Dodson and Fogg: Walk On (wisdomtwinsbooks)

Imagine this if you will: A world where Marc Bolan wasn't killed in 1977 when his car hit a tree. That instead he took time out, trimmed down, cleaned up and left London for some more benign pastoral environment to replenish himself.

In his time away he reconnected with his folk-framed Tyrannosaurus Rex style but brought to it the same pop economy of the best of T. Rex (songs like Jeepster, Children of the Revolution)

Working with talented folk guitarists, he re-emerged with a distinctive brand of delightful, melodically gentle, lyrically deep songs which created an archetype for a new but also familiar style of folk-pop.

Like the sound of that?

Then Chris Wade aka Dodson and Fogg has got an album for you.

The Bolan is only a reference point of course, because the highly prolific Wade – two albums a year as Dodson and Fogg, and other music, book and art projects – has always assimilated other influences into his work and still comes out sounding like himself. Here you might add in the chug of JJ Cale (Their Eyes), elements of country-rock (It Feel Like a Dream), some lysergic guitar beamed in from late '66 (Grab Your Soul) and a few early Floyd sound effects and echoed voices (at the start of the dreamy prog-blues of Ruptured).

In a deftly droning manner, Wade sings of emotional states (he's not always the melancholy folkie either) and each of these 14 songs has a distinctive, almost domestic, character.

Acclaimed in the British press and here at Elsewhere, Wade/Dodson and Fogg are an on-going story well worth following.

And again we thank Nathan Ford's wonderful Active Listener site for first bringing Dodson and Fogg (and many other psyche-folk and rock artists to our attention)

For more on Dodson and Fogg and to buy the albums go here. For an interview with Chris Wade at Elsewhere go here.