When it comes to folk music, I'm pretty clueless. Wikipedia tells me there's neo-folk, folk punk, jazz folk, folk metal, pagan folk, folk noir, psych folk, and my personal favorite, apocalyptic folk. While I'm not sure which of the labels is applicable to Los Angeles' Foot Foot, it's safe to say that they're doing something right.
Snaggle and Buck begins with the rather awesomely named "Dandelions and Spastics," instantly giving off that Iron and Wine-esque vibe of childlike simplicity but gritty edge. Vocals are shared out between Carrie and Robin Dietz, the two sisters who make up the core of the band. Relying on sweet harmonies and understated melodies, the songs have an aura of calmness that is offset by the sometimes-dark lyrics. The opening track features the grim couplet of "So take my ribcage and make a birdcage / and use your liar's spine to hang it on the clothing line," all delivered with a sweet and lazy lull from the girls.
"Criminal Wealth" is the record's first real rockin' moment, with some crazy slide guitars that almost push the song over the edge of the tuneful boundary. Percussion, credited to Pat Fleck, seems to be made up of anything but a drumkit - I hear glass bottles, strange rattles and intriguing clicks, giving the band an interesting and original sound. Guitars are acoustic and the whole record feels unpolished and personal, almost as if they band recorded this in the house next-door to you. Hell, they probably did; the liner notes simply states "recorded in the back room".
There's a Neil Young feel to some of the tracks, particularly "Ancient Twisted Dream," which brings in some accordion and mandolin to widen the range of sounds. "Out the Sand" made me double take initially with a repeated line of "fuck it, let's just sit still", which hit doubly hard due to the relaxed nature of the track and the semi-spoken lulling voice of the woman delivering it. "Lay Low", near the end of the record, features male vocals for a change, almost reminiscent of John Frusciante's lurching yowl. The song drags itself along with a slightly eerie vibe that forces the listener to sit up and pay attention.
More and more it seems that the new folk heroes - Joanna Newsom, Devandra Banhart et al - are being aped by sound-alikes on movie soundtracks and car adverts. All the telephone companies want to get in on the trend too, desiring the soft soothing calm that this type of music can deliver for their backing tracks. Foot Foot, however, have enough edge to avoid the soundtrack tedium, their music speaking for itself without the urge to accompany something else.
Foot Foot is the sound of a different place and perhaps a different time to the gaudy city of LA that their music originates from. The twinkling melodies and fingerpicked acoustics lend a dusty road-traveling feel to the record, with a sometimes-darker edge that feels like a lonely highway past a deserted carnival. Easygoing but attentive, proficient but unassuming, and intelligent yet friendly, Snaggle and Buck is a record that rewards the listener and takes us on a journey. Folk or not, this is worth hearing.
