Going Folk on Music

I have very varied taste on music. I like classical music, trip hop, rock, metal, anti-folk, new wave and so on and so forth.  However, I have grown a dislike on pop music, especially today. I do not hate pop entirely however, I just do not like how the music industry's way of presenting pop music. Somehow, I mostly see pretty faces, but no talent. It seems like image is more important than the music they produce. I rarely see artists with talent that's why I am so picky when I choose pop artists. And...auto-tune...

One of the reasons why I do not listen to pop music nowadays is because of the digitally-enhanced voices on I hear. Most singers have their voice digitally enhanced to sound more pleasing. Through this, many artists can mask their lack of vocal quality and can only be good in studio music. It is one of the aspects of the progression of technology which I do not really like. So instead of listening to mainstream music, I stepped back and looked for artists in the indie and folk music industry.

Modern Folk Artists

Brooke Fraser: Folk Rock and Contemporary Christian Artist

Because of this, I found myself looking checking modern folk music artists like Ingrid Michaelson and Brooke Fraser. Ingrid Michaelson is an indie artist who I discovered accidentally, when I randomly downloaded her song in LJ. Her indie folk songs are fun and upbeat which brings a very contemporary sound. This kind of style is very apparent in her song "Be OK" which I like.

Brooke Fraser, on the other hand was introduced to me by my mother. The first time I heard of her was when she performed "Age to Age" with the Hillsong United. I loved her voice immediately. Brooke is the one who introduced me to Folk Rock which is more upbeat and playful. Her voice blends well with her sound and she really got some fun videos. One of my favorites from her songs is "Something in the Water" which has very prominent folk elements with a touch of rock.

Japanese Folk Music

Atari Kousuke: Folk Jpop Artist

What I like about the Japanese music industry is that their sound is very varied and somewhat edgey. I have been a fan of lots of their musicians, because of their uniqueness and individualism. Still, I do not go for their mainstream music. Because of this, I was reintroduced to Japanese Folk Music.

Honestly, when I heard a Japanese folk song before, I cringe. It is not likable at first. One example of this is Sakura Taisen's 2nd ending theme. I think the Ryukoka style of singing kinda disturbs me since in my young ears, it sounds like a drunk person singing...somewhat. However, as I listened to the song more often, I grew a liking to it. Not long after that, it became one of my favorites. That was ten years ago.

In 2005, when I watched Samurai Champloo, an insert song caught my attention. It was a song sang by Ikue Asazaki which conveys strong feelings of longing and sadness. I was wondering why I was moved by a weirdly sang song. I never thought that such music could be so vivid in expressing such emotions despite not understanding the lyrics. From then on, the Ryukoka way of singing became one of my favorite vocal techniques.

Not long after, I discovered a rare gem amidst all Miku Hatsune songs in youtube lol. A Jpop artist who sings in  Ryukoka style caught my attention, Atari Kousuke. He has Jpop melodies in his songs, however his voice pays tribute to his roots by singing it more like a Japanese folk song. This kind of fusion made me interested in listening to his music. His songs are like lullabies...they make me sleep.

These Japanese folk songs then made me appreciate Enka than before...which later became one of my favorite genre of music.

When I think about it, these folk songs are songs that are not auto-tuned or digitally manipulated. These artists make their own music, play their own music and sing their own music to the rawest sound possible. No digital enhancements and you can clearly hear their voices and message well. Their images are not also manufactured not like most of our artists today. Most of the time, their image emerge naturally when they make music in which you can see them enjoy and become comfortable in what they are doing. AND their lyrics make sense. lol

This is the reason why I got into folk music though I know this kind of music doesn't really interest most people. This kind of music is not for everyone, however, I enjoy them and that's what really matters. :)