There’s something about folk music that just tantalizes people. What, exactly, is difficult to pinpoint. Maybe it’s because, when executed properly, it sounds lovely. Maybe it’s because it evokes memories of hippie protests and fonder times. Maybe it’s because Bob Dylan is that fucking good.
Whatever it is, the mere mention of a band being ‘folk’ is enough to peak people’s interest. It’s even better when they’re actually decent. So it is we come to Kurran and The Wolfnotes, even if their music isn’t exactly folk in its truest sense.
They’re a London based five-piece that make music that seems far too advanced for such a nubile band, and will soon stand alongside Rachel & The Unthanks, Johnny Flynn and Mumford & Sons as being responsible for reviving British Folk.
‘What A Bitch’ is their first single and it’s plain to see why. Of the three songs on their MySpace it encompasses the most genres and embraces that ‘indie’ sound more so than the other two; not that that is necessarily a bad thing. It has a great canter to it and is the kind of song that wouldn’t have been out of place on a Johnny Cash album.
However, whereas Cash’s voice was beautifully deep and macabre, Kurran’s is rather cherubic and lends an air of vulnerability to lyrics that can at times, be quite laddish and cocksure.
‘Your Four Limbs’ is a harmony driven acoustic treat that contains wistful lyrical delights such as “and how I long for your four limbs/and long to sleep amongst there bends.”
Despite the song sounding heartfelt it is quite clever and conniving in its make-up. With his soft vocals, just like The xx, Kurran manages to mask the notion that he’s basically just after getting his end away. The fact that he sounds vulnerable when doing so is a brilliant ruse and makes it all the more Machiavellian.
‘Better By The Minute’ is a clever ditty that, to be honest, Caleb Followill would love to write. Kurran demonstrates swagger and cockiness with lyrics like “there are still some songs that can stir your soul/and if I play one now then she takes me home/because with a tongue this sharp I don’t sleep alone.”
The band has a fantastic blend and they’ve certainly hit the proverbial nail on the head with what they’ve released on MySpace so far. They’re currently touring with Ex-Lovers at the minute so get off your backsides and have a gander yourself.
http://www.myspace.com/kurranandthewolfnotes
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