Honestly, what's a punk like me doing reviewing an album like this? Shouldn't I be reviewing the new Pig Destroyer record instead? Wait, maybe the punkest thing I could ever do would be to review a folk album. Thinking outside the box and going against the establishment and all that is a punk attribute. Yeah, that's it! Sprinkle a couple of "Oi!"s throughout the review and it will be a perfect fit! Nevermind what I said earlier.
No, but seriously. Chris North is a definite folk darling in his hometown of Boston (in spite of the Boston Phoenix recognizing the band as Boston's best Folk act) and his latest EP comes as a surprisingly fresh addition to my weekly rotation. It's hard for me to describe the album, because it's hard to describe music, period, without sounding pretentious. Suffice to say, Chris North's latest offering sounds like a progressive full-band folk album, in the sense that it doesn't rely on the tired old yee-haw shtick, and recorded slick enough without going overboard. In essence, Near Far All We Are offers a short collection of songs which are both somber and uplifting and sounds both centered and spacious.
What you're really getting here are three originals, in addition to some ocean noises, and some remixes. Surprisingly, one of these remixes (the Animal Hospital remix of “The Nature of Love”) just might overshadow the original, so it's actually relevant to have some of these "alternate" cuts on the EP.
To summarize, Chris North has managed to put together a beautifully recorded, thoroughly enjoyable collection of songs that sounds fresh for the genre. In doing that, North has managed to accomplish a rare feat: he and his band have made a timeless album in the sense that it fits in perfectly with any season.
Oi!
Artist:
www.chris-north.com/
www.facebook.com/chrisnorthmusic
www.whitehausfamilyrecord.com/
www.chrisnorth.bandcamp.com/
www.twitter.com/_chrisnorth_
Album:
Near Far All We Are is out now. Buy it here from the Chris North's bandcamp page.
