The Cave Singers

No Witch

(Jagjaguwar)

Record Review by Adam McKibbin

All I knew about The Cave Singers is that they were from Seattle, and friends of mine up in the great northwest were swearing up and down that this was “the album”. I also heard that these singers featured members of bands like Pretty Girls Make Graves, Hint Hint, and Cobra High. All bands that I’ve seen play live, all bands that I’ve really enjoyed listening to. So, of course, I figured it would be something hard and heavy, rocking and rolling, moving through the Seattle streets like some dirty nighttime drive.

I was wrong. Dead wrong. This band hits hard in that indie-folk genre, and moves like some Mobile, Alabama to Nashville, Tennessee train ride across dusty roads and circles the wagons. Not at all what I was expecting, but, still, the musicianship and talent of this band manages to shine through the genres. It also helps that these three musicians are joined in this particular journey by the voices of Amber and Ashley Webber from the band Lightning Dust.

There are definitely touches of a rock and roll background moving through the songs, though, so it’s not all sad cowboy music. “At The Cut” kicks in sounding like something that Peter Case, post-Plimsouls, might have penned, and that Peter Case comparison actually holds true while moving through songs further in to the album. This is much more like that tribal-folk, those true roots-touched tunes calling out to the sounds around, and not the more recent outpourings of whatever you want to call it, that alt.folk psychedelia beard rock that just kind of leaves me wondering what happened to my rock ‘n’ roll. Yes, I know, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club asked the same question, and helped answer it, but the Cave Singers have answered a question that I didn’t even know I had asked; whatever happened to my folk rock?

I had forgotten that this was music I actually enjoyed listening to. It’s calming, it’s soothing, it’s meaningful, and it carries all the hooks and melodics you want. Forget that Devendra / Akron / avant garde experimental folk noise. This is straight from the heart, out of the caves, down from the mountains, through the old highways and dusty roads. This is Americana without the help of mind-altering substances. This is moving back towards playing the instruments and working with the songs instead of hitting alt.country with a broken guitar and calling it indie. This is moving back to Springsteen and his River and Nebraska phase, back to Woody Guthrie, back and shaking the hands of T-Bone Burnett and Lyle Lovett as you pass by.

I had pretty much filed all the new-fangled folk-rock bands off next to the rest of my “sorry, I don’t really listen to that kind of music anymore” pile. I thought it was done. Sure, I can dig the Dave Alvin, I get into the Knitters, or Ray Condo and his Hard Rock Goners, but for the most part, if it had that “folk” tag on it, it was shelved next to the Bob Marley and the Yma Sumac. Not saying that Yma or Bob are folk, just that my ears don’t really go in those directions. So, I’m glad I gave this band a listen.

More straightforward than the whole Band Of Horses / My Morning Jacket miasma, more down to earth. This is taking the folk back and pushing it out again in the right direction. This gives me hope for the folk future.

This is one of those times when the musicians seem to take stock of where they are and where they want to be. Looking to move above and beyond where they’ve been, looking and listening back in order to move forwards. While not at all what I was expecting from this Seattle band, this CD is, in fact, a welcome joy.