Album Review

Guineafowl – Hello Anxiety

• 31st May 2011

Independent folk and Americana spirited journeying outfit, Guineafowl originally started out as a one person outfit and has grown in sound and range, adding five more members in the process. Opener ‘In Our Circles’, represents the growth of the outfit that started out in an attic near Bondi Beach. The number opens out from a soulful/gospel folk vocal lifted intro’, building into an ambient percussion and rising electro slanted tune. It mingles in influences as broad as Adem, Aphex Twin, The Finn Brothers and Guilemots, to name but a few. A spindling, summery guitar outro’ adds to the range on show and the vocals then take on a bracing atmospheric edge.

A spacey, hollow vibes seeps through ‘Little Fingers’, already the five track EP has a fresh and explorative feel. This is even before the stammering Chumbawumba-esque vocals kick in. Delivering snappy, provocative lyrics:

“Trying to get a thrill out of horror.”

An ambient clapping and a twining folk guitar pushed intro’ paves the way for a stirring, femme/male conjoined fuzzy vocal fused and key sliding ballad, ‘Botanist’. This gives a searching tug that helps you get into the mindset of this sincere troupe. ‘Mother (Demo)’, has that lo-fi basement demo feel to it, but it captures the rawness and ambient implanting impact of this growing group. Guineafowl, will send out ripples of promise with this EP, it will certainly capture the attention of those who appreciate the independent and honest approach.