The term 'anti folk' has caught the eye a couple of times recently leading to a little delve into its origins which apparently surfaced in New York extending overseas to enclaves such as London and Brighton. One new name accruing the tag is Emily Frembgen, and from a vast pool of stateside music falling at my feet the task was undertaken to find out a little more about her. Just to the put the genre term to bed, the negative association with the world 'anti' is not felt on the latest record and the curiously titled IT'S ME OR THE DOG has moved the dial along for this artist, if perhaps not so the genre.
The back catalogue of Emily Frembgen is attracted to odd years as short albums hit the shelves in '13, '15, and '17. 2019 is the exception with nothing while 2021 sees the trend re-continue with a nine-track effort to provide a more comprehensive assessment of where her music sits. First of all there is a conventional feel to the songs to fall in line with vast swathes of work simply captured in the singer-songwriter empire which especially extends to contemporary folk in the US. There is an obvious raw state of the songs starting life on the bog standard acoustic guitar before the studio takes over to paint the multi layers that give the fully produced recorded versions an extra sheen. This aspect works well alongside a vocal input that carries the required emotion to draw you into the content.
There is a striking contrast in tone towards the album's latter stages when an eery twang giving a moody slight alternative tinge to 'New Feeling' jolts into an uptempo direction with 'Hometown'. The latter possesses all the attributes of a country rock 'n' roller complete with harmonica and that eternal train beat. To complete the passage through to the end, Frembgen goes full on emotive tender to spin a closer in 'He Held onto Me' that shapes the sentimental focus.
This contrasting theme is evident right at the beginning of the record as well with the mild mannered scene setting opener 'Butterfly' giving way to the rather appealing and more robust 'Changes'. This track has some Kacey Chambers vibes to it and on first hearing headed straight to the top of the standout candidate list. That saying the follow up track courts some love with a blast of harmonica greeting 'Sad Affair', and repeatedly giving the song a shot of folk 'n' blues infused adrenaline.
From the trio that frequent the album's middle stages, 'Flower Weed' is a delicate number erring more on the former side of the contrasting title with a beautiful undertone. 'Silver Lining' lifts the tempo to demonstrate how the effective band controls the mood of a song, while 'Turn Around' sees more of Frembgen's sensitive side to ultimately nail how this album undulates to a satisfying degree during its half hour tenure.
Anti Folk or not, IT'S ME OR THE DOG signals Emily Frembgem as a wholly positive singer-songwriter capable of recording a batch of significant songs. Astute ears of similar music that flourishes both high up in the industry and down at the roots will relish what has been offered.