Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

They’re a lot better than mid for me but fair enough



Her solo stuff hasn’t been consistent enough but the highlights of that output have been some of my favourite recent folk songs f’sure

i don’t think folk needs to rest on its laurels so much just because it’s folk

Album Rating: 4.5

Also is There’s A World a play off Death With Dignity? I think it’s a different key, but the melody and finger picking pattern feels very similar. May just be my brain doing a silly.

he honestly could have just changed the lyrics and it would have been his own song

Album Rating: 4.5

“ It’s a Neil Young cover!”



Oops, my brain did do a silly then. Cute very Sufjan rendition.

Album Rating: 4.5

His rendition does sound similar to DWD especially in the picking pattern.

Album Rating: 4.0

"the glass ceiling of sexism is ruthlessly strong here"



actually tho?

Album Rating: 3.5

and pro-Markism

is doof actually sexist for dishing out the biggest sausagefest I've seen in my days for his 21st century songwriters caste list?
no, but is it also hilariously apt that doof of all people dishes out the biggest sausagefest I've seen in my days for his 21st century songwriters caste list oh bby lemme get back to you on that one

Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

There was a funny moment of RYM, a user who I quickly researched as being a Taylor AND Lana stan had a go at my 'albums of the year' list saying no women were in the top 10 but Big Thief were at number one (I think The Delines might have been close to the top 10 too, etc) and...ehhhhhhhhh, yes no 'female artist name' act in the top 10.



His argument really was "I want you to listen again and put one of 'x' or 'x' albums in your album of the year list".



Sometimes you really think the end is nigh.



I tend to rate MORE female artist albums higher than near anyone else just due to the fact I just listen to quite a lot of everything, but actually the issue is some idea of total equal representation (but then why not other groups? etc) which is really hard to artificially manufacture. But the reality is that is actually what some people want, which is really thick.

Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

'is doof actually sexist for dishing out the biggest sausagefest I've seen in my days for his 21st century songwriters caste list?'



well, it's one genre



also: every metal and hip hop (kinda, really) fan on this site by this logic is more 'sexist'. Does 'prog rock' do 'women'? You end up muttering something about maybe Kate Bush counts



it's not a good road

"and pro-Markism"
markism defined and previously well exercised as https://youtu.be/7UIIiYunMQk?si=626P5-1c0_Cr7TmJ&t=86

"also: every metal and hip hop (kinda, really) fan on this site by this logic is more 'sexist'"
well yeah, both of those genres have notorious gender disparities that folk absolutely does not. v facile comparison

Album Rating: 4.5

Doof, some of these are more country of course but I think Lucinda Williams, Gillian Welch, PJ Harvey, and Neko Case could fit in your list surely, I know you like them.



For what it's worth "singer/songwriter folk" is still a pretty male-dominated genre at least as far as what gets most popular in online circles, I generated a RYM chart of singer/songwriter albums with folk primary or secondary from the 90s to present and honestly Doof's list isn't too far from that. I guess this is changing a bit more in the last 10 years though as women have come to dominate indie folk in terms of popularity.

Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

'well yeah, both of those genres have notorious gender disparities that folk absolutely does not. v facile comparison'



should they? and where does that become part of the (subconscious?) appeal? men have always liked 'boy's club' retreats and so it is in music still to some degree? just playing devil's advocate because as established I don't give a fuck really, I listen to more female folk than most no doubt :/



if you believe there've been ten well known female folk artists the last 25 years to rival that top 10 then be my guest, I can't artificially manufacture what isn't there - if you have recs hit me hard johnny

Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

Boney - I didn't include country but there's a lot more choice with country yeah



I'm not really wanting to go down a path of actually fully engaging with johnny as if this is a genuine argument because I think he's taking the piss and he knows it, he's just having a silly nibble

Album Rating: 3.5

Could it not be argued that with a genre as personal and lyrically-focused as folk, that a lot of the appeal is being able to relate to the subject matter? I'd imagine that in some cases, it would lead a male listener to get more out of male song-writers, at least theoretically...



of course some themes are more universal and don't necessarily require the listener / artist alignment in this sense, but surely it can and does sometimes help?

Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

Demon - to some extent, but then also there are bands where a man writes for a woman...or a woman writes for a man, and then would I immediately go 'a-ha! that doesn't ring true'? - of course not.



I mean literature for me is a lot more 50/50, film and television who knows but I'd imagine it's hard to actively have a huge bias, sport ok I am 99% more interested in watching the men's game of whichever sport but that's partly because I played those sports myself.



Folk music, men probably have had years of having a head start/automatically being taken more seriously, it's changed over time, and ok it isn't hip hop or metal and 'anyone can play guitar' but still, as Boney said still quite a male focused genre at heart.



I'm not a fan of artificially trying to apply a counter bias to rectify a perceived imbalance with music I guess...but then also I do feel to some extent I have been doing that to some degree over the last ten years as it is such a pervasive cultural thing in the background, it is almost the natural state and it's fine if it's at that natural progression that's based on genuine enjoyment and respect of stuff - the 'meat' (the actual work) ahead of the 'message'.



"You must put either Taylor or Lana in your top 10" I'm a bit more resistant to sure.

"if you believe there've been ten well known female folk artists the last 25 years to rival that top 10 then be my guest, I can't artificially manufacture what isn't there"
given that your list literally is artificially manufactured already, i'm gonna suggest that turning your nose up at (allowing for a reasonable spread of styles) Nina Nastasia, Sharon van Etten, Ichiko Aoba, Minhwi Lee, Aldous Harding, early Marika Hackman, Lankum, PJ Harvey, Regina Spektor, Neko Case, Haley Heynderickx, Grace Cummings Saya Gray, and however many extras in favour a battalion of Marks and their greasy mate Marks is definitely a you issue
"of course some themes are more universal and don't necessarily require the listener / artist alignment in this sense, but surely it can and does sometimes help?"
Demon, this is a potentially accurate but immensely unflattering angle for anyone pedestaling Mark Kozelek this fiercely in 2023

Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

johnny it was a list of personal favourites to generate discussion not a definitive anything hence the etc comments, it was compiled in less than 5 minutes



None of those artists you listed have had the impact of on me as the Tier 1 ones, often they miss out just for not being very prolific compared to many of those up there - also it was a non complete list hence the 'etc'. PJ Harvey falls a bit outside the timeline but sure Tier 2 or 3 for sure, Neko Case as Boney said would be in the country pile with the others he mentioned (Gillian Welch would certainly be somewhere near the top), the rest I know some of their work (maybe not Grace Cummings).