>it conjures up an exact sound to me that's very
>identifiable.

I actually agree with you - it's probably more precise than a lot of other genre terms - but the label itself is so cloying (even though a lot of the music it represents is stuff I really enjoy)

>>- Sam Amidon -
>
>Haven't heard much from him, but his Wedding Dress makes all
>other versions except Pentangle's irrelevant.

Of all the newbies that I know, he's one I think you'd really really enjoy, precisely because he's big into traditional tunes and actually performs them in a recognizable but new way.

>>- Andrew Bird and Owen Pallett
>
>don't know the latter.

He def fits into the "Chamber Pop" label but has a slightly less dynamic, more subtle sound... he used to go under the name Final Fantasy, but when he broke out he changed his name. He incorporates more electronics into his act (percussion in particular, but he also does a lot with general loops and synths) but still has a core of acoustic instruments (violin and guitar, like Bird).

http://youtu.be/wem8v73JzbE

>>- There's a good number of folks on the border of indie and
>>mainstream - Ray Lamontagne, Josh Ritter -
>
>Add Amos Lee.
>That said, it's surprising to me how popular those guys are,
>without the support of the pitchfork types. When we saw Ray
>last year, it was a crowd of like 6 or 8 thousand... in the
>rain. Guess it's the AAA support.

Absolutely - but it's also important to remember, I think, that Pitchfork is a far less defined set of listeners than we tend to imagine, and that many folks who check out P-fork also rely on any number of other venues (AAA radio, for one, or AAA radio as filtered through public radio, lol).

The sad thing is that they get ignored by other folks because they're not indie enough (pfork has only reviewed two ritter albums and no lamontagne albums). Especially sad considering how good they both are, particularly Ritter as a songwriter.

>>- And a surprising number of female
>
>never heard any of those ladies. Have you heard Mountain Man?
>Good, stark stuff.

I haven't but they've been on my list - so I'll check them out soon!

Ane Brun - "Humming One of Your Songs" - http://youtu.be/cY3O8LEXTnA

Emmy the Great has come up through more traditional singer/songwriter channels I think, albeit overseas:
http://youtu.be/-2q_Lpk2JUQ (not the best quality, but I love the informality of that video)

Laura Marling (I think you might really like her, this song actually reminds me of Leonard Cohen in a way): http://youtu.be/cQWNq3SY-2c

Anna Terheim: I think this is a really great performance, she's more ina a southern/Americana sort of vein: http://youtu.be/afjRIFjsPJI

>Oh, most 'folk' hasn't been 'folk' for 40 years. And the
>definition of 'folk' varies hugely (more than ever) depending
>on the audience. I was looking through one of the archived
>folk posts (someone looking for recommendations, I think)
>recently and it certainly drives this point home.

Oh for sure. We've talked about this in the past - I think the term at this point, specifically in relation to the supposed indie scene (which also needs a new name), doesn't really work except for those bands that are intentionally working to incorporate some sense of an older sound/style into their aesthetic.

>On the other hand, my tastes are just clearly not in line with
>whatever is making these records popular with the kids
>today... two other OKPs who don't listen to folk have inboxed
>me with basically 'hey man, just wanted to let you know I'm
>loving this Mumford & Sons... folk music is way better than I
>thought!' So, I dunno.

lol - it might useful to note that Europe is a big contributor to this newest wave (M&S are English, Of Monsters and Men are from Iceland, Laura Marling is also English, Ane Brun is actually Norwegian I think) - so I think we're hearing a bit more influence from non-Americana aesthetics creeping in, which gives it more of a "folk" inflection (along the lines of British folk).


-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~