Rakish - Now, O Now (2024) Hi-Res

Rooted in tradition with an ear toward the future, contemporary folk duo Rakish embodies earnest musical exploration and an infectious playfulness on their new album Now, O Now. Acclaimed for her expressive playing, fiddler and banjo player Maura Shawn Scanlin’s songwriting and musical style hint at her North Carolina and Appalachian regional influences. Further north, guitarist Conor Hearn grew up steeped in the venerated Washington, D.C. Irish music scene and developed a keen interest in literature and poetry. His setting of James Joyce’s poetry on the title track as well as “Lightly Come or Lightly Go” epitomizes the duo’s approach: the dexterous alchemy of the old and the new into something wholly Rakish. The friends’ deep musical connection and unbridled love for pushing traditional sounds forward is striking. Just listen to the fiddling on “765” featuring trancey electronic dance production by Jamie Oshima or the epic tune “The Morning Glory” that is set atop an evocative, melancholic drone. It’s clear Rakish cannot be pigeonholed into one genre and is most comfortable occupying the in-between. On Now, O Now they journey through Celtic and Americana styles, deftly showcasing how to bring forth something new from the deep well of tradition.