyche-folk elements, but the arrangements seem a bit more modern. There is even a classic progressive-metal atmosphere in the 10 1/2 minute closer, "Gratitude" (that is atmosphere, not heavy guitar sound). This is what excellent bands do--draw from the past, move forward, and make simple categories meaningless.
Songs to sample (in addition to the epic closer mentioned above...
"Art of the Earth" - Sets the tone, creates the aural landscape for this cohesive album.
"The Shroud" - Good building of edgy intensity with layers of sound.
"On a Dark Street" - I would not call this "the single" (passe term by now) but this has a very nice hook to it.
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