Forfolks

Forfolks
Studio album by
Jeff Parker
ReleasedDecember 10, 2021 (2021-12-10)
Recorded
  • June 28, 2021
  • June 29, 2021[1]
StudioSholo (Altadena, California)[1]
Length40:19
Label
ProducerScott McNiece
Jeff Parker chronology
Suite for Max Brown
(2020) 		Forfolks
(2021) 		Mondays at the Enfield Tennis Academy
(2022)

Forfolks is a solo studio album by American guitarist Jeff Parker.[2] It was released on December 10, 2021, through International Anthem Recording Company and Nonesuch Records.[3] It received universal acclaim from critics.[4]

Background

Forfolks consists of solo guitar works by Jeff Parker.[5] It features six original songs, as well as his versions of the standard "My Ideal" and Thelonious Monk's "Ugly Beauty".[6] The album was recorded at Parker's home studio in Altadena, California, over two days in June 2021.[5] A music video for "Suffolk" was directed by Cauleen Smith.[7]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic87/100[4]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[8]
Mojo[9]
The Observer[10]
Pitchfork8.2/10[11]
PopMatters7/10[12]
Uncut[13]
Under the Radar8.5/10[14]

According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Forfolks received "universal acclaim" based on a weighted average score of 87 out of 100 from 7 critic scores.[4]

Mariel Fechik of Under the Radar described the album as "a transfixing solo guitar record that finds Parker turning inward, creating a collection of songs that border on musical meditation."[14] Erin Osmon of Uncut commented that "He situates his intuitive, improvised guitar work among a menagerie of textural loops, working alone and thus fully exposed, his playing a gift of intimacy and warmth in a climate very much in need of such things."[13] Grayson Haver Currin of Pitchfork stated, "The games he plays with rhythm and repetition feel like a frontier, a suggestion of new spaces to explore for solo guitarists indebted to minimalism, drone, and electronics."[11] He added, "Hearing a long-consummate instrumentalist well into his 50s grapple so clearly with the future of his own idiom is plenty inspiring; the quiet confidence with which Parker proclaims there is something else to say with just six strings and a few effects feels like a revelation, for himself and the form."[11]

Accolades

Year-end lists for Forfolks
Publication List Rank Ref.
Mojo The 50 Best Albums of 2022
33
[15]
Pitchfork The 50 Best Albums of 2022
48
[16]
The Quietus Quietus Albums of the Year 2021
69
[17]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Jeff Parker, except where noted.

Forfolks track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Off Om" 1:21
2."Four Folks" 5:34
3."My Ideal"
3:10
4."Suffolk" 7:38
5."Flour of Fur" 4:08
6."Ugly Beauty"Thelonious Monk3:24
7."Excess Success" 10:53
8."La Jetée" 4:11
Total length:40:19

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes.[1]

  • Jeff Parker – electric guitar
  • Scott McNiece – production, sequencing
  • Graeme Gibson – engineering, mixing
  • David Allen – mastering
  • Jeremiah Chiu – cover design
  • Craig Hansen – insert design
  • Lee Anne Schmitt – photography
  • Matthew Lux – liner notes

References

  1. ^ a b c Jeff Parker (2021). Forfolks (CD booklet). International Anthem Recording Company, Nonesuch Records.
  2. ^ Simpson, Paul. "Jeff Parker". AllMusic. Retrieved March 9, 2025.
  3. ^ DeVille, Chris (November 30, 2021). "Jeff Parker – "Four Folks"". Stereogum. Retrieved March 9, 2025.
  4. ^ a b c "Forfolks by Jeff Parker". Metacritic. Retrieved March 9, 2025.
  5. ^ a b Ruiz, Matthew Ismael (November 16, 2021). "Jeff Parker Announces New Album Forfolks, Shares Video for New Song: Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 9, 2025.
  6. ^ Breihan, Tom (November 16, 2021). "Jeff Parker – "Suffolk"". Stereogum. Retrieved March 9, 2025.
  7. ^ Sacher, Andrew (November 16, 2021). "Jeff Parker announces new solo album 'Forfolks,' touring with Steve Gunn". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved March 9, 2025.
  8. ^ Jurek, Thom. "Forfolks - Jeff Parker". AllMusic. Retrieved March 9, 2025.
  9. ^ Male, Andrew (March 2022). "Mojo Filter". Mojo: 88.
  10. ^ Empire, Kitty (December 12, 2021). "Jeff Parker: Forfolks review – a meditative gem". The Observer. Retrieved March 9, 2025.
  11. ^ a b c Currin, Grayson Haver (December 13, 2021). "Jeff Parker: Forfolks". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 9, 2025.
  12. ^ Nøddeskov, Jesper (January 14, 2022). "Jeff Parker's Music Is a Shared Consciousness on 'Forfolks'". PopMatters. Retrieved March 9, 2025.
  13. ^ a b Osmon, Erin (February 4, 2022). "Jeff Parker – Forfolks". Uncut. Retrieved March 9, 2025.
  14. ^ a b Fechik, Mariel (February 7, 2022). "Jeff Parker: Forfolks (Nonesuch)". Under the Radar. Retrieved March 9, 2025.
  15. ^ "The 50 Best Albums Of 2022". Mojo. December 22, 2022. Retrieved March 9, 2025.
  16. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2022". Pitchfork. December 6, 2022. Retrieved March 9, 2025.
  17. ^ "Quietus Albums Of The Year 2021 (In Association With Norman Records) (page 2)". The Quietus. December 6, 2021. Retrieved March 9, 2025.
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