I’ve always loved the violin. Whether or not you share the same love, you’ve got to hear the creative re-imagining of the violin in this track. In their newest single Shiver, Young Canadian folk-rock band RedFox re-invents the expression of the violin.
As listeners, we are accustomed to the neoclassical approach of the violin sprinkled into a track to emote a cinematic or sentimental kind of moodiness. On the other end of the spectrum, bright and folky fiddle jigs can find their way into contemporary folk pieces.
Shiver is unlike either of these. Fiddle virtuoso (and lead singer) Daphnee Vandal creatively drops her uniquely composed fiddle lines into a simmering pot of warm, finger-plucked acoustic guitar rhythms, deep and changing movements of bass guitar, and a fast-flowing percussion beat on the drumkit. Vandal’s vocal style is low and lovely, merging into the blend without calling undue attention to itself. Somehow, mysteriously, the final effect remains faithful to its folk roots, while producing blossoms of warmly subdued indie rock.
The band RedFox has evolved intentionally from its origins as a folk duo (Jono Townsend and Tim Loten) into an eclectic combination of musicians. Envisioning an expansion of their sound into something more dynamic, Townsend and Tim Loten invited the voice and violin of Daphnee Vandal into the band. Encouraged by their growing texture of eclectic sound, metal drummer and friend Neumann was added to the mix. The growing chemistry was completed with the skills and experience of progressive rock bassist Sam Robinson. RedFox‘s unique chemistry offers an unusual and refreshing blend of alt-folk-rock-perhaps-indietronica-at-times compositions that are just plain interesting to hear.
Shiver is the band’s third track off the new album Stranger Love and explores the nuances of a relationship that should end, yet won’t. The instrumentation, the tempo, the energy of the song evoke not an ending in despair, but an ongoing struggle to both keep and end the relationship. It’s all beautifully and meaningfully wrapped up in the song’s dynamic and changing textures of instrumentation. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
