23 April 2010

Blackbird Raum - Under the Starling Host (2009)




Newest album from Blackbird Raum, the best banjo/accordion/singing saw/washtub bass/washboard anarcho-folk-punk band around.
Blackbird Raum formed out of the nucleus of a squatter community living in abandoned buildings and greenbelt treehouses in Santa Cruz, CA, in the early 2000's. Finding themselves living without electricity, they began to learn to play folk instruments from each other and other members of the traveling punk/folk culture. They all grew up playing in anarcho-punk, indie and ska bands and then, knowing next to nothing about traditional music, slowly gathered together the skills to create a new genre of music, based somewhere right in the middle of punk and folk.


Refusing the retro cliches of many of their contemporaries, they write entirely original music (in both senses of the word) that is reflective of the world they live in: a realm of abusive police, ecological devastation, creeping ambiguity and vague fear, but also a strong sense of community and a deep love of a natural world constantly on the verge of collapse. They jump back and forth between extremely fast metal-influenced jug band dance numbers and quasi-medieval chant-and-drone while doing herky-jerky hardcore-influenced time signature gymnastics...   - - - http://www.blackpowderrecords.com/raum/

Anyone who has read my blog for more than 5 minutes (most don't), knows that i have a special love for old-timey folk, and same aforementioned influence applied to modern music that dominates my music preferences.

2 comments:

  1. Cool post! actually cool several posts!

    Be on the look out for a blackbird Raum split EP with Hail Seizures that will be released under my label this summer!

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  2. Hey the split EP with blackbird raum and Hail Seizures! was finally released under my label Go Records! you can buy it from the band on tour or from my site goxrecords.bigcartel.com goxrecords.blogspot.com

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