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Uncanny Gorgeous | Sub-genre: Freak Folk Part One (S4 | E168)
Freak Folk
Often times a show idea starts with just a spark. in this case the spark is the San Francisco artist singer, songwriter Jessica Pratt. Jessica is a representative of a movement called Freak Folk. And while much of this music in simply inspired by the idea of Uncanny music, it came together in the end
Some Bits About Jessica
Jessica Pratt was raised by her mother, who exposed her to a broad range of artists, including Tim Buckley, X, and the Gun Club. She learned to play the guitar around the age of 15, after her older brother gave up playing his Stratocaster. She took his guitar and started practicing with the T. Rex album Electric Warrior. She was soon able to play the guitar parts of the whole record. She eventually began recording songs at the age of 16, using her mother’s Fender guitar amp and microphone.
FREAK FOLK
Freak folk is a loosely defined synonym or subgenre of psychedelic folk that involves acoustic sounds, pastoral lyrics, and a neo-hippie aesthetic. The label originated from the “lost treasure” reissue culture of the late 1990s.
Vashti Bunyan has been labeled “the Godmother of Freak Folk” for her role in inspiring the new crop of folk experimentalists. David Crosby’s 1971 album If Only I Could Remember My Name has been described as an early progenitor of the genre. Other major influences on later freak folk artists include Linda Perhacs, Anne Briggs, Karen Dalton, Shirley & Dolly Collins, Animal Collective, the Incredible String Band, Xiu Xiu, and Pearls Before Swine. Devendra Banhart would become one of the leaders of the 2000s freak folk movement, along with Joanna Newsom.
Show Playlist: Uncanny Gorgeous | Sub-genre: Freak Folk Part One
Song | Artist | Album | Year |
---|---|---|---|
Roygibiv | The Boards of Canada | Music has the right to children | 1998 |
Echo’s Answer | Broadcast | The Noise Made by People | 2000 |
This Rainy Decade | The Cleaners from Venus | Midnight Cleaners | 1982 |
Twin of Myself | Black Moth Super Rainbow | Eating Us | 2009 |
Pulling Our Weight | The Radio Dept. | Passive Aggressive | 2011 |
Pack Yr Romantic Mind | Stereolab | Transient Random Noise Bursts with Announcements | 1998 |
The Light | Cate Le Bon, Group Listening | Here it Comes Again | 2020 |
Morning Of | Colin Stetson | Peel Session | 2018 |
Olson Version 3 | Stereolab | John Matthew Myers Desiderium | 1999 |
Come On Let’s Go | Broadcast | The Noise Made by People | 2000 |
Moon Dude | Jessica Pratt | On Your Own Love Again | 2015 |
Hit Me Now | Fievel is Glaque | God’s Trashmen Sent to Right the Mess | 2021 |
Pitch the Baby | Cocteau Twins | Heaven or Las Vegas | 1990 |
Caramel | Connan Mockasin | Caramel | 2013 |
Before We Begin | Broadcast | HaHa Song | 2003 |
Graycedes | Jessica Pratt | On Your Own Love Again | 2015 |
Poly Blue | Jessica Pratt | Quiet Signs | 2019 |
Crossing | Jessica Pratt | Quiet Signs | 2019 |
The Artichoke That Loved Me | The Cleaners from Venus | Blow Away Your Troubles | 1981 |
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