“We’ve always been interested in how religious tradition takes on a more mystical form amongst people who are exposed more directly to the forces of nature.”
The Magic Tuber Stringband is Durham, North Carolina-based Courtney Werner and Evan Morgan, string players who have an ear minimalism and hearts for traditional folk music. My first foray into their mesmerizing mixture came through their 2023 release Tarantism inspired by a old Italian Tarantella record and it’s been soothing my ears and mind for some time with strings, fiddle & cello from Werner and guitars, banjo, pump organ & sruti box from Morgan with field recordings and samples blended in.
Needlefall is the band’s 4th LP and their first on Thrill Jockey. That opening quote from the band continues:
If you spend enough time out in the woods you inevitably see or hear things that are hard to explain. I’ve been in caves where it’s total darkness and you’re enveloped by the disorienting sound of dripping water. The natural sights and sounds in these places are often repetitive, percussive, expressive, sometimes unsettling – the way that water carves patterns into rock or tree trunks appear in endless rows.
Endless rows and carved patterns go a long way in describing the music contained on Needlefall, a meditative mix of old and new. Touring member Mike DeVito on percussion, Crowmeat Bob on clarinet and saxophone, string player Andy McLeod and saw player Dan Patridge join in the celebration. And this music feels like a celebration of forces larger than life.
