Brothers and Sisters – Fortunately (Calla Lilly)
By Evan St. John • Aug 6th, 2008 • Category: Sound Reviews |
For many, the genre of Modern Folk appears derivative, used up, and withered; a mockery of some bygone era long since grown impure. Austin’s Brothers and Sisters, with their newest release, Fortunately, contravene this concept - creating, in effect, Austin’s first Postmodern Folk album. Its music is fresh and honest, not because it mimics that golden era of mid-20th-century folk, but because its chords and sentiments seem to flow directly from the past and combine effortlessly with the band’s modern storytelling sensibilities. In these fourteen songs, the band is at once ironic and non-patronizing, tearing just at the edge of novel and nostalgic.
Opening with “Mason City,” Lily and Will Courtney immediately introduce classic folk themes of travel and loss, as the two harmonize “I’d give anything just to get back home/ … I’m a runaway.” For these two, the contradiction between the desire to flee and the need to feel at home has never been so strong.
