THURSDAY

Lankum is a progressive folk band from Dublin, Ireland. With they newly released album False Lankum, the group continue a project of creative rediscovery of the forgotten powers of traditional instruments and songwriting. Alongside beautiful and lush vocal work, Lankum extrapolates a deep heavy sound from the moaning fiddle and heavy droning of harmonium and pipe. Their ability to retrieve this massiveness from the instruments of their craft produce an almost overwhelming massiveness to their music. This theme of retrieval is also present in their reinterpretations of classical western folk songs. The jaunty drinking song “Wild Rover” reemerges as a harrowing tale of the baren totality of addiction, while the American folk song “Katie Cruel” is delivered as a reflection of society brutally turning on and casting out women. Lankum mixes social awareness with mythological storytelling and artistry to create music of astonishing power and intensity.