Genre Obscura!

90s birmingham neo-psychedelia!

this is a genre that is quite close to my heart, there are only a few bands in this genre
some of the genre staples include cheap synths, sixties drum sounds and mellow vocals (often female)

the main staple band of this genre is broadcast, trish keenan and james cargill were the duo that made up the group, unfortunately trish keenan passed away in 2011 from pneumonia, without her, the band simply doesnt exist, trish was the main vocalist, synth genius, and a huge inspiration to me and my music
their debut album "Noise made by people" is one of my favourite works in this genre.

pram is another band from birmingham from around this time, their style is childlike, almost reminicent of syd barretts work with pink floyd,
see their album 'The Stars Are So Big, the Earth Is So Small... Stay as You Are'
for a taste of what i really enjoy about these guys

theres an element of lullabies and childrens stories being put through a kind of creepy lens, the west midlands has a penchant for being a tad creepy at times, what with bella in the wych elm and all that, so i think it fits perfectly.

the final band i wanted to talk about was plone, now admittedly i dont know much about this band as i wish i did, infact information on them is slightly scarce, but their album 'for beginner piano' is the most electronic of the bunch, basically only using electronic instruments, their spotify bio says that they took inspiration from vintage childrens television and library music, and it makes sense, "Plock" wouldnt feel out of place in something like ace of wands, or some scifi low budget shithouse production with heart
however unlike pram, which seems to delight in corrupting the medium of childrens music and stories, plone exudes a real love for this type of stuff.
a kind of earnest love for the innocent

english folk revival

this is a genre that i really love, and one that i think is incredibly underappreciated

in the 60s in england, more specifically yorkshire, there was a kind of effort to keep some of the old english folk tunes alive, this revival survives in some form all the way to today, but i think started to lose steam around the 1990s

some of the genre staples include airy guitar, thick accented vocals, themes of love, nature and sometimes the supernatural

this album is a kind of unique one in this genre, it has a vibe of longing but also of merryment eliza carthy is the daughter of one martin carthy, an english folk legend in his own right, recording classics like 'john barleycorn' and 'the trees grow high' however, eliza carthy and her partner in music nancy kerr are not to be written off, songs like 'bushes and briars' are far and away my favourite tunes from the 90s era of this genre, they have a deep sense of sadness that comes from the ages and ages of story that exists behind these songs and the people who once knew them

shirley collins is possibly the best artist in this genre, especially in the early days, setting the landmark for songs that would define the genre henceforth with versions of 'hare on the mountain' (of which you should check out the ruby colley and isobel anderson version :'] ) and 'all things are quiet silent' a personal favourite of mine is 'sweet england'
it cannot be overstated the importance of shirley collins on this genre and its roots, it is unsure what would be of english folk without shirley collins.
if you are at all interested in this genre i urge you to check out shirley collins (shes still around and making music btw!)

the final band i want to talk about in this section is folkal point, a band that came in the 70s and blended the traditional styling with a kind of psychedelic pop that still feels quite fresh (possibly as no one really cared at the time) they have recordings of some of the most classic classics that there is 'scarbourough fair' (the song linked at the top of this section) and 'lovely joan'
i think they serve as a good entry point for understanding the genre conventions while still remaining in a space that isnt too weird or old timey for alot of people.