Field Medic - i will not mourn who i was that has gone away
We don’t often hear many folk artists like Field Medic. An often aestheticized genre, folk has at times suffered the tired superficialities that came along with the "indie folk" denomination popularized in the mid-2000s: a trend that birthed some genuine game-changers but has since sort of worn out and become something of a caricature or costume, something to put on — like a cardigan sweater. Thankfully, there are artists like Bay Area singer-songwriter Kevin Patrick Sullivan whose musical project, Field Medic, recovers the awkward honesty and loneliness of everyday life, a quality I think belongs to the American folk tradition. Essentially, a tradition that says everyday people have a story to tell, that there is beauty in the ordinary and deep complexity in the quotidian. His single ‘i will not mourn who i was that has gone away’ is part of Field Medic’s latest mixtape-like album Floral Prince and shows Sullivan’s freestyle songwriting at its best. “Somewhere deep inside my memory / There’s a kid with a neck so slender / Capsized and ten years later / His arms are tattooed, he looks like a sailor” — the song is a ceaseless Dylanesque stream of consciousness. Melancholic and introspective, the lyrics are sung howling over the mix of humming background noise and accosting guitar strums.
Self-described as “freak folk”, Field Medic first released his line of lo-fi, bedroom-recorded folk music in 2013, continuing a long tradition of such artists, from Nick Drake to Daniel Johnston to Phil Elverum (The Microphones, Mount Eerie), to his contemporaries like Alex G, Told Slant or Florist.
— Alejandro Veciana on October 7, 2020
Henry Jamison - The Wilds
Henry Jamison is a storyteller at heart. It may be in his blood — his father, a classical composer, and his mother, an English professor — but Jamison is a writer and artist in his own right, evidenced by his debut album The Wilds (released October 27th). Beyond writing, recording and arranging the album all on his own, Jamison has a special ability to bring each track to life. Take his song, “The Wilds”: it’s instrumentally rich without being overbearing, letting Jamison’s narrative whisk you away. “The Wilds” sounds like an old-time American love story - unassuming and familiar, but nevertheless, still surprising.
— Natasha Cucullo on January 7, 2018
Moses Sumney - Plastic
Los Angeles genre-bending artist Moses Sumney released his gorgeous and ethereal debut album Aromanticism into the world this September. Sumney has made a big impression on artists like Solange and Sufjan Stevens for good reason. His infusion of soul and folk come together on this album in a way that leaves us begging for more. A prime example of this heavenly blend is found on the third song of the album, “Plastic.” A previous version of the song can be heard on the first season of Issa Rae’s HBO series, Insecure. This new version serves as one of the more simplistic songs on the album, featuring just a fingerpicked electric guitar, a synth and Sumney’s captivating voice. The hook of the song repeats the line “my wings are made of plastic,” each time sung in a slightly different way than it was before, continuing to imbue the phrase with new meaning. This song of vulnerability, self-awareness and secret-spilling is the kind that you can leave on repeat and get lost in for hours.
— Dara Bankole on October 22, 2017
