David Thomas Broughton - The Complete Guide to Insufficiency

David Thomas Broughton plays some seriously eerie and off-kilter folk music with lyrics to match. I checked out his latest album yesterday, five songs in around forty minutes, entitled The Complete Guide to Insufficiency. Using looped guitars and vocals and with the addition of a drum machine, he creates layer upon layer of lo-fi "freak-folk" that coalesce into primitive hymns. Broughton, from Leeds, England, has been accused of having a preoccupation with the sexual and violent. The question begged is: Is he is provoking response or simply being as open, sincere and unguarded as an artist can possibly be? Maybe both. It's tribal and grim, but it's native feel makes it almost necessary to listen. It's simple and worthy, so check into it.



For those who like Devendra Banhart, John Fahey, Neutral Milk Hotel, Nick Drake and Antony and the Johnsons. The album will be out December 13th. You can find out more at Broughton's MySpace.

I'm not sure why I've chosen this song to feature, it's maybe not the best representative of the album, but I keep coming back to it. Unmarked Grave is probably the hallmark track and Walking Over You is excellent, I'm not good at picking things like that, but like I said, I keep coming back to this track...

David Thomas Broughton - Execution

"...a voice that seems like a mix of the best elements of Vashti Bunyan, Nick Drake, and even at times an older David Byrne; a knack for difficult lyrics; and a skill with melodies that can sustain long and repetitious songs."