Mercy of the Crane Folk by Immaterial Possession

By Phil Hawkins

Mercy Of The Crane Folk is the beautifully accomplished second album from Athens, GA’s Immaterial Possession. A theatrical soundscape littered with elements of vintage psychedelic folk rock.

Admittedly, the stylings found on Mercy Of The Crane Folk are not my usual cup of tea. At times the album feels almost too haphazardly pieced together. However, when looking at the overall architecture of the album one can draw the conclusion that this is completely intentional. Stylistically, the album carries a lot of groovy sounding psychedelic folk rock on a theatrical level.

Mercy Of The Crane Folk opens with “Chain Breaker” which at surface level could easily dissuade the average casual listen. While it is a solid opening track it doesn’t seem to fare too well as a stand alone track. To get the full effect you have to traverse the entirety of the album. “Mercy Of The Crane Folk” follow and continues to elaborate upon what the band is building on the overall album with a solid bass riff that carries throughout the track. “To The Fete” carries an overall theatrical feel with the vocal delivery as they feel far more intentional than the prior tracks. “Medieval Jig” bridges the album between the first and second third and feels very earthy and organic in nature.

“Siren’s Tunnel” has an almost surf rock vibe to it which stands out against the rest of the album, but it still fits the aesthetic as it exemplifies a vintage sound. It is an intriguing track as there is no lyrics, just some mild vocalizing that is laced throughout. “Current in the Room” is a bit of an anomaly as it seems to be the most cohesive stand alone track on the album. It doesn’t feel like it is reliant on the rest of the album’s construct to function. “Ancient Mouth” along with “Cypress Receiver” both have a vintage 70s western sound to them, which again adds to the overall aesthetic without being too distanced from the rest of the album’s sound.

“Birth of Queen Croaker” is another instrumental track with some mild vocalizing laced within prior to the album’s closing track. “Red Curtain” closes out the album in long format as the track clocks at just under six minutes. It appears to encompass the rest of the album within that time frame in a more approachable fashion. The composition of this track alone is a spectacular display of what the band is fully capable of.

Ultimately, Immaterial Possession succeeds in exactly what they set out to do with Mercy Of The Crane Folk and that is to create a vintage styled soundscape in the modern era. They accomplish this in spades. For some it may be an acquired taste, but there are some truly radiant moments found within that album that make it worth while.

Mercy Of The Crane Folk is out now via Fire Records and is available on all major streaming and digital platforms. You can also order direct from the band via Bandcamp.