children of the blues
* mv & ee: freight train>east virginia galaxy (5 mb) | death don’t have no mercy (7.5 mb) | dark was the night (5 mb)
from lunar blues : child of microtones : com 16
mv & ee, otherwise known as matt valentine and erika elders, are one of the leaders in the new free(k) folk movement. they hail from vermont and take traditional folk/blues as their base while integrating some minimalism and psychedelia and transforming them into a sound that’s both unique and familiar.
i’ve been hearing about them for awhile and finally decided to take the plunge because they intrigued me so much. they have a sound that’s not too concerned with boundaries and what’s popular at the moment. also, the way they approach their music seems to almost dictate the way they do business. many of their releases are on the child of microtones label, which they also run. they are seemingly unconcerned with being a huge success, as their releases are limited edition cdr runs that are usually only available at one of their shows or via mail order. and they also have no web presence, which is a rarity in this day and age. but somehow, via word of mouth and magazine reviews, their recordings invariably sell out and they manage to play shows fairly frequently.
and finally, what really caused me to plunk down the dough is that this release also has eight ‘digial 78′ companion releases (i admit it, i’m totally a sucker for concepts and limited editions!). each ‘digital 78′ feature one track from the lunar blues cd in a different version that includes long psychedelic outros and one b-side not available anywhere else. this is, quite honestly, incredibly fascinating music and the whole package has got to be one of my favorites of 2004.
note: if you’re interested, i’ve found only two places where you can purchase these releases: either eclipse records or fusetron
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i was originally gonna write about this band, orso but when i took a look at their web page, i realized they already had sample mp3s up. so, i’m just gonna write a little about them.
when i grow up, i’m gonna start a freak show. there’s going to be a strong man, a bearded lady, an aqua man, an escapist and, most importantly, a contortionist. we’re gonna have performances in the backyard of my southern, back country house. and orso are gonna provide the sound track. that’s kind of what they sound like. a cross between an appalachian band and circus music. so, take a listen and hopefully you can catch one of their excellent performances. this band is highly recommended and everyone should definitely go check out their website.
Mickey said,
December 5, 2004 @ 10:23 am
Wait a second, let me get this straight… that second link is selling burnt CDR’s, as in, the type of shit that anybody with a computer can make… for $10? And the only full length CD is by them is $16?
…
Please tell me I’m confused somehow.
cb said,
December 5, 2004 @ 12:20 pm
yeah…theirs a new trend goin on in the free folk/psychedelic movement. home publishing…so the cdrs are actually put out by the label child of microtones, aka matt valentine and erika elders. they’re the ones burning the cds and putting together the packaging, not that second link, fusetron.
so, maybe you can look at it less like buying cdrs, and more like buying homemade releases directly from the artists themselves
there’s a couple of other artists like that…the japanese psych rock band, acid mothers temple, do the same thing.
-cb
scott said,
December 5, 2004 @ 12:25 pm
thanks for the link to orsa. great tunes.
- scott
Mickey said,
December 5, 2004 @ 3:51 pm
Hmm. I really like this, but those are some damn expensive CDs. Especially considering that they’re CDRs… sigh, why won’t they just sign to a “traditional” label?
cb said,
December 6, 2004 @ 1:13 am
yeah. it took awhile for me to really take the plunge. but, like i wrote, i’m such a sucker for interesting concepts and limited editions…so i ended up getting them.
to be quite honest. while they do look kinda cool all stacked together, i thought the packaging was a little lacking, they’re cardboard sleeves with different colored stickers and such on them.
you know, it’s weird, i thought i had seen cd releases on commercial labels as well, but the only ones i’ve found are LPs and they’re actually quite expensive as well…
-cb
Mickey said,
December 6, 2004 @ 8:45 am
Oh well. I know my girlfriend got me a Devendra Banhart CD or Christmas, and I should be getting the Langtry (solo acoustic folk project from one of the members of Iron and Wine) CD in the mail soon, so those will have to hold over my folk cravings for a while. Heh.
Five said,
December 6, 2004 @ 10:01 am
I strongly recommend getting Elizabeth Cotton’s original version of “Freight Train.” She wrote it when she was about 12 and first recorded it when she was in her 60’s.