Arborea is psychedelic folk husband-wife duo from Portland, Maine, and the band has been active since around 2005. I learned about the group while researching Robbie Basho last night, as Arborea curated a couple of Robbie Basho tribute albums. The duo of Arborea plays a number of different instruments, ranging from slide guitar, sawing fiddle, ukulele, hammered dulcimer, and more. This album, Arborea (2008), is the group’s second release. I’m pretty excited to give this album a listen, so with that said, I’m going to jump on into the music.
“Forewarned” starts with some very enchanting vocals that sound as though you’re being beckoned further into the forest by mystical elves. Oh wow, there’s a bit of clattering from what sounds to be a wind chime behind the vocals, and what sounds to be a distant note from a guitar that further adds to the mystique of the music. The different lines from the female vocalist create a really epic folksy sound. Wow, great track, and I’m excited to hear more.
Oh wow, “Red Bird” begins with some super sweet folk guitar in a style that reminds me a bit of the British folk revival guitarists such as Bert Jansch. The music seems as though it’s somehow narrating an old European folktale. Holy smokes, the violins/strings come in with even more epic folksy flavor that pulls me further into the listening experience. Wow, I’m really digging this album so far. Great track.
“Ides of March” starts out with some low, droning strings that fade, and seem to pick up a certain raga inclination as things come into focus, though I’m also reminded a fair deal of the American primitive guitar style of John Fahey and Robbie Basho. Wow, this track has only been a sort of shamanic instrumental so far, which has hooked me even further into the listening experience. I’m reminded a little bit of Espers, another American psychedelic folk band from the 2000s. Wow, awesome track.
Oh wow, “Seadrift” starts out with some simple, twangy, bluesy acoustic guitar, which picks up really nicely from the shamanic guidance of the previous track. I really dig the simple vocals that go along with the acoustic guitar. Oh wow, the track continues and seems to pick up more psychedelic and raga elements. Oh wow, the twang of the slide guitar almost makes it seem like you’re a lost cowboy in a desert, and you’re nearly out of water and have no idea when you might be able to get more. Great track.
“Black Mountain Road” begins with some super sweet reversed guitar that nearly sounds like a sitar. I’m really digging the way the vocals harmonize with the reversed effects of the guitar. Oh wow, a twangy banjo comes in and seems to get the tune moving in a more forward direction while continuing the same melody the guitar seemed to be playing. Oh wow, there are some really sweet violins/strings that add an interesting folksy ambiance to the soundscape, almost acting as a simple sip of water for the lost cowboy of the previous song. I’m really digging the style of this album so far. Oh wow, a small, folksy orchestra of strings comes in at the end of the track, and has somehow pulled me further into the listening experience. Wow, great track.
“Dark Horse” starts out with some really sweet, plucky banjo. Oh wow, this song features the male vocalist for the first time, which introduces some earthier textures to the soundscape that complement the lone banjo nicely. It sounds like there are some distant shakers that come in once in a while, which furthers the simplicity that the song seems to contain while adding a dynamic feel to the listening experience. Great track.
“Leaves Among the Ruins” begins with some dark, folksy acoustic guitar, with an overall tone that reminds me of Tim Buckley’s song, “Driftin'”, off of Lorca (1970). Oh wow, it sounds like there are a couple of bluesy notes that are hit, which adds even more weight to the lonesome guitar. It almost sounds like what someone might play at the bottom of a set of stairs that leads to purgatory. I’ve already checked, but the band hasn’t released this album on vinyl. There are some CDs of the album on Discogs, though, and I might buy one of those. This song definitely reminds me of the haunting feel from Tim Buckley’s Lorca (1970). Wow, great track.
“Dark Is the Night, Cold Is the Wind” starts out with a bit of a purposeful gallop in the plucking of a banjo, which is soon joined by another plucked folk instrument that doesn’t necessarily sound like an acoustic guitar, but it might be. I’m really digging the sense of forward movement in this track between the vocals and the plucked notes. Super sweet track.
“Swan” begins with a really strange, interesting shimmer of sounds that almost sound like some distant church organs or some other keyboard instrument. Oh wow, the different layers of the female vocalist’s voice carries a ghostly presence that has hooked me even further into the music. Wow, super sweet track.
“Echo of Hooves” begins with a high-pitched plucking of a folksy instrument of some sort, which seems to carry an interesting haunted feel, especially as the female vocalist’s voice comes in and out of the soundscape. Super sweet tune.
“Plains of Macedonia” starts out with some really twangy folksy instrumentation, which might be a dulcimer; I’m not too familiar with all of the different stringed folk instruments out there. This track seems to resolve a lot of the dark, twangy, bluesy, folksy playing from some of the tracks earlier, as though the lost cowboy has found salvation in some form or another. I’m really digging this instrumental. Wow, great track, and a great way to finish the listening experience.
Holy smokes, this album was a super sweet listening experience. The album seemed to direct an epic, folkloric narrative that the listener is able to come up with as the music continues. The songs range from epic folktales, to the haunting of the characters in the folktales, and then to the salvation/resolution of the folktale by the end, while sparingly using lyrics throughout. If you’re into psychedelic folk groups like Espers and American primitive guitar artists like John Fahey or even Robbie Basho, then you might want to consider checking out this album. If you do decide to give this album a listen, I sincerely do hope that you enjoy the listening experience at least as much as I did.
-A