The entire subject seems to be instinct, a bombardment from Friel’s own psyche, expressed in a way that words could never do. Being therefore, indescribable. But nevertheless astonishingly glorious.
When an album's mild downsides are all relative to its overwhelming strengths, it's hard to complain.
Throughout Total Folklore, Friel is able to conjure a truly ecstatic brand of post-noise electronic tinkering that manages to captivate more often than not
There's enough going on in these 12 songs that listeners will find themselves returning to Total Folklore constantly - that is, as if the staying power of an album as wonderfully sunny-sounding as this wouldn't be enough.
Total Folklore doesn’t stray far from the scratchy kaleidoscopics established in its first few minutes, but it keeps the madness churning throughout.
The album never misses and feels energetic and exciting all the way through. It’s another solid chapter in Friel’s musical story. In spite of that, it’s also an album that sometimes feels like its missing a layer or two.