Native North America Volume 1: Aboriginal Folk, Rock, and Country 1966-85 (2014) review
Native North America Volume 1: “Aboriginal Folk, Rock, and Country 1966-85” (Light in the Attic, 2014)
This is a revelation. A collection of two decades of music
made within the aboriginal scene across Canada and the northern United States,
all of it extremely rare. I’ll write about the music in the next segment but
the booklet deserves an overview of its own. It’s 60 pages and includes a brief
biography of each artist represented, so that we got a mini history of this
entire grassroots movement as we read the personal stories and musical
histories of the acts. Also in the booklet are a wealth of band photos, and
song lyrics.
made within the aboriginal scene across Canada and the northern United States,
all of it extremely rare. I’ll write about the music in the next segment but
the booklet deserves an overview of its own. It’s 60 pages and includes a brief
biography of each artist represented, so that we got a mini history of this
entire grassroots movement as we read the personal stories and musical
histories of the acts. Also in the booklet are a wealth of band photos, and
song lyrics.
As for the music, of the 34 tracks some of the songs are
more interesting than good but all of them are at least interesting and some
are of extraordinary quality. The most predominant style is a blend of outsider
folk and country rock, but there’s a wide range of approaches including some
soft rock, Nuggets-y garage, an odd type of surf sound, some tribal feels, and
others. Lyrically there’s a lot of storytelling and a good amount of protest
sentiment, as the artists tell the tales of and stand up for their people. The music is as cosmic as it is topical. As I
listen along I’m put in mind of other artists ranging from Link Wray to Neil
Young and Crazy Horse.
more interesting than good but all of them are at least interesting and some
are of extraordinary quality. The most predominant style is a blend of outsider
folk and country rock, but there’s a wide range of approaches including some
soft rock, Nuggets-y garage, an odd type of surf sound, some tribal feels, and
others. Lyrically there’s a lot of storytelling and a good amount of protest
sentiment, as the artists tell the tales of and stand up for their people. The music is as cosmic as it is topical. As I
listen along I’m put in mind of other artists ranging from Link Wray to Neil
Young and Crazy Horse.
For me personally, getting introduced to this music is on a
par with the experience of picking up my first Tropicalia compilation and
starting to learn about the songs and people behind that movement. Part of me wishes the label would have
contained the tracks to the very best selections, in which case we’d have one
CD or a double-LP of consistently outstanding songs; but another other part
knows that with so much of this music in existence and so much of it previously
unknown by most of us, the compilation needed to be of this length.
par with the experience of picking up my first Tropicalia compilation and
starting to learn about the songs and people behind that movement. Part of me wishes the label would have
contained the tracks to the very best selections, in which case we’d have one
CD or a double-LP of consistently outstanding songs; but another other part
knows that with so much of this music in existence and so much of it previously
unknown by most of us, the compilation needed to be of this length.
Review made by Brian Greene/2014
© Copyright http://psychedelicbaby.blogspot.com/2014
