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douglasawh on 05/28/2011 at 10:30AM
Isaac Graham and the Reds
Isaac's punk roots don't really come out in his debut album "Empty Vessels," but his fantastic and somtimes playful ("Photographs and Histories") song-writing certainly do. The variety of influences certainly do make appearances; blues, folk, singer-songwriter and sciffle all make appearances. If not a direct homage to sciffle, the use of chair and drumsticks for the drum recording only fail to deliver that homage because they sound so good. While mostly a singer and his guitar, a variety of other instruments make appearances; harmonica, piano, violin. One would also be remiss if they didn't mention Isaac's progressive leanings, obvious in a track title like Karl Marx and the Reds and stated influences such as Billy Bragg.
The punk roots come out out on the myriad of cover songs recorded on his YouTube page. Frank Turner, formerly of post-hardcore band Million Dead, also choose one Isaac's song to be featured on one of his albums and despite my opinion it doesn't belong, that doesn't stop punknews.org from giving it a review.
Despite an otherwise glowing review, punknews.org points out that the variety of influences coming into the album might not be for everyone. If the DIY production values coveted by the punk and folk scenes don't do it for you, you'll just have to wait for the much-anticipated second album where Isaac is sure to hone his sound. Hell, if you're a production snob, make sure you donate to the cause of getting him in a studio. One thing is for sure - Isaac Graham is a rising star in Creative Commons music.
Find out more during the Music Manumit Podcast's interview with the head of his label, Copyleft Records, and then an interview with Isaac himself.
