Megafaun’s hall of mirrors folk
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Megafaun was one of my favorites from SXSW, a banjo-plucking, harmony singing trio who used to play in a band with Justin Vernon of Bon Iver. So now we’ve got two bands. Cool. Here’s a bit of my Dusted review which ran on Friday. Bury the Square, Megafaun's first album, neatly balances the old-time rigors of country and gospel with the free-floating experimentation of rock, jazz and improvised music. Consider, for instance, how opener "Find Your Mark" starts with the effortful earnestness of three-part harmonies, then melts midway through, into jazz-tinged scatting vocals, like the Stanley Brothers riffing over a Stereolab drone. Or conversely, how "Tired and Troubled" begins with tape hiss and half-heard samples, field sounds and squiggles of electronics, then slowly coalesces into mournful, traditional harmonies. Or how the lengthy "Where We Belong" follows a linear path of banjo through unearthly swells of vocal harmonies, sweet post-classical unspoolings of violin tones, screeches of feedback and serene flourishes of piano. There is always a down-home thread running through these songs, but it wanders into the most unusual corners. More here: http://www.dustedmagazine.com/reviews/4198And a couple of videosIn Indianapolis last NovemberCloser to home in NC and early this yearAnd the MySpacehttp://www.myspace.com/megafaun
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