Olden Yolk

by Olden Yolk

Overview

Olden Yolk is the self-titled debut of a project led by Quilt co-founder Shane Butler and fellow singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Caity Shaffer. While it explores the same '60s- and '70s-era psychedelic folk territory as Butler's more established band, it does so with an even more remote, soft-focus lens. The duo were joined in the studio by their touring band, guitarist Jesse DeFrancesco and drummer Dan Drohan, a member of dream pop outfit Uni Ika Ai. One of the fuzzier songs on the album, "Common Ground," opens with Butler's voice, bass, and effects before it fleshes out its sound with rhythm guitar and drums, eventually expanding it further with echo-y, distorted electric guitar, crashing cymbals, and spacy backing vocals. Sparer, more ambling tracks like "Gamblers on a Dime" rely on acoustic instruments, though never entirely. That song employs acoustic guitar, violin, and light drums until it reaches its more textured, keyboard-accompanied choruses. Elsewhere, they pick up the tempo and the jangle on entries like "Cut to the Quick" and "Vital Sign." With Shaffer singing lead, the latter strays into a lava lamp-induced instrumental interlude two-thirds of the way through before landing back on what sounds more like a three-part chorus than a typical verse, bridge, and chorus. Later, with a mix of acoustic and electric guitar, a minor key, and persistent vocal harmonies, the rustic "Hen's Teeth" sounds straight from the Summer of Love, though on average Olden Yolk's songwriting evokes Pink Floyd more often than Jefferson Airplane or, say, Neil Young. Besides the Quilt connection, there's a Woods link here, too, with Jarvis Taveniere producing on an album that cooks up a dreamy meld of contemporary indie-New York atmosphere and a trippy past seemingly frozen in time. ~ Marcy Donelson

Product Details

Release Date:	02/23/2018
Label:	Trouble In Mind
UPC:	0630125983379

Tracks

1. Verdant
2. Cut to the Quick
3. Gamblers on a Dime
4. Vital Signs
5. Aria
6. Common Ground
7. Hen's Teeth
8. Espirit de Corps
9. After Us
10. Takes One to Know One

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Olden Yolk   Primary Artist
John Andrews   Primary Artist,Piano,Vocals
Shane Butler   Bass,Vocals,Fx Vocals,Keyboards,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Jake Falby   Viola,Violin
Jon Nellen   Synthesizer,Drum Machine
Dan Drohan   Drums,Percussion
Caity Shaffer   Bass,Piano,Vocals,Keyboards
Jesse DeFrancesco   Keyboards,Guitar (Electric)

Technical Credits

Jarvis Taveniere   Engineer
Robert Aceto   Assistant
Mikey Young   Mastering
Shane Butler   Producer,Group Member
Jon Nellen   Tapes,Mixing,Engineer,Producer
Dan Drohan   Group Member
Caity Shaffer   Producer,Group Member
Olden Yolk   Composer,Engineer,Producer
Jesse DeFrancesco   Group Member,Sleeve Photo
Larry Robin   Sculpture
Paul Hogan   Cover Photo