Strand of Oaks w/ Golden Coins and Wolfgang Schaefer

One of 2010’s most striking folk records is also one of the most difficult to hear. Strand of Oaks’ great new Pope Killdragon is being distributed exclusively through the subscription website eMusic, so listeners have to sign up to download it, but it’s nonetheless worth seeking out. The record breaks from acoustic folk orthodoxy with its daring use of vintage synthesizers, and unlike on Strand of Oaks’ confessional 2008 debut, this time singer-songwriter Timothy Showalter writes outside himself, telling sometimes fantastical, sometimes devastating stories about rebuilding in the aftermath of tragedy. Among the most stark is “Daniel’s Blues,” a chilling piece of historical fiction that imagines a grieving Dan Aykroyd taking violent revenge on the drug dealer he believes responsible for John Belushi’s death.