Robin Bacior : Rest Our Wings

With first full-length 'Rest Our Wings', Robin Bacior stands out even more in the alt-folk scene, to the point of actually doing some new things in the overstuffed genre....
Robin Bacior : Rest Our Wings
8.1 Consonants & Vowels
2011 

Robin Bacior : Rest Our Wings The alternative music scene is littered with alt-folk, as it’s a genre that requires much less in the way of a cash investment (voice + acoustic guitar; no fancy effects equipment needed), nor of band.  It’s also got a higher female representation than a lot of styles in the supposedly equal rights alt-scene (female vocals are more prized, and no need for guy drummers who take their shirts off).  And the New York alt-music scene (i.e., Brooklyn), is only heavier with alt-folk, despite being far from the genre’s rural roots (instead located somewhere between Sodom and Gomorrah…).  Yet northern California transplant Robin Bacior still stood out in her debut EP, Aimed For Night (QRO review), doing the sweet & sad alt-folk style just right.  Now with first full-length Rest Our Wings, she stands out even more, to the point of actually doing some new things in the overstuffed genre.

“I Hate The States” has an up-twang feel, yet Bacior’s vocals are near-conversational – and there’s some great strings, to boot.  Single “Ohio” (click to download) drops the listener in the middle of Bacior’s story about meeting a boy from the Buckeye State – again with strong strings.  Meanwhile, the preceding “Jubilee” is some catchy alt-country/folk.

Bacior also picks up the piano (while stripping down her sound otherwise) for “Pair Migration” and “Ballad From a Liar”, and lets in the alt-folk wist on closer “Before the New Year”.  There’s also sadness – this is still alt-folk, after all – though pieces like “Sun Hangs Low” aren’t quite as standout, comparatively.

At only eight racks, Rest Our Wings is a little short (only four more songs than Aimed For Night EP), but certainly sweet – and not just in the way most alt-folk is sweet, but in new ways as well.  There’s still room in alt-folk, if a lady can make the space herself.

MP3 Stream: “I Hate The States

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