A change in perspective can paint a picture in a whole new light. Austin, TX trio Under the Rug took this idea to heart when creating their stunning LP, Dear Adeline, a ten-track collection of emotive, dynamic indie rock that chronicles grief, tumult, and healing after the loss of a loved one and simultaneous dissolution of a romantic relationship. READ MORE…
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“I like sad songs,” says Canadian songwriter B. Knox, whose second studio album — the tellingly titled Far From Folk — blends cosmic Americana, left-field honky tonk, rugged country-rock, and woozy roots music into its own melancholic mix. Written during the Covid-19 pandemic, Far From Folk roots itself in the modern struggles we all face, filled with vignettes about romance, estrangement, and the long journey toward hope. There are sad songs here, to be sure, but there’s also an overarching sense of optimism, with B. Knox moving past the breakup songs that filled his debut — the acclaimed Heartbreak & Landscape — and focusing on something brighter.
A former schoolteacher, who has since turned to music to deliver life lessons, B.Knox hasn’t forgotten his roots. Even his stage name pays tribute to the family members who shaped him – particularly his grandmother, whose maiden name was “Knox”, and his grandfather, Billy, who loans his first initial to the moniker – and his early years on the eastern shores of Newfoundland clearly permeates his work. “I grew up in an area that was entirely Irish Catholic,” he laughingly explains, “before the age of ten, I didn’t know that anything other than Irish traditional music existed. That Celtic spirit is fairly rebellious, and they have these long ballads with sad narratives and undertones.”
Even so, Far From Folk expands beyond the singer/songwriter’s folk foundation. Released on the heels of B. Knox’s 2020 debut, Heartbreak & Landscape, and his four-song live EP, Hindsight is 20/20, the album makes room for electric guitar, organ, and swooning strings, with collaborator Aaron Goldstein pulling double duty as the record’s producer and pedal steel player. From the sampled loops that run throughout the opening track, “Messy,” to the blues-rock riffs of “Bullets Blades and Rope,” Far From Folk embraces both electricity and experimentation, with B. Knox still anchoring each track in nuanced song craft. “Little Wars” mixes Telecaster twang, fiddle, and bar-band bombast with sharp insights about the human condition — “We all wanna live forever, we all wanna write our name in the stars, we all wanna play the hero in our little wars,” he sings during the anthemic chorus — while “If I Break” finds him weighing the desire to succeed against the potential cost of failure.
These are rallying cries for those who, like B. Knox, are in the trenches, battling their way toward a brighter horizon. “If you made it through the first album alive,” he writes in the album’s liner notes, “my wish is that this one finds you less bitter and leaves you with a little hope.” Playing an integral role in the album’s hopeful tone is Aaron Goldstein, whose production adds ambiance and atmosphere to the songs B. Knox originally wrote alone in a cottage on Georgian Bay, Lake Huron. Raised roughly 2,000 miles east of Georgian Bay on the Atlantic coast, Knox developed an appreciation for the sea at an early age. He salutes that longtime interest in “Coastal Poetry,” whose pounding chorus not only channels the feeling of waves against the shore, but doubles as a more carnal metaphor.
Double meanings run throughout Far From Folk, whose very title nods not only to the album’s genre-crossing sound, but also its creation during the social distance regulations of the Covid-19 era.”Let’s try and be civil, let’s try and be friends / If that doesn’t work, let’s burn it all down and start over again,” Knox sings during “Only Words,” a love song whose lyrics apply not to a relationship, but also to a society in need of a serious reboot.
Although largely recorded by Knox and Goldstein, Far From Folk makes room for horn players and background singers, with an outside rhythm section appearing on two tracks, as well. The result is an album that channels the lush, layered sound of a full band, while still emphasizing B. Knox’s singer/songwriter sentiments and literate lyrics. Appropriately, everything comes to a close with an acoustic reprise of “Only Words” that channels the sparse sound of 2020’s Heartbreak and Landscape. The song serves as both a nod to B. Knox’s past and a reminder of just how far he’s grown beyond his folk roots, highlighting an artist in eclectic evolution.
“A big-hearted rocker.” – Glide Magazine
“Far from Folk sees the singer-songwriter taking his folk foundation and reaching outwards, incorporating organ, swooning strings and electric guitar.” – Exclaim!
“Taps you on the musical shoulder and says, ‘yes, I’m all about death and legacy and maybe just a bit about the living that happens before that.’” – Americana UK
“Slow walk paced, vocally keening Americana.” –Folk Radio UK
“A blend of roots rock, blues and country … dealing with regret, loss, heartbreak and choices.” – Barrie Today
When one thinks of horror movies, there are a few things that immediately come to mind — vampires, ghosts, knives, and blood-curdling screams. But for Brian Michael Henry, the genre carries with it a powerful romance, an outsider’s perspective on love and a profound sense of longing. READ MORE…
On his new single “Mercury / Orgullosamente,” producer, multi-instrumentalist, and spoken-word artist Farees reaffirms his pride in his Tuareg heritage. Taken from his upcoming album Galactic Africa—out June 3 via Rez’Arts Prod—it pushes back on neo-colonialism in energetic Afrobeat fashion. “Everybody wanna dance like Africans / Be tough, be cool like Africans,” he chants. “Tryna look like Africans, talk like Africans, walk like Africans / But you’ll never be real like Africans / Now hit the drum like Africans.”
Darkly comic yet also signaling towards disturbing, Austin indie rock band Under the Rug’s new single and music video for “Go To Sleep” builds like a rousing, emotional ballad. Part of their upcoming album Dear Adeline, “Go To Sleep” particularly deals with the struggle of insomnia. READ MORE…
This is my first encounter with the music of William Russell Wallace. He had a previously well received album DIRTY SOUL, but on the evidence here this new release is every bit as good. Although Americana seems to come up in media mentions, to my mind it is a little more on the roots/rock side of things – a little more Tav Falco than full on Tom Petty to these ears (though the latter was undoubtably an influence).