meka - What Once Was (Dumont Dumont)

The Slow Music Movement
3 days ago
2 min read

The mountain residing meka is back in the blog with another great single from her polished debut album which has finally made it down from its high altitude studio and to a streaming service near you.

The closing track of her new album The Rabbit, "On What Once Was" is, alongside the other TSMM favourite "Baby Blues" stripped back to bare bones folk music with a less is more approach that draws you closer to this accomplished singer songwriter to see what really makes her tick.

Don't get me wrong the album is great, but a little more orchestrated, full bodied folk-rocking and more mainstream indie-folk sounding on the whole for my deeper roots and alt-folk preferences, but I urge anyone with an interest in folk music to check it out and make up your own mind, especially at a live show where the gutsier tunes will really pay dividends.

But let's skip to track eleven and check out this ode to the hag, those worldly wise women of lore. A simple, brisk, hypnotic guitar refrain stops just short of toe tapping, but should immediately get heads turning and nodding. Attention grabbed meka launches into a celebration of forgotten power, feminine chaos and ever flickering hope with one of the catchiest vocal performances on the LP. No drums were needed, but sensing a good thing the fiddle decides to join the party, wisely taking a back seat, content to elevate rather than distract from the magic emanating from the star of the show.

Come for this and "Baby Blues" in particular, but stay for the album and give her a follow, this is just the start.