Folk Lonesome

Twilight Glow. Painting by Pham Thanh Van on HK Fine Art

[REPOST] Wow. Our mailbox has been stuffed full recently with music submissions from artists wanting us to review their work. It’s proper fit, mates! We’ve been listening to all of it on repeat and have got another unreal week of tunes coming up at the steely. We love listening to new music. Finding new music and rockin’ out to it is what we do. There’s only one other thing that we at the steely hold higher than anything else. We may even hold it in higher regard than our lives. Folk music. For us, folk goes hand in hand with all the exquisite pleasures of life. Discovering a new, solid folk artist or tune brings joy to our steely hearts, softening them ever so slightly for a quick spec of time. Folk music does something to us that nothing else can. Nothing else matters.

Galapaghost, a one-man band from NYC/Austin, Texas also known as Casey Chandler plays the ukulele in this folk song titled Never Heard Nothin’. Listen to the ukulele breathe a perfectly simple melody, slowing building up to the chorus. The chorus floats away with some soft, echoed backing vocals that flow out of a foggy unknown. The twinkling piano keys throughout the song add a serious mood and let us know that the love-song lyrics came straight from Casey’s heart. The way it’s meant to be. [REPOST]

- Update - 

Last time I posted Galapaghost, back in August, 2010, Casey Chandler told me over email that his Runnin’ EP was going to be his last musical endeavor, due to a few different reasons. I, along with many others, begged him not to give up. The EP touched our hearts, how could that be it? Well, I haven’t been in touch with him since then, but I’ve been keeping a close eye on him and right now is the best time to bring him back to the front page of the steely stylus. The Runnin’ EP wasn’t his last, and hopefully this debut album won’t be either. On Jan 9th 2012, only a few days from now, his debut album will be released through Lady Lovely /Audioglobe records.

With a few new tracks and a delightful cover design, this album is just what our stiff old steely ears need. Galapaghost’s debut album, Runnin’, is raw naked folk music. The most beautiful kind of folk music; the kind that flows into your veins and heads straight for you heart. It just doesn’t belong anywhere else. With such potency from his powerful lyrics and haunting harmonies, Never Heard Nothin’ is likely still the steely stand-out track on this album. When music comes from the heart, you can feel it. And when you feel it like Casey does, it hurts.

[Support Galapaghost here, after the 9th]

Galapaghost - Never Heard Nothin’ [download only]

Galapaghost - Don’t Go & Break My Heart