If It's Too Loud...

Photo by John Andrews Olden Yolk's latest single, "Grand Palais," reminds me of a very specific slice of the 90's. It was a very brief time (in Boston, at least) when indie rockers started trading in their ironic t-shirts for thrift store polyester shirts. "Grand Palais" is all fuzzed out and groovy, and, to keep the Boston theme, reminds me of a pre-major label Jack Drag. According to the band, the song is  “... about the frivolous search to seek some semblance of spiritual understanding in various places, things, and people outside of ourselves. Much of the song was written through improvisation in the studio alongside percussionist  Booker Stardrum , whose frantic drumming is a driving force in the song. Weaving vocals, synthesizers, and tempo switches all encapsulate the dual feelings of desperation and euphoria found within this type of pursuit." You can listen to "Grand Palais" below. Living Theatre , the new album from Olden Yolk,...

Photo by John Andrews For the second single off their upcoming album, Olden Yolk went a completely different direction from "Cotton & Cane." While that song was a cheery version of psychedelia, "Distant Episode" is cold and distant. The track sung by Caity Shaffer is almost painfully sparse and definitely not a pop song. It's a non-traditional choice for a single, but still a captivating song. Olden Yolk says about the single: “‘ Distant Episode’ is about rituals of escape, the ties between women, and summoning courage. The title references a Paul Bowles story of the same name, about a linguistics professor whose tongue gets cut out. The video was inspired by a certain time of night, when you can walk down some street and see TV screens flickering on the inner walls of houses .” You can watch the video for "Distant Episode" below. Living Theatre , the new album from Olden Yolk, will be out May 17 on Trouble in Mind. You can pre-order a copy...

Photo by John Andrews Olden Yolk are back with a new album and single. "Cotton & Cane" sounds like an upbeat version of The Velvet Underground. It has some of the otherworldly qualities and psychedelic groove of their work with Nico, but more cheery and modern. The band says about the song/video: “ The woman who once lived in the house was an art collector, and there were these haunting paintings and ancient artifacts lining the halls. For us it was a space to reflect on all that had happened over the year and all that we were moving towards. At the time we started writing ‘Cotton & Cane,' Shane was thinking about his relationship with his father, and the lyrics of the song started to take on the tone of a conversation between them. Less than a week before we went into the studio, Shane’s father passed away, and the song’s meaning began to unfold completely; the confusion, the awe, the complex picture of his entire life. P. Nick Curran shot the film in the...

It's very rare that two artists with two of my favorite albums of the year tour together, but when that happens I know I have to go out, even if it's a late night show on a work night. Obviously this is what happened when I saw that Molly Burch and Olden Yolk were playing together at the ultra-tiny Lilypad. Olden Yolk played first as a duo. They invited the crowd to move forward and sit on the floor, creating an even more intimate experience. Olden Yolk are a quiet, mellow band, and are even more so as a duo, so luckily the crowd was impeccably attentive without any chatter. I forgot just how great their debut album from earlier this year was. "Gamblers On a Dime" and "Vital Sign" could not have sounded more perfect. Sometimes quieter indie rock/folk doesn't translate live, but for Olden Yolk it couldn't have been more of an ideal setting. I saw Molly Burch back in 2017 opening for Sallie Ford. The past year has seen her grow as a performer. On...

Photo by Daniel Dorsa 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-or...

Photo by Daniel Dorsa We were huge fans of Quilt's 2016 album Plaza . While we wait for something new from Quilt, we can at least bring you something Quilt adjacent. Shane Butler, of Quilt, is about to release the debut album from his project with Caity Shaffer, Olden Yolk. Right now we have one song from that album. "Takes One to Know One" melds a few different genres. It has a definite folk feel to it, but has far too much noise and psychedelia to be considered folk, even freak folk. It reminds me a lot of late period Sonic Youth, where there were some jam elements to their noise, which had taken a decidedly more chilled out approach. The eight minute length of the song doesn't hurt any Sonic Youth comparisons. It also has a bit of James Jackson Toth's various incarnations of Wooden Wand. It's an intriguing sound that makes us look forward to February. You can watch the video for "Takes One to Know One" below. Olden Yolk's self titled deb...