Ep. 108. Freak Folk w/ Madeline Rupard

Freak Folk was a subgenre of folk music popular from the early to late 2000s that emerged after younger indie musicians took inspiration from 1960s psychedelic folk. Initially defying characterization, people started to label their music “Freak Folk” beginning in 2004 after Devendra Banhart curated a compilation CD titled The Golden Apples of the Sun that unintentionally anthologized the subgenre. Most Freak Folk artists rejected the label, but it described a cohesive sound best characterized by childlike vocals, unusual musical instruments, and lo-fi production quality.

This week, Nathan is joined by professor and painter Madeline Rupard (from Ep. 84: Rest Stops) to discuss the subgenre in depth. The two begin by tracing Freak Folk’s origins to Vashti Bunyan and Davendra Banhart, detailing how the two collaborated. They then dedicate a large portion of the episode to singer-songwriter and harpist Joanna Newsom, discussing all four of her albums: The Milk-Eyed Mender, Ys, Have One On Me, and Divers. They then briefly cover the work CocoRosie and Animal Collective before concluding the episode with a speculative discussion about why most Freak Folk musicians received Waldorf educations in their youth.

Links:

Madeline Rupard - Instagram Page

https://www.madelinerupard.com/

Joannna Newsom is not on Spotify

The Sprout and the Bean by Joann Newsom

Bridges & Balloons by Joann Newsom

Emily by Joanna Newsom

Have One On Me by Joanna Newsom

Sapokanikan  by Joanna Newsom

Terrible Angels by Cocorosie