Stereo Deluxe

Future Folk
Various Artists
CD
Art.Nr.:0162129SDX

Folk is music of the people for the people – in both origin and best sense of the word pop-music. While traditional folk conserves authentic snapshots of our past, “Future Folk” sketches a friendly utopia of the here and now. This compilation does not lay claim to completeness, does not want everything with its 14 tracks, but can do so much more instead – amongst other things, give a warm welcome to the morning in these cold times. Without regard for stylistic or label-political limits “Future Folk” comprises a collection of magical talents, the very opposite of a Checker-Guide To Folktronica & Weird Folk: a child of love for music and progress – an essence of the future.

“Future Folk“ begins in a dusty twilight corner of the Parisian toy shop of Colleen alias Cecile Scott, where the old, barely working barrel of a music box jingles a song of frankly affected feelings: “Your Heart On Your Sleeve” from her debut album “Everyone Alive Wants Answers” (Leaf Recordings, 2003) plays with memories of a better, common future and the bizarre, bittersweet feeling of wanting to preserve it forever.

As a traveller between worlds, or at least between New York and North Adams / Massachusetts, Nick Zammuto and Paul de Jong – as The Books – feed their sampler with the homemade. “Smells Like Content” from their third album “Lost and Safe” (Tomlab, 2005) reminds us to understand the world as a whole beyond mere physical and religious laws. The vocabulary is complex, the message simple – lines like “when finally we opened the box we couldn’t find any rules” result into the forlorn call that “expectation leads to disappointment”.

Straighter proclamations, beyond his best recitations of classical Shakespeare texts as “Transformed Man”, are provided by our dearest authority Captain James T. Kirk alias William Shattner, who on his sympathetic comeback album “Has Been” (Sony/Shout, 2004) with “Together” contributes a detached ode to togetherness, accompanied by those fabulous downtempo idyll specialists, Lemon Jelly.

Similarly far out, the Canadian-born Dan Snaith, formerly known as Manitoba, combines krautrock, flute madness and honky tonk with an almost alchemical skilfulness. The driving “Bees”, somewhat reminiscent of Can, stems from his first release under new name Caribou, “The Milk Of Human Kindness” (Leaf Recordings, 2005).

Hamburg’s best, Patrick Zimmer alias Finn, loses himself on “X+Variables” from his second regular album “The Ayes Will Have It” (Sunday Service, 2005) in padded worlds, where Folkster, Electronica and Shoegazer, wrapped in a shared cosy blanket, wish each other a good night.

The same carefree and understanding treatment of musical pieces that during techno and post nobody even thought of putting together comes from American child prodigy Connor Kirby-Long, who under the name Khonnor at the tender age of 17 earned praise with his only album so far, “Handwriting” (Type Records, 2004). Like all his work “A Little Secret” is built with rudimentary means on fuzzy guitars with digital manipulations and clearly shows references reaching from Jim O’Rourke to Fennesz up to David Sylvian.
Legend has it that guitar player and producer Mike Lindsay, who grew up in Derby, England, was saved from wasting his life with recording soundtracks for soft pornos by his friend, vocalist Sam Genders. Under the moniker Tunng the two show a sensitive, almost classical approach to folk on their debut “Mother’s Daughter And Other Songs” (Static Caravan, 2005) – an approach that occasionally can even lead to a complete new understanding of Deep(er) House, as “Code Breaker” exemplifies…

The first album released by the wonderful label Arable, curated by Robin Saville (ISAN), was “Tiger, My Friend” (2005) from PSAPP. The London duo consists of singer Galia Durant and Carim Clasman, a long-serving engineer and producer, whose work for Einstürzende Neubauten and Natacha Atlas has taken him back and forth across Europe. While Galia’s vocals are reminiscent of core British DIY girls such as Marine Girls, Weekend and Young Marble Giants, the music uses sounds from this side and the other of our imagination. The driving force of their small masterpiece “Rear Moth” seems to be Ernie’s squeaky-duck, while the strings must come straight from heaven.

Although computers are supposed to constitute the heart of their music, Ekkehard Ehlers and Albrecht Kunze, as MÄRZ, sound almost classical on their second album “Wir Sind Hier” (Karoke Kalk, 2004). Supported by Jakobus Siebels (lap steel, trombone), Bernadette La Hengst (accordion) and Thomas Butteweg (double bass) they recorded with “The Pop Song” the ultimate, err, pop song of this compilation. Rarely has folk mimicry sounded so deceptive and so compulsive.

And where we just mentioned Marine Girls and Young Marble Giants, the Raincoats are not far off. After the split of the pioneer English punk girl-group founding member Ana Da Silva took a new direction and amongst other things composed music for dance theatre before concentrating on painting and temporarily turning her back on music. After an short-lived Raincoats reunion she has now reported back with her first solo album “Lighthouse” (Chicks On Speed, 2005). “Friend” is an impressive example of her very own, at the same time hymnic, sparingly as much as celestial sounding electronica full of a warmth that could melt stones – rating: not of this world.

Which could also be said of the works of 1952-born Ryuichi Sakamoto. With the obviously Kraftwerk-inspired, but much more opulent techno pioneers Yellow Magic Orchestra he revolutionized pop far beyond the borders of Japan. Since 1978 he has cherished solo-projects that yielded numerous prizes and collaborations with style-defining icons such as David Sylvian, Iggy Pop, Bootsy Collins, Tony Williams, David Byrne and Brian Wilson. “War & Peace”, recorded in tight cooperation with Arto Lindsay, is from his recent 15th solo album “Chasm” (KAB 2005) and is marked by complex vocals and questions such as “Is war as old as gravity?” and “Are there animals that like peace and animals that like war?”.

Carrying the foundation of their fertile working process already in their name, The Postal Service live of the exchange between Ben Gibbard (Death Cab For Cutie) and Jimmy Tamborello (Dntel). Jimmy dispatches electronical tracks which are then elevated to songs by the guitars and vocals from Ben – the finely chiselled “We Will Become Silhouettes” from the self titled single release (Sub Pop, 2005) shows what sweet fruits have grown from this collaboration.
Were it not for „Leaf House”, of New York based Animal Collective, originally released on their album “Sung Toes” (Fat Cat, 2004), judging from the artists represented on this compilation one could once more declare the band format dead. Yet this charming, head over heels bunch of cheerful loopyness restore faith in the force of the collective even to the most severe sceptic.

And to not let “Future Folk” conclude in a freak parade Norwegian Hanne Hukkelberg presents us with the conciliatory final chords of “Cast Anchor” from her only album so far, the distinctly titled “Litte Things” (Leaf Recordings, 2005) – a sweet web of fragile samples, chilly exotica and hushed lullaby sounds. A conclusion as it could not be more beautiful.

Call it folk, call it weird folk, nu folk or folktronica, call it whatever you want, for as the legendary Big Bill Broonzy once put it: “All music is folk music. I ain’t never heard a horse sing a song”.