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Tuesday, 31 January 2006 05:10

But before I spend half my own review discussing the validity of “folktronica,” let me just say that Mother’s Daughter and Other Songs is a watershed recording in the short history of this burgeoning genre, a genuinely transfixing work that renders categories meaningless.

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Folktronica. Folktronica, folktronica, folktronica. There, that wasn’t so bad, was it? It’s an all right little genre designation, certainly no worse than “alt-country,” “emo,” or “post rock,” don’tcha think? But the guy who reviewed the debut CD by U.K. duo Tunng for Stylus magazine last year (the disc has just been released in America) spent half his review talking about the inadequacy of the term “folktronica.” Half his review! He accused the term of being a “clunky portmanteau,” and I thought, wow. It’s just a sleek little signifier for the new stylistic alchemy between acoustic folk music and textural electronica. Is it really worth getting so worked up about?

But before I spend half my own review discussing the validity of “folktronica,” let me just say that Mother’s Daughter and Other Songs is a watershed recording in the short history of this burgeoning genre, a genuinely transfixing work that renders categories meaningless. Producer/guitarist Mike Lindsay and vocalist/guitarist Sam Genders are really onto something with this platter, and it’s far more difficult to describe than it is to simply enjoy. While one can hear echoes of artists such as the Pentangle, Nick Drake, and Bert Jansch in the evocative English folk part of the mix here, and Beta Band and Four Tet have been mentioned in more than one review as touchstones, the Tunng lashing you get with this amazing record is truly a unique experience.

The acoustic guitars on many tracks such as “Mother’s Daughter” and “People Folk” are downright lulling, the bright chords meshing well not only with the unexpected musical adornments but with the multi-tracked, low-pitched vocals laid down cleanly by Genders. “Pool Beneath the Pond” is truly a modern classic—I guarantee you’ve never heard acoustic bass, banjo, and glitchy percussive elements combined like this. And the vocals are spellbinding, a great reminder that the lower registers of the male voice can be just as beguiling as the falsetto that’s so prominent among indie rockers these days. “Beautiful and Light” is an apt title for another tune that incorporates the sound of a distant train, as well as two vocal tracks an octave apart, sweet and sure, while sparse electronica burbles behind. “Song of the Sea” is perhaps the most Drake-ish tune, at least until the harmony kicks in. And the sparkling instrumental “Kinki Vans,” as well as the beautifully arranged “Code Breaker” (with rich, upfront vocals), suggest that the Tunng boys have heard a Jim O’Rourke record or two, so dazzling is the blend of production skill and ear-caressing guitar in a path-less-traveled approach to putting tracks down.

Yes, it’s a whole lot more than mere folktronica, but if aficionados are encouraged to seek this disc out by hearing it’s a classic of that style, where’s the problem? The year is young, but I’m already thinking this disc has a shot at making my “Best of 2006” list. Lindsay and Genders are truly speaking in Tunng on this compelling debut, and it’s a musical language that’s lovely, surprising, and boundary breaking.