Foy Vance is who Damien Rice wished he was. The Irish, underground, folk maestro returns after his initial EP releases with a double A-side single. Clearly destined for bigger things, Foy's a joy to listen to, and is definitely one to watch.
Folk is enjoying something of a renaissance in both popular and alternative culture at the moment. From the more popular end like the aforementioned Rice, to the crazy, bonkers end played by the likes of Joanna Newsom, Folk is stuck on the musical radar indefinitely. Enter Foy Vance.
Both tracks of this double A-side are moulded from the same clay. Both sound fragile and stripped back to the barest of bones, and both also sound suitably festive, especially Indiscriminate Act Of Kindness with it's echo's of the Nativity story. Gabriel And The Vagabond is the better track of the two, beginning with the softest of guitar refrains, before slowly building up to a soaring and affirming conclusion. It's emotional stuff, helped by Vance's accomplished lyrical abilities and assured guitar playing.
This is only the beginning for Foy Vance. The market is definitely ripe enough for his particular musical leanings, and if he continues to produce songs of this calibre he is going to be blasted into the mainstream before he knows it.
