Some songs are written – inadvertently, I’m sure – for certain times of the day or week. ‘Unanswered’ by Oak Now Willow is one of those that have ‘chill out’ written right through it like ‘Blackpool’ through a stick of rock.
So here I am on a Saturday morning, the sun has been shining non-stop for two weeks but from tomorrow we head back into winter. A perfect time to check out this relaxing country ballad that honours daydreamers, absent minded people and unanswered questions; and I fall into all those categories.
The band comprises four friends from in and around Århus and is led by songwriter and lead singer Katrine Hald who lives in an eco-community called Friland, an international cooperation where people experiment with alternative ways of living, focusing on sustainability. Like a kibbutz, I suppose?
Their collaboration began in 2020 when they convened in a remote corner of Denmark to record her songs.
She gets her inspiration from nature and the community ‘vibe’ and they are so committed to the cause that they released their debut album, ‘Rescue Kit’ made out of second hand vinyl and reused cardboard, possibly a world first .
She honed her songwriting skills in a tour of the western US and other places in which she sought to combine making music with a nomadic lifestyle. The band’s name came from a line from a Buffy Sainte Marie song, “I was an oak, now I’m a willow, now I can bend”
‘Unanswered’ is their first single release this year. Funnily enough I was thinking about Buffy Sainte Marie when listening to the song; there is the same depth of introspection in the lyrics.
They read like a piece of poetry and I recommend you turn them on (the little mic symbol) when you listen to the song, so you don’t miss a word.
The song channels Dylan’s ‘Blowin’ in the wind’ in that it also seems to conclude that there are more questions than answers (“light a candle for the unanswered questions on your bookshelf”) and that for all the times the Moon goes through its third phase all the reflection in the world will do no more than create more reflection.
And that final line, “like an untattooed skin, unanswered in the wind” is brilliant for its ambiguity.
Musically they deftly combine traditional instruments like pedal steel guitar (which seems to my ears to be played as if it is out of tune in the bridge even though it isn’t – is that deliberate?) with synthesisers to create a sound that while not unique is distinctly detached from the mainstream.
The band:
Drums – Peter Dombernowsky
Bass – Johs Hejl
Guitars/ Strings-Keys/ Backing vocals – Nikolaj Heyman
Lead vocal/ guitar/ composer/ lyrics – Katrine Hald
Find them on:
Bandcamp: https://oaknowwillow.bandcamp.com/music
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OakNowWillow
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oaknowwillow/
