'The Longest Summer' by Factoria [Self-released]

THIS home-made gem from Washington state has to be one of the most limited Neofolk releases around. It runs to just 37 hand-numbered copies - this being number 25 - and each cover has been silk-screened by the artist herself, Joan Devitt Hacker. The card cover is an unusual blend of claret-red and silvery-grey, with the psychedelic Factoria logo on the front and a beady-eyed owl on the back. In fact these feathery predators of the night seem to be a crucial part of this project and each individually-painted disc is accompanied by a membership application form for those wishing to join the ‘Highest Order of the Owl’, which essentially functions as the Factoria fan club. Amusingly - and, as it turns out, erroneously - described by Joan herself as ‘the most boring music ever’, there are just five tracks on this release and the whole thing comes to around 23 minutes in length. ‘Don’t Come Around Here Anymore’, which has apparently received airtime on an Australian radio station, is slow and melodic. A dreamy guitar-strum with accompanying tambourine and plodding bass follow on the heels of the semi-comatose vocals, which are delivered through a Western-sounding haze of reproachful Folk. The second track, ‘The Creek Runs Dry’, is equally pedestrian and bears a curious charm smoothed through with a minimalist monotony and weird Lounge music. There is a real beauty to this song and the music flops along in half-hearted fits and starts with the pretty vocals. ‘Let It Run Cold’ definitely has an icy feel. A twanging guitar and echoing vocals spill across your mind like liquid nitrogen, the synthetic tones in the background sent into the desert-like void like miniature aural missiles. ‘Mind To Wander’ continues in the same reflective vein. The drawn-out vocals are wonderfully desolate, too, describing an inevitable cycle of return but hinting at failure and regret at the same time. ‘Look the Other Way’ has more of a industriousness to it. The speed of the guitar and bass, interlocking beautifully, is increased slightly and a few stormy rumbles and sirens are thrown into the mix like a portent of a nightmarish future. If the earlier part of this demo lulled you sweetly towards the Land of Nod, the finale will have you reaching for the light switch like a frightened child. Factoria’s debut, then, is well worth tracking down - however rare it happens to be - and I’m sure there will be a full-length album somewhere on the horizon once a few labels discover the genius that is lurking in the musical shadows.

For more information, please check out: http://www. myspace. com/factoriamuzak