Avant-Folk

Meril Wubslin – Faire ça

Styles: Slowcore, New Folk, Trip-Hop, Neo-Psychedelia

Vibes: Brooding, Hypnotic, Haunting, Cryptic, Focused, Shadowy, Sombre, Psychedelic

Musical Qualities: Repetitive, Dub, Percussive, Beats, Loops, Rhythmic, Atmospheric

Instrumentation: Vocal Harmonies, Acoustic Guitar, Percussion, Keyboard

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John Fahey – Sea Changes & Coelacanths

4LP Box Set including the albums “Womblife”, “Georgia Stomps, Atlanta Struts, and Other Contemporary Dance Favorites”, and
“Hard Time Empty Bottle Blues”

Style: Avant-Folk, Free-Folk, Ambient Blues, American Primitivism, Tape Music

Vibes: Haunting, Nocturnal, Murky, Brooding, Eerie, Aquatic, Bluesy, Woozy, Raw, Meditative

Musical Qualities: Instrumental, Sparse, Improvisation, Collage, Vignettes, Suite, Electro-acoustic, Live

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Henry Flynt – Graduation

LPx2, Archival, Superior Viaduct, 2001 / 2013 Recorded 1975-1979 Style: Weird Americana, “Cowboy Raga”, Old-Time, Celestial Boogie, Back-porch Minimalism Vibes: Hypnotic, Warm, Rural, Summer, Energetic, Groovy, Playful, Psychedelic, Rootsy, Ecstatic Instrumentation: Fiddle, Tapes, Electric Guitar, Electric Bass, Saxophone, Drums Musical Qualities: Droney, Instrumental, Improvisation, Minimalistic, Modal, Repetitive Graduation by Henry Flynt

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Daniel Bachman – When the Roses Come Again

Style: Avant-Folk, Ambient Americana, Free-Folk, American Primitivism

Vibes: Meditative, Personal, Morning, Pastoral, Earthy, History, Hypnotic, Summer, Nature, Soothing

Musical Qualities: Collage, Electro-Acoustic, Glitchy, Suite, Vignettes, Instrumental, Sampling, Studio-as-an-Instrument, Atmospheric

Instrumentation: Banjo, Acoustic Guitar, Mouthbow, Fiddle, Homemade Instruments, Harmonium, Bell

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Derek Monypeny – Cibola

Style: “Desert Continuum”, Psychedelic Drone, Free Improvisation, Avant-Folk

Moods: Desert, Ritualistic, Spiritual, Meditative, Hallucinogenic, Nocturnal

Musical Qualities: Droney, Electro-acoustic, Solo Improvisation, Noisy, Instrumental

Instrumentation: Shahi Baaja, Electric Guitar, Autoharp

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Bobby Brown: Live

Style: Mystical Folk, Outsider Songwriter, New Age

Moods: Spiritual, Uplifting, Warm, Beach, Mystical, Nature, Summer

Musical Qualities: Homemade Instruments, Acoustic, Lo-Fi, Live Recording

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Pelt – Ayahuasca

Style: Free Folk, Appalachian Dhrupad, Psychedelic Drone, American Primitive

Moods: Ritualistic, Meditative, Spiritual, Rural, Hallucinogenic, Eerie, Mysterious, Rootsy, Woods

Musical Qualities: Droney, Acoustic, Noisy, Dissonant, Improvisation

Instrumentation: Banjo, Hurdy Gurdy, Acoustic Guitar, Esraj, Tanpura, Bowls, Fiddle, Concertina, Chord Organ, Cymbals

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Spires that in the Sunset Rise – Four Winds the Walker

Style: Avant-Folk, Acid Folk, Free Folk

Moods: Cryptic, Thorny, Communal, Witchy, Anxious, Haunting, Ominous, Nocturnal, Eerie, Mystical, Psychedelic, Surreal, Shadow, Dark

Instrumentation: Acoustic Guitar, Banjo, Cello, Vocal Harmonies, Mbira, Zither, Percussion, Slide Guitar, Drums, Electric Guitar, Organ, Xylophone, Autoharp, Harmonium, Spike Fiddle, Thumb Piano, Lap Steel

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Spires that in the Sunset Rise

Style: Free Folk, Ritual-Psych

Moods: Eerie, Forest, Nocturnal, Ritualistic, Witchy, Disturbing, Haunting, Communal, Pagan, Cryptic, Anxious, Surreal, Dark, Chaotic, Mysterious

Musical Qualities: Dissonant, Acoustic, Improvisation, Lo-Fi

Instrumentation: Cello, Violin, Acoustic Guitar, Autoharp, Melodica, Harmonium, Little Harp, Percussion, Mbira, Piano

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Širom – Uteko?injeni prestol preprostih (The Liquified Throne of Simplicity)

Style: “Imaginary Folk”, Ritual Folk, Psychedelic Minimalism

Moods: Mysterious, Ritualistic, Earthy, Tribal, Exploratory, Hypnotic, Mystical, Sombre, Surreal

Musical Qualities: Percussive, Microtonal, Polyphonic, Improvisation, Acoustic, Complex, Uncommon Time Signatures, Repetitive, Instrumental

Instrumentation: Guimbri, Banjo, Frame Drum, Viola, Hurdy Gurdy, Tampura, Balafon, Chimes, Lute, Lyre, Ribab, Mizmar

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Richard Dawson – Ruby Cord

Style: Progressive Songwriter, Prog-Folk, Art Rock

Moods: Sombre, Epic, Lonely, Futuristic, Dystopian, Cryptic, Melancholy, Poetic, Mythic

Themes: Alienation, Apocalypse, Medieval, Science Fiction, Fantasy

Qualities: Progressive Structures, Lush Arrangements, Storytelling, Suite, Conceptual, Complex

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Don Cherry’s New Researches – Organic Music Theatre: Festival de jazz de Chateauvallon 1972

Style: Mystical Folk, Global Fusion, Spiritual Jazz

Vibe: Utopian, Communal, Ceremonial, Spiritual, Ritualistic, Mystical, Eclectic, Colorful, Bright, Morning, Sunny, Warm, Uplifting, Mysterious

Musical Qualities: Acoustic, Percussive, Improvisation, Live Recording, Chants

Instrumentation: Piano, Group Vocals, Berimbau, Percussion, Tanpura, Donsi Ngoni

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Jackie-O Motherfucker – Liberation

Style: Free Folk, Mystical Americana, Drone, Free Improvisation, Post-Rock

Vibe: Weary, Hopeful, Rustic, Communal, Spiritual, Ragged, Eerie, Melancholy, Deconstructed, Hypnotic, Communal, Haunting, Raw, Suspenseful, Intertwined

Musical Qualities: Collective Improvisation, Dynamic, Lo-Fi, Atmospheric, Droney, Group Vocals, Dub FX

Instrumentation: Electric Guitars, Vibraphone, Flute, Drums, Violin, Cello, Clarinet, Saxophone, Banjo, Melodica, Sitar, Electronics, Turntable, Keyboards, Trumpet, Electric Bass

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Senyawa – Alkisah

Style: Avant-Folk, Tribal Drone-Doom, Southeast Asian Folk Music

Vibe: Ceremonial, Apocalyptic, Aggressive, Hypnotic, Murky, Shadowy, Dark, Tribal

Musical Qualities: Percussive, Acoustic, Fuzzy, Heavy, Loops, Noisy, Repetitive, Droney, Extended Technique, Electroacoustic

Instrumentation: Homemade Bamboo Instruments, Electroacoustic Treatments, Percussion, Throat Singing, Chants

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Brigitte Fontaine / Areski / Art Ensemble of Chicago – Comme á la Radio

Style: Chanson, Chamber Jazz, Avant-Folk

Vibe: Serpentine, Nocturnal, Mysterious, Ominous, Storytelling, Suspenseful, Open, Beguiling

Musical Qualities: Spoken Word, Collective Improvisation, Thematic, Percussive

Instrumentation: Duet Vocals, Muted Trumpet, Acoustic Guitar, Bouzouki, Shenai, Oboe, Flute, Percussion, Drums, Upright Bass, Lute

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Comus – First Utterance

Style: Avant-Folk, Progressive Folk

Moods: Ominous, Forest, Surreal, Dark, Theatrical, Disturbing, Hallucinatory, Mysterious, Ritualistic, Aggressive, Complex, Shadowy

Musical Qualities: Acoustic, Percussive, Chamber Arrangements, Technical

Instrumentation: Acoustic Guitar (6 & 12-Strings), Violin, Viola, Oboe, Flute, Percussion, Electric Bass

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Sand – Golem

Style: Kosmische, Ritualistic Folk, Space Ambient, Psych

Vibe: Primordial, Exploratory, Ancient, Mysterious, Swampy, Ominous, Ritualistic, Desolate, Spacey, Floating, Psychedelic, Eerie

Musical Qualities: Atmospheric, Droney

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Sarah Louise – Earth Bow

Style: Free Folk, Cosmic Appalachia, Ambient Folk, Healing Music

Vibe: hypnotic, amorphous, confident, cosmic, dreamy, earthy, ethereal, existential, exploratory, forest, warm, spiritual, spontaneous, soothing, psychedelic, passionate, nature, meditative, hallucinogenic

Musical Qualities: Suite, Electro-Acoustic, Studio-as-an-instrument, Loops, Home Recording, Progressive, Field Recordings

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Sam Amidon – The Following Mountain

Style: New Weird Americana, Post-Modern Appalachia, Jazz-Folk

Vibe: Autumnal, Earthy, Imaginative, Lush, Morning, Peaceful, Rootsy, Rustic, Warm, Contemplative

Musical Attributes: Acoustic, Melodic, Studio-as-an-Instrument, Improvisation, Progressive, Lyrical

Instrumentation: Fiddle, Drums, Banjo, Vocals, Percussion, Saxophone, Acoustic Guitar, Drum Machine, Percussion, Electric Bass, Organ Synthesizers, Flute

Collaborators: Leo Abrahams, Shahzad Ismaily, Sam Gendel,
Milford Graves, Chris Vatalaro, James Sultan

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Ka Baird – Sapropelic Picnic

Style: Psychedelic Minimalism, Post-Minimalism, Ritual Folk

Vibe: Ritualistic, Hallucinogenic, Hypnotic, Earthy, Primal, Psychedelic, Spiritual

Musical Attributes: Electro-Acoustic, Loops, Minimalistic, Sampling

Instrumentation: Manipulated Vocals, Flute, Synthesizer (Moog), Drum Samples, Vibraphone

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Spires that in the Sunset Rise – Psychic Oscillations [Review]

Psychedelic electro-acoustics and earthy minimalism from long-running avant-folk group Spires that in the Sunset Rise. The multi-instrumentalist duo of Ka Baird and Taralie Peterson ritualistically loop and layer a hypnotic tapestry of pre-verbal vocalizations, upright bass, flute, saxophone, synth, and autoharp, running each instrument through trippy stereo delays, visually represented by the two minute-apart clocks next to each other on the album cover. While not as witchy or jarring as the their early releases, Psychic Oscillations finds the band as entrancing as ever.

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Senyawa – Sujud

Style: Doom-Folk, Indonesian Folk Music, Avant-Folk

Moods: Apocalyptic, Spiritual, Earthy, Dark, Ominous, Nocturnal, Ritualistic, Tribal, Hypnotic

Musical Qualities: Throat Singing, Homemade Instruments, Droney, Noisy, Electro-Acoustic, Repetitive, Dense, Heavy

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Black Ox Orkestar – Ver Tanzt?

These impassioned, and often mournful, renditions of klezmer folk songs (both traditional and original) are infused with elements of free jazz, drone, and chamber music to create something both rooted and urgently modern (Even 15 years after its release). The mostly acoustic band features violinist Jessica Moss (also of Silver Mt. Zion) and upright bassist Thierry Amar (asmz, GY!BE) in addition to singer/multi-instrumentalist Scott Levine Gilmore and Clarinetist/Guitarist Gabe Levine.

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Exuma – Exuma

Exuma’s first album is a powerful and ritualistic masterpiece of spiritual folk from the Bahamas. Exuma, the Obeah Man, is a master storyteller and preacher, sharing visions, myths, and prayers. His expressive, soulful voice takes on many tones as he delivers his musical sermons, from smooth to raspy, soft to confident. A group of singers, percussionists, whistlers, and toads join him and his acoustic guitar, making me imagine them all circled around a large fire in communal worship and grateful that they let us listeners in on it.

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David Grubbs – The Thicket

On experimental musician David Grubb’s first dedicated songwriter outing, he synthesizes technical bluegrass banjo and fingerstyle acoustic guitar playing with imaginative arrangements, abrupt stylistic shifts, philosophical questioning lyrics, improvisation, and drones. Featured musicians include drummer John McEntire (Tortoise, The Sea and Cake), bassist Josh Abrams (Natural Information Society), and drone violinist Tony Conrad.

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Eric Chenaux – Slowly Paradise

Eric Chenaux’s gentle falsetto is the most constant, tangible element on an album characterized by a permanent state of flux. The guitars are warbly and unsteady with their fluctuating tones, volume, and pitch. Yet, despite their experimental nature, they never sound abrasive and, together with some mellow Wurlitzer, create a soft, pillowy environment for Chenaux’s romantic crooning about the nature of love, the moon, and warm nights.

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Jerusalem in My Heart – If He Dies, If If If If If If

At the core of these electrouacoustic Arabic folk songs lies expressive vocals and the buzuk, a fretted lute which Radwan Ghazi Moumneh plays with a near religious determination. While these instruments are played nakedly and organically, it is the production and recording that really exhibits the experimental and atmospheric nature of the music. Acoustic instruments are re-sampled and processed to create granular and rhythmic accompaniment, while waves of white noise, synths and field recordings are used to adorn and enhance the emotional twists and turns of the raw acoustic performances.

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