Fire/works’ Inspiring Folk [stream]

Talking over the state of folk music the other day with a friend, we agreed that the folk/folk pop resurgence of the past five or so years has evolved to a place where the same gimmicks that used to work aren’t anymore. The cutesy “whoa-oa-oa” refrains, dressing like you’re straight out of the late 1800s and the shiny melodies just aren’t garnering the attention they did five years ago when they felt “fresh.” The folk acts that are blowing up these days, like Lucius and Shakey Graves for example, are blurring genre lines that give their sound a new energy. Those who stick to their singer/songwriter roots yet still gain new listeners are the ones who know how to pull you close and spin a story beside a simple melody, which is a very fine art.

My point is — just claiming to be a “folk band” these days isn’t going to attract attention on its own. This is where the music of Montreal duo Fire/Works comes in. Their folk is progressive in its use of textures and light in both their instrumentation and melody. Rock ‘n’ roll edges embolden their sound and unusual pacing keeps the ears rapt. When Fire/Works goes bare bones, the acoustic guitar lines dance with the vocals, again in unexpected lines, and create something beautiful and unique. This duo is creating the type of folk that I’m drawn to, the kind that plays with the formula without resorting to cutesy. Listen to Fire/Works’ “Elephants” above from their most recent full-length, Shenanigans, and get the album over at their Bandcamp page.