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Vashti Bunyan
Some Things Just Stick in Your Mind: Singles and Demos 1964 to 1967
DiCristina
http://www.midheaven.com
 

Some Things Just Stick in Your Mind, a collection of singles and demos made by Vashti Bunyan in the mid-sixties, isn’t merely an assortment of odds and ends. Rather, it presents some very strong material and a different perspective on the work of an artist who’s only recently been rediscovered by many listeners after the release of Lookaftering in 2005.
 

Although she’s primarily known as a folk musician, Vashti Bunyan started out with aspirations for a mainstream career. The title song (penned by Jagger and Richards – yes, the Rolling Stones!) and “I Want to Be Alone,” released as a 45 on Decca in 1965 and produced by Andrew Loog Oldham, are fully orchestrated pop creations. They present Bunyan as a winsome, but thoroughly accessible-to-the-masses, chanteuse. Thankfully, on her second single for Columbia, the arrangements are more subdued, allowing Bunyan’s winning voice and original material room to breathe. The A side, “Train Song,” is particularly fine.
 

On her demo recordings, we see further evidence of burgeoning songwriting talent. True, the demos are miniature diamonds in the rough; we even hear brief spoken word introductions at the beginning of some songs. Those drawn to the lo-fi bedroom pop aesthetic will find the material charming, and even those who generally aren’t fond of stripped-down songs may still be seduced by Ms. Bunyan’s melodic charms. From the proto psych-folk of “17 Pink Sugar Elephants” to delicate ballads such as “Girl’s Song in Winter” and “Don’t Believe What They Say,” there are many pleasant surprises here.

Along with early music and contemporary works, ECM recording artists Trio Mediaeval have long made Norwegian folk songs part of their concert repertoire – often serving as fetching encores – but this recording is their first foray into the material on disc. The trio – Anna Maria Friman, Linn Andrea Fuglseth, and Torunn Ostrem Ossum – sing a delightful program of ballads, prayers, lullabies, and a rousing wedding march. On a number of the selections, they are joined by percussionist Birger Mistereggen, who enlivens the proceedings with drums and jaw harp. His talents are featured on “Villemann og Magnhild” and “Sprigdans fra Vestfold.”

Fuglseth is the arranger of a number of the recording’s selections; as one would expect, she knows the voices of her colleagues inside and out and displays them to best advantage. Composer Andrew Smith, who frequently collaborates with the trio, and folk musician Tone Krohn also contribute arrangements to the recording. Krohn’s version of “Den elkste Jerusalem” and Fuglseth’s arrangement of “Eg veit I himmerik ei borg” are both particularly lovely, featuring sumptuously rendered harmonies. Folk Songs is an excellent addition to the trio’s ECM catalog. One hopes that they will continue to explore folk music, both Norwegian and from elsewhere.

One of the most misapplied stylistic labels in 2006 and ’07 was “Freak Folk,” lobbed with almost ridiculous frequency at singer-songwriter Devendra Banhart. Not only does Banhart himself dislike the tag, it belies and diminishes the significance of recent alt-folk artists, misconstruing them as merely re-treading sixties musical pathways. Banhart’s latest full length, Smokey Rolls down Thunder Canyon, is a clear demonstration of the wide ranging stylistic diversity of this musical polyglot’s works.  

Smokey explores Latin American music more than any of Banhart’s previous releases. Songs such as “Cristobal” and “Carmencita” explore both Banhart’s Venezuelan roots and the ambience of Topanga Canyon, in which he presently records. The former begins by pairing tenderly lyrical vocals and delicately strummed classical guitar, gradually revealing an accompanying folk orchestra. The latter is filled with boisterous choruses, dovetailing flutes, and vivacious percussion offset by loping electric guitars. “Samba Vexillographica” pits buoyant dance rhythms against Banhart’s lilting foregrounds vocals and a slightly zany background chorus.

While Latin sounds populate Smokey, the record also keeps Banhart’s affections for off-kilter balladry in the musical equation. “Bad Girl,” with its falsetto “mouth trombone” and murmured verse, is a subtle yet evocative example of Banhart creating a stirring song with relatively simple material. Psychedelia is well-represented too, by songs such as “Saved” and “The Other Woman;” but it’s important to note that Banhart’s spin on California psych-rock imbues it with a vibrancy and immediacy;  it in no way tropes or sentimentalizes the genre’s past practitioners. There’s even a brief splash of inspired soul on “Lover.” The CD’s last three songs – “Freely,” “I Remember,” and “My Dearest Friend” create a hauntingly beautiful denouement, easing the listener to the bottom of Thunder Canyon: an evocative and engaging ride.