Spider Tales
Spider Tales shows how much life a small acoustic group can create. Jake Blount alternates vocal pieces with instrumentals in which banjo and fiddle respond sharply to one another. The spare sound makes each part easy to follow. At the same time, the music has energy, tension and a clear emotional force.
Blount's research into the Black and Indigenous roots of American folk music gives the selection further meaning. That significance reaches beyond the story behind it. The performances show how lively this material can remain. Sometimes a voice provides direction; elsewhere, the interaction between two string instruments is enough.
Goodbye, Honey, You Call That Gone begins cautiously, with banjo and Nic Gareiss's foot percussion. Roustabout then brings more movement. Fiddle and banjo fit together without losing their separate lines. Their change in energy makes the opening inviting and establishes a record whose variety comes from the playing itself.
Where Did You Sleep Last Night receives a sombre, attentive performance, with guitar and bass adding weight. Move, Daniel instead uses the rhythmic force of voice and foot percussion. The music needs little decoration to build pressure. On Brown Skin Baby, Blount's own fiddle provides the only backing, making the singing more direct.
Mad Mama's Blues reveals another side at the end. Its loose, bluesy movement gains speed later through the fiddle. It is a fitting conclusion to an album which keeps changing mood. The instruments retain their character and the voices stay close.
Spider Tales offers more than a carefully assembled historical project. Its background helps explain the music, but the performances also stand on their own. Blount brings old songs and melodies to life through precise playing, distinctive singing and well-chosen contrasts. This is restrained music with a considerable amount of force.
