There has been a movement, in roots music, as of late, to get it back to its, well, roots. Amongst the drone of commercialization slapped with “folk” and “singer-songwriter” labels like it’s going out of style, there are still truth-tellers and emotional capitulators amidst it all who are truly and utterly singer-songwriters at their basest definition—characters like Elizabeth Tighe, or like Noah Gundersen or Damien Rice. These are individuals who know how to make a catchy hook or to produce an entire earworm of a song, who may be known for their individualistic, resonant voices to the point that they could justifiably be seen as a pop act, but who embrace the folk attitude of wearing their hearts on their sleeves for their songs, and thankfully never sacrificing art for their mainstream paycheck.
German-born, Canadian-bred and currently American-living Gert Taberner (how’s that for embracing the classic tale of a bard?) understands this, right down to his very bones. Though the three songs present on his latest EP, Fallen, clock in in amalgam at just around 15 minutes tops, they are the very definition of “short but sweet.”
Each of the songs present—from titular lead single ‘Fallen’, through ‘In Need’ and ‘Places’—each fully encompass an idea of togetherness and intimacy that often feels forgotten in this modern, technological age that we live in. Totally forgoing any idea of apathy or irony, Taberner pleads to his subject matter in earnest, with a love emitted through his vocal delivery so warm and complex that it rises above any additional frills that may have been tossed in to qualify the release as more pop-accessible.
The bottom line: with his way of working around his music with his lower-ranged grit and his sensibility to create lyrically and sonically relatable material, Taberner may very well be on his way to be the next folk-rock darling to remember—and it would be deserved.
You can find out more about Taberner by visiting his Facebook and Twitter pages! You can buy Fallen now for $3USD over at his Bandcamp page.
Words by: Jonathan Frahm