Tele Novella is a band that I saw on Twitter the other day, as this album, Merlynn Belle (2021), was just released today, and the band was promoting the album. The album artwork was super interesting to me, as it looks like some sort of mash-up of a psychedelic rock album from the late 1960s combined with medieval folk elements. The descriptions of this band from a small town near Austin, Texas, suggest that the band pulls from a wide variety of influences in crafting their sound. One quote describing the band’s sound that has interested me even more is “medieval outsider country”, which sounds pretty sweet. I’m stoked to give this album a listen, so with that said, I’m going to jump on into the music.
Oh wow, “Words That Stay” starts out in a super interesting manner, which honestly sounds like baroque country pop, with flavors that sound to nearly have a tex-mex on-the-border sort of sound, as well as a bit of a psychedelic tinge as well. Oh wow, this track is super interesting. I really dig the clapping that seems to provide a wholesome-sounding rhythm in some respect to the track. I really dig the accentuations from the piano as well. Great tune, and I’m excited to hear more.
Oh wow, “It Won’t Be Long” starts out with a cascading sound of notes down the line of a harpsichord, which is soon joined by a nearly chugging rhythm and some country in the guitar work. Oh wow, the tremelo on the electric guitar adds a super groovy psychedelic sound that feels reminiscent of the mid to late 1960s. Great track.
Oh wow, “Never” starts out with some super light keys that nearly have a bit of a tropical feel. Oh wow, a baroque sounding guitar comes into the soundscape that seems to mix with the nearly outlaw/outsider country vocal sound in a super interesting manner. Oh wow, the bass guitar adds a ton of feel to the track in a super groovy way, and adds a really sweet layer that seems to get the soundscape gradually moving about itself. Super sweet track.
Holy smokes, “Wishing Shrine” has a super interesting water-droplet sound combined with a super interesting psychedelic country sort of sound. Wow, I’m really digging this track. The overall soundscape has a psychedelic country voyage sort of sound that seems to be outlined with some baroque flavors. Great tune.
Oh wow, “One Little Pearl” begins with a super baroque sounding vocal melody thats combined with some psychedelic-folk-flavored instrumentation that I’m really digging. I’m sort of getting flashes of Caedmon at times, which was a medieval psychedelic folk band from the late 1960s that has reunited in recent years. Oh wow, this baroque/medieval instrumentation creates such an interesting psychedelic backdrop in this tune. Great track.
Oh wow, “Paper Crown” has a tight, sort of pop-y country beginning with a gradually bouncing bass line that’s accompanied by some easy-going percussion in some claps and a kick drum that reminds me of Lee Hazlewood. Oh wow, the instrumentation gets a lot more intricate with some indie and psychedelic flavors as the music continues. I really dig the sound of the drums in this track. Oh wow, the chorus almost sounds like a medieval reimagining of Feist. Wow, great tune.
Oh wow, “A Lot to Want” begins with some super interesting guitar that reminds me a bit of some old British folk from someone like Bert Jansch or Richard Thompson. Oh wow, the electric guitar comes in and seems to flow with the percussion as though it were waves crashing along the hull of a ship. Oh wow, the organs come in and bring in a really interesting psychedelic touch to the background, while the drums in the track almost have a sort of sound as though you’re a cowboy on some sort of shamanic journey in the old west under a starry sky. Wow, great track.
Holy smokes, “Crystal Witch” starts out with some background noise as though you’re listening to an old recording from the 1940s on a record player, while the instrumentation gradually enters the soundscape in a really interesting psychedelic folksy marching style. Holy smokes, the fuzzed-out guitar enters the soundscape as though it’s some sort of lighthouse breaking through a thick fog at night, lighting the way for ahead for you, while the drums have a sort of marching beat, and the sweet timbre of the vocals seem to be beckoning you deeper into soundscape. Wow, I’m really digging this track. The track resolves to a really folksy ending that I really dig as well. Great tune.
Oh wow, “Desiree” starts with a super sweet folksy guitar that seems to have a bit of a baroque styling. Oh wow, some organs enter the soundscape, and combine with what sound to be a bright harpsichord to produce a groovy sort of medieval soft psych sound. Super sweet track.
Oh wow, “Technicolor Town” starts out with a really groovy beat that seems to be a bit of a syncopated sampling from an old record. Oh wow, there’s a guitar that comes in and brings a super sweet country flavor to the soundscape. Oh wow, the drums change up as the bass comes in, which combine to groove the tune forward in a really interesting baroque country sort of style. Oh wow, this soundscape gets increasingly interesting as more country flavors and more baroque flavors continue to get added to the song. I really dig the way the music fades out at the end of the track. Great tune, and a great way to end the album.
Wow, this album was super interesting and produced a combination of flavor that I don’t think I’d previously thought about: a medieval and baroque style with country styles, all stirred together with a psychedelic ladle of sorts. There were also some folksy flavors that connected the different baroque and country styles, creating an eclectic sound from start to finish. If you’re into baroque and medieval folk, and you also dig outlaw country and/or cosmic country, you might want to consider checking out this record. If you do decide to give this album a listen, I sincerely do hope hat you enjoy the listening experience at least as much as I did.
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