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Antifolk embraces creativity
Antifolk is not just for people who don’t like Bob Dylan.
The musical movement started in the early 80s in New York’s Lower East Side by kids who’d grown up with the growing, but separate, folk and punk scenes of the 70s.
British singer Billy Bragg coined the term when he used the phrase “anti-folk” to describe his own music, which combined the angst of punk rock with the folky sounds of the acoustic guitar.
In an interview
with National Public Radio, antifolk artist Jeffrey Lewis said, “On one
hand, it’s an appreciation for creativity over technique. What’s more
important is if you’re coming up with something interesting, creative
and unique. The other explanation is that it’s a mix of punk and folk
influences.”
The
genre has provided us with artists like Kimya Dawson and Adam Green of
The Moldy Peaches and “Juno” soundtrack fame, Regina Spektor, Soft
Black, Diane Cluck, Beck and Ani DiFranco.
After
finding homes in several clubs, the antifolk movement now resides at
the Sidewalk Café in the East Village of New York, where artists play
every night.
Now
embraced by scarf-wearing hipsters everywhere, the genre provides a
cynicism and self-mocking undertones that traditional folk music lacks
(check out Jeffrey Lewis’ song “Williamsburg Will Oldham Horror” for
proof).
Like most genres, there are no specifications for what makes antifolk.
Mostly,
you don’t have to be particularly talented and you can get away with
some really ridiculous things and end up being called “unique” instead
of “bad.”
With
lyrics like “I am a goat/in a moat/with a boat/Who’s got the crack?”
sung badly over two or three repeated chords, The Moldy Peaches found
success because they were original, quirky and fun, but still found
time to sing about serious things every once in a while.
But really, how can you not love the adorable Kimya Dawson when she has a baby named Panda?
Regina Spektor and Diane Cluck play vocal acrobatics like nobody’s business.
Their high-pitched voices jump all over as they sing songs about drugs and French men under the stars.
Still the music of Beck is hardly comparable with that of Ani DiFranco. And that’s what makes antifolk great.
Sometimes it’s terrible, but all it takes is guts, a guitar and an acute case of stick-it-to-da-man-osis.
Released
by Crafty Records, the Anticomp Folkilation features two disks of a lot
of good antifolk music coming out of New York (mostly Brooklyn, home of
hipsters) right now.
It’s an amazing album.
I’m in love, and you should probably buy it, listen to it and also fall in love with it.
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