Nominated by: GK
Music club: Wander to Wozza's
Playlist addition: Apple Tree Blues
By now, in 2023, there is a danger that Americana tropes have evolved towards cliché.
The hushed, down-home vocals, the warm acoustic based instruments (a touch of banjo - nice), the gentle pace (no frenetic bluegrass style hoedown hootenannies on show), and folksy lyrical material (apple trees, hiding in the cotton, you'll bring your snowshoes, looking cute in the garden). In the increasingly overcrowded Americana world, all land just short of country if you squint your eyes.
The good news is that Caamp skirt around the danger but don't succumb (well maybe at times they do - Fever frinstance).
I enjoyed Caamp - it's pretty innoculous stuff so it would be churlish to do otherwise. But (sorry - there's a but), it felt like something was missing. Grit.
Each time the album finished on Spotify it moved onto other Americana acts and I realized that what Caamp really needed was a female vocalist as a foil for the males. I really like Ocie Elliot with their duo approach and feel that Caamp would benefit from the variety and textures thrown up by that male/female duality. Just an idea.
It's not too surprising that GK likes this easy on the ear material. Some of the tracks reminded me of solo Mark Knopfler, and the singing style is also of the same bent.
I get why he likes to mostly listen to this kind of music these days. I guess, that's why radio's stratified genre format was created - to cater to what individual people like.
All up - an easy on the ear, lopping kind of soundtrack for some of my commute this week.
My feathers arrived at my destinations unruffled. Thanks Biggie Gee
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