Snakefarm

Often what a band needs before it can hit the top is a horizontal starting ground, a debut album that does not say much but that provides a place from which to grow. Snakefarm's Songs from My Funeral is not an instant hit but is promising. The lyrics are repetitive and the music rarely has any build. The combination of techno and hip hop bass sounds and weak, yearning vocals create an odd combination of folk and pop that, although successful at moments, mostly put a listener to sleep. The inability to commit to one genre even within each song leaves the listener feeling unbalanced and bored. Songs from My Funeral works well as chilled background music, but because of the lack of variety in remix styles and the constant, helpless death themes, one song can be enough. The strong female back-up vocals are underused; hints of accordion and cello-like tones add visions of intrigue, but do not last. Other pieces show signs of potential. "Black Girl" opens with banjo and actually successfully transitions to dance-style bass, and the folksong adapted "Pretty Little Horses" reveals musicality and creativity and may define Snakefarm's rise in the future.