If established music genres need to move with the times, then I would argue that they should do so incrementally. Revolution is all very well, and history, even music history, is puts great store in the flashpoint moments. Still, in the broader scheme of things, artists are better off building bridges between the traditions of the past and the potential of the future, to ensure a genre’s longevity, ensuring slower, easier, and more accessible transitions. And that is why the folk world needs artists like Oaken Lee.
“One Summer Gone,” his latest single, is one of those songs that feels reminiscent of the past, nostalgic in both sound and sentiment, but whose use of subtle sonics and untethered structures, fractured and spacious sounds, gentle ebbs and flows, spoken word and unspoken grace are precisely what brings that exciting folk future one step closer.
Not only a clever song but also lyrically engaging, the story of a couple whose warmth and love reflect the summer that shines down on their relationship, but whose feelings for each other cool as the year turns, dying out altogether as the world becomes darkest. Again, this is the perfect elemental subject matter for a modern folk song, one that takes the timeless subject of love, loss, and lingering longing and gives it a makeover for a new age, but which still echoes timeless feelings.
Some artists are happy to follow, especially in the often careful, comfortable, and conformist world of folk music, which is why artists like Oaken Lee are so precious, not to mention so rewarding to follow.
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