Newtie – The Texarkana Séance
Newtie is an experimental freak-folk artist from Charlotte, North Carolina. Much like the Growlers, Newtie’s low-fi production is the perfect aesthetic for the champion underdog’s down-to-Earth sound. Unlike the Growlers, though; Newtie offers very little to the cannon of folk/indie-rock in lieu of its simple, yet charming song-writing.
Despite their simplicity, there are a handful of standouts on The Texarkana Séance. Pissin’ Cowboy is essential cowboy music, reminiscing in cosy canals of country music while condemning the average pisser who listens to it. Flying Saucer is exceptionally mellow, tastefully blending the melancholic slow-burn aesthetic of folk with the cold, moody synthetic trumpet. The final two tracks, Midnight Pasture and Hayfields, are simple yet comforting. Despite its solid requiems, it’s difficult to take the album seriously with its amateurish intermissions, such as Casiophonic Proceedings, Air Conditioning and Folk Singers Are Dead (All of Them!). Moreover, much of the album has very little to differentiate itself from the extensive catalogue of music that inspired it. Had Newtie experimented more with his song structures or incorporated more instrumentals (such as the beautiful accompanying harmonica in Moobshine Bumpersticker), there may have been more to recommend.
Sadly, The Texarkana Séance sounds rather unrefined and unimpressive as a whole. The guitar playing is admirable, and the vocals never feel out of place; though as mentioned before, there’s far too little innovation. One could easily enjoy this type of music in a desolate bar while stopping by a drive-though town, though there’s nothing to differentiate it from the next town over or the one before.
Slightly Below Average
Listen to it here:
Newtie – The Texarkana Séance
