Deep As A River by Isaac Neilson

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To write good Folk music, you must possess a very particular set of skills. An ear for the mystique in the progressions and melodies. An ability to paint with sounds and project colors with motifs and harmonies. You have to also have the talent to create flowing musical landscapes that tell clean stories and offer unique viewpoints on situations. Folk is very difficult to pull off, it’s a musical genre that’s basically associated with musical pieces that have been around for hundreds of years, known as folk songs.

Today’s offering comes from Buxton, UK. A single from a fresh songwriter by the name of Isaac Neilson, that’s impressive, enjoyable and ticks all the boxes mentioned above. Utilizing a gorgeous combo of strummed acoustic guitar, howling synths, and a warm Rhodes to paint a picture of a river rushing between its banks. A particular painting that’s sure to differ between each listener and the other, but also sure to leave an impression. The progressions use chords that sound triumphant and melodies that are sung with a swagger that shifts smoothly between all the sections of the song, achieving a feel of progress as if traveling through the chapters of a book.

The second third of the song is heavy, using distorted guitars and vocals as well as a beat that focuses on the tom-toms to achieve an almost tribalistic sound, before exploding for a very short time with distorted guitar screams that fade out in an instant, creating a sense of pleasant confusion and demand for immediate attention. 

All in all, Deep As A River is a grade A piece of songwriting, checking all the boxes that make a good folk rock song. Isaac proves himself as someone who easily possesses all the sensibilities of an elegant songwriter, and I, personally, will be anticipating more of his works where he’ll hopefully continue to paint more and more of those ambitious sonic landscapes.