Will Hatch – No Lies
Similar artists: Wild Leek River, The Wolff Sisters, The Deslondes, Daniel Romano, Angela Autumn
Genre: Folk, Americana, Alt Country
There are soccer players on professional contracts who haven’t played more than 10 minutes a game for years. They just train and take the pitch whenever they are required. And there are famous hard-rock bands touring internationally who have most of their instrumental parts pre-recorded. They just add some vocals and pray that the tracks don’t skip a la Milli Vanilli.
It’s comforting to know that there are plenty of places where you can hack it, half-ass it, or just pretend to be someone you’re not. Country music is not one of those places. It’s not even restricted to Nashville or to playing/writing songs for famous artists. Those who take on U.S. country influences have to know what they’re doing.
Will Hatch’s “No Lies,” is, first of all, a really good-sounding recording. The playing and singing are excellently balanced here, convincing and accompany the heartfelt lyrics very well. But the fact that it works so well and so easily is a testament to the importance of being able to write, perform, and record to a very high standard if you want to convince people to listen to your country-rock song. Will Hatch manages that here.
Oh Dang – Idiot Kids
Similar artists: Shakey Graves, Elliott Smith, Neutral Milk Hotel, The Moldy Peaches
Genre: Indie Folk, Americana, Alt Country
I love folk music, new, old and the kind that’s blended with pop melodies and whistling and gets used in car commercials. But it’s a relationship that’s taken plenty of effort to help prop up.
I am of the belief, and I hope that you’ll agree, that pop music is the last refuge of the terminally untalented and boringly humorless musicians who couldn’t hack in a heavy metal band. Sure, there’s your Woody Guthries and your Bob Dylans, but most of the time, they, too, avoided folkies like the plague.
The fact is that it’s not too hard to hum a song about getting eaten by a bear over three chords played on an acoustic guitar. It’s quite hard, however, to be really good at it with so few things to hide behind. And it’s really hard to be funny, not look funny, when you’re seen holding on acoustic.
Oh Dang are among the exceptions – creative, funny folkies who see the musical genre for what it isn’t and take full advantage of that. Their first single, “Idiot Kids,” is a bittersweet and humorous song about losing love for something or someone. It brings to mind the quirky choices made by The Moldy Peaches in song. I predict that Oh Dang can go far and annoy many traditional folkies along the way. Everyone is set to win!
Oh Dang are among the exceptions – creative, funny folkies who see the musical genre for what it isn’t and take full advantage of that. Their first single, “Idiot Kids,” is a bittersweet and humorous song about losing love for something or someone.
