The Skygreen Leopards - LP Discography (2000's)

The Skygreen Leopards seemingly have the recipe for excellent psych-folk down pat. Glenn Donaldson and Donovan Quinn have released 4 LPs and a bunch of EPs since they formed the group in 2001. They each have their own solo projects in addition to this, Glenn Donaldson with the Giant Skyflower Band (see post below) and Donovan Quinn with the 13th Month. It amazing to me that these guys dont receive any attention at all, even though all of their albums have received great reviews from many sources and they have such a unique approach to this often monotonous genre. Due to the fact that all of their albums are pretty similar to each other in their fuzz-folk psychedelic nature, i decided to post links to all of their LP's that i could find. They have been my obsession for the past few weeks, and although it took me awhile to get used to the soft, wavey/warbley vocals, it is well worth the effort. For fans of Elephant 6 bands, new-weird America, freak folk, and psych folk, these guys are definitely worth checking out.

I would listen to Life and Love in the Sparrow's Meadow to get started with their vibe, although my favorite is Disciples of California with its catchy and well structured songs.

One Thousand Bird Ceremony (2002)

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Life and Love in the Sparrow's Meadow (2005)

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Disciples Of California (2006)

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Gorgeous Johnny (2009)

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Giant Skyflower Band - Blood of the Sunworm (2007)

Giant Skyflower Band are a supergroup of sorts containing various band members from various other "new weird america" psychedelic bands such as the Skygreen Leopards and Flying Cannon. Glenn Donaldson fronts this group and if i hadent found out this album was put out in 2007, i would have guessed that it had been released somewhere from 1969-73. This excellent acid folk album sounds very out of place with all the synthed out shittiness that passes for "freak folk" these days. This dreamy sounding record has great instrumentation which stays true to its late 60's roots with inclusion of traditional pysch instruments like sitar. Donaldson's voice at first was off putting to me, but after a few spins i realized that it fits perfectly with the overall "coming up" mood of the entire album. Some of the best tracks don't even feature his voice and only rely on in your face psychedelic hooks that i would put up there with the best of them from back in the day. Im very surprised that this album hasn't made waves, they really do deserve the recognition.

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Entrance - Wandering Stranger (2004)

When i first heard of Entrance naturally i listened to his first album. Its full of great minimalistic freak folk songs, then i listened to his third album it was full of hard stoner rock. With a discography with such variety in musical styles, his second album Wandering Stranger is no exception to his modus operandi. In this album he presents himself as a folkly blues musician, crafting many of his own songs and covering many public domain delta blues tunes. He often only accompanies himself with an acoustic guitar and his masterful blues styling with occasional accompaniment by a fiddle and electric guitar. This channels a blend of freak folk and old delta blues acoustic guitar players such as Robert Johnson or Big Bill Broonzy. A great find among all the freak folk artists coming out of the woodwork these days.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAX_LYI939g

Tyrannosarus Rex - My People Were Fair and Had Sky in Their Hair... But Now They're Content To Wear Stars on Their Brows (1968)

Before T.Rex became the coked out, glam rock superstars that they are best known as, they were known as Tyrannosaurus Rex and released psychedelic folk albums. My People Were Fair and Had Sky in Their Hair... But Now They're Content To Wear Stars on Their Brows was their first release and sounds like a bunch of hippies in the woods indulging in some mushrooms and playing around a campfire. It almost sounds like the Incredible String Band but with many more great improv freakout moments. This album has great minimalism, with most songs being played solely with acoustic guitar and bongos (man they rock the bongos), sometimes with accompaniment by what sounds like a xylophone. This was a pleasant surprise to find considering how much i abhorre T.Rex's later albums. If only they had continued with their mushroom adventures, but as they say, cocaine is a hell of a drug.

PS. i read somewhere that this is the first English pop record to feature a hare krishna chant (3 years before George Harrison's My Sweet Lord)

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUDQPqxLW30

July - July (1968)

Though July was only together for less than a year, they definitely made their mark on the British psychedelic scene. This is brilliantly crafted pop type psychedelia. "The Way" being one of my favorite on this record. The drum breaks remind me of something you would hear in trip-hop music of today. These songs are trippy, odd, weird and head induced. The more you listen the more fun you will have. This album is clearly influenced by Revolver and Sgt. Pepper's and sounds almost like a lost Beatles album from the late 60's. This is one of those bands that sounds very similar to Olivia Tremor Control, The Sunshine Fix, or any of the Elephant Six bands of today.

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Merle Travis - Folk Songs of the Hills (1947)

Here is one of my favorite albums of all time. You may know Merle Travis from his well known later career where he made himself famous among country musicians for his slide guitar playing skills and honky tonk vibe. This album however is Merle's first release and truly shows his roots in the coal mining country of Kentucky. This album is chocked full of traditional folk/country songs played only on an acoustic guitar (which Merle has clearly mastered at this point). He truly expresses the feeling and angst at a time when many folk artists were singing songs about the hardships that labor workers faced. I could ramble on about the significance of each track and how it so clearly represents the struggle and everyday life of labor workers trying to make it for their family during the great depression, or you could just listen to it and discover all these sentiments for yourself. A must for folk fans of any kind.

PS. the folkie spoken introductions are great context before he plays each song

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Robin Scott - Woman From the Warm Grass (1969)

This album has great acoustic arrangements backed by some of the most beautifully composed and personal lyrics i have heard as of late. Alot of the time it breaks from its folk mold and becomes more of a folk rock or even baroque pop record.  The legendary pysch group Mighty Baby plays with Robin on this record when his acoustic guitar needs some full band backing to turn his heartwrenching songs into full-blown baroque ballads. You can hear clear influences of folk legends  such as Dylan and Donovan (who most English folk artists drew inspiration from at the time). Although his influences are clear, this album draws together many aspects of folk music and he fashions them all into his own unique sound. With this record out of press for decades and only having recently been released on cd, it has become on of the most sought after acid folk rock albums of all time.

Robin Scott's 1969 album Woman from the Warm Grass was very much in the mold of many British folk-ground artists of the time who were gingerly making the transition to a folk-rock sound. In fact, in material and presentation, Scott was fairly similar in feel to a few other artists that producer Sandy Roberton worked with, including Al Jones, Keith Christmas, and Shelagh McDonald. Scott's vocals and songs were earnest and verbose, with the reflective fragile moodiness (and yearning, sometimes florid romanticism) found in many British folk/folk-rock singer/songwriters of the era, from Al Stewart andDonovan on down. As artists in this genre go, Scott's pleasant and reasonably interesting, though not distinguished. He and Roberton do vary the arrangements, sometimes opting for just solo acoustic guitar and voice, at others using full rock backing from the band Mighty Baby. Generally, the unplugged tracks work better; "The Sound of Rain," with subdued orchestration backing the acoustic guitar, has the sort of narrative-oriented mystical acid folk pioneered by Donovan, while "Song of the Sun" has the poetic wordy gray melancholy very particular to this period of British folk. So there's a lot here for listeners who dig this particular micro-style in general, with the notable exception of an overwhelmingly strong vocal or songwriting individuality, though Scott's likable enough. [The 2006 CD reissue on Sunbeam adds a nice bonus cut from a BBC session, "Tattoed Lady," that doesn't appear on the original album in any form. This track has lead singing by Scott's girlfriend of the time, Penny Lamb (with Scott on guitar and vocal harmonies), and a slightly brighter, poppier, and more melodic feel than the material that had been recorded for the LP.] ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6lBA-p6jm8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCtSvheT4Jg