West My Friend - In Constellation
Meet West My Friend, the Cascadian third-wave indie-prog-folk trio from Victoria, B.C., who recently released their fourth album, In Constellation.
West My Friend
Referring to West My Friend as simply a folk trio is, in one sense, correct, but on another level misses the trio’s true sound, which almost defies description, blending folk music with symphonic elements, multiple textured layers, and baroque flavors.
Made up of Eden Oliver (guitar, vocals) Alex Rempel (mandolin, vocals), and Jeff Poynter (accordion, vocals), on the new album the trio takes folk music into innovative, uncharted territory.
Oliver told Jonathan Frahm of PopMatters, "In our ten years as a band, we've noticed that sometimes people aren't sure what to do with us. Our instrumentation, our songwriting, our atypical arranging... In Constellation is what happened when we leaned into that impulse and didn't hold back. Recording the album was a celebration as we welcomed old (and new) friends into the studio and watched the endless layers come together. There were times when all we could do was laugh at the unbridled ridiculousness of it all and times where the arrangements reduced us to tears. This is not an album we could have made in our early years as a band.”
'In Constellation' goes far beyond traditional folk music, entering the realm of an orchestral objet d'art blending jazz, pop, and blues.
The opening track, “Fall Knows,” begins with Oliver singing a cappella, rich and poignant, rife with jazz-laced scats and a creamy flow.
Entry points include “Salt Water,” full of soft supple strings, bright velvety colors, and rippling relishes of almost operatic savors. Swelling harmonics mousse up to grand a grand crescendo topped by delicious three-part harmonies.
“Old Song,” merges orchestral sensibilities with old-school jazz tints, like something from a ‘60’s musical score. Vast layers of gleaming textures soar and trickle with beautiful sonic nuances, rising and falling dramatically. Oliver’s scatting ability infuses the lyrics with cool jazz tangs.
“An Education” opens on gentle sparkling tints topped by Oliver’s mounting tones, as the music rides fluttering aromas and spilling currents.
In Constellation goes far beyond traditional folk music, entering the realm of an orchestral objet d'art blending jazz, pop, and blues.
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