Formed in 2011, Kenneth Pattengale and Joey Ryan have climbed to great heights with their LA based folk band The Milk Carton Kids. The duo has an excellent concept of folk form, and their lyrical brilliance paired with their Fleet Foxes-esque vocal style carries a mellow, easy listening silkiness through their music.
The new album, "The Ash&Clay", exemplifies their diversity and deep understanding of folk music. from the harmonic tone-setting guitar in "Whisper in her ear" to the light bluesy crooning in "On the Mend" to the roots bluegrass feel of "Heaven."
The pair have released three music videos from the album which were created not to visually entertain so much as to show what listening to music looks like. They feature very little action, for instance the video for "Honey, Honey" is simply Amanda Seyfried driving and listening to the song. The point is that even if it looks like nothing is happening on the surface while one indulges in music, the music is doing something very profound deep within the person.
And "The Ash&Clay" is the perfect album to use for such an artistic and abstract video project as that. The music is so good that it reacts almost chemically within the listener.
The Milk Carton Kids are most renowned for their live performances, having clever banter on stage that's as entertaining and charming as their music. MCK have toured with bands such as Old Crow Medicine Show, Punch Brothers, and more.
The Milk Carton Kids will perform a show at the Casbah in Durham, NC on April 19 in support of their new album. Be there or be square.
The album debuts on March 26. Buy it here on LP or CD. (But come on, you know you want it on vinyl.)
Comments