Which Direction Goes the Beam by Index for Working Musik

The kernel of folk music always lived within old-school post hardcore, but Which Direction Goes the Beam by Index for Working Musik flips post hardcore on its head and shakes until every last strand of hidden folk styling falls out into the open. Guitar strumming reminiscent of bands like Unwound coexist with neofolk vocals pulled straight from Current 93, at times diverging into twinkly arpeggiated sections that sow these two aesthetics together. With additional support from fiddles and brush-tipped drumsticks, the subtle influence from traditional folk hiding within post hardcore bursts forth, all at once feeling natural and complementary. Simultaneously, intense layering of sounds, the introduction of abstract noise, and the use of suspended and extended chords hold this record on the experimental edge, pushing both genres forwards while also deepening their foundations. Through this fusion process, we also gain insight into the dark discomfort that lies dormant in folk music, the melancholic pull that heavily affects music developed in a time of universal instability and relentless chaos.