LP Review: "The Promise of Strangers" by The Fugitives

The Promise of Strangers

Well, it's mail bag time!

What arrived in the legitimate, snail paced, oft hated by President Trump, USPS?

Well, it's an album by a buttressed duo from...just give me a moment to check the PAPER press release, the internet, and everything else....

And well, honestly I have no idea where The Fugitives are from, but that's fairly poetic don't you think?

Listening through this album, the second time through is playing as this is typed, it's reminiscent of the old band this guy had back in the day. Our bassist and second guitarist had this idea of playing music and writing songs that were all in different styles.

(some of) The Fugitives (or all of them?)

At the time, this concept seemed fairly nonsensical. There were arena rock tunes, salsa tunes, and avant garde weirdness.

It didn't work, because, it wasn't fully fleshed out. What if instead of styles, a band was able to change instruments?

That's what The Fugitives do with the best of them. Each song seemingly has different instrumentation.

Pianos, Violins, accordions, and more. (NOTE: Accordions may or may not appear on this record of neo-modern-throwback-folk tunes.)

Multiple voices, multiple timbres, and multiple moods offer more to the listener than the same setup on every track, but there are times when a monolithic sound is appropriate.

It's just not when you're trying to convey simple messages and honest emotions.

The Fugitives have taken the simple idea of folk music, and not the It's A Mighty Wind or even the Simon and Garfunkel, Phil Ochs, and Woodie Guthrie version of the term, and brought it back.

Folk Music was originally a term for music that was played by families, by friends, etc. The changing of the instruments gives a nice feel because it's reminiscent of getting together and singing songs and playing whatever's near by.

Release: Out Now
Genre: Neolithic Folk of the People
Label: Borealis Records
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