king friday - Let HIm Eat cake (songs of birds)

King Friday

Let Him Eat Cake (Songs Of Birds)
self-released; 2012

4.1 out of 5

Hailing from Seattle, King Friday is a band that creates folk music with a creative twist and originality that most other bands in the genre are not capable of making. A lot of the songs show off their technical ability on acoustic guitar but what is most impressive is that the songs technicality improves the listening experience. A lot of the time technically proficient guitarists simply show off their skills and don’t enhance the song. This isn’t the case here. They released Let Him Eat Cake (Songs of Birds) back in late 2012 and one of the most impressive things about the album is that the songs are rather sparse however each song seems unique and works well in the context of the album. Subtle effects with reverb and phase are used at certain points to alter songs ever so slightly to gain the attention of the listener at different times.

The album opens with “Firewater” which sounds contemporary yet very grounded in 1970’s folk. Imagine if you put Dirty Projectors” and Paul Simon in a blender. The guitar work is enticing and contains some very creative melodies. The vocals are utterly unique, clear and the poetic lyrics avoid cliché lyrics. Other songs like “Steal This Tune” utilize a reverse effect that Paul Simon never discovered. If you would tell me to use a reverse phasey backward effect in a song I would tell you you’re crazy but that indeed is what they do and it works just fine. Once again the high point of the song is the vocals that soar and inflict meaning with originality. Over the 11 songs on this album there isn’t a single dud. It still amazes that music this good is relatively unknown. King Friday should be a household name as their original music is a breath of fresh air amongst the mostly uninspired folk music we hear on the radio.

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