friend

folklore is three albums too soon. It is the kind of album some popstars would make once they reach that certain peak of exposure and saturation, where the only way to go is back to the bare minimum: pen, paper and an instrument, something personal™. The album was never planned. She had a whole bunch of different plans drafted for 2020, but just like myriads other plans early this year, a deadly pandemic crippled them and forced her to hit the pause button, spun her rolodex and reordered ... read more

I should've rolled my eyes when that violin kicked in. I should've thought 'here we go again. Violin in fucking black metal'. I should've pressed fast forward or skip the song entirely on to the next one. I didn't. They made it work. Every rhythm, break, tempo change, breakdown etc serves a purpose. And they did a wonderful job in the cutting room floor to make sure these long ass tracks pace themselves nicely to build a stern atmosphere without breaking the immersion.

I always have a soft spot for sentimental soft rock. Some of them cheesy, some of them tasteful. This one has some cheese in it, but it's not overpowering. It's mostly modest and sophisticated. The songwriting is nice and the execution is pleasant to listen to. It's not an album for every occasion. But considering right now as I'm writing this I'm freezing and burrito'd in my blanket, this album feels correct to listen to.

On the third track, he made an 'UH' noise. Not like a soft fill in the blanks kind of 'uh', but bold ass 'UH' like he's about to spit the hottest mixtape. That unexpected uh made me stop sipping my beer and listened so very closely cause I was wary of what happened next. And lo and behold, my suspicion was right. Motherfucker actually rapped. The dude who's known as the frontman of Edward Sharpe & Magnetic Zeroes and his ethereal Breaking Bad soundtrack (also my favorite folk song of all ... read more