Born Free Forever; Comments Of The Inner Chorus

Having been extremely disappointed in most of the new albums I've been hearing lately (probably due to the failure to compare to the genius that is Animal Collective) I was really excited to hear something that I liked: Born Free Forever by Bobby Birdman. It sort of resembles Phil Elverum's masterpiece as The Microphones, The Glow Pt. II, but with a more polished sound and more emphasis on vocals, which sound surprisingly like Damon Albarn of Gorillaz and Blur. While some of the tracks (especially "Fire" and "I Have But To Know What I Want") immediately stand out and are excellent on their own, what I like best about the album is its cohesion as a whole. It seems like one giant piece of intricately woven folk music, electronic effects, and melancholy lyrics, just split among 14 CD tracks for more accessibility. The transitions are so seamless it would be impossible to tell when a new song began if it weren't for the different track titles, but at the same time each "song" is very fresh and different from the ones preceding. I'd definitely recommend it to fans of the alternative folk stylings of the aforementioned artists and others like Dirty Projectors and Bowerbirds.

Another interesting record I heard was Comments Of The Inner Chorus by Tunng. Though not as immediately wonderful as Bobby Birdman, I did enjoy the similar mixture of electronica and folk that seems to be a popular trend nowadays. Tracks like "Woodcat" and "The Wind Up Bird" carry some typical catchy folk melodies but add their own unique and exciting twist to the formula. Better yet, though, are the songs with more subtle use of electronics and samples, such as "Jenny Again" and the hidden track after the closer "Engine Room," which evoke favorite experimentalists that range from The Books to Fennesz (featured in the previous post.) It's some good stuff.