Folk music has always been a great medium for discussing social change, politics, and the world around us. Before rock and roll and its myriad offspring took over that mantle, it was the vehicle for everything from sharing the day’s local news to advocating rebellion. As Lydia the Bard unquestionably proves here, it is still a powerful force when wielded correctly.
Musically, she injects so much energy into her folk missives, and right from the off, the title track sets the tone perfectly. It blends traditional folk sounds and rock drives, resulting in delicate roots music that carries the punk spirit into new times. And it asks a timely question: What will the future hold for us once the billionaires and their political puppets have stripped the world to line their pockets?
“Feed Us Your Girls” is a gothic-folk take on the tale of Red Riding Hood, but it is used as a metaphor for the danger, violence, and misogyny found in today’s society. “The Wife’s Murder Ballad” updates one of folk music’s most compelling formats, and “Changeling” ebbs and flows between more calm and considered sonics and the explosive energies that opened the album.
Folk music has always been a conduit for those having something important to say, and rock music has always been great at firing off salvos that force the message home. Put them together and you have a heady combination – the articulate dancing deftly with the incendiary. Put them together, and you have a brilliant meeting of past and present. Put them together, and you have a powerful musical force for these times. Put them together and you have Lydia the Bard.
