New York’s Tompkins Square imprint is untouchable when it comes to unusual collections of lost music, so a young musician must carry something special to become their flagship artist. Frank Fairfield is still in his mid-20s but rejects the modern world, instead developing an encyclopaedic knowledge of the many 78s he’s amassed through years of crate-digging. He now translates the arcane musical styles through his own idiosyncrasies.
Hailing from California, Fairfield ended up as part of the Tompkins Square label after being discovered playing old-time fiddle on the street, and becoming Fleet Foxes’ support act of choice. In 2009, he released his self-titled debut album of arcane blues and hillbilly covers, also compiling the fascinating Unheard Ofs And Forgotten Abouts from his collection.
This sophomore set beautifully consolidates Fairfield’s unearthly grasp of pre-war fiddle, banjo and guitar-picking, straddling the ghostly, Mississippi John Hurt-evoking Frazier Blues and foot-stomping acceleration of Farewell Texas to haunted ballads such as Ruthie and gates-of-hell lament Someday You‘ll Be Free. Poor Old Lance could be Phil Spector cast back to pre-war Appalachia with its dense, fiddle-guitar wall of sound.
The depth, passion and disembodied strangeness of Fairfield’s highly-idiosyncratic transmissions rebuffs any novelty taunts, instead catalysing the growing movement back to raw music, maybe even another quiet revolution.
