Fox and Bones, Better Land
Combine the leave-it-on-the-stage hard work of Ellis Paul,
add a female voice, and mix with pop- and country-tinged folk and you’ve got an
idea of what Fox and Bones sounds like. This delightful Oregon-based duo of
Sarah Vitort (“Fox”) and Scott Gilmore (“Bones”) serves up music that’s
optimistic, harmonically simpatico, and catchy. It seems these days that any
man/woman duo draws immediate comparisons to the (now defunct) Civil Wars,
which is a shame as it’s hard for most female singers to match Joy Williams. It
also pigeonholes bands in inaccurate ways. Ignore those comparisons, Fox and
Bones shines with its own light. The title track is a slice of hope for our
troubled times. It manages to be deeply emotional and make a joyful noise
despite being just two voices and a resonant guitar. “Little Animal” is a hand-clap,
thick bass line treat with the wonderful line: Everything has already been said/Well, that doesn’t mean it isn’t true.
The YouTube video of the song is silly, yet strangely compelling. “Welcome
Home” tells of one who had lost his way, but landed well and recounts that
journey in an honest warts-and-all fashion. Fox and Bones also have a new
single, “Love Me Like a River,” and it’s both mysterious and come-hither
carnal. This is definitely an act to catch. ★★★★
Kitka, Evening Star/Wintersongs
From Oakland comes a remarkable collection of women who sing
in 18 different languages and carry endorsements from everyone from David
Crosby to Garrison Keillor. Those 18 languages, by the way, include Ladino and
medieval Galician. Maybe you didn’t know anyone spoke Galician in the Middle
Ages. Kitka delight in teaching as well enrapturing us. Summer Burke of the Guardian said it well, “Even God stops
to listen when Kitka … opens its collective mouth.” Kita truly is a collective–nine
voices at last count–performing mostly a cappella music inspired by Eastern
European traditions, especially those of Bulgaria. Their repertoire sometimes
seems like choral singing. At the other end of the scale are ancient songs that
skirt the edges of dissonance and could have been the soundtrack for creation.
I listened to 22 tracks from two albums, each of them a jewel. See what you
think of “Momci Koledarci,” with keening and drone from Kitka adding depth to a
Bulgarian young people’s ensemble. Go with Kitka on the road as they sing one
of their winter songs, “Ščo v pana khazjajna.” Their voices linger in the air
like falling snow on “Alilo.” I have no idea what the lyrics to any of these
might mean. I don’t need to. I agree with Summer Burke. ★★★★★
Bearfoot, Strong Water
Is there’s any doubt that bluegrass music is hotter than a
banjo in a bonfire, consider that bands form in places where Kentucky-style
bluegrass wouldn’t stand a snowball’s chance in hell. Like Alaska for instance,
which is where Bearfoot started playing even before several of its members
headed off to Eastern Tennessee State University to study. Fiddler Angela
Oudean joined Bearfoot when she was just 16 and now might be the only person in
the country with a BS in sociology and a minor in bluegrass! Bearfoot’s blend
of grass seed contains alt.country, swing, folk, Cajun, and–courtesy of guest singer
Megan McCormick–a bit of blues. “Firefly” sounds like a Heather Maloney song
until Oudean turns it loose. Youthful exuberance meets breakneck playing on
“Derailed;” Poison Drips” has the taste of a sweet mountain song, its title
notwithstanding. I reckon the “Tuscarora” ridges look mighty puny to native
Alaskans, but they give the weathered Appalachians a loving treatment. Good stuff
from a rising band. ★★★★
Zak Trojano, Wolf Trees
The first time I heard Zak Trojano he washed over me in the
way opening acts often do. What a difference a few years can make. The phrase,
“he plays a wicked guitar” can be overused, but it fits Trojano like
fingerpicks, which is what he wears when he showcases acoustic lap guitar and
dark voice on “99 Ways.” His songwriting skills have also sharpened, as you’ll
hear on “Kid’s Got Heart.” If you like acoustic guitar that booms and rings
with dark tones, “Nowhere Shuffle” is for you. With the release of Wolf Trees Zak Trojano has come into his
own. Don’t take my word for it; Chris Smither hangs out with Trojano. ★★★★
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