![]() ![]() No, retro folk music isn't currently in style in Chicago or anywhere, but the wonderfully loose, captivating "Primrose Green" shows Walker is comfortable carving out his own niche. His booming voice channels Buckley's pristine warble (see the ridiculous range he displays on "Same Minds"), and his many ad-libs and vocalizations emulate Morrison's charismatic band-leading. Make no mistake, Ryley Walker is the full package. The lyrics-touching on earthy and often-abstract subjects British folk singers tend to emphasize-aren't as strong as the music but don't weaken the overall product. Walker's a commanding guitarist, expertly fingerpicking and weaving 12-string acoustic chords throughout his music, specifically on the ambling, rustic instrumental "Griffiths Bucks Blues" or on the frenzied rush of intensity "Sweet Satisfaction," the album's standout track and one of the best folk songs of the year. A prominent upright bass line opens the sprawling "Summer Dress," which eventually swells in volume to a blissful instrumental freakout. Like a modern take on Morrison's "Astral Weeks," the opening title track starts off with a pastoral acoustic riff before spiraling into a vibrant, '60s-inspired folk song. The result is expansive, inviting and layered. Where the breezy, often-downbeat folk offerings on his 2014 album "All Kinds Of You" showcased his prowess with the acoustic guitar, "Primrose Green" is a more collaborative effort thanks to contributions from local jazz and experimental talent including guitarist Brian Sulpizio, pianist Ben Boye, drummer Frank Rosaly, and many more. These aren't the usual touchstones for an artist in his mid-20s (aren't younger folkies just supposed to name-drop Bob Dylan and move on?) Walker's sophisticated taste and astounding execution suggest a musician with experience and wisdom beyond his years. On his stellar new album "Primrose Green," the songs constantly shift, buoyed by Walker's crate-digging love for genre-bending acts like Tim Buckley, Van Morrison, Fairport Convention and John Fahey, not to mention a few relatively obscure others. Rather than specializing in earnest, preciously strummed songs with copious amounts of banjo, the 25-year-old, Rockford-born singer-songwriter plays music that unfolds like freewheeling jazz-with the energy and abandon of punk rock. Walker recorded the album with John McEntire (of Tortoise and. Fortunately, that's not the case with Ryley Walker. Ryley Walker has announced the new solo album Course in Fable, which he’ll release via his own Husky Pants Records on April 3. Learn about Pitchfork’s history with 12 Rods in “ The History of Pitchfork’s Reviews Section in 38 Important Reviews.These days, the term "young folk artist" typically implies mountain-man affectations and cute ukuleles. Chordal structure, movement, was so fresh. I had this notion that Ryan was on some pop shit that no one had ever done before. ![]() “12 Rods came into my ears way too late,” Vernon once said. Ryley Walker (born July 21, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist from Rockford, Illinois. “It took a couple days to get my voice back with that range and that power, but I can do it!”īon Iver’s Justin Vernon is a longtime fan of 12 Rods, and his label, Chigliak, reissued Lost Time on vinyl in 2015. “These are songs that I forgot about,” Olcott said. He then finished and recorded the compositions at the Carleton Lofts in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The process for the new album began when 12 Rods songwriter and frontman Ryan Olcott found some of the band’s old demos during the COVID-19 lockdowns. If We Stayed Alive is out July 7 via American Dreams and Ryley Walker’s Husky Pants Records. Check out the new album’s lead single, “ My Year (This Is Going to Be),” below. ![]() Minneapolis rock band 12 Rods have announced If We Stayed Alive, their first new album in 21 years following 2002’s Lost Time. ![]()
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