The joyously mournful acoustic and electric sounds that emanate from the sophomore album by Fern Knight place it somewhere between the Brit folk movement of the ’70s and the current wave of avant folk oddballs. Although Music for Witches and Alchemists is considerably lighter in tone and more lushly appointed than its predecessor, 2003’s dark and disturbing Seven Years of Severed Limbs, Fern Knight - the band persona of singer/songwriter Margie Wienk and a host of incestuously connected Providence, RI/Philadelphia folk scenesters - still manages to imbue even the most upbeat tunes on the album with a shadowy overcast that suits Wienk’s material to a moody turn. Wienk’s voice suggests a blend of Brit folk chanteuse Maddy Prior and pop enchantress Aimee Mann, a hybrid that floats eerily and perfectly above the band’s traditional musical architecture and contemporary execution. Wienk’s ability to write songs and her band’s ability to interpret them across the generational spectrum of folk means that Fern Knight should find fans in every dark corner of every folk pub, whether they’re lit by flickering candlelight or neon Budweiser sign.
~ Brian Baker
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