Tuesday, May 3, 2011

The Almanac Shouters - Windmills (2011)

From last.fm:


"The Almanac Shouters are a folk band based out of Kalamazoo, Michigan, named in reference to the Pete Seeger/Woody Guthrie project the Almanac Singers. They formed in May of 2009 and have three self-released works, a 5 track demo and two full length albums, “A Long Road Home” and “Windmills”“It’s just one big, rag-tag piece of work, with youthful idealism, anger, and excitement bursting at the seams. The album is far from perfect, but that’s also where much of its charm and humanness comes from.” -soundsgoodink.com The band has a strong DIY focus, with an emphasis at playing house venues, info shops, and community spaces."


Late but never last, I'm proud to announce The Almanac Shouter's second full-length album entitled Windmills. If you're familiar with my previous post I stated that my buddy Ike bought their first album, A Long Road Home. At that time, the was the only accessible way you could listen to their music other than directly from their bandcamp via purchase. Both albums are now both up on their bandcamp website for free but I strongly suggest you throwing a few dollars their way. Any bit of money goes a long way despite the shitty taxes that bandcamp uses to take away from the artists. If you're famliar with their first album then you'll get the gist of their music. Just straight up subtle but yet powerful folk punk that will make you homeward bound after a long journey missing your loved ones. This album on the other hand... is a bit different. It's a lot more darker and depressing. Maybe it has to do with the correlation between album names? After a long road home you're there there to settle so you just watch the days go by as the windmills keep spinning. Does that sound right, no? I think I might be over-anaylzing it but in any case that's what it feels like to me. With songs like 100/3 that are about death via the rise of technology it only makes me wonder if these guys are true anarchists or maybe just want people to stop relying in technology so much. The way they put it, it's just fucking sad how we depend on technology for EVERYTHING. Thirteen was another song that spoke to me. Not only was the song completely in female vocals but the lyrics and style just spoke to me. It was just about being an adult and looking back at Thirteen and wishing for the simpler times like staying up late and going outside and playing with the fireflies. The whole album is just based on simpler times for simpler folk. I hate people who call folk punk "pretentious" and "for hipsters" and shit. It's almost sickening, really. I give a challenge to all those who use those words to describe it: try listening to this album and their previous one and come back to me and call it those awful things you did. It's not about being an anarchist or for "shock value", it's for expressing your fucking feelings in one of the most accessible ways via acoustic guitar and song. 



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