The shop is disabled. Please visit https://rootsymusic.bandcamp.com/ instead.

Album
Kacy & Clayton
Strange Country
(New West Records)

Price: 149 SEK

An arresting amalgamation of psychedelic folk, English folk revival and ancestral music of Southern Appalachia, Kacy & Clayton's New West Records debut, Strange Country, will be released May 6. The title track recently premiered via American Standard Time who called their approach to music »pretty brilliant« and said the song's »dark subject is a perfect counterpoint to the joy of listening to Kacy's deep warble and Clayton's folk guitar.«

This spring and summer, Kacy & Clayton will open for labelmate Daniel Romano on his extensive European tour, which will include dates throughout the UK, Netherlands, France and Germany. Prior to heading overseas they will play MerleFest in Wilkesboro, NC on April 30. They will perform at Pickathon in Happy Valley, OR on August 5-7. A full U.S. tour is currently in the works.

Kacy and Clayton are second cousins who hail from the Wood Mountain uplands of Southern Saskatchewan, Canada. Strange Country, their third album,finds the duo honing their songcraft and building on, rather than replicating, the tradition of British folk they love so much. Produced by Shuyler Jansen, the album was recorded over seven freezing Canadian winter days last year at Ghetto Box Studios, a historic community hall turned studio.

»While writing and recording this record, we had a certain subject matter in mind,« recalls Clayton. »For our first album, we focused on the imagery of the bible, old-time religion, and the spiritual side of things. For Strange Country, we wanted the stories and characters to portray a darker and more worldly side of life.«

»Apart from the three traditional arrangements, we focused more on songwriting than we did on the last album,« Kacy explains. »Our songwriting process varies but typically one of us gets a basic idea for a song, presents it to the other, and we finish the song together. When writing songs we attempt to use the imagery and language of the old folk forms.«

The product of a lifetime of deep kinship, the record showcases the purity and astounding beauty of Kacy's voice, one that has been notably compared to Fairport Convention's Sandy Denny, and Clayton's intricate guitar work, expert time changes and vocal harmonies. With a sound influenced by Shirley Collins, the Incredible String Band as well as Richard and Linda Thompson and Magnolia Electric Company these young songwriters are keeping tradition alive while injecting it with a youthful energy and modern spin.

1. Strange Country
2. Springtime Of The Year
3. The Rio Grande
4. If You Ask How I'm Keeping
5. Brunswick Stew
6. Down At The Dancehall
7. Seven Yellow Gypsies
8. Over The River Charlie
9. The Plains Of Mexico
10. Dyin' Bed Maker

Other albums by Kacy & Clayton: