Megafaun: Gather, Form & Fly

Megafaun

Gather, Form & Fly

The story of Megafaun is certainly a very interesting one. Moving from Wisconsin, the band known as DeYarmond Edison made their way out to Raleigh, North Carolina for a new scene. The band released a couple of records and an EP before parting ways. While Justin Vernon (yes, Justin Vernon of Bon Iver fame) chose to return to Wisconsin, the rest of the members chose to remain in Raleigh and so became the band now known as Megafaun. But the breakup was clearly not a rough one seeing as Megafaun recently opened for Bon Iver on a US Tour. Megafaun is now arguably one of the best bands in the Triangle's music scene and Gather, Form & Fly firmly secures that spot for them. The album, released in July of 2009, is the sophomore effort from the band (their first album, entitled "Bury The Square", was released in 2008) and opens with an instrumental track "Bella Marie" which on top of the heavy folk roots contains violin and piano. This sets the standard for the rest of the album, as it continues with the mixture of traditional folk style and the typical 'rock 'n' roll' with a very well thought out inclusion of violins.

The albums great moments weigh right up there with the other great folk albums from more well known artists that have been released this year and begs an answer to the question of "Why hasn't Megafaun exploded yet". The band has a unique blend of folk music traditions with soul-shaking harmonies by all three members of the band. Songs like "Guns" showcase this perfectly with the harmonized chant of "All we'll ever be" which turns into one of the most beautiful combinations of cacophonous noise with the fading chant in the background. One small question I have is simply "Why isn't "Guns" the album's closer?" While "Tides" does a good job of showcasing what was so great about all of the previous tracks, I've always been a fan of the strong closer and in this case "Guns" was much stronger of a track than "Tides".

It's hard to pinpoint negative things about this album because everything that they attempt to pull off they do so effortlessly, even songs that seem weak in terms of the album itself as compared to the tracks such as "Worried Mind", "Guns", "Solid Ground", and "Gather, Form and Fly" still prove to be some of the best folk music put out this year. To put it simple it is hard to find anything negative about this album. Every lyric is heartfelt and sincere, the band has put it all out there and did a damn good job of it. They deserve all of their comparisons to The Band that they have received because they are just that damn good. If you're a fan of folk music this is your album for this year. Hell this is your album...period.

You can buy the Double LP here for only $16.

Rating: 9/10

Standout Tracks: "Guns", "Worried Mind", "The Process", "Gather, Form and Fly"