Monday Night Folk - Bella Ruse, The Ancients, The Middle East

Something about this quiet Monday night has put me in a very appreciative mood; and the pluck of folky guitar strings is feeding my musical appetite even more than usual this evening as a result. My daily blog crawl has come out with some unusually organic products - aside from my usual hazy mix of electronic music, lo-fi and pop which TMW has seen a lot of recently, the music i've compiled for you this evening takes music back the basics in its truest sense - we're talking poetic female vocalists (think Rosie & Me), with the crisp guitar tones of old; simple, aesthetically pleasing melodies with little more manipulation than some added reverb to alter the authenticity of these honest sonic translations.

photo - the middle east.

#1. Bella Ruse - Bella Ruse EP (FREE ALBUM)

The first song I bring you goes by the name of 'Dark Horse' by acoustic duo Kay and Joseph (also of Americana band Hurricane Hearts), or as they are more commonly known, Bella Ruse. If singles aren't your thing, most of the Bella Ruse EP (6 tracks might I add) is available at whatever your preferred price is through their Band Camp. They class themselves as 'Feist plus a little jazz', and this proves with just a few listens to be a comparison not worth any arguments. There's a distinctly bluesy feel about some of these lazy afternoon arrangements - and a maturity astonishing considering the debut EP was initially a last-minute entry to an 'album-a-month' competition. The finish is deceptively smooth, the vocals stunning.

Bella Ruse - Dark Horse (MP3)

#2. The Ancients - The Ancients 2

The second track i'm going to share is from the upcoming album by The Ancients, and goes by the name The Rambler. The band is a Melbourne based project led by Jonathan Mitchell, also of Mum Smokes and Breaking The Law fame, and play dreamy alt-folk with finger-picked melody and a small dose of clean electric guitar interference. The result is a beautiful winding introduction, broken only by the effortlessly manipulative vocals of Mitchell, in to what turns out to be a disappointingly short acoustic jam. For the short running time it plays to, The Rambler sees a twisting opening melody, vocal section, then a concluding jam to finish. Short and sweet.

The Ancients - The Rambler (MP3)

The Ancients 2 is due out this year via Sensory Projects.

#3. The Middle East - TBC

I introduced The Middle East a while back as 'Local Natives in minor', posing the question whether they were likely to re-emerge on the scene with as much hype, after the hiatus which had halted their creations since 2007. The answer to this question it seems pretty clear is yes, and the Australian band are currently bedroom recording their new material ahead of the Brooklyn Vegan SXSW artist showcase, which kicks off their busy schedule from mid-March. Their late summer night acoustic finesse provides the perfect skeleton for post-rock influenced dream folk build ups. Often furnished with grand orchestral outros, the songs start off low-key, and in their own time crescendo into lazy, Vetiver-esque conclusions.

The Middle East - Blood (MP3) (from The Recordings of The Middle East)

Buy The Recordings of the Middle East on Amazon.com