Band of the Week: Original Folks

[June 8 - 14]

Original Folks
Sounds Like: Indie-Pop
Drinking Buddies: The Morning Benders, Some By Sea, Nightmare Of You.

Synopsis: The sort of anglophonic French music designed to make you smile.

Makes You Want To...: Sing; Contemplate; Tap your foot.
[Myspace]

One week, one band. You know the drill.
This week, the featured artist is Original Folks.


They say that there's nothing in are world that is truly original. They say that everything out there is simply a copy of something else - whether consciously planned or subconsciously brought about - and that never again will we see anything truly novel and unique, for all creations henceforth are duplicates of their forefathers long since created. Well, that's what "they" - whoever "they" are - say. I don't think that rule applies, reader. I think this world is overflowing with new and novel. I feel that there is no limit to the bounds of our creativity if we put our minds to it. And especially when it comes to someone so creative and so important such as music, I don't think we'll ever run out of ideas.

We tend to hear a lot about recycling these days. Okay, sure, maybe recycling is reusing old stuff, and we aren't seeing anything quote-unquote "new and original." But there's always something colourful to be found in old stuff as well. Give it a little twinge here, and a little tweak there, put it under a different light, and hear it in a different mood, and you find something truly unique, even if it's nothing earth-shatteringly innovative.

This recycled, but unique style suits Original Folks very well. Sure, they're not the original folks - granted, there most have been some folks before these guys arrived. And sure, their style isn't - as mentioned - incomparably nouveau nor mind-numbingly nonpareil. But it's the Original Folks' prevailing gallant representation of all the things that are great about tried-and-true song structure that sets these Folks apart.

The Original Folks hail from Strasbourg, France, and these English speaking songsmiths play through classic styles with a unique tinge that sets them apart from their peers. Original Folks stick stringently to a very simple, natural verse-chorus-verse song structure, with extremely little deviation. If you think this sounds a bit lame, and are already contemplating prejudgement, let me call you out on your bourgeois musical tastes! There's nothing wrong with such a simple song structure, albeit quite nearly any artist can successfully play it. What the Original Folks do is spice this banal song structure with unique, eclectic instrumentation and some of the most bubbly tunes I've heard recently. The result is something similar to cinnamon flavoured ice cream: gorgeous, light, and creamy - as you would expect - but with a twist, one which is ever so sweet. Coincidentally, you may also be really sad when you've heard all the Original Folks songs, as you would when the ice cream runs out.

Presently, Original Folks is keeping things local, while hitting up a couple venues in France. In the mean time, you can expect them to be crafting even more wry tunes for your eager ears. To prove how absolutely new these guys are to the music scene, their debut LP, Common Use, debuted back in March! You can snag it from their shop, or find it on iTunes by searching "Common Use." These Original Folks are a real treat, and a real gem that could easily go missed. So don't miss them now that you have the chance to groove with them! Have a great week, reader.