Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. Today’s featured selection, chosen by Afternoon Show host Kevin Cole, is Hangman
by Fire On Fire from the 2007 self-titled EP on Young God Records.
The majority of this South Portland, Maine, quintet has been together for quite some time, releasing nine albums as Cerberus Shoal before adapting to their current state and sound. This is their first output for Young God, the label of choice for prime neo-folk artists and arguably the home of Devendra Banhart’s greatest output. While listening to Fire On Fire, you’ll hear a lot of that throaty warble Banhart is famous for. You’ll also hear the most up-to-date spin on country/bluegrass since the term was coined. Using varied instrumentation, FoF is able to incorporate elements of many different cultures and the recordings are done in a way that makes you feel right there with them. Live, the band plays the way the genre should be played -- totally unplugged save a few mics positioned on stage, utilizing the band’s energy and not a volume knob to keep the crowd groovin’. Currently, the only place to find the EP is through the Young God website and sources say a full-length is due out later this year. No tour dates are presently listed, but the samples on their MySpace page make for great entertainment while you wait, and here’s the band performing “Amnesia” on the Young Gods Ranch:
