Turner Cody - "Buds of May"

Turner Cody - Lashes That Go Wide (Digitalis Industries 2007, recorded 2004)

Turner Cody – Buds of May / Digitalis Industries

I have never been overtly interested in the folk or singer/songwriter genres, typically opting for more multi-hued or densely layered music. But the fact of the matter is that folk done right can be as multi-dimensional as an experimental big band; it just takes an artist whose lyrical imagery can conjure captivating tales with little more than the help of an acoustic guitar and voice. It seems rather simple on paper, but there is absolutely a reason why Bob Dylan or Neil Young songs have near flawlessly held up over the last forty years with wave after style-copping wave of impersonators failing endlessly to dethrone the now-legends. And perhaps because of its rather simple, stripped-down state that so many musicians are drawn to its accessible boundaries, but for that very same reason, it also takes the most personality and idiosyncratic style of any genre to truly differentiate oneself from the masses. So basically, I pay attention when a folk or singer/songwriter album captures my attention, and concurrently attempt to figure out why the troubadour at hand is striking such a chord with my tastes. Turner Cody strummed that very chord with folksy fervor with his now re-released 2004 CD-R, Buds of May, on the always intriguing Digitalis label, and I plan on figuring out just why.

A talent being groomed by the New York City almost always-curious anti-folk scene, Turner Cody is beginning to capture interest worldwide after self-releasing a good number of cassettes and CD-Rs since 1999. Doubling as the bass player and opener for the similarly minded Swedish folk outfit and John Peel favorites Herman Düne, Cody has had the opportunity to be exposed to an international array of receptive audiences and even secured a spot on the Moldy Peaches-compiled Antifolk, Vol. 1 compilation on Rough Trade back in 2002. It is almost a shame that even with such widespread exposure, Cody has still yet to make a significant blip on the American indie radar, but thanks to a new compilation of his best material from 2000-2005 being released on Belgium’s b.y_records, at least his stock is steadily rising in Europe. Hopefully though, with the support of the amazing online music mecca that is Digitalis Industries and industry love from the likes of Wooden Wand, Skygreen Leopards and other off-center folk outfits, Cody will starting getting some stateside attention.

Comprised of twelve two-to-three minute folk ditties, Buds of May is both easily approachable and increasingly hypnotic with each concurrent spin. It is a nice middle ground between the odd anti-folk warble of contemporaries like Jeffrey Lewis, the more nostalgic tinny country-folk of early Dylan, and even the sparse, buoyant British singer/songwriter bounce of Donovan, but without the psychedelic paint job. Cody’s voice is emotive and multi-dimensional enough to jump from a country twang to lovelorn tenor to a playful, backwoods warble. And most importantly, he does a great job of never flat-lining with his vocal melodies; they seem to continuously waver contrasting the straightforward acoustic guitar strums brilliantly. Along with a few other players, Andre Herman Düne contributes buoyant bass lines both underpinning and adding welcomed depth that is so often lost on self-produced folk albums.

I am quite partial to the first half of the album, though not to say it drags on for too long as it registers just over thirty filler-free minutes. When Cody is lovesick, he is at his best. The title track is a springy yet melancholy tune of jubilant emotions sung over wonderfully pinging acoustic guitar melodies, while “Lashes Gone Wide” find Cody dropping his voice an octave and irresistibly cooing lines like “lashes that go wide, angelic dough eyes, none I could wish I blissfully say, could do what you so instantly do to shoo my clue away.” He sounds his most Dylan on “Cry With Me” by upping the twang and opting for lines of multi-layered rhymes with wide acoustic strums, bass line walks and a perfectly brief country-folk bridge. The album closes with the plaintive “When These Sands are Beds Again,” further establishing himself as a very talented songwriter by lacing each line with lyrics that both paint a near-tangible tale and roll gracefully off your tongue.

Being as Buds of May is the first and only Turner Cody album I have listened to, I have to wonder how it stacks up to his previous and subsequent efforts. Is there a reason Digitalis chose this one in particular out of his ever-growing collection of self-releases? And being as this was recorded in 2004, I definitely would like to hear how his songwriting has evolved over the last three years, because it sounds very matured and playful already at this point, a tough bridge to cross in any genre. Hopefully Cody will get some stateside love soon, because I am now quite addicted to his brand of endearing folk but the cost of Belgium-to-Chicago shipping is not enticing at all.