The recent revival in indie-folk and pop-folk has been somewhat similar to the often derided "new acoustic movement" that came into fashion at the turn of the century. Much like that scene, people have had to step away from troupes playing hollow wooden instruments and pretending to be rustic country types when really they grew up in a comfortable middle class household inside the M25. Heck, even flipping Mumford & Sons promised to ditch the banjos! There are still plenty of boring blokes with acoustic guitars clogging up the charts, but there's no need to write off everything that even comes close to fitting any of the above brackets though.
Now we've passed saturation point and the dust begins to settle, the cream begins to rise to the top. Birmingham group Boat To Row will release their debut album 'I Found You Here' on November 20th, and free taster 'Time And Time Again' shows a deftness of touch that few possess. There's a clear folk influence, but as it builds from its maudlin intro and the different layers intertwine you can detect the influence of indie and even post-rock. Sound-wise this is pristine and begs to be listened to closely, as the melancholia gives way to a bubbly finale without using all the obvious tricks; this feels more like a natural progression. If your view of acoustic music has been tarnished, you might like to give these guys a go and hear it done properly.
Boat To Row's website
Pre-order the album
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