Old Pup – Screen Crawlers
Genre: Indie Folk, Folk, Americana
Similar artists: Sam Doores, Chris Acker, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Grateful Dead, Erin Rae, Buffalo Nichols
Modern movie directors, or at least their music supervisors, are always on the lookout for songs that sound like they do not belong to any particular era. Or, at the very least, they look for classic songs, tunes that have defied the trends and are quickly out of vogue fashion.
They do this in hopes that their own movies might represent something eternal. These are supposed to be soundtracks for stories that speak about the human condition as a whole. Music that has survived the passing of time is deemed an appropriate companion for images that their authors hope will do the same.
Old Pup’s Screen Crawlers is apocalyptic folk music that embraces a sound that is not of any particular era. Its themes of comradeship and fear are, however, very poignant. Old Pup’s voice, obsession with grizzled folk singers, and the detached detailing of human devastation make the artist an appropriate pick for any of the myriads of upcoming movies about the end of times. If the next-gen of disaster movies are on the way, we can at least hope that they are well scored.
Lady Friend – Friendship On Paper
Genre: Folk rock, Soft Rock
The fact that record sales became an economic constant turned out to be of great help not just to record labels, producers, and managers. A horde of musicians also profited, and so did the audiences. The advantages weren’t merely of a monetary nature.
By the time that bands had the budget and the time to record music precisely to their liking, their audiences had matured as well. They expected better-sounding records. And, your early 70s soft rock groups, in particular, were ready to use the recording studio as an instrument and to cater to their needs. The days of music played in front of screaming fans weren’t over just yet, but overall demands for making music had changed.
Lady Friend are among the many people still obsessed with the lush, ornate orchestration of 70s pop-rock. Friendship On Paper is not so much a song written and performed, as assembled. The Norwegians are keeping their hearts warm with the musical innovations of the likes of Brian Wilson or CSN. And, frankly, as a survivor of the “loudness wars”, I can easily understand their enjoyment and obsession.
