Anyway, I recently downloaded the Band of the Day app for my new iPod Touch (you heard me bragging about last post) and to my surprise a few days later I'm staring at a band press photo of two people I know from summer music camp. They happen to be the cello and violin players for a band called The Last Bison, formerly, simply, Bison. Well, I listened a bit and find their brand of folk to be much more to my liking than say Mumford and Sons, yes I just said that, so for that reason and just because I feel star struck I'm currently writing about them. Formed in 2010, from Chesapeake, Virginia, The Last Bison has two records to boot: Quill, their debut out in 2011, and Inheritance (EP), which arrived in October of 2012. The latter includes some retouched songs, plus some new material, which will come out on their sophomore album still to come in 2013. The Last Bison is seven members strong and has a number of photos that show them dressed up in old fashioned clothes, or antebellum as one critic on another blog put it.
Looking into Quill more, the obvious comparisons to Mumford and Sons come because of the lead singer's voice, Ben Hardesty. They've also drawn comparisons to Fleet Foxes and The Decemberists. A full bio can be read on their website, here. Their song creation is quite poetic--and I don't just mean lyrically--at times though, which fits the idea of a story unfolding as written with a quill. They include different sections, of chamber or almost baroque folk. Listen to "Tired Hands" to hear what I mean specifically. Other highlights on the album include: "Switzerland", which is a rousing tune that is upbeat and has a really nice verse melody backed by banjo and bells; "Quill" has really nice a acoustic/string arrangement and an interesting waltz section towards the end too; "River Rhine" has a gentle flowing sort of feeling and lots of sustained chords on an old reed organ or accordion (can't quite tell which all the time); "In Your Room" has some nice rhythmic chords that are repeated throughout and the strings and banjo are used quite nicely throughout; "Dark Am I" just has a great ending song kind of feeling, especially when you listen to it drop in after the previous song, "Tired Hands".
Well, listen for yourself, and see what you think about the other tracks I didn't mention. They've all got their moments to be sure. Check Quill out on their Bandcamp site, here. And Inheritance (EP) on their SoundCloud, here. I've put the opening song "Switzerland" over under the 'Monthly Sample Tracks'. Enjoy!
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