New Music: Vieux Loup by The Acorn
The Acorn recently released their first album in nearly five years, Vieux Loup.
The triumphant return of Ottawa’s seminal folk band after a long hiatus and side projects was well worth the wait. Vieux Loup, is a wonderful eight-song album that goes back and forth between soft and delicate to electronic-infused folk songs. This is evident from the very beginning. The first song “Rapids” brought me back to The Acorn of old, with elements reminding me of the band I first witnessed at Club SAW a decade ago – the one with gentle finger-picking and simple drum work with beautiful vocals laden over them. The second song, “Palm Springs,” is a little heavier, with more strumming than picking, ambient sounds, and stronger effects on the vocals. The balance continues throughout the album and works to perfection. One can’t help but wonder how much Rolf Klausener’s venture with Silkken Laumann, a much more electronic/dance band, has influenced Vieux Loup. It is always fascinating hearing how an artist evolves over time.
The song I just can’t stop listening to is the title track, “Vieux Loup”. The beautiful song is everything I always loved about The Acorn. Slow finger-picking work with perfectly simple drumming by Pat Johnson, complemented with vocal harmonies that all combine for the perfect rainy day song. Have a listen to the album, released on Paper Bag Records, below.