Song of the Day #4, July 1st

 Song of the Day #4, July 1st

Neil Young: Heart of Gold (1972)

I want to live 

I want to give 

I've been a miner 

For a heart of gold

It's these expressions 

I never give 

That keep me searching 

For a heart of gold

Country Rock/Soft Rock/Folk Rock 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7eB7Wns1-M&pp=ygUNaGVhcnQgb2YgZ29sZA%3D%3D

Fleet Foxes: Shore (2020) (Folk,Pop,Rock)

Much more poppy than last efforts. Many pop ballads work well in their sphere and the punchy drums and colourful instrumentation helps give life to many songs, with many being well written. Some ballads are a bit to watered down. 

Chamber Folk/Folk-Pop/Folk Rock

Gryphon: Red Queen to Gryphon Tree (Folk, Instrumental, Progressive Rock) (1974)

Other than the song titles and the occasional tension, not much gives the impression of a "chess album" but the slight medieval tinges and pleasant motifs (especially on the 3rd song) do give a beautiful archaic tang much like much of fantastical scene of 70s UK prog, but this much with an apparent baroque and folk influence while still maintaining electronic instruments, organs, a rustic percussion section and all the gimmicks and intricacies of prog.

Medieval Folk/Progressive Folk/Progressive Rock

Taylor Swift: folklore (2020) (Folk, Pop)

As much as the gimmick of lowercase titles may be evidence of quaint rustic indie folk, a sheen of top 40 always remains. "The Woods" are a backdrop for Taylor's pop all crafted meticulously and clean but often effectively written songs about well ... romance and movies? The album is a bit of a bummer and its melancholy can be a bit overbearing not in how sad it is but how passive and similarly many of the songs are, but I can say its value can come from its dreaminess and occasional subtlety.






Chamber Pop/Folk Pop

Donovan: A Gift From a Flower to a Garden (1967) (Folk,Pop,Rock)

The hippie tendencies run deep and the faint nature of many songs will be worthwhile for those wishing to relive this era. As charming Donovan's whimsical and earthy sing is, at times the performances and instrumentals don't take as much authority rather seeming frivolous and too passive. Highlights include Wear your love like Heaven, There Was a Time, Someone Singing.






Folk-Rock/Psychedelic Pop

Gene Clark: No Other (1974) (Country, Folk, Rock)

Encapsulated sentiments of 60s counterculture but this time rather than reiterating the same tired anti establish motifs, it is rather passive and accepting, vying between spiritual and grounded, with tailored production yet maintaining the Midwest authenticity.

Country Rock/Folk Rock/Psychedelic Rock

Neil Young: Homegrown (2020) (Country,Folk,Rock)

Recorded between 1974 and 1975. For the most part quaint country-folk ballads with the occasional rock tune largely relating to Young's relationships at the time. A good batch of folk songs from one of the greatest in the genre.








Country/Folk/Rock

Bob Dylan: John Wesley Harding (1967) (Country,Folk)

In a year that was largely defined by psychedelic rock and innovations to electric guitar music, Dylan countered the prevailing trend by reverted to a folkier more rustic sound. Though it is not completely akin to the work that made him the singer-songwriter darling of the era. Instead, Dylan invokes lyrics of folk tales, myth, legend, spirituality often in an ambiguous and self meditative state. Though very earthy, there is something very ghostly and mystic, a masterpiece of an album for the Fall.




Country/Folk

Neutral Milk Hotel: In the Aeroplane Over the Sea (1998) (Folk,Rock)

A hallmark in indie folk music that remains daunting and sonically exhilarating. With enough complexity and esoteric lyrics to remain compelling after multiple listens, even if Magnum's voice is whiny and hard to listen to at times, the emotion and absurdity of the project strikes home, in one of the immortalized "hipster" albums of recent decades.



Best Tracks: King of Carrot Flowers Pt.1*, King of Carrot Flowers Pts.2 & 3*, In the Aeroplane Over the Sea*, Two-Headed Boy, The Fool, Holland, 1945*, Communist Daughter, Two-Headed Boy Pt.2



Folk Punk/ Indie Rock/ Psychedelic Folk

Love: Forever Changes (1967) (Folk,Pop,Rock)

It would be easy to say Forever Changes is just one of many feel-good hippie albums of the 60s, but in listening closer, it transcends that moniker. With its enduring, socially potent lyrics, bright, lush instrumentation and excellent songwriting, shifting from melancholy, longing and fervour all in a poetic existential tone, Forever Changes is a timeless well-defined linchpin of 60s era psychedelia. A lighting in the bottle moment, effectively encapsulating it's era in such a cohesive manner to point that it is everlasting. The news of today will be the movies of tomorrow. 

Best Tracks: Alone Again Or*, A House Is Not a Motel*, Andmoreagain*, The Daily Planet*, Old Man, The Red Telephone*, Maybe the People Would Be the Times or Between Clark and Hilldale*, Live and Let Live*, The Good Humor Man He Sees Everything Like This*, Bummer in the Summer, You Set the Scene


S+ Summer Vibes/ Baroque Pop/ Pop Rock/ Psychadelic Folk 

Fleet Foxes: Sun Giant (2008) (Folk)

On their second EP, Fleet Foxes introduce the kernels of their warm indie-folk aesthetic.



Best Tracks: English House, Mykonos*, Innocent Son

B 


Chamber Folk/ Folk Pop

Fleet Foxes: Crack-Up (2017) (Folk, Rock)

On their third album, Fleet Foxes have effectively sidestepped the evident retro-folk inspirations of previous albums and replaced them with grand orchestral arrangments with more intricacy. The sound is quite a departure from previous albums with much more eclectic instrumentation, incorporating more studio techniques such as sampling and electronic instruments as well as heavier elements of rock. The diversity in sounds is often enjoyable and feels like a unique progression of their sound, but also has the album going through a decent amount of filtration and washes of reverb. The lyrical tone remains similar to their last album, however this time it seems more cerebral and conscious of creating grand folk odysseys. Rather than sounding like the earthy landscapes of previous albums, Crack-Up sounds watery, occasionally stormy and purifying, at times haunting but at times indistinct.

Best Tracks: I Am All That I Need/ Arroyo Secco/ Thumbprint Scar, -Naiads, Cassadias*, Third of May/ Ōdaigahara*, If You Need to, Keep Time on Me, On Another Ocean (January / June)




B+

Chamber Folk/ Folk Rock/ Psychedelic Folk 

Fleet Foxes: Helplessness Blues (2011) (Folk)

The subtle melancholy of their previous album is now a driving force but now packaged with 60s folk adoration, as shown with the apparent inspirations from Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Cosby, Stills and Nash. The song Lorelai being so akin to Dylans 4th Time Around it almost sounds like a cover, but an excellent one at that, with grander more energetic instrumentation and dynamic vocal passages. But, this is much of the appeal of Helplessness Blues, the ability to borrow the best moments of folk music and translate them into grander, chamber pop songs with enough experimentation and lyrical substance to engage modern listeners. As a band they really show their resiliency, being able to switch effortlessly between grander and more intimate songs while maintaining cohesion in a story of life, loss and love. The vocal harmonizations and instrumental landscapes remain warmer and even more rustic, and the lyrical content is more focused with contrasts of warmth and optimism with an overbearing sadness. The ethos of the album leaves an impression and the album is without a doubt one of the best in its class in recent decades.

Best Tracks: Montezuma*, Bedouin Dress, Sim Sala Bim, Battery Kinzie*, The Plains/ Bitter Dancer, Helplessness Blues*, The Cascades, Lorelai*, Someone You'd Admire*, The Shrine/ An Argument, Blue Spotted Tail*, Grown Ocean


S

Earthy Vibes/Chamber Folk/ Folk Pop

Fleet Foxes: Self Titled (2008) (Folk)

On their debut album, Fleet Foxes craft a tight collection of earthy, warm folk ballads, giving enough poetic substance to give a lasting impression yet have listeners wanting more. The sound is rustic with nods to medieval sounds and themes yet remains very orchestral and polished in composition while maintaining a consistent distance a la chamber-pop aesthetic. An excellent starting point for one of the essential contemporary folk bands, Fleet Foxes remains one of the stronger debuts in modern music.

Best Tracks: Sun It Rises, White Winter Hymnal*, Ragged Wood*, Tiger Mountain Peasant Song, Quiet Houses*, He Doesn't Know Why*, Heard Them Stirring*, Your Protector*, Blue Ridge Mountains, Oliver James



A+

Earthy Vibes/ Chamber Folk/ Folk Pop

Bob Dylan: Nashville Skyline (1969) (Country, Folk)

Homely forrays into country music with poppy accessibility are successfully conjured in the brief and casual Nashville Skyline. Dylan's voice is much heartier than usual allowing for an effective transformation into "mature" "rustic" country music. Though not groundbreaking, Nashville Skyline features filling but simple country ballads, written with much of Dylan's efficacy of the 60s. 

Best Tracks: Girl from the North Country*, Nashville Skyline Rag, I Threw it All Away, Lay Lady Lay, One More Night*, Tell Me That It Isn't True*


B+

Morning Vibes/Country/Folk

D'eon: Music for Keyboards IV (2013) (Electronic,Folk,Instrumental)

Pleasant, minimalist, instrumental medieval Celtic tunes. The transitions from dreamy ambient to jumpy folk may seem jarring but the whole album embarks listeners on an earthy almost exalting journey, that manages to stay aesthetically consistent. Though very organic sounding, the melodies are executed in an electronic, poppy fashion by keyboard. At times the instrumental arrangments and patterns may feel a bit stiff, however, the instruments used and the simple approach allow for a fruitful listen. 

Best Tracks: Sewer Mine*, Blood Sport, Putrid Water, Seigneurial, Yout Father Used to See Airplanes in the Sky, Aviation Graveyard, Dread God*, The Birds Eat Our Corpses* 

B

Forest Vibes/ Folktronica/ Medieval Celtic