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

Three More Bands To Watch in 2010 - Run Toto Run/The Middle East/Small Black.

1. Run Toto Run (Twee/Electronic/Folk)

Run Toto Run are a relatively new Manchester band who garnered a lot of blogosphere attention last summer thanks to their electro-folk cover of Passion Pit's Sleepyhead (MP3). They combine fragile female vocals with what often becomes hard-edged electronic experimentation; don't be caught out by the ecstatic violins and merry harmonies of the Passion Pit cover - if you look hard enough there are themes much darker than they first appear. They finished last year with another cover - this time of Bombay Bicycle Club's Always Like This (MP3), and began 2010 with a 7" single Catch My Breath (MP3) (Jan 11). You can order their new Plastic Gold EP on Itunes or via their website.

Download the Plastic Gold EP from Amazon, for just $4.45

2. The Middle East (Folk/Acoustic/Indie)

The Middle East are a band from Queensland, Australia which I came across recently on the Hype Machine. Their perfectly executed, rich, slow-strummed acoustic folk songs quickly won me over. With dreamy vocal harmonies, Blood (MP3), and a careless, late summer evening feel - The Middle East are probably most accurately described as 'Local Natives in minor' down to not only the uncanny vocal similarity (best showcased on The Darkest Hour (MP3), but also the sliding acoustics which ring ever so clearly in the way the music is recorded. This is music anyone can relate to from a band about as far away from me as its possible to be. They formed in December 2005 and their debut Recordings Of The Middle East hit stores on October 27, 2009. Soon after this, they supported Grizzly Bear on their Melbourne Dates at the end of last year.

The Recordings of the Middle East on Amazon.



3. Small Black (Shoegaze/Electronica/Dream Pop)

I first introduced Small Black on to the blog in November 2009 (original post), as 'dancefloor-filling shoegaze' and I stick by that to this day. Their Small Black EP came out on Cass Club in that October, and now the rumours are starting to stir of a debut full-length from the band dropping some time this year. Single Despicable Dogs (MP3) got almost instant Pitchfork love - and they certainly appear to be another solid bet for what the magazine will throw its full weight behind in 2010. Bad Lover (MP3) is another top track from the grim NYC shoegazers, where shady echoes of the Big Pink and MBV more prominent than ever before shine through in their full force.

buy the Small Black EP in cd format for $8.99 or via Amazon MP3 for just $4.45.