Frugal Puritan - Frugal Puritan

by Andrew Carver

published: 29 / 5 / 2013

Label: Folk Police Recordings
Format: CD

Obscure long-lost folk rock from the mysterious Frugal Puritan, allegedly discovered in a tiny village between North Yorkshire and Wiltshire

Review

There is a certain corner of the vinyl obscurities market that lusts after Christian folk-rock obscurities from the late 1960s and 1970s. The likes of Presence and Bob Desper aren’t likely to inch any more into the limelight than they already have (despite the publicity provided by publications like the Acid Archives), but where there’s a niche genre there’s an adoring modern performer to grab the ball and run with it. That brings us to the Frugal Puritan’s album. It can be inferred from the 16-page booklet that the original LP was discovered by a passing crate-digger in the tiny village of Malton Bishop (somewhere between Tan Hill and Milk Hill say the liners - since the two towns are in North Yorkshire and Wiltshire respectively that’s quite a bit of ground to cover). The performers, cloaked in mystery, offer a musical journey through the life of a British evangelical commune from hopeful beginning to disillusion, occult meanderings and apocalyptic blowout. A pleasant if slightly melancholy ‘Dives and Lazarus Intro’ starts things off with a bit of piano before ‘Lost Son’ gets into some campfire Jesus freakery. ‘(Give the Lord A )Handclap’ provides a bouncy singalong, but also introduces some lysergic lead guitar, with a distinct Quicksilver Messenger Service vibe. The drifting, mellow ‘Song for John David’ and ‘Jane, Coming Round Again,’ seem to be aimed at some of the alleged commune’s wandering flock, but it’s the 10-minute ‘Seven Stars’ that really steals the show, with some strange and dissonant electronic sounds that heads into Pink Floyd territory before some foot-stomping acoustic work and more fuzzed out electric leadwork. ‘Dives & Lazarus Outro’ wraps things up with some cheesy organ and canned beats. Frugal Puritan’s sole album (?) is a pleasant listen for those who like their folk music to fall somewhere on the spectrum between Devendra Banhart, Mu’s more acoustic moments and Stya Sai Maitreya Kali. Wether you believe the back story is up to the listener ....

Track Listing:-

1 Dives and Lazarus Intro
2 Lost Son
3 Raising of the Dead
4 North Street Reign
5 (Give the Lord a) Handclap
6 Song for John David
7 Jane, Coming Round Again
8 Seven Stars
9 Dives and Lazarus Outro