Eagleowl: For the Thoughts You Never Had

This is yet another one from north of the border, which seems to be the theme for this week's posts.  Eagleowl specialise in that kind of esoteric folkish music that seems to be occupying so much of my time lately, and is yet hard to find a name for.  Eagleowl themselves call it "lo-fi post folk", which works about as well as any other term I've heard.

For the Thoughts You Never Had is another record that's all about space and ambiance - the texture of their electric guitar and arco double bass is used particularly effectively.  Perhaps more time could have been spent on the violin arrangement and recording: the parts were a little by-the-numbers, and sounded somewhat tinny and scratchy to these ears - but let me stress that that's a minor quibble with what is an otherwise excellent EP.

In keeping with other Fife Kills releases, this is one for absorbing during a quiet night by the fire.  Most of the songs are slow burners and they aren't afraid to make the listener work; It's a thinking man's record, if you will (I certainly can't imagine anyone dancing to it. At least not successfully...).  This is all thrown delightfully out the window, however, when one reaches the fifth and final track.  The superbly/terribly (depending on your mood) titled Mtherfckr _could almost be seen as a pop song, in traditional sense of the word.  There's hooks and everything!  On the whole I prefer them _sans drum-machine, but I've always been one to appreciate a musical sting in the tail...

[audio //www.bearfacedrecords.com/EbMBlog_mp3s/Eagleowl/Eagleowl_Blanket.mp3]

Eagleowl - Blanket