Currituck Co - Sleepwalks In The Garden Of a Dead Room

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4...according to our Clinton on Wed 29 Nov, 2006.

Another name to add to the plethora of folky artists bursting out the US is Currituck Co. on Track and Field. This CD starts of sounding remarkably like a yank cousin of Scotland's James Orr Complex., taking the complex John Fahey like rhythms and adding David Grubbs-esque vocals. On first listen I thought this was marred by slightly clumsy vocals and lyrics but on second go its starting to fit together a bit better. The lyrics are kind of dark and paranoid, the guitar textures are brilliant.

Kevin Barker (Currituck Co) doesn't hide his reverence for folk, vintage Americana and traditional bluegrass. More importantly, he doesn't hide behind it. Currituck Co harnesses John Fahey's method and Gram Parsons' melodies as well as Ron Sexsmith's blunt confessionalism and the subtle acoustic-pop musings of Elliott Smith. By employing quirky arrangements, Barker tempers the silky staccato of steel guitars and banjo plucking, updating the sounds and souls of his forebears to make sense to the kids today. You're not supposed to mess with tradition, but sometimes good stuff happens when you do.

Kevin is a regular collaborator with Devendra Banhart and touring associate of Drag City’s folk darling, Joanna Newsom. He appears on Banhart’s ‘Arthur’ magazine compilation, "Golden Apples of the Sun" and even filmed Devendra during his US tour in the summer 2004 for a future DVD release.

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