Original Alternative folk Band ,Galway, Ireland "A cocktail of acoustic soulfolk"

Galway workhorses Queen Elvis are driven by Caroline and Colin Stanley, who gigged extensively in the 90s, had a little sit down and a cup of tea, and came back five years later with a new haul of soulful dreamy songs – think ‘Paper Moon’ stripped down to guitar and mournful cello, with Caroline’s bold gaelic lilt issuing from a cave of echo. At points the songs are absolutely filmic, opening windows onto scenes of lost innocence. Rockabye Baby’s soaring strings and found fragments of children playing, or the birdsong, walking bass and pizzicato strings at the start of Round and Round give way to some wonderfully characterful strings in the Irish tradition. As Robyn Hitchcock sang, “Some are made and some are born to be Queen Elvis.”

Jen Rouse New Bands Panel.. For folk sake

Now into territory unknown for myself, the world of trad. Not just any kinda trad, mind you, this is a bit special. Queen Elvis (cool name, huh?) play a pretty damn killer blend of laidback, dreamy, progressive trad, that marries new techniques and styles into the already tried and tested formula of soaring, traditional female vocals. Galway based 5-piece Queen Elvis were formed in 2009 by husband/wife duo Caroline and Colin stanley, having toured heavily during the 90′s as Big Bag Of Sticks, another fine trad outfit.

“Little World” is a broad EP, but of the same piece. “Round and Round” is a melancholic, vocal driven number, instruments lilting into view. Great string section, nothing at all generic or formulaic about it, it feels like a song you should have heard a long time ago. The drawback of a lot of folk acts is the lack of variety in the vocal section, but that is not even an issue here. Caroline Stanley’s vocals are on point. “Easy” verges on lounge jazz, a loop of percussion underneath a breezy horn lead.. A summer song if ever there was one. In fact, it’s a beautiful morning here, and i have this on and it couldn’t be a more perfect soundtrack to these blue skies. “Rockabye Baby” utilises samples of children playing, not unlike Radical Face, it’s a pretty cool effect, adding atmosphere to this dreamy violin heavy reflection. Again the vocals are just perfect, it’s a voice used as every great voice should be; an instrument in itself. So many modern singers rely on annoying, repeated choruses, to sell records, rather than actual talent.

Calling Queen Elvis “trad”is actually infair, and misleading. In ways it IS traditional, but in many other ways it’s so much more than that. A group of musicians who are making songs based on a shared love of creating beautiful music, that is simply it. Yes, that concept is “traditional”, at least it used to be, but it’s alive and well all the same, and living strongly in Queen Elvis.

http://chewyourownfat.com/queen-elvis-little-world-ep/