Bent Neck & The Joints show us what "freak folk" is all about on "Little Country"
Bent Neck and the Joints’ self-proclaimed “freak folk” has captured the hearts and ears of many southern Ontario show-goers and let’s just say that these folks certainly freaked when they dropped Little Country. This project is a 25-minute escape into blissful country utopia. So, if you find yourself daydreaming about laying in a field while the breeze blows through your bandana or waiting your turn for the open mic at a tavern in Nashville, Little Country might be the perfect soundtrack for your mind. If that doesn’t apply to you, I suggest you throw on this record and start fantasizing immediately.
The band originated in 2021 but graced the Brantford scene with their presence for the very first time in June of 2023 where they blew everyone’s minds as well as our socks off.
The record opens with its title track, Little Country The instrumental dynamics of the album’s title track set a perfect precedent for the journey the listener is about to embark on. Our sonic voyage starts softly with a simple acoustic guitar riff which builds, slowly but surely, to a climax of silky melodies, piano, harmonica, and pedal steel, yet never sounding too busy. The track gets flipped on its head and before you know it, horns and overdriven guitar burst through the seams and shows the listener what “freak folk” is all about. It guides us to a well balanced and full euphoria. How could it get better than this?
“Magnolia” and the lead single “Wind Warnings” show us how the album can, in fact, get better, (although I may be speaking out of bias as I personally favour these two). From lines as simple, yet meaningful as “wasting hours / wasting days” on the former track, to words as profound as “every tick I’m getting closer to you / maybe finally have a chance to prove” on the latter. Both build a type of grasping-for-hope feeling that the listener can’t help but belt along. The theme continues in “Scribbled Thoughts” when the choir of band member’s voices open the track with “we’re all shaking our legs / under the table” painting this picture of what it feels like to be an anxious 20 something and the comfort in the camaraderie of that. Doubling down in the same song, they reiterate “a list of things I should do / I’ll do them soon I swear.” And come on, if that’s not relatable I don’t know what is! Finally, Jackie’s smooth vocals guide us home in “Rockford, Illinois” bringing a chill down the spine and a tear to
the eye. No, I’m not being dramatic.
Bent Neck’s sound draws diverse comparisons from country classics like Gillian Welch, to 2010s indie folk The Head and The Heart and let’s not forget beloved Wilco. Some might go as far as saying “some folk version of Radiohead” which is a direct quote from the drummer herself, Diana. The quality in production seamlessly accomplishes the task of creating an overall consistent sound. The arrangements make everything flow naturally from track to track. This album is perfect to listen to in the spring or the fall, driving on the 403 or a dirt road, sitting by a lake at a cottage or under a blanket by a fire. The juxtaposition of the elements of fantasy and reality throughout the album blend harmoniously, it’s modern, yet timeless. You better put on your boots and hat cowboy, ‘cause you’re in for a beautiful ride.
Written by Cadence Nixon