Charming and Unarming
The Cave Singers tap into the earthy folk movement that’s so popular at the moment with bands like Bon Iver thriving in the UK. There seems to be a significant trend for post-punk bands whose exponents go on to play indie folk, take Frank Turner as a prime example, and The Cave Singers are no different with members from Cobra High, Pretty Girls Make Graves and Hint, Hint. The gritty and soulful swagger that graces some of the songs is the only hint of the band’s past that the listener will sense. ‘At The Cut’ in particular bounds along at some pace with a tense, guitar riff and quaking cymbal that could go so far as to back a Western style bar room brawl.
There’s a raw and real quality to ‘Welcome Joy’ with simple, eloquent tunes that sport pattering percussion, sweet guitar riffs and buoyant melodies, alongside the more robust tunes that show off a rock edge. There’s almost a country style exuberance on ‘Leap’, one of the earliest all singing and dancing high-paced numbers that exudes a natural vigour. The subject matter also has a firm folk slant, talking of flowers, woods and evoking natural imagery alongside the usual focus on relationships and love.
‘Hen of the Woods’ is a standout track with a soft, sparkling that billows gently along with a fresh feel and quirky percussive pattern that clatters along, contributing to the track’s overall sense of light-hearted positivity. ‘VV’ has an almost Fleetwood Mac sigh to its minimalist, flowing melody, while ‘I Don’t Mind’ verges on the heavenly with a see-sawing guitar melody that brushes against the slightly more gruff vocal harmonies.
‘Welcome Joy’ channels effortless, retro melodies and free-flowing folk rhythms together into a special and very pleasing album. Every tune may not catch your ear and the vocals are often almost inaudible, but it’s the kind of album that you can enjoy passively and relax back into the quirky and sweet tunes. It’s quite some transformation from the band’s roots but it’s a good and honest one.