Recently I was reliably informed there is more music other
than punk rock. Whilst I agreed that this statement is indeed a true fact I
also argued that the term punk rock covers a very big spectrum of music. Any
people I know think that when I talk about punk music I’m just talking about a
group of people playing three chords as fast and as loud as they can and are
shouting any old nonsense into a microphone. This simply isn’t true in the
slightest. Elements of punk can be found in many genres of music. One musical
genre that springs to mind immediately is folk music (and not just because I’m
about to review a folk album, honest). They both share similar subject matters,
such as politics and life on the road and then there’s the DIY spirit and
community that connects the worlds of punk and folk. More and more artists are
bridging the two genres and having great success. One folk act that I think is
absolutely amazing is Canadian duo Stick and Poke. Last year these two
amazingly talented young women released a new album titled Lost Kids. Here’s
what I thought of it.
Lost Kids begins with the song Teeth On A String. Beginning
with a violin introduction before the signature Stick and Poke sound shines
through, Alison Soldnik playing acoustic guitar and Lauren Boyko playing the ukulele
with both girls singing and creating beautiful harmonies. Lauren’s ukulele
gives all of the songs an upbeat vibe and permanently keeps a smile on your
face throughout. Teeth On A String tells the story of a girl who falls for a bad
guy and wondering why it all went wrong. The dual vocals are excellent
throughout and make you want to sing along. The violin addition towards the
middle of the song adds a brilliant extra layer to the overall sound of the song.
The opening couple of seconds of Distance instantly reminds me of the classic
Against Me! song Reinventing Axl Rose, a band I suspect are a big influence on
Stick and Poke. Distance is about someone who you care about who is not around
anymore and the feelings of missing the simple things like the sound of their
voice or how it feels to hug them. Incredibly relatable song. The third song
Poison is played at a higher tempo and has more of a punk feel to it. This brilliant
song is about strong bond of friendship that connects Alison and Lauren after
all of their adventures together playing shows and travelling around Canada
together. Poe is a song with an interesting sound – guitar, ukulele and violin
act as a backing sound and let the vocals carry the melody of the track.
Youth Crew was my immediate favourite song on Lost Kids. I
related to the song instantly, it’s about militant straight edge kids who judge
and preach at people who don’t follow the same lifestyle as them. As a non
drinker one of the first things people ask me is am I straight edge? The answer
I always give is no because I really hate being thrown into that group of
people. Live the way you want to live, don’t judge or try and change people
that choose to live life differently to you. I really loved the verse that goes
“Even Though I Live The Same Way, I Won’t Perpetuate Your Stupid Clichés, Did
You Forget Why We’re Even All Here? It’s About The Music Not The Fucking Beer.”
Tattoo worthy lyrics.
I Don’t Like Love Songs, But I Love You is quite obviously a
love song. It’s a sweet little tale about meeting someone who inspires you to
be the better version of you. The example given in the song are about finding
it easier to write about the things you hate but feeling inspired to write a
song about what you love because of a special person. That’s the sort of person
you need to keep in your life! The seventh song Time is another higher tempo
song and is about the feeling of loneliness in feeling that you don’t belong
somewhere. This is another song that screams early Against Me! with passionate
vocals over the acoustic guitar. Crooked Rooms is the longest song on the album
and has a more sombre feeling to it. It’s again about living in the big city
and not really enjoying it. I love the lyrics in the pre-chorus. They go “Cuz
This City May Be Big, But The People Here Are Small, And They Often Choose To
Waste Their Lives Doing Nothing At All.” Creatures has a feeling of country
music to it. Of all the songs on Lost Kids this is probably the only one I’m
not a big fan of, it’s definitely not a bad song, just not one for me. The
final original Stick and Poke song is called Lost At Sea. This song is another
song about friendship and sticking together through thick and thin. The song’s
lyrics are very heave on metaphors which really makes you listen deeply to the
song and fully understand it’s meaning. This shows a really special song writing
ability. Lost Kids finishes properly with two cover songs – Corpse Grinding
Women by Harley Poe and Waiter by Heathers. I don’t know the originals
whatsoever so I can’t really do a comparison but I can say that I really loved
the Stick and Poke versions.
Lost Kids is an album packed with great folk (with a hint of
punk) music from two wonderfully talented young women from Canada. I wish them
all the luck in the future and hope they can have the successful career they
deserve for their talents.
Stream and buy Lost Kids here: https://stickandpoke.bandcamp.com/album/lost-kids
More information on Stick and Poke can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/StickandPoke
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