Thank Folk It's Friday (Vol. 2)

So last week was the girls' turn, this week the boys take over. That means things get a little more raucous, but it's okay, because everything is still folk, at least by the broad standards being employed here.

I'm going to have to be quick about putting this one together, or it's not going to happen today. There's just no alliteration in Thank Folk It's Saturday, so that won't do.

Johnny Flynn (and the Sussex Wit) - Tickle Me Pink (A Larum, 2008)


We start with a nice slice of English folk by what we're going to call the Sussex Wit, even if only Johnny Flynn's name appears on the front cover of the album. He was once just another member of the band, before somehow 'going solo' with the same crew.

Jeffrey Lewis - The East River (The Last Time I Did Acid I Went Insane and Other Favorites, 2003)


We're still nailing down the precise definition of anti-folk, but Mr Lewis would seem to do if you wanted to just slot one of his tracks into your audio-dictionary. Raised on comic books and blues music, Lewis is now a comic book artist in his own right, and you might be most familiar with his work in the form of the Moldy Peaches album cover. But don't overlook his music, equal parts quirky and dark, and always catchy.

Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson - Buriedfed (Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson, 2009)


MBAR is a serious contender for album of the year in my book. A battered and bruised yet still largely beautiful record, MBAR's debut announces a major songwriting talent. This is not the best song on here, but I'm saving some of the others for future posts. Yes, you will hear plenty more of MBAR.

City and Colour - The Death of Me (Bring Me Your Love, 2007)


You never expect to pick up too many new music tips in HMV, but credit where credit is due, this was a staff recommendation, and I've never regretted following it. Canadian hardcore rocker Dallas Green found his mellow side under this moniker and now has two albums out as City and Colour. This is the opening track from the second of those.

Scott Miller - The Rain (Are You With Me? 2000)


Former V-Roys songwriter Scott Miller now has four albums out with his band, The Commonwealth, but for my money, he's still never done a studio version of his best bit of songwriting, which would be this. Found on his early live album, Are You With Me?, The Rain fits into a bout of a civil war obsession Miller showed on his debut, Thus Always To Tyrants.

Hayes Carll - A Drunken Poet's Dream (Trouble In Mind, 2008)


As a Texas singer-songwriter, Carll is most obviously walking in the footsteps of Townes van Zandt, Steve Earle and Guy Clark, but he also owes a lot to the rootsy Americana of The Band. As such, I've picked out the opening track from Trouble In Mind, which more than a little borrows from The Band's 'Up On Cripple Creek', and the drunkard's dream contained within.

Ryan Bingham - Southside of Heaven (Mescalito, 2007)


While we're down in Texas, we'll stop in on another emerging songwriter, this time even more in the Steve Earle camp than Mr Carll. Although he was 26 when it was released, Rolling Stone described Bingham's voice on his debut Mescalito as sounding like "Steve Earle's Dad". It's hard to argue.

William Elliott Whitmore - Hell or High Water (Animals In The Dark, 2008)


The further this list goes on, the more I'm twisting the definitions of folk to get plenty of Americana and alt-country on here, but what of it? Whitmore's rootsy blues are like little else being produced right now, as he manages to sound both weathered and fresh at the same time.

Dent May - Meet Me In The Garden (The Good Feeling Music of Dent May & His Magnificent Ukelele, 2009)


May looks like the guy you might imagine Napoleon Dynamite grows into in later life. But put his slightly ridiculous appearance to one side and enjoy the sound, entirely his own, that he's cooked up.

Elvis Perkins - While You Were Sleeping (Ash Wednesday, 2006)


Perkins seems to have suffered a largely tragic upbringing, first losing dad Anthony Perkins to AIDS-related illness while a teenager and then mum Berry Berenson in the 9/11 attacks on New York City. Some of that pain comes burning through on Ash Wednesday, and yet it's a surprisingly uplifting experience to spend an hour in his company.

Which brings to a close this week's collection. There's still a need for some old-school folk, as well as for some bands rather than solo artists. All will follow in due course. Enjoy your weekend.

Thank Folk It's Friday

Thank Folk. Or 'anti-folk'. Or 'psyche-folk'. Or whatever. It seems ever since I first decided I was going to do this little post (the first in a probable series - see below), all I've found is how liberally the word folk is tossed around these days.

"When did it happen that everytime a female singer-songwriter put out a record it was considered folk?" a friend asked when we talked through the line-up, which, as you can see, is an all-girl affair. I have no answer to his question, but he seems to raise a good point that only got stronger the more songs I added (not to mention the ones that didn't actually make it, particularly the likes of Brandi Carlile).

Anyway, all that aside, here are a bundle of recent releases that have been placed broadly under the heading of folk, anti-folk, or 'folk rock', whatever that might entail. All I know for sure is they are some of the more beautiful records to have been released lately. May they ease you into the weekend.

Alessi's Ark - Memory Box (Notes From A Treehouse, 2009)

Let's get this started with a little folk-pop from the spectacular Alessi's Ark. The London-based teenager made a deal with her parents at the age of 16 allowing her to quit school to try a career in music as long as she agreed to go back if it didn't work out. Don't expect to see her in class anytime soon.

Blue Roses - Greatest Thoughts (Blue Roses, 2009)

Hands up if this doesn't immediately have you checking you aren't listening to Joni Mitchell.

Emmy The Great - 24 (First Love, 2009)

One friend of mine waited no longer than the February release of First Love to declare it album of the year. Admittedly he's prone to rash statements, but he might not be a million miles out come December.

Alela Diane - White As Diamonds (To Be Still, 2009)

This is my favourite song on this list. I'll let it speak for itself.

Jill Barber - Hard Line (For All Time, 2006)

At the jazzier end of the folk scale is this Nova Scotia native. By the way, who knew Canadiana was a thing?

Angela Desveaux - Shape You (The Mighty Ship, 2008)

Although born in Quebec, Desveaux also ended up in Novia Scotia and soaked up the area's rich folk history. What is more, Desveaux was raised on country music by her parents, something we'll always endorse. It's clear from this that a little of Lucinda Williams stuck.

Jessica Lea Mayfield - We've Never Lied (With Blasphemy So Heartfelt, 2009)

You wouldn't imagine that a protege of the Black Keys' Dan Auerbach would fit onto a list like this, but clearly Mayfield does, even if you can hear little flourishes of Auerbach's sound throughout on this album.

Dawn Landes - Private Little Hell (Fireproof, 2006)

Like Jill Barber, it was hard to pick a single song off this album, because there are so many ideas on it. Using her skills as a studio engineer, Landes has mastered a number of sounds to produce an album that reveals a little bit more every time you listen. If I could, I'd probably have used the outstanding cover of Tom Petty's 'I Won't Back Down', which is tagged on the end as a bonus track. Look it up.

Laura Marling - Ghosts (Alas, I Cannot Swim, 2008)

Laura Marling created the London-based teenage songwriter template that Alessi's Ark is now using after first gaining widespread attention at 17. Still only 19, she's among the most exciting songwriters in the country.

Jenny Lewis - Pretty Bird (Acid Tongue, 2009)

If we asked her, Jenny Lewis probably wouldn't want to be on this list. She's not the sort who likes to be tied down by labels. In truth, there's not much that's folk about Acid Tongue, although there's plenty in her back catalogue, most obviously in her work with the Watson Twins, Rabbit Fur Coat, but I'm a huge fan of this song and it seemed to fit. And until someone properly explains to me what anti-folk is, I'm claiming an exemption.

That covers the girls for a while. Thank Folk It's Friday will be back however, with a few different little themes, in the next few weeks. Just because it's nice.