Anna Smyrk
Song Of The
Silver-Tongued Magpie
Independent
Folk/Americana
With
her second EP, Victorian singer-songwriter Anna Smyrk has crafted a
slow-burning gem. Recorded in early 2015 but only released a few months ago
(due to an opportunity to head to Cambodia to work with a non-profit), Song Of The Silver-Tongued Magpie is
worth the wait – a heady mixture of lilting folk and dark Americana-style
country, combining effortlessly.
Enlisting
the help of dobro guitarist Dan Musil and banjo player Jimmy Power, Smyrk’s
acoustic guitar and voice shine, the three focusing on quality over quantity,
the songs sparse and simple, which makes them all the stronger. ‘House Of
Straw’ showcases her voice best, a folky number; ‘Oh, The Wind’, with its piano
intro, intricate and free. Opener, ‘Barefoot Shuffle’ is all dark and quiet
country. A solid release, which leaves one awaiting her debut full-length with
some anticipation. Samuel J. Fell
Coral Lee
The Weather Vane
Rhythm Bomb Records
Western
Swing / Honky Tonk
Originally
from Newcastle but these days based in Berlin, Coral Lee Farrow is one of this
country’s finest purveyors of country-tinged tonkin’ hillbilly swing. New
record The Weather Vane showcases
this to a tee – steeped deep within the American southern musical tradition,
the record throbs with an energy created by the amalgamation of myriad styles,
which results not in a messy affair, but a foot-tapping melange of all the good
stuff. Throw in her honeyed country tones and you’ve got a winner of a record.
Laid
down in Berlin with a host of Germany’s finest players, the album keeps up a
cracking pace, but never over-asserts itself. Some fantastic guitar playing
from Axel Praefcke adds even more authenticity – if you thought an Australian
and a host of Germans couldn’t replicate some damn fine American music, think
again. Samuel J. Fell
M.E. Baird
Fall
Independent
Folk/Country/Roots
Deeply
evocative, M.E Baird’s first record under his own name in over two decades, is
directly driven by emotion. Whether in the carefully crafted lyrics or the
music itself, emotion drips from everywhere, it trickles down walls and pools
on the floor, and as such the record is consumed by it. The album is built from
hard times. It aches and hurts. And it’s beautiful. The emotion conveyed by
Baird the reason Fall is as strong as
it is.
Intricate
string arrangement by composer Matiss Schubert backs a number of tracks, giving
them a host of emotive weight, as does electric shimmer from Weeping Willows
guitarist Andrew Wrigglesworth. The Willows have quite a presence on the
record, with Laura Coates providing some fine backing vocals, framing Baird’s
smooth voice nicely. Baird himself takes care of the acoustic guitar, leading
the way on a record which is stripped and bare, the focus on the ‘song’ as
opposed to getting swept up in the aforementioned emotion and piling too much
on. Lead single in particular, ‘Full Of The Devil’, is a slow and sludgy outlaw
country number, its sparseness a huge part of its appeal.
Dealing
for the most part with some pretty heavy subject matter, these songs don’t seek
to pull you down. On the contrary, there’s a quiet hope, a wry sonic smile
evident. This is a fine record from Baird, marking him as a solo songwriter to
watch more closely. Samuel J. Fell
White Boy White
Till I Find My Dyin’ Bed
Independent
Blues
Richard
‘White Boy’ White purportedly came to music later in life, having spent a good
deal of his years up to that point as a visual artist. Always a lover of the
blues however, it’s to that most hallowed of genres that he eventually turned,
releasing an album as one half of the Pig Fat duo in 2013, closely following it
with this, his solo debut, Till I Find My
Dyin’ Bed.
A
mixture of White originals and some choice covers (Robert Johnson’s ‘Hellhound
On My Trail; Robert Petway’s ‘Catfish Blues’; Blind Willie McTell’s all-time
classic ‘Statesboro Blues’), the songs oscillate between simple and direct
(White’s version of ‘Hellhound…’) and up-tempo, almost with a rock twist (‘Shoe
My Woman’). He’s no slouch on the guitar (there are some tasty licks peppered
throughout the record) and has a voice crafted especially for the blues, deep
and dark, which paints a layer of authenticity over proceedings.
The
title track is a solid modern blues song; ‘At Least You Got A Job’ some good
rag-time’; his version of ‘Statesboro…’ his own, but paying careful respect to
the original. Till I Find My Dyin’ Bed
is by no means anything new, but it’s a decent little blues record, no doubt. Samuel J. Fell
The Floyd Family
Breakdown
Country Perk
Independent
Country/Western
Swing
Recorded
literally around the corner from the old Rhythms
HQ, at Valiant Music in Brunswick Heads, the debut cut from Brisbane
quartet The Floyd Family Breakdown resonates with the relaxed and down-home
vibe that makes this small coastal village famous. Old mics and live takes, Country Perk harks back to the time it’s
inspired by.
Rooted
in the post-war, pre-rock ‘n’ roll era, the album is all warm strings and
raggedy vocal harmonies, the continual guitar strum and double bass thump the
foundation from which mandolin and fiddle are able to soar. Guitarist Paula
Hackney and mando player Andrew Palmer share vocals (sometimes direct,
sometimes echoy almost in the background), harmonies abounding when required.
Tony Moore’s bass is the anchor, while the fiddle playing of Chris Gillespie is
fantastic, adding that achy and acerbic sound to proceedings, which ties it all
up, making it seem all the more real. Hard to believe it was recorded this
century, good stuff. Samuel J. Fell
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