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Fip Fok Warriors – CoCo and the Butterfields

30 Jul

Warriors

 

 

It should come to no surprise that Coco and the Butterfields is from Canterbury, a historic English cathedral city; the band’s music is downright regal. As the photograph (an eclectic amalgam of Pocahontas and Braveheart) above suggests, the band combines traditional English pop with pastoral folk and gritty hip/hop to create a tremendous sound that has not only sparked its own derivative genre (“Fip Fok” – folk/pop/hip-hop) but also has expanded the ears of listeners while sucking them into an infectious sound. What? Did I look into the picture too much?

It should go without repeating that I am a big fan of what Coco and the Butterfields is creating, but, heck, I’m going to bedizen the group with flashy adornments of praise. The music is fresh and original. Original is an understatement. The five-piece band combines the folk prowess of Micah Hyson (double bass) and Rob Wicks (banjo) with the filthy and fresh beatbox stylings of Jamie Smith. Folk and beatbox? It takes a rare breed of band to pull off that stunt successfully. Just take a listen to the band’s glorious cover of “Just a Dream” by Nelly. It is unconventional (almost humorous in its musical absurdity), but after the initial shock sets in, it is not difficult to imagine the song being a Coco original. This is the mark of a great band.

“Warriors” takes effervescent to a new level. The music is off-the-bubbly-charts. If you do not have the sudden urge to get up, jump up and down, and sing along to the track than something must be terribly wrong with you. In a style similar to fellow countrymen Skinny Lister, Coco and the Butterfields combine a traditional folk instrumental with fresh elements. “Warriors,” though, maintains a unique theatrical feel that creates a big-screen appeal. It also maintains a dangerous contagiousness that invokes constant repetition of the song…seriously. The song is a gem. This band needs to make its way to the Big Apple, so I can hear the song live – yes, I’m selfish. Heck of a song from one heck of a band.

Get on the Coco and the Butterfields train. Follow the band on its Website, Facebook, and Twitter.

 

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“There will always be a place for rock music!” – Carousels and Limousines Interview

19 Jul

Last week, we brought you Carousels and Limousines, a British rock band with an American heart. This week, their lead singer Sam Gotley tells you everything you ever wanted to know about the band.

 

You’re a British band with a very American sound. Was that a conscious decision?

No, not at all. We just write songs similar to music that we love which are bands like The Doors, Springsteen, Gaslight Anthem and the Rolling Stones. I guess when you listen to a lot of one type of music a bit of it rubs off on you!

 

What inspired your band to start making music together?

A mutual love of music and to be honest I think we were pretty bored in our early twenties. Finn moved in with me and Jay when we lived in Manchester and we started jamming and having a good laugh so we decided to start a band.

You say you’ve started writing songs for your next album; how will these be different from your songs on Home to Andy’s?

Well it’s early days yet, but we think our new stuff will be more characteristic of our live sound, and perhaps a little rowdier in places, also expect some big drum beats!

 

Are you more confident playing live shows know you have a whole album out?

Probably, we’ve played the songs enough times in the studio that we should be! But it’s also nice to know that fans have been listening to your album and know more of your songs when you turn up and play.

 

Looking at the Top 40, it is mostly filled with hip hop and boy bands; is there still a place for traditional rock band in today’s music scene?

There will always be a place for rock music. People blabber on about rock being dead and no good bands being around, but look at festival line-ups over summer and I guarantee 80% of the headline acts will be rock bands, because they’ve got the songs and the stamina to play long shows into the late evening. You ain’t gonna find Carly Rae Jepson or Bieber doing a 3 hour set to close out Glastonbury!

 

Finally, which song would you say you’re most proud of and why?

Probably ‘Greasy Hands’ because you really need to listen to the lyrics to work out what it’s about – it’s fun hearing people’s interpretation of it. And it’s also a bit of a challenge to play live.

If you want to know more about the band, you can find their website here or their Facebook page here. They will be playing a variety of gigs around London and Bristol this summer.

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Carousels and Limousines

12 Jul

One of the big curses of British music is that home-grown bands too often ignore British [influences] and became infatuated by American sounds. It makes commercial sense in an entertainment world dominated by America, but the hybrid sound too often forgets what makes bands both sides of the Atlantic great, and ends up impressing no one. However, every so often a band comes along that embodies both the American influences and the British spirit. Carousels and Limousines are one of these bands.

Carousels and Limousines

Despite coming from Bath, they sound uncannily like classic New Jersey blue collar artists such as Bruce Springsteen and Gaslight Anthem. It’s in everything from the singer’s rough, world-weary voice to their weary optimism and gritty urban rock. They have the same talent for conjuring up a place, and every song feels like the story of a night on the town or a lost love.

‘One and Only’ displays the band’s hopeless romantic side, as the singer asks for a kiss from his true love. The band have described their transatlantic musical lovechild as garage pop, but when it’s this fun a label hardly matters. “How about a kiss for your one and only?” the infectious chorus goes, with more than a hint of Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Born to Run’. Some of the lyrics are a bit corny perhaps, but it’s so upbeat you won’t be able to resist the urge to dance with it. The sense of euphoria ties in perfectly with the cover artwork of a neon tornado tearing through a black and white carnival, suggesting there’s fun in this bleak world we live in if you only go and look for it.

‘17’s’ slows things a bit as the singer lusts after an unavailable girl, musing “Your hips that sway and your eyes that say things good girls never should.” It is classic 70’s rock and will struggle to believe it was recorded outside of the States. The band’s transformation since they performed as Grace has seen them create a much rougher, less polished sound, which makes this lovelorn anthem sound more believable.

There are no two songs that sound the same, as though the band is urgently trying their hand at every possible style in case they don’t get another chance; ballads, acoustic guitars and harmonicas are all utilised. However if this record is anything to go by, we will be hearing a lot more from them.

Read next week for an interview with the band.

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Through It All with Kye Alfred Hillig

24 Jun

Kye Alfred Hillig

Kye Alfred Hillig has recorded 18 full length albums of original material and has written more than 1,000 songs. He has been the primary songwriter for four bands, been on multiple regional and national tours, and performed many shows in the Pacific Northwest before going solo in 2012. He is the quintessential troubadour; his granular croon and unique brand of folk combine to create original pieces that fill each album with full-blown hits.

So, why do we not know more about Hillig? Perhaps it is because he first went solo last year. Well, if his first two solo efforts are indicators of success, Hillig will soon be a household name for folk lovers. Put simply, this man can sing, write, and play. His twangy croon has elements of Josh Ritter and Conor Oberst, and his lyric balances metaphors, axioms, and personal anecdotes.

While different in voice and lyrical content, Hillig, in his sheer productivity, reminds me of John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats. Similarly, each song of his is original and listenable – a tremendous quality and feat for a musician.

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Together Through it All was written during Hillig’s first months of employment at a funeral home in the Puyallup Valley of Washington State. He gathered several songs for the new album, and, even though it had only been four months since the release of his debut album solo album Aurora (Darnielle-esque!), Hillig is a songwriter and felt the itch to get in the studio and lay down the new tracks for his second release. The album was released in February of 2013.

This song plays right into my weakness. Introductory staccato piano chords and accordion (seriously, I cannot help from being lured by Parisian folk!) So, immediately “An Unedited Presentation of Souls” sent me back to Jardin du Luxembourg. Hillig’s apt vocal, well-placed harmonies, and rapid-plucked acoustic guitar do not hurt. With the fused style of Joe Purdy and the Counting Crows, Hillig allows the song to flourish with rich instrumentals and soothing vocals.

“You & Me & Time” emits a different feel; a folk ballad that moves like calm waves undulating in the ocean. Hillig’s versatility is striking. This song also has some of Hillig’s most inspired lyrics on the album – simple and beautiful:

“And I don’t care if they think we’re wrong
And I don’t care if they hate this song
Let them paint the world so black and white
I’ll take the colors that make up our lives, and baby we’ll paint the night”

When asked about his inspiration, Hillig said:

“The thing that inspires me most in music is the continual investigation of difficult subject matter, the areas and ideas that make most of us uncomfortable. I’ve found that these places are gold mines for creating work that feels meaningful to me. It wasn’t until going solo that I really found my voice in music. Since then it feels like I’ve really discovered who I am as a songwriter. I believe strongly in going to work for my music. Making myself available for songs to happen is a vital part of the process now. I don’t sit around waiting for songs to fall in my lap. I start fiddling with instruments daily like an archeologist trying to unearth something, waiting for something to show itself. Some days I find something worth keeping. Some days I don’t.”

Doesn’t this excellently describe the writing process (songwriting/prose/poetry)? It is like an archeologist trying to unearth something. Luckily for Hillig, he rarely digs without finding precious metals.

Check out the rest of Together Through It All. Follow Hillig on his Facebook and Website

 

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Strumming Something New – Zan Strumfeld

17 Jun

Zan Strumfeld

 

While Zan Strumfeld carries her brand of stripped-down folk with her soft, Spektor-like voice, there is an endearing and subtle vexation on the horizon of her vocal that creeps through the sweetness of the piece and pulls the listener into her world of raw emotion. This quality is unique to Strumfeld, an Albany-based folky singer/songwriter.

Strumfeld – who has an excellent name for a person who plays the guitar – released her third EP, Someone New, back in April of this year. The album is a testament to simplicity. Strumfeld does not bedizen songs with electronics, pounding percussion, or superfluous instrumentals. Instead, she garners acoustic power with her multifaceted voice and some well-placed harmonies. The result is self-described “lullabies for the lonely lovers” and this one-sentence synopsis is quite apt.

 

Please excuse the contradictory nature of this description, but there is certainly a warm loneliness that penetrates the plucked strings of “Carry On,” a song that urges listeners to “learn to carry on.” Strumfeld’s piece is so intimate that it’s as if she is with you performing it live, and this local element adds to the songs potency.

“Someone New” puts Strumfeld’s voice on full display – abundant and delicate. The song may be a lullaby, but it carries a soothing ardor that keeps the listener hanging on each intonation.

Check out more about Strumfeld on her Bandcamp and Facebook.

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