This one kind of snuck up on me. I wasn’t necessarily expecting much – just another band in the low-key folk genre, perhaps?

But initial impressions or assumptions don’t always prove themselves. I’ve listened to The Woods Themselves’ new album (c’mon) do the beach thing many times now, and something about its ramshackle presentation and home-grown character has won me over.

Apparently recorded in various places such as the Kangaroo Valley down below the Southern Highlands and in studios in Sydney, this album seems to manage to straddle the gap between giving the production of the record all the attention and polish that it needs while retaining an organic, down-to-earth atmosphere. It sounds like a real band in a room (with minor studio interference) and has all the cohesion of a continuous set of music, yet if you listen closer it sounds the songs have seen meticulous arrangement applied.

Take the opener “Buy Some Time”, for example: an acoustic guitar hesitantly makes its entrance, before the band enters led by an organ motif. A trumpet responds, fading out as an electric offers its counterpoint. Considering the number of times perfect little moments like this appear, it’s amazing the record doesn’t sound more forced – and even more that it sounds like it could have just happened off the cuff.

The album is one of a slow-burning nature, usually relaxed in pace but occasionally interspersed by more energetic cuts (“Comforted & Questioned”, “Virgin Domestic”) that help give the album some momentum. The tone and texture of the album comes largely from fairly standard components (guitars, bass, piano/organ, scattered horns, percussion) yet it always manages to maintain a unique identity. A few samples, programs or tape manipulations appear from time to time,  but never in a way that seem at odds with the rugged, earthy sound that the band establishes.

In short, this is a band that knows its sound and what they’re trying to do: the sound and atmosphere is fully realised and the songs sound personal and sincere. Just like an album by a low-key folk band should be – and then some.

Listen

• Comforted & Questioned (mp3)
• Groove Wind (mp3)
• Virgin Domestic (mp3)

For some reason the band only offer their more uptempo songs for download, which is a shame as they don’t stand out to me as their greatest moments. But give these a spin anyway, keeping in mind that in my opinion the other 9 tracks on the album are where the real goodness is to be found…

I’ve been meaning to write about this album for some time – I’ve been enjoying it for the better part of a year, and it seems like the magical buzz tornado has simply passed this wonderful band by.

Megafaun are a roots/folk/Americana/whateveryouwanttoaddtothislist band. Once upon a time these members were in a band called Deyarmond Edsion with a chap called Justin Vernon, who is now better known as Bon Iver. “Ooh!” I hear the crowd remark.

Apparently that band became defunct and created a little wreckage in the process, but the process did what it did and here we are talking about Megafaun.

These guys aren’t looking to capture the indie folk/rock market with 4 minute strum sessions, this is to be sure. Their album Bury The Square only has 6 tracks yet it clocks in at nearly 39 minutes – the song structures are open ended, the sounds are organic and upfront while having a real sense of inventiveness and experimentalism.

At its core, these guys specialise in a very honest brand of Americana. You’ll hear banjos, fiddles, the twang of a southern electric and epic three-part harmonies – but then you’ll hear some experiments with tape manipulations and some absolutely gorgeous mix trickery. All of it sounds like they’re simply doing what interests them, but it always seems to work and do the right thing by the songs.

The album starts with “Find Your Mark” (mp3 below) – it starts off as an accapella, moves onto a low key nylon string picking pattern with some vocals and gradually builds up into an honest-to-goodness rocker. The attention to detail is immaculate throughout. Elsewhere there’s an old time singalong run through a blender (“Tired And Troubled”) and a song that could be an old spiritual (“His Robe”). There are two gorgeous ballads (“Where You Belong” and “Drains”), and the somewhat snide, rootsy rocker “Lazy Suicide”.

I recommend this album highly – it’s been a pleasure to listen to all year, and I think you may well love it too.

Listen:

• Find Your Mark (mp3)
• Lazy Suicide (mp3)

(thanks Stereogum!)