Listening Notes: This is Folk

As I often complain, I’m actually reluctant to spend time on streaming platforms even if downloads are available. The thirst for music becomes harder to control when I go there, but to make use of the remaining time on my Apple Music subscription, I picked up several releases in the folk area to try after previously sampling major pop.

Here are six releases in the folk realm from various countries that I’ve tried.

Deugalih & Folks – Anak Sungai (2015)

65%

This is an album by the folk group formed by Galih Nugraha Su, also known as Deugalih, from Bandung, Indonesia.

This particular folk style appears to be influenced by several other genres, with vocals delivered in a somewhat crooning manner reminiscent of the local band J-Rocks. For instance, there is a fairly strong country touch in “Di Bawah Bendera” and harmonica added in “When No One Sings This Song,” while “Bunga Lumpur” carries a hint of jazz. A Javanese-style chant can also be found in “Buat Gadis Rasid,” which ends with a slightly hoarse voice. However, my expectations start to falter when the singing switches to English in “Heyya Kid” and the following tracks, because it makes them feel less touching even though the music itself remains quite enjoyable. Meanwhile, the peak of the electric guitar work can be heard toward the end of “Earth.”

In the end, I’m not very satisfied with this album because it strays somewhat from my expectation of an acoustic presentation, and it might have been better if I could have gotten an instrumental version. Deugalih & Folks also seem more suitable for fans of folk/rock with a tavern vibe.

Highlight: Di Bawah Bendera

Dzivia – Rujnuj (2018)

70%

I had listened to Dzivia before during the COVID-19 pandemic era through this album. This Belarusian project presents orchestral epic folk that also includes vocals, even Viking-style growls, making it quite relevant for fans of symphonic/folk metal such as Eluveitie, Ensiferum, Amon Amarth, and Leaves’ Eyes—for example in “Vataha,” “Pamierlyja Božyšča,” and “Imerivm.”

Even now I feel somewhat unsatisfied with it, although it is more lively than Myrkur’s Folkesange. Perhaps it’s because of the growled vocals, which I only recently realized were there. If you like energetic and epic folk, I’m sure this album will suit you.

Highlight: Uźniasieńnie, Postaci, Imerivm

Ehsan Saboohi – Quark Mode II (2024)

70%

This Iranian composer and music theorist might be the most intellectual figure here, considering he references quarks. The description he wrote on Bandcamp about this album is quite long and somewhat difficult for me to understand, aside from one point: why he considers the music he produces to be better described as “post-orientalism.” Perhaps it’s better if you read it yourself.

Personally, I just want to state that traditional music outside Europe also deserves to be called folk, because it could not have emerged only in the last century and surely much of it was accessible to ordinary people. Therefore, I included Ehsan Saboohi here even though some might consider him part of the world-music category.

Ehsan presents something like a gambus and collaborates with Pegah Zohdi to play the santūr, a traditional Iranian and Mesopotamian hammered dulcimer. It has a trapezoidal shape with many strings played using two small mallets, producing a sound somewhat like a xylophone. Naturally, it carries a Middle Eastern atmosphere, although if listened to carefully, I feel there isn’t much harmonization between the two instruments. However, that may be the point of this so-called post-orientalism, where the flow becomes freer and more experimental.

Highlight: –

Gepe – Undesastre (2024)

65%

Coming from Chile, Gepe serves as a fitting example of a Latin indie/folk/pop artist, or at least what one might imagine from the musical traits of that region. The Hispanic-style acoustic guitar typical of country/pop is combined with hip-hop elements in some tracks that appear to function as interludes, such as “Paloma” and “Bolero Libra.” In truth, it feels more like Latin indie pop rather than folk.

However, this opens a new thought for me: that country music is essentially the folk music of people of European descent living in the Americas, using modern acoustic guitars rather than traditional string instruments from Scandinavia and eastern regions. So even though Gepe here seems somewhat mismatched with the topic, fundamentally there are still folk elements through several instruments that I cannot identify—perhaps some type of banjo, mandolin, or others.

Highlight: Vivo, Desastre, Mestícame

Myrkur – Folkesange (2020)

65%

Another album that accompanied the COVID-19 pandemic era clearly belongs to the Scandinavian folk tradition—specifically Denmark—although Myrkur previously operated in the United States and also plays black/post-metal on other albums.

The folk songs here feel suitable as bedtime music because the arrangements are quite minimal, most of them sung in Danish. Meanwhile, “Leaves of Yggdrasil” and “House Carpenter,” a cover of Joan Baez, are the two English-language tracks. “Leaves of Yggdrasil” reminds me of Nightwish – “The Heart Asks Pleasure First,” although not exactly similar. For me, “Fager som en ros” has the most lively energy, while the piano in the closing instrumental “Vinter” stands out as well. Another plus point is the album cover, which depicts a girl in the European countryside; it makes me feel emotional because it reminds me of the emptiness I feel from not having a life partner.

Overall, it still feels somewhat lacking in cohesion, even though there is atmosphere—mainly coming from Myrkur’s own voice.

Highlight: Fager som en ros, Vinter

Of Monsters and Men – Beneath the Skin (2015)

75%

I had seen the name Of Monsters and Men around during those years but never got around to listening to them. That’s why I picked this album instead of their others.

The acoustic guitar—which is usually the minimal requirement for folk—is not very prominent here, so this Icelandic band presents what is commonly called indie folk/pop, emphasizing a lighter style and anthemic lyrics with a blend of male and female vocals. Because of that, it feels far less relevant to the topic this time compared with Gepe. Still, I can enjoy it, although at some points it becomes a bit boring due to the typical slow or ballad-like tracks, such as “Organs.” Meanwhile, the bonus track “Winter Sound” works quite well to close the album with whatever energy remains.

So, I don’t feel entirely satisfied, but it seems more fitting for me to listen to this album now rather than ten years ago.

Highlight: Crystals, Human, Empire, We Sink, Winter Sound