This topic is a bit dated, I suppose, as the album was released in March 2006. But has anyone else listened to Stone Jack Jones' album, "Bluefolk"? I bought it on the strength of one song and a blogger recommendation, and I'm hooked. It's dark folk-ish music with haunting guitars and spooky rhythms, odd sounds floating in and out of the (surprisingly complex) mix, cryptic religious overtones and Jones' scratchy, world-weary voice. It's one of the better albums I've heard this year.
Incidentally, this is my first ILM post. I'm not a music writer or critic (in many ways, my work is as far from music writing as one can imagine). To the contrary, I'm merely a music fan who recently discovered the ILM community and has been very impressed with the passion and knowledge of the contributors and the quality of the posts. So I recently registered and -- with some hesitation and much modesty -- I hope to contribute from time to time.
― Daniel, Esq., Wednesday, 31 May 2006 15:01 (nineteen years ago)
Welcome! Speak about what ya like, I say -- my own immediate response to your post is that while descriptive, it could apply to a number of other albums and musicians over the years. Why is this one in particular so unique, say?
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 31 May 2006 15:04 (nineteen years ago)
had this CD on fairly heavy rotation the past few weeks. it's noteworthy enough that i considered starting a thread. it's what you'd get if Lilium and Woven Hand were to reunite, but not as Sixteen Horsepower.
― Ghost Bear Junior High Attendance Party (echoinggrove), Wednesday, 31 May 2006 15:14 (nineteen years ago)
Thanks to you both for the warm welcome. I was struggling to answer Ned's question, for two reasons. First, I'm not sure I'd describe Bluefolk as unique (In fact, I can't think of more than a handful of albums or artists over the past decade that I would consider unique, even within a given genre). But I still like the album very much.
Second, it's hard -- for me, at least -- to describe a piece of music, except perhaps by comparing it to other music. But I'll try. Short electronic blips and ambient sounds pierce and swirl around the gaps of silence that Jones builds into the songs on Bluefolk in ways I don't often hear in folk music. To be sure, some of these qualities appear in some modern folk, but in different ways. For instance, the Espers add some blips and ambiant sounds to their music, but they inject those elements into an already dense, layered sound, creating a dramatically different feel.
There's a lot of Biblical forebodding in the album's lyrics, as well (Jones has a conversation with Abraham about his "almost-murdered son"). I'm not sure if this is unique, but mixed with the dark music, it does create a cohesive and unsettling vibe through the album. On a few songs, Jones even weaves in a programmed dance beat that works surprisingly well, lightening the mood just enough, without sacrificing Jones' spooky mountain music sound.
I'm afraid this isn't a satisfactory answer to a fair question. I'll check back later, to see if I'm rightly pilloried for it. In the meantime: Must. Resume. Billing.
― Daniel, Esq., Wednesday, 31 May 2006 17:11 (nineteen years ago)
"Smile" has been on my Top 40 list of "songs to listen to while stoned" for a few months now. The rest of the album I'm not totally enthusiastic about, I love "Smile."
― max (maxreax), Wednesday, 31 May 2006 21:14 (nineteen years ago)
Yes, I agree. This is one of my top 5 albums I have heard this year.
"Smile" is a great song. I'd love to see your top 40 list, max. (Obviously you have great taste, and I could use some recs.)
― djeue, Thursday, 1 June 2006 03:22 (nineteen years ago)
one year passes...
I winced at my first post (above), but this is still a pretty good disc.
― Daniel, Esq., Thursday, 22 May 2008 20:25 (seventeen years ago)
five years pass...