When I set aside a few hours to listen to new music, most of it is fine, but rarely is it special. However, in the midst of all that, the diamonds really shine through.
I’m not a huge folk fan, but when I saw a CD from a band called Holy Folk, I had to listen based on their sense of humor alone.
Come to find out they’re based here in LA and a collaboration between four local songwriters from other bands: Keith Waggoner, Josh Caldwell, Ryan George and Jonathan Hylander (from, in no particular order, the bands Les Blanks, Amateurs, The Voyeurs, Honey Loving Cells).
And, in fact, it’s far from folk – it’s all over the place! The only consistent element is well-crafted songs and melodies – whether it’s The Beatles’ inspired “All’s Forgotten” or the straight up Beach Boys harmonies on “A Place We Couldn’t Stay”.
They’ve already released rocker “Jump the Rails” (enter your email to grab it here) as a single but my favorite track, by far, is “Time Lapse”. I find it completely intoxicating. It’s meditative and thoughtful — three minutes of pop bliss.
These lyrics especially caught my ear. “I could’ve taken it easy, but shallow things please me. Get myself lost in the time lapse”
The song is actually their next single, officially released tomorrow, and I asked the band to tell me more about it. From Ryan George:
“Time Lapse” documents that moment when you awaken from the depths of a dreamlike relationship and find yourself alone and a bit broken.
The dream is over but the passage of time brings its own brand of salvation. The melody sways and drifts, rises and glides down like the turns of the affair itself, until we reach the end and are returned to the present where everything is new.”
The album “Motioning” will be out June 18 on Silver Side. It’s an emotional roller coaster in the best kind of way and I hope it’s a ride you’ll take!
The band will be playing at The Echo THIS Friday, May 17, and on June 20 at El Cid.
RR