Sylvan Esso - Sylvan Esso (2014)

Nothing could have possibly prepared me for the glittering electro pop of North Carolina duo Sylvan Esso. On paper, the duo's very existence seemed well, like the most unlikely origin story: Amelia Randall Meath of Mountain Man teams up with Nicholas Sanborn, former Megafaun backing member for electronic fun times. Two talented folk musicians tackle a genre known for being inorganic. And yet that should've been the first hint that Sylvan Esso were up to something new; something wildly different. Sure, Sanborn's been making beats and the like under the moniker of Made of Oak for years. Sure, Meath's delivery on "Play It Right" is far more electric than its former harmony-laden confines. But those aren't the points anyone's making when explaining who/what Sylvan Esso is and to their benefit, they don't really need to be made.

On their self-titled debut, Sylvan Esso assert their existence in probably the best way possible - by the mere virtue of their existence. The voice of the duo (with the exception of the rare assisted backing vocal), Amelia Randall Meath's bound to get the majority of the praise (all well deserved) but it's clear that the work is definitely that of the innovative twosome. Nicholas Sanborn is trusted not only to man the samples but also to control Meath's vocals - to stack the layers on top of each other, affect and manipulate them. It's a hell of a lot of trust to give and one that Sanborn doesn't fail to earn. It's a relationship of effortless give and take; Sanborn's carefully constructed scaffolding provide the perfect home for Meath's vocals to coo, croon, and ultimately soar. At no point does it ever appear that either are doing the heavy lifting - Sylvan Esso is very much an equal venture, Sanborn and Meath's roles a delightful commingling of talents.

Sylvan Esso is impressive not only for it's sense of articulateness; of defining just exactly the band but also doing it so strongly. It's sort of a given that there's going to be a favorite or two among the selection of tracks and yet, the duo make the choice a hard one. Each song is a contender and they all seek to instill and motivate their obvious love of dance in them. The only exception is apt album ender "Come Down" which not only serves to remind us that every party - even the great ones must sometimes come to an end, but is perhaps the most stark and free of the album's ten tracks. It's the one that's more in line with the idea of two folkies playing around with electronics and even then manages to subvert it. It's oddly fitting that Sylvan Esso opt to end their collection of dancefloor decimators with a light and beautiful outro. One where the true dynamic is likely to misread - as Sanborn subtly makes way for Meath's shimmering glide. After an album of a riveting interplay between them, the duo know each other's strengths and aren't afraid to deploy them.



Sylvan Esso's debut self-titled full length is out May 13th on Partisan Records. You can stream it via NPR's First Listen here.

Pitstop: Grandma Sparrow

(photo by Samuel Dixon)

When North Carolina experimental folk stalwarts Megafaun announced the support for their very very brief stint of shows would be drummer Joe Westerlund's side project Grandma Sparrow few could possible fathom what that meant. Westerlund, always a radical, charming force behind Megafaun has channeled that very special energy into a project as innovative as innovative can be. While expecting Westerlund to no doubt revel in his folk roots, Grandma Sparrow exists on an entirely different labeless plane and is all the better for it.

 A sort of absurdist folk opera, Westerlund's Grandma Sparrow is the host of a demented children's show not unlike Peewee's Playhouse if all the characters were more or less played by the same character a la Eddie Murphy. Set in the mythical realm of Piddletractor, Westerlund's vision is a world with its own rules - rules that Grandma Sparrow reveal to you through a process akin to throwing a non-swimmer into the deep end of the pool and expecting them to swim. And yet, Westerlund has just enough faith that you'll pick it all up...eventually. Donning a series of whimsical hats, wigs, and distinctive personality traits, Westerlund seeks out and succeeds in creating a performance unlike any other. All the more refusing to let the audience be anonymous witnesses and drawing each and every person that Grandma Sparrow and faithful company could engage into their ridiculously genius little world.



The thing that keeps Westerlund's twisted tapestry from devolving into mere shock value has to do not only with the total sincerity and balls to the wall commitment of Westerlund and his co-conspirators but the fact that there is very much a highly realized musical component to Grandma Sparrow. More so than your standard pop act - Westerlund presentation is rife with compositional strengths; of repurposed theme and variations. Grandma Sparrow is wonderfully brilliant, and riotously hilarious without being totally baseless; a musical project that can delight on multiple levels without having to explain itself. It's rare to get fun music that is so methodical in its construction, so absolutely sincere in its delivery and well, so ridiculously insane. Westerlund explores the farthest reaches of his imagination while binding it to learned and practiced musical talent and artistic thought and the result is triumph on all fronts. A trip down a musical rabbithole that you won't quite want to go back up again.



Grandma Sparrow's debut full length Grandma Sparrow & His Piddletractor Orchestra is out May 20th on Matthew E. White's Spacebomb Records. Pre-order it now and you'll be glad you did.

Diamonds & Tapestries (2014) Excerpts from Carson Efird Westerlund on Vimeo.

Listen: Phil Cook - "The Jensens"

It seems like the spindly instrumental guitar folk of Megafaun's Phil Cook's first solo endeavor Phil Cook & His Feat might be a thing of the past. Teaming up with bassist Nick Sanborn and the Bowerbirds' Yan Westerlund on drums, the creaky porch floorboards that severed as Cook's sole accompaniment on Hungry Mother Blues are old news as the previously compact little album-ending ditty "The Jensens" expands almost twice its size. The soothing ending track instead becomes a pulsing rouser, filled with purring guitar solos and high flying counter melodies. Luckily it's spirit stays more or less the same; there's no words and all of the ax-action isn't too flashy. It remains an utterly transportive piece of guitar rock excellence that makes you silently applaud Cook's instrumental prowess.



Comparing the two different versions becomes like comparing apples and bananas. One thing is for sure, Phil Cook is endless talented and it'll be great to see what else he's whipped up on his upcoming EP This Side Up. Fortunately we don't have to have too long for that. This Side Up is out August 13th on Trekky Records.

Midtown Dickens - Home (2012)

There's something to be said for catching one of your favorite bands as many times as you are physically able during a single tour cycle. When Bowerbirds awoke from their two year hibernation with The Clearing and a cornucopia of dates that included not one but two New York City dates, I knew exactly what I was doing. In fact, with memories of my first ever Bowerbirds show clearly in my head I was absolutely pumped for the experience to see them twice. Why? Well, sure Bowerbirds are absolutely amazing live but there's also the fact that they have absolutely stellar taste in tourmates. And that's how I found North Carolina foursome Midtown Dickens.

What drew me to Midtown Dickens wasn't just the impressive caliber of their performance but also the fact that they appeared to be having so much damn fun doing what they do. It was infectious as I was beaming ear-to-ear from set-start to set-end. With so many groups nowadays seeking to reinvigorate folk with all sorts of dramatic innovative procedures (slapping on some electronic embellishments or fusing in elements of other genres), Midtown Dickens was a breath of fresh air. Pure and simple old-timey folk whose new life comes from the passion and talent of the ones making it. Sign me up. In moments on their latest album Home, I was gently reminded of fellow folk-inspired North Carolina bands Megafaun albeit without their penchant for electro-acoustic pairings and Mandolin Orange with far less fiddle and far more shuffle.

While Midtown Dickens makes use of those utterly glorious harmonies that draw people to folk music, there's more to them to that. There's a rather prevalent upright bass which is surprisingly charming to hear. It's presence is steady and persistent and adds just the right dark coloring even to Midtown Dickens brightest tracks. At their most upbeat, Midtown Dickens recalls a legitimate hoe-down - one that you don't have to feel ashamed about attending but can just enjoy. It's not hokey, it's just toe-tapping music bustling with excited energy. That same infectious energy that exudes from the foursome on stage. And when Midtown Dickens turn contemplative, you listen. Amid the cluster of twangy guitars and banjos, rapturous harmonies, and harmonica flourishes, Midtown Dickens are telling stories deserving of eager ears. While some are just downright fun ("This Is My Home", "Crocodile Mile") and others not-so-much ("Apple Tree", "Cross My Heart"), all of them are certainly worthwhile. Home is a solid collection of songs that play smoothly from beginning to end, aided no doubt by the endearing handing off of lead vocals by Cat Edgerton and Kym Register.

You can listen to Midtown Dickens' Home in full via their Bandcamp here.

Daughn Gibson - All Hell (2012)

The past couple days I've been let down when I come home from work and expect to have missed something monumentally epic - musically speaking. It's possible that I'm just not looking in the right places or maybe music  news has really been that slow lately. And yet tonight I came home to find a stray tweet from ARMS' Todd Goldstein stating he'd be opening up for Daughn Gibson in May. After about a two month live show drought that was news to my ears. But who was Daughn Gibson? I certainly was intrigued but I could tell I wasn't going to dig, there were, to me, more pressing matters to attend to. And then I saw that Jeff of Secret Moutains praised the album today as well. Schedule cleared, Daughn Gibson was my first and only priority.

Daughn Gibson is from Carlisle, Pennsylvania and very well may still reside there. I honestly have no clue. There's not too much I can tell you about Gibson and maybe that's for the best. What I can tell you is that his debut record All Hell is unlike anything I've heard before. You may hear that time and time again when someone's trying to sell you new release after new release of virtual unknowns but believe me when I tell you this: All Hell is new. All Hell is distinct, creative, and original. Beginning with "Bad Guys", it's not hard to see why Gibson has adopted country as his genre labeling of choice, simple bent note guitar riffs and a languorous drawl. The most unexpected thing about Gibson is deepness of his voice which becomes less of shock as you listen on. With "In the Beginning" you start to really get a taste at the turn the record will soon take - it's a lot poppier than the lead track, building on simplistic hymn-friendly piano chords before the entrance of funky beat makes it clear it's not going in that direction.   

Daughn Gibson has the sort of genre-blurring interplay that bands like Megafaun have more or less made a career of. There's a single genre label for the sake of ease but Gibson tests the very limits of it as mean of categorization. All Hell becomes bigger than genre. It's a series of songs with twists and turns you don't see coming even as you become more comfortable with the album. On All Hell, Gibson proves himself not only a skilled multi-instrumentalist (trading off on guitar and piano whenever he sees fit) but as a skilled manipulator - bending boundaries, foundations, and arranging samples in just the right way to keep you on your toes. And regardless of the textural soundscapes, Gibson's voice is clear as a bell, deep and reverberating and ultimately grounding. Even with the multitude of things going on around it, it is always the focus, the one point your ears have no trouble finding.  All Hell is astoundingly different, the result of a clearly  talented man with a host of ideas with enough sense to know how to properly use them. Gibson never overwhelms, instead allowing you to appreciate each moment as much as you like as his croons draw you toward where you need you to go.   

Get a taste of Daughn Gibson's rather eclectic style with some tracks from the album: 

 Daughn Gibson - In the Beginning by Mistletone 

 Daughn Gibson - Tiffany Lou by wearehitsville 

 Daughn Gibson - Lookin Back on '99 by brooklynvegan 

Daughn Gibson's All Hell is out now on White Denim with a limited edition run of vinyl which you can order here. You can stream the album on Spotify. 

Phil Cook & His Feat - "Leaning On the Everlasting Arms"

Last year, Megafaun's Phil Cook made his solo debut under the moniker Phil Cook and His Feat with instrumental album Hungry Mother Blues and despite Megafaun's busy touring schedule in support of their self-titled fourth album, he's somehow had time to cut a spectacular cover of a traditional hymn "Leaning on the Everlasting Arms" for a split digital 7" with Skylar Gudasz. Unlike Phil Cook's previous release though, his cover is packed to the brim with swelling spirited vocals alongside some rather jazzy piano and banjo.

Megafaun - Megafaun (2011)

While North Carolina trio Megafaun has proudly accepted their freak folk label time and time again, on their fourth and latest album they shy away from it for what turns out to be the better. Megafaun is far more intimate than any of the album’s that preceded it, perhaps due to its main inspiration coming from music the band grew up with like Grateful Dead, Jackson Browne, and Paul McCartney. Instead Megafaun’s experimentation takes the form of its innovative arrangements like in “Isadora” with its distinctive pseudo-Latin flavor gained from brass and vibraphone.

And yet at no time does the album sound uncharacteristic of Megafaun, there’s still the certain jam-band quality that pervades the best Megafaun tracks (“Get Right”). Rather there’s a certain vulnerability that the band hasn’t showed before - particular in ballads “Hope You Know” and “Kill the Horns”. Megafaun’s trademark quirk isn’t completely expunged from the album: “These Words” which uses field recordings of a Balinese gamelan and rural sounds recorded by Joe Westerlund or the electronic jumble of “Serene Return” are the proof and manage to fit in with the other material quite well.

Megafaun is one of those rare bands that are not only able to release a new record on a yearly basis but also have each record be significantly better than the last. Their self-titled release is by far their best yet. Mature and finely developed but also bold and out there, it’s an album where there’s no shortage of risk-taking but also where the band really come into their own as songwriters. On Megafaun, perhaps for the first time in all four records, you are truly drawn to the lyrics as the emotions they conjure drive the songs.

The album is currently streaming at Rolling Stone here.

Now Streaming: Megafaun - Megafaun

North Carolina folk rock trio Megafaun have given glimpses of their latest self-titled album throughout the summer and now, with the release of Megafaun a little more than a week away, they're giving listeners the chance to stream the whole thing.

You can stream the whole album in it's entirety at Rolling Stone here.

Megafaun offer another peak at new album with "Get Right"

This summer we've been gifted with not only a new album announcement from North Carolina folk rock trio Megafaun but with previews of two of the album's track. While the other two made significant use of electronics and samples, their latest track "Get Right" shows that Megafaun is not done with straight up folk rock just yet. In fact clocking in at 8 and a half minutes it's a throwback to old jam-band style rock, that's far more song than it is lyrics.

Megafaun - Get Right by All Around Sound Blog


Megafaun's latest eponymous album is due out September 20th. Pre-orders are available here.

Megafaun offer up second new album track

About a month ago Megafaun introduced fans to their upcoming self-titled album with "These Words" and now, they're offering another preview in the form of "State/Meant". Featuring Phil Cook on banjo, the new track is more straightforwardly folky than "These Words" and yet that's perfectly okay.


Listen to new track "State/Meant":
Megafaun "State/Meant" by Hometapes

Megafaun preview new album with first track "These Words"

Megafaun have always been a little unpredictable. While rooted deeply in folk, they've never shirked away from adding any number of sounds regardless of how "unnatural" they are. With their third album out in September, I actually had little idea what to expect, especially considering how very little they revealed in their teaser video for the new self-titled album (just some tuning strings and cymbal crashes). Well with the release of "These Words", there's a least some idea what to expect. Structured around Joe Westerlund's field recordings of a Balinese gamelan and some rural North Carolina sounds. It's kind of like Age of Adz Sufjan Stevens got lost in a forest with some recording equipment. And yet with their soaring vocal harmonies they remain so quintessentially Megafaun. Listen to "These Words":
Megafaun "These Words" by Hometapes

Megafaun to release new album in Fall

Normally I avoid album teaser like the plague but when Megafaun posted one I knew I would give in. After releasing their mini-album Heretofore late last year and touring with The Mountain Goats for much of this one, it's been a pretty busy time for Megafaun and yet, somehow with the myriad of shows and such, the band have been tweeting about the album's progress (well up until about a month or so ago) and today, they announce the release of their brand new self-titled album, their third to date, will be September 20th. Mark your calenders, folks.

Megafaun from Hometapes on Vimeo.

Phil Cook & His Feat - Hungry Mother Blues (2011)

When he's not roaming around with experimental folk outfit Megafaun, indie rock supergroup GAYNGS, or helping fellow North Carolina musicians, Phil Cook writes peaceful down-home folk. Who'd have guessed? Not I. The release of his new album Hungry Mother Blues was a completely shock to me and if not for a tweet from one of his Megafaun bandmates, I wouldn't have even known the album existed.

Hungry Mother Blues is an all-star set of acoustic tunes played on a multitude of instruments like dobroe, guitar, and banjo inspired by the various genres of the American Heartland namely blues, folk, and country. The tunes are short but succinct, virtuosic but not flashy. With no vocals, nothing distracts from Phil Cook's talent and you can just sit back and enjoy what is no doubt a good instrumental album.

I never knew just a man and his guitar could sound so good but Phil Cook will make a true believer out of you with his simple, rural folk tales. It's music that not only conjures up images of a hot summer day on a shady porch but also of the various characters you can see from it. Give Phil Cook's album a listen via Bandcamp.

Megafaun rewrite history with new video for "Carolina Days"

Megafaun's sunny ode to their native North Carolina "Carolina Days" off mini-album Heretofore is getting the (rather rare) video treatment. In the video, Joe Westerlund plays God - creator of North Carolina and creations man and woman fall in love, marry, and discover many of lives simple pleasures like tobacco, shelter, domestication of animals, the printing press and the song "Carolina Days" before the two go on to fight the invading British and single-handedly win the Revolutionary War in the name of North Carolina. If that wasn't a big enough task, they're then given orders to procreate and populate the city of Raleigh, named after their soon to be born son. They don't seem too thrilled, but manage to do so in about a year. That's certainly commitment.

Watch Megafaun's hilariously entertaining take on World/American History in "Carolina Days":

Megafaun announce new tour dates

North Carolina folk trio Megafaun are hitting the road next week after months of recording their upcoming album. Playing with acts like Menomena, The Mountain Goats, and close friend Sharon Van Etten, their tour's bound to be a good one. And looks like New Yorkers are in luck: Megafaun are playing not one, not two, but FIVE New York dates. Check out the tour dates:

3/15 Republic - New Orleans, Louisiana (with Menomena)
3/16 Warehouse Live - Austin, Texas (with Menomena)
3/17 The Mohawk - Austin, Texas
3/19 Hometapes Friend Island - Austin, Texas
3/24 The National - Richmond, Virginia (with The Mountain Goats)
3/25 9:30 Club - Washington, D.C. (with The Mountain Goats)
3/26 Strand-Capitol Performing Arts - York, Pennsylvania (with The Mountain Goats)
3/28 Bowery Ballroom - New York, New York (with The Mountain Goats)
3/29 Bowery Ballroom - New York, New York (with The Mountain Goats)
3/30 Bowery Ballroom - New York, New York (with The Mountain Goats)
4/1 Paradise - Boston, Massachusetts (with The Mountain Goats)
4/2 Castaways - Ithaca, New York (with The Mountain Goats)
4/3 Opera House - Toronto, Ontario, Canada (with The Mountain Goats)
4/5 Vic Theatre - Chicago, Illinois (with The Mountain Goats)
4/6 Mercy Lounge - Nashville, Tennessee (with The Mountain Goats)
4/7 Variety Playhouse - Atlanta, Georgia (with The Mountain Goats)
4/8 Cat's Cradle - Carrboro, North Carolina (with The Mountain Goats)
4/10 Grey Eagle - Asheville, North Carolina (with The Mountain Goats)
4/11 Wexner Performing Arts Center - Columbus, Ohio (with The Mountain Goats)
4/12 Mr. Smalls - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (with The Mountain Goats)
4/14 The Ottobar - Baltimore, Maryland (with The Mountain Goats)
4/15 Theater of Living Arts - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (with The Mountain Goats)
4/16 Music Hall of Williamsburg - Brooklyn, New York (with Sharon Van Etten)

Megafaun - Heretofore

It's hard to believe Megafaun's mini-album Heretofore was meant just to tide over until the band's next album (which they are currently recording). It's got as much substance as their previous two albums and the whopping 12 and a half minute "Comprovisation For Connor Pass" makes Heretofore pretty much as long as them too. The mini-album offers up the jam band-esque instrumentals that manage to avoid that boring repetitive feeling. There's also a little bit of sonic experimentation that makes sure things stay interesting which is not altogether uncharacteristic for the band. Heretofore manages to provide this mash-up of old and new. The songs are new but seem familiar. Not in a been-there-done-that sense and not because they're not risky, but rather because it follows in Megafaun's all encompassing style. All 6 tracks are boldly different from each other but they all sync up to make this album full of rich memorable musical moments. Whether its bright folk pop sound of "Carolina Days", the slowly unraveling harmony laden gem "Heretofore", or bluesy "Eagles" with its bee-bop saxophone solos. The mini-album makes me incredibly excited for the upcoming full-length.

Megafaun release new album details...on Pitchfork.

I mentioned what seems like ages ago (but what may have only been a month or so) that folk trio Megafaun was set to release a mini-album in summer. Well summer's more or less here and they announced that the album, titled Heretofore, will be released September 14 on Hometapes, and provided more details on the album. 6 songs long, with psychedelic 70s style cover art, with assistance from another band by the name of Slaraffenland on horns, the mini-album is sure to be a doozy, especially considering one song "Comprovisation on Connor Pass" is said to be 13 minutes long. The mini-album is actually to the first of two released expected to be released this year and is sure to hold fans over until the full-length's release. I already included a link to it in a previous link but for those that missed it, listen/download album track "Volunteers" here

Megafaun releases new song

Freak folk rockers Megafaun have been pretty busy with the their first major headlining tour in support of their sophomore record Gather, Form, & Fly that I didn't expect to hear anything from them for some time. Well, the band recently put up a new song on their Myspace called "Volunteers". The extensive tour with serve to introduce fans to new songs off their mini-album Heretofore, to be released this summer. So check the new song out at their Myspace and if it's your cup of tea look for a Megafaun show near you:
http://www.myspace.com/megafaun


Also the band plans on recording another album this fall so stay tuned for more info on that.