Trees, “Nothing Special”
A folk-rock band with prog and psychedelic leanings, Trees have had something of a resurgence of late. Gnarls Barkley — CeeLo Green and Danger Mouse’s outfit — sampled “Geordie” in “St. Elsewhere,” reviving interest in the defunct British band. In January, Earth Recordings released a 50th anniversary compilation met with a rave review in Pitchfork.
Unabashed Fairport Convention followers, Trees check many of the same boxes. Front-woman Celia Humphris sings with Sandy Denny’s lofty warbles, and lead guitarist Barry Clarke takes after Richard Thompson. I don’t see anything wrong with this; it’s a proven formula.
“Nothing Special” conjures the bucolic atmosphere that pervades British folk-rock. Music to skip to through wildflower meadows. Clarke’s guitar takes full advantage of the rolling, frolicking beat, slow enough to allow max experimentation.
Jade, “Away from the Family”
There’s not much written about Jade on the internet. Terry Cox, the drummer in Pentangle, is listed on all of their songs. “Amongst Anemones,” accumulates momentum at a studied pace, beginning almost acoustic and building to group-sung verses of auditory viscosity, egged on by an ever-present bass.
But “Away from the Family” is my favorite from Jade. It operates in the small-town conversational mode of Basement Tapes Bob Dylan (Check out Fairport Convention’s version of “Million Dollar Bash”). Marianne Segal sings with proud rebellion like we’re in act one of some Joe Byrd-produced bildungsroman. The organ that sneaks into the song’s final seconds insinuates an exciting future somewhere far-off, finally away from The Family’s oppressive mundanity.
In my final days of college, I’m relishing in the adolescent spirit of “Away from the Family.” It’s become something of a reverse-motto as I prepare to graduate and move back in with the folks.
Forest, “Graveyard”
First Trees, now Forest — these folkie brits really love the pastoral. Welcome to a landscape haunted by elves and druids, weird as Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Forest fall on the more psychedelic side of folk, taking after groups like The Incredible String Band and Comus. Most of the time, I can’t stand the indulgence of this music, bloated songs stretching five minutes and more. When it works, though, you’re transported.
“Graveyard” sounds like a bad trip inside an Arthurian romance. A wandering, impressionistic tale, the sonic equivalent of Full Circle’s album cover. Spooky as “Graveyard” may be, the song’s success is in its catchiness: be careful, or you’ll wind up whistling that declining melody all day. The flute, the fiddle, the patient march of the mid-song guitar break — this song is fit for a quest. Maybe “Graveyard” plays when the protagonist of “Away from the Family” finally leaves home only to encounter a pagan hellscape.
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