There's always been a sense of antiquity in the folk music of the '60s and '70s (and its subsequent revival in the past decade); it's all really just a matter of dedication. On her 1970 masterpiece
Just Another Diamond Day, Vashti Bunyan had the good will not only to delve full-bore into her little world of lily ponds and trawlermen but also to dress up her tunes so gorgeously that those who listened had no choice but to follow her there. Not only did this release eventually spawn the "freak folk" subgenre that gradually reappeared into the new century, but it also gave birth to a generation of music lovers who weren't stuck in the past as much as reveling in its simple beauties--ones they never got the chance to be exposed to.
As music representative of this "immaculate past",
Diamond Day is fittingly simple and stripped-down, Bunyan's gorgeously breathy coo providing a light touch to her smooth folk melodies (usually backed up by her lightly plucked guitar, but often also featuring a wide range of instruments such as fiddle, piano, banjo, mandolin, etc.). The album is often breathtakingly gorgeous, filled to the brim with wide-eyed wonder of the natural world delivered via songs that might just be flawless. Though it's no replacement for the music, one must only look at the cover to see what this album is all about
: Bunyan, donned in prarie-like clothing next to her painted furry friends, taking in the wonder of a beautiful world that has long since been shaken out of our imagination by the politicians who are trying to take our jobs.
