Sunday, April 24, 2011

Sovroncourt - Artist Overview

Hear The Track Here


In amongst Cameron Sharp's Sovroncourt Bandcamp page is the following tag 'cameron sharp croak folk freak' which is not a nice way of saying here is someone who plays folk music. Despite all the fuss, I find nothing much wrong with folk music, although of course it's usually of the lo-fi kind but - like most music - when done properly it can be a very satisfying musical experience. This review request comes through the blog so obviously Cameron Sharp (and Sovroncourt) are new names to me although I have gathered that he is American and is looking to play more live gigs. Funny that, almost everyone I know wants to play more live gigs...

It's a musician thing, apparently.

Cameron sent me three tracks, all from his Trunk Ship Perth album being issued by Ohio label Wild Kindness; A Crowded Room, Butch Cassidy and Requiem. Here's a quote from one of his pages: 'Sovroncourt plays a peculiar brand of folk, with a voice that might rub you the wrong way at first' and I'd say that was an accurate description. However, I have spent the last few years getting used to Thomas J Marchant and his particular brand of lo-fi and - to be honest - Sovroncourt do a very, very good likeness. Certainly if Cameron has not heard of Thomas before, then he should because they have a lot in common. A songwriting style that is wry and perceptive, and an interesting line in what constitutes 'percussion'.

Musically too, although folk is an influence, there are much more modern strains than that, notably mopy indie and shoegaze and that accounts for two of the songs on here. Although the sound, production and arrangement may sound a bit haphazard and ramshackle, like Thomas's tracks, it's best to give it time to take root and grow because when you are used to it, there is much to be said for this kind of music. Truth is, though, if I hadn't been educated by such musicians, I would probably have passed on this as being 'demo' and that would have been a shame. See, Thomas is good for something after all ;)

Recommended lo-fi indie.

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