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Folk?:
Self-Titled
Expanded beyond an EP because of the wealth of material prepared, the new release by Folk? poses lingering questions. Though they cite no influences, this two-member Indiana band has created an album in the vein of the Beta Band, albeit less focused and powerful, and hence less attractive. The interrogative band name is indeed appropriate, since the electronic pop of this self-titled work bears little or no resemblance to folk. Instead, the ten songs and two bonus tracks are melodic electronic beats paired with excessively simple refrains and verses. Mike Detmer and William Ryan Fletcher have worked together for years; this release is the culmination. Though it is finely produced, the arrangements and lyrics are a poor match. Each song is driven by catchy beats and loops, maintaining a late 80s pop dance groove throughout. Most dance music uses sampled and guest vocals, but Folk? sang every track in the studio - perhaps the only tie to folk that could be claimed. That fact alone hardly qualifies as reinterpreted folk music. Can a band claim that simply because they followed a chorus/refrain structure, they are reinventing folk music? The lyrics themselves spawn more questions. How can an artist claim to be reinterpreting folk music when the hallmark of folk - honest, incisive commentary - is missing? The lyrics are brief and redundant, saying the same four lines throughout the song. Once again, we circle back to sampled vocals in dance music, despite the fact that Folk? chose to sing directly over the beats. The simplicity of the lyrics and singing, and the beats, are dance oriented. Singing on the album hardly creates a tie to the relevance of the entire genre of folk. Does it? Without a band name so open for interpretation, this release is hardly worth such discussion. It is not an art piece meant to challenge the establishment to the best of this reviewers knowledge, the album is just two good friends who can craft decent dance pop and want to share it with the music scene. They may have failed to add anything to the sub-genre of dance folk, of which Beta Band is almost a sole occupant, but the beats are pretty good. Music can inspire one to question ones life, or relationships, or view of the world. In particular, folk music has always been a realm of introspection and angst, political or otherwise. This is not prominent on Folk?s new release. The questions are all about the music itself. Though hardly worthy of condemnation, Folk?s new album is nothing more than a rhetorical question best left unanswered.
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