The Memory Band - Apron Strings

So many hip artists are parlaying the folk genre these days—so much that it’s become a tedious job having to wade through to find the worthwhile ones, and it’s increasing difficult to discern any actual “folk” roots other than a penchant for stringed instruments and rusty vocals. The Memory Band quells any preconceived notions of its folk tag with Apron Strings, a collaboration of too many British folk musicians to mention here. Former Badly Drawn Boy bassist Stephen Cracknell is the foundation of the machine, as his songwriting credits are at the heart of nearly every song, and he rotates his instrumental input throughout. The record really isn’t "hip" at all; the warm, whimpering strings and ingratiating melodies sound as though coming from earnest farmers and country-folk who retire to the stables after dinner to exercise their suppressed creativity--farmers who happen to tinker with electronic instruments from time to time, but hell, it's 2007. The lyrics are down-to-earth, not dodgy metaphors or inside monologues considered enigmatic by outsiders. It’s these factors that make Apron Strings the desperately pretty listen that it is. [www.thememoryband.com]