The latest single from Olden Yolk, "Vital Sign," is a little more mainstream than "Takes One to Know One." That's not to say it's not still a little odd, but it's not quite as freak folk based as their previous single. Most of "Vital Sign" stays fairly mainstream neo-folk, although as far to the edge of mainstream that a band can go. Musically, it's straightforward. Vocally, the styling is a bit too monotone like a Nico sung song from The Velvet Underground. The late period Sonic Youth influence is all but missing, until we get to the bridge. That's when the song gets into a strange, high pitched organic feedback sound. It could be a guitar, but it could also be a flute or a harp. I'm not 100% sure, but it adds some intrigue to an already great song. You can watch the video for "Vital Sign" below. Olden Yolk's debut self-titled album will be out February 23 on Trouble in Mind. You can pre-order a copy here. For more on Olden Yolk, check out their Bandcamp. Their current tour dates are below the video.
Sat. Feb 17 – Philadelphia, PA @ Boot & Saddle Sat. Feb 24 – Brooklyn, NY @ Union Pool Sat. March 3 – Boston, MA @ Lilypad Thu. March 29 – London, UK @ Café Oto
Somehow Peter Prescott of Mission of Burma and Volcano Suns has another band that I never knew about. Minibeast already released an album that I completely missed back in 2012, and they are currently at work on the follow up, Free Will. Based on a track from the upcoming album, "High Sea," Minibeast shares some common sonic ground with Mission of Burma, but with an added emphasis on the groovy side of things. It's basically the noise and dissonance of Burma but heard through a 60s surf groove, as if Frankie and Annette were punks. You can listen to "High Sea" below. Minibeast currently have a Kickstarter to help fund the final production of Free Will. You can get more information on that here . It should be out sometime in June.
With this weekend's upcoming Newport Folk Festival, we thought we'd highlight some of this year's can't miss acts. We're focusing on the bands playing smaller stages and earlier in the day. I mean, you're obviously going to see Ryan Adams and Jack White. Instead, these are the acts worth getting there early for, and seeking out the smaller stages. Phox Friday, 1:50, Quad Stage Phox hails from Baraboo, WI, the winter home of the Ringling Brothers' Circus. I'm not sure if that is connected to their music or not, but Phox has an otherworldly charm and a magical feel. They come across as a more grounded St. Vincent or a less intense version of early Tori Amos. Their music is simply beautiful and uplifting. Reignwolf Friday, 2:55, Quad Stage Truly pushing the boundaries of what can be considered "folk" are Reignwolf. Reignwolf is Jordan Cook, who sounds like a mixture of The Black Keys and Queens of the Stone Age, mixed with just a lit...
Earlier this week I was expressing sympathy for Limp Bizkit. Limp Bizkit just don't seem to be riding that surge of 90s nostalgia that all sorts of other terrible bands from that era are. Sure, they're terrible. But are they really that much worse than Filter, Alien Ant Farm, and other bands on those 90s nostalgia packages. And then this video is released. The first lyrics to the song are literally "Go fuck yourself." It then features Fred Durst sitting on a toilet, bikini clad chicks pretending to fellate garden hoses and leaf blowers, and Fred Durst talking about fucking bitches, all while wearing a hoodie and a backwards red baseball hat. Then Lil Wayne comes out. Please keep in mind Fred Durst is a 42 year old man.
