You know what I learned yesterday? That there’s a college, somewhere in America, that allows one to study traditional folk music. NO FUCKING SHIT. I’ve been to college but wasn’t a fan of the expense/dorms/frat dudes so I left it, but hell. But if there’s a place I can go and commune with like-minded souls as equally obsessed with the familial tones and porch vibes of folk music, all the while working towards a degree that says, “Look at me! I’m completely awesome! COOLER THAN YOUR MOM, EVEN!”, then uh, yeah. I should do that.
Fortunately, some dude named Max Horwich did just that and combined that degree in folk with ones in avant-garde jazz and classical music and the fruits of his labor have manifested into Sewing Machines. A diploma was obtained, a rented space procured in Chicago, and a record label, Future Folk, established. What has followed are three incredibly inventive albums, meshing folk and all manner of genres into incredibly listenable and lovely jams.
I stumbled on the work of Sewing Machines yesterday and was immediately smitten. While Horwich’s latest effort, February, is truly stunning, his first two works are no less so. Mixing violins and banjos with infecting drum beats, innovatory loops, and samples seems to be the mantra here but within each jam there is a new sound that I find to be just fan-fucking-tastic.
I really cannot recommend all three albums enough. If one listens from beginning to end, first record to latest, one can see the growth of an artist perfecting his craft, and in this day and age of manufactured pop jams that, frankly just suck total ass, that is so damn refreshing. Hit up the jams below and when you’re done, I highly recommend all Horwich’s albums, available over at Bandcamp.
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Sewing Machines :: Dry As A Bone [MP3]
Sewing Machines :: Seven Years [MP3]
Sewing Machines :: Little Lights [MP3]
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