There’s a quote from Inside Llewyn Davis, a Coen Brothers film which details a few days in the life of a fictitious songwriter, where its titular character states, “If it was never new, and it never gets old, then it’s a folk song.” I thought about that quote a lot while listening to Blueberry Mountain, an LP by New York singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Erin Durant. The album, recorded entirely in analog, is split between piano and acoustic guitar arrangements, with Durant’s mezzo-soprano floating softly over minimalist instrumentation, all set against the warm hiss of tape in the background. It’s a verdant, welcoming record, reminiscent of the 1960s Greenwich Village scene that never feels panderingly vintage; rather, Erin Durant’s songwriting and its honest lyricism are rife with the timelessness inherent, and necessary, to good folk music.
Erin Durant will bring her classic soundscapes to The Park Church Co-Op on February 8th, lending support to Erika Spring and Stranger Cat. Stream 2016’s Blueberry Mountain below. -Connor Beckett McInerney (@b_ck_tt)