Folklore is fronted by Jimmy Hughes of Elf Power, but on the band's recently completed debut full-length, The Ghost of H.W. Beaverman, it is "the cast" that is put front and center, providing guest vocals: Jon Croxton (Wee Turtles) as The Kid, Andrew Rieger (Elf Power) as The Father, Amy Dykes (I am the World Trade Center) as The Bartender, Bren Mead (Masters of the Hemisphere) as The Vet, Ian Rickert (Bugs Eat Books) as Bill & James, Heather McIntosh (The Instruments) as the Ghost, and Scott Spillane (Gerbils) as H.W. Beaverman (Jimmy Hughes is listed as The Pharmacist). In addition, the album features Che-Na Stephens, Aaron Jollay, Raoul De La Cruz (Red Pony Clock), Nick Canada, Pete Erchick (Olivia Tremor Control), and John Fernandes (OTC). All are enlisted to tell Folklore's first legend, about the mysterious death of H.W. Beaverman and the sighting of his apparition by various traumatized people. It's a concept album, but with the solid, sometimes moving storytelling skills of Hughes at the helm*, and being the most overtly collaborative Athens project since Major Organ and the Adding Machine (minus the experimental collages), The Ghost of H.W. Beaverman is amazing to hear. Folklore hasn't announced a label or release date yet, having just completed the project, but I'm guessing it will be released in early 2007. If so, you can place it on your list of essential Elephant 6 listens beside the new Apples in Stereo and Circulatory System. I was floored, and I hope the band has more legends to tell. Below are some sample MP3s provided by the band's website; you can hear more at their MySpace page. (Not all of these are the final versions--"H.W. Beaverman" doesn't feature the Scott Spillane vocals--however, the streaming MP3s on the MySpace page certainly are the finished products.)

*(Apart from guitar, bass, drums, analog synth, melodica, and bells, Hughes is credited for "songs and stories.")

The Ghost of H.W. Beaverman,
by Folklore

1. Enter the Ghost
2. The Kid
3. The Father
4. The Drowning at Lake Bonaparte
5. The Bartender
6. The Vet
7. Bill & James
8. The Pharmacist
9. The Ghost
10. H.W. Beaverman
11. Going Home

MP3s from Folklore's website (not the final album versions):

The Father
The Vet
H.W. Beaverman