Swarme of Beese - State of Arkansas (Self Release) [Americana]
- The Slow Music Movement
- 1 minute ago
- 2 min read
Hailing from southern US music mecca Austin, Texas, Swarme of Beese are not short on creativity or work ethic. I'm not sure who is missing from the band photo, but they consist of Lynne Adele's voice, acoustic guitar and percussion, Stephen Canner also lending his voice as well as electric guitars, Stefan Keydel bowing his violin and viola, and Mark Addison flitting maniacally between keyboards, upright & electric bass, percussion, dulcimer, the vocal mic, acoustic guitar and percussion. Together they've spent the last few years surveying the American folk condition; dipping into its estranged, but sisterly strains as they see fit to convey their microdosed blend of "hillbilly noir".
There's serious craft in their work, showcased once agin in Orchard of Dreams, their fourth long player in a relatively short space of time, which was released this month. On the surface it takes familiar folk, country and Americana forms, but pop your headphones on and, alongside the obviously accomplished, time-honed lyrical, vocal and instrumental craft, you'll start to notice an admirable attention to sonic detail, with all sorts of well-crafted arrangements woven around the voices and playing.
I hope this doesn't sound dismissive, but the album on the whole just feels a touch familiar for my generally more cosmic country, ambient Americana and alt-folk tendencies, but if I wasn't so much of a musical tripper, and let's face it most people aren't, then I'd feel right at home here and looking at their tour dates.
The song that really jumped out at me, with the heart-wrenching "Distant Father (Her Version)" a close second, was the decidedly shadowy, seedy underbelly version of the well-covered, traditional folk song "State of Arkansas". I can't pretend to be an expert on the track's history, but I'd be surprised if there is a version that's been given such a noirish infusion. Less is more, is the order of the day: a rhythmic, hypnotic guitar refrain that sucks you in from the off, regular, menacing psyche guitar riffs that punch through the gloom and ratchet up the tension, sparse, largely absent but timely percussion, and the sort of worldly wise/weary (delete as applicable or choose both) vocal that is just perfect to narrate this gloomy tale. You might just like the album too.
Playlist Companion
Find Swarme of Beese in the Slow Psyche Playlist.