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Paul Westerberg Indulges His Folker SideRarely does a recording artist resist the urge to extrapolate in longwinded fashion about their latest project. When prompted, most will discuss both broad concepts and minute details with equal aplomb. But most artists aren't Paul Westerberg.
"I just play how I feel each time around."
Such is his explanation of "Folker," his 13-track album released Sept. 7 via Vagrant Records. Like his previous solo releases for the independent label -- 2003's "Come Feel Me Tremble" and 2002's "Stereo/Mono" -- Westerberg recorded the set in his home basement studio.
The increasingly ragged sounds of these releases fall more in line with the earliest days of his beloved Minneapolis-based punk act the Replacements, rather than the more produced output of their latter years and Westerberg's solo projects for Reprise.
"I'm not a stickler for high-quality sound if it means sacrificing spontaneity," he says. "I like one-takes. I like the first take of a vocal because it usually has the passion that you don't get on a third or fourth take."
That belief cuts to the aesthetic core of "Folker." On first listen, the album comes across as sparse and somewhat unimpressive. But repeated plays are rewarded with blossoming songs where choice phrases pop as hooks seem to continually tumble from the speakers.
"That's the intention," Westerb
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September 9, 2004 | Viewed 19,209 time(s)
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