Album Review - Long Live, Snowblink

Written for and published on The 405.

Having already become firm favourites among hundreds of music bloggers everywhere, Snowblink’s full album is finally being released.

Snowblink, made up of San Franciscans Daniela Gesundheit and bandmate Dan Goldman, have produced a beautiful album in ‘Long Live’ that brings a touch of the ethereal to the increasingly popular folk genre. Providing a link between the nature-inspired lyrics of Fleet Foxes and the pretty vocals of Leslie Feist of Feist and Broken Social Scene, Snowblink are very ‘now’ but manage to be wonderfully nostalgic at the same time.

Gesundheit’s voice is really quite mesmerising and thankfully this voice is allowed to be the focus of every song on the album, indeed in parts like ‘Divining Rod’ it is all you hear. The songs might deviate in style – a hint of gospel in ‘Sea Change’, indie pop vibes on ‘Heckling the Afterglow’ and country on ‘The Tired Bees’ - but Gesundheit’s voice forges a close relationship between each and every one. Long Live is very much one whole rather than simply a showcase of fifteen disconnected but well written tracks.

'Ambergris' is the highlight of the album, finger-picked guitars and layers of lovely instrumentation make this song quite anthemic but in the most understated way. The song has enjoyed some popularity thanks to the internet’s capacity for sharing and helped along some way by the 70’s inspired music video, which shows the band in a hippy utopia, walking among wildflowers, complete with floaty dresses and frolicking children…sounds pretty good to me! By the time ‘Ambergris’ is nearing its end with the nonsensical refrain of “I hope you find your ambergris” it has crept all the way up to spine-tingling territory.

Snowblink’s first full album is essential listening for anyone enjoying the present folk music take over, especially those who like their folk with a country twist. Twinkling melodies and understated it truly makes ears happy, ‘Long Live’ Snowblink.

A musical mixed bag

'Mixed bag' is probably an understatement really and I'm not sure anyone could have predicted the inclusion of the Great British Ukulele Orchestra on IWAOS but all these varied musical stylings are equally brilliant in their own - and perhaps slightly eccentric - right.

Starting with the divine Snowblink and their luscious video, which totally allows me to indulge my 'one-day-I'll-be-a-beautiful-hippy-type-wondering-bare-foot-around -1970s-America-with-a-small-elfin-child' fantasy, you know the one? Well, it can't just be me. Anyway. Their MySpace labels them as belonging to that well-known Soul/Tropical/Surf genre(!) but I think I might agree with them, they're not really like anyone else around that's for sure. You can read a little bit more about them at The 405, here.

Second is Nika + Rory who are actually Zola Jesus and her bandmate Nick Turco. Zola has been intriguing me for a while and I just love how this track manages to sound at once utterly modern but somehow also tinged with a dose of 80s dramatic pop, which is echoed in the slightly creepy video.

The See See next, I caught them a couple of weeks ago when they were supporting the amazing Brian Jonestown Massacre. Quite a difficult slot I should imagine, warming up for the less than predictable BJM, but they were really good fun and gave the psychadelia-hungry crowd exactly what they were looking for.

And last but not least, a nod to my latest obsession - the ukulele. I bought myself one a couple of weeks ago and am quickly becoming a kind of mad ukulele band groupie. Plus the concept of this video is great - the idea of being stalked around town by a ukulele orchestra really cracks me up.