Labels: Nettwerk
Review by: Mike Whelan
I’ve reviewed albums from a whole spectrum of genres for the Collective. From Italian metal to Swedish emo, from Spanish hardcore to Scottish lo-fi, I’ve had to attune myself to a lot of different sounds, if only for an hour or two.
Folk music. Now there’s a term you don’t hear much on the Collective. Normally it conjures up images of crusty old men sitting on stools, plucking away at their acoustic guitars and (badly) singing their songs of protest. Yes Mr Dylan, I’m talking to you.
Thankfully, Ms McKeown doesn’t fall into this category. The songs on “Grand’ are “folky” rather than “folk,” mixing jazz and blues to create an upbeat sound, varying from straightforward pop (like on album opener “Slung-lo’ or “Civilians’) to country (“Born to Hum’). Proceedings get even more complicated on the Bjork like “James!’
“Grand’ is the sort of music you’d expect to hear in dark, smoky jazz clubs, and I say this despite never having been to a dark, smoky jazz club. It’s a good album and Erin McKeown isn’t afraid to push the boundaries of her music. Despite this, “Grand’ might be best left to fans of the genre.